Free Republic

During his two-day visit, Kash Patel is expected to visit the capital Moscow and Russia’s second largest city of St. PetersburgWASHINGTON, October 14. /TASS/. FBI Director Kash Patel has arrived in Russia for negotiations, the MS NOW television reported, citing own sources. The report indicates that during his two-day visit, Patel is expected to visit the capital Moscow and Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg. It will be the first visit by an FBI chief to Russia since 2013. Earlier, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters that he has nothing to comment on about media rumors on...

US threatens to halt arms shipments to Ukraine over attacks on Russian oil refineries – FT The Trump administration is reportedly considering halting the PURL program, through which Ukraine receives US weapons, to pressure Kyiv to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries.

Much of President Donald Trump’s second term has focused on changes to the nation’s capital. But his ambitions to remake the physical architecture of the presidency transcend Washington: Trump wants to transform his West Palm Beach golf club into a presidential retreat modeled after Camp David. The plan calls for a parcel of the private club to be designated a permanent, official sanctuary for foreign leaders and future U.S. presidents, designed to host international summits and house presidents when they take vacations in Florida, according to a proposal presented to Palm Beach County officials by Trump International Golf Club’s legal...

LGBTQ advocates condemn president's rhetoric in tight Senate race in South Carolina President Trump's latest Truth Social broadside is drawing attention not just for who he targeted, but how, NBC News reports. In a Monday post backing Republican Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina, Trump repeatedly used an anti-trans slur to describe her opponent, Democratic Senate nominee Annie Andrews, who is not transgender, and said she is "not for South Carolina" and voters should show her that the state "is not for her." The White House, asked why he used the term, simply pointed reporters back to his post. CNN...

Sal covers the reports of 8 marines wounded in an attack on a "non-US Navy" ship. W*T*H: Did the U.S. Military Turn a Civilian Freighter into an Armed Escort?

Eight US Marines were injured in an Iranian attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on September 14, NBC reported Sunday evening, citing three US sources. The Marines were not seriously injured by the Iranian cruise missile hit on the vessel, but they sustained smoke inhalation and showed symptoms of concussions, including headaches, according to the report. The Marines were not on a US Navy ship, but the officials did not share what type of ship it was. All eight service members returned to duty soon after the attack.

Oil prices jumped about 5% Monday as doubt grew that the U.S. and Iran will reach a deal to increase ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures climbed about 5% to close at $82.13 per barrel. Brent crude , the international benchmark, also settled around 5% higher at $87.72 a barrel. President Donald Trump told Axios on Sunday that the U.S. is “only semi-negotiating” with Iran, after he insisted last week that Washington and Tehran were in fact holding talks. Trump indicated that he would rely on the U.S. naval blockade to pressure Tehran rather...

The Iranian government flat-out rejected President Trump’s claim that new negotiations were due to get underway later Monday, with officials stating that no talks were taking place or scheduled.Trump, 80, told reporters en route to Washington Sunday night that he had called off a planned “massive attack” on Iran at the request of US partners in the region — including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.“They thought that a deal is imminent,” said the president, later adding: “Now what we’re doing is talking to them [Iran], in the form of a ​negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon.” Iran Foreign...

In a stunning departure from decades of established US foreign policy, President Donald Trump revealed that a forthcoming peace agreement with Iran will likely allow the regime to retain its conventional ballistic missiles. Standing before reporters at the G7 meeting in France, the President argued that a complete ban is unrealistic because 'they got to have some.' 'What am I going to do? Am I going to let Saudi Arabia have missiles, but they can't have them?' Trump said during the briefing. 'Missiles aren't the problem. They hurt a little location, but they don't blow up the planet.' A reporter...