Free Republic

Iran has confirmed it is prepared to halt its enrichment of 20-percent uranium, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported on the ministry website Tuesday, June 18. He urged Western nations to reciprocate by lifting sanctions. DEBKAfile: It was not clear whether this was a temporary suspension, an absolute halt – or a dodge for getting sanctions eased to enable the incoming Iranian president Hassan Rouhaini get to grips with his top priority, his country’s dire economic straits. Lavrov explained persuasively in his message: “For the first time in many years, there are encouraging signs in the process of settlement of...

Dear Dave, My son has a $115,000 mortgage at 5.8 percent. He also has a home equity line of credit of $40,000 at 9 percent. Currently, he can get a 30-year loan at 3.5 percent, or a 15-year note at 2.75 percent. His take-home pay is between $70,000 and $80,000 a year, and these are his only debts. Should he combine the mortgages into one loan? Daniel Dear Daniel, First, I only recommend mortgages of 15 years or less. Now we’re looking at a 2.75 percent loan versus a 5.8 percent loan versus a 9 percent loan. I advise people...

John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he might lose his job as House speaker over immigration reform, but he insisted he will not bring a bill to the House floor that does not have majority support of both Republicans and Democrats. Following the Republican conference meeting on Tuesday, Boehner was asked: “Rep. Rohrabacher said that if you bring immigration reform to the floor without the support of the GOP conference you will lose your job (as speaker). Do you think that’s accurate?” “Maybe,” Boehner said after a long pause, to laughter from reporters. …

Mayor Bloomberg's bodyguard has been jailed for seven years for attempted murder in a love triangle shooting. Leopold McLean, 49, shot his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend outside her home in November 2010. The shooting took place after the veteran NYPD officer had dropped off Mayor Bloomberg’s daughter Georgina at home after a Knicks game.

So I'm watching the news today and start seeing our illustrious Bureaucrats Out Right Lying about what they collect and what they don't.   They tell us today they don't collect locations of cell phone trawled for in pursuit of a target named in a warrant.   I want you to understand when they issue a warrant, many times, with "Reasonable Cause" They are violating the Constitution by: 1.  Using "Reasonable Cause" as the basis for a warrant.  The Constitution requires no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause.   2.  supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the...

In line with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s order for troops to have their workplaces searched for “degrading or offensive” materials—part of an attempt to curb sexual assault in the military—the Navy will inspect even its bathrooms. While what’s degrading or offensive is open to interpretation, the material can include song lyrics and “inappropriate cartoons.” In a memo sent on June 13, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus ordered that all sailors, Marines, cadets and civilian employees have their workplaces searched by June 28. The “comprehensive visual inspections” of the workspaces conducted by commanding officers will “ensure they are free from materials that...

If you haven’t already heard, Michelle Obama checked into a lavish $3500 per night suite at Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel on Monday. To add insult to injury, Mrs. Obama’s visit requires not just the booking of the “Princess Grace” suite but an additional 29 rooms for her entourage. This is not an inexpensive trip and it is costing taxpayers huge amounts of money. The President is in Dublin for the two-day G-8 Summit which will allow him to rub elbows with the likes of Stephen Harper and Vladmir Putin. It is expected that Barack Obama would attend this event. It is...

A rare white buffalo calf was born Saturday inside Royal Gore Park, which has just seen wildfires destroy 3,218 acres and 52 commercial structures. The calf was named Smokey and was seen by some as a positive sign, KDVR.com reported.

Senator Guillory explains what the Republican Party stand for and why he switched. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwBaR5bLZc8

Exclusive: Whistle-blower Says State Department Trying to Bully Her Into SilenceThe State Department investigator who accused colleagues last week of using drugs, soliciting prostitutes, and having sex with minors says that Foggy Bottom is now engaged in an "intimidation" campaign to stop her.

The Greenland Sleeper Shark — Somniosus microcephalus — is a rather large, and strange, species of shark native to the icy waters of the North Atlantic, and is especially common in the region around Iceland and Greenland. The species has also been dubbed: the sleeper shark, ground shark, grey shark, gurry shark, and the Inuit name for it is Eqalussuaq. They are the most-northerly shark species currently alive, and are well adapted to life in the frigid waters. And something worth noting — they have often been found to have the remnants of polar bears, horses, and reindeer in their...

During a speech yesterday in Belfast, President Barack Obama criticized Catholic education, suggesting that it’s harmful to national unity. “If towns remain divided—if Catholics have their schools and buildings and Protestants have theirs, if we can’t see ourselves in one another and fear or resentment are allowed to harden—that too encourages division and discourages cooperation,” said the President, during his Northern Ireland Visit for the G8 summit. The Scottish Catholic Observer pointed out that Archbishop Gerhard Müller, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, recently praised Catholic education before a Scottish audience.

Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm, has a fairly solid record, and they’re constantly polling in North Carolina, their home base. So it has to give Sen. Kay Hagan, D, a bit of heartburn that they’re finding her slightly underwater on job approval, and around 45 percent in ballot tests, just squeaking by against candidates ranging from “barely known statewide” to “some dude.”

OAKLAND TWP. (WWJ) - Federal agents searching for the body of former Teamsters chief Jimmy Hoffa believe they are about to crack one of America’s biggest unsolved mysteries. CBS News has confirmed a suspicious concrete slab was retrieved by investigators from the Oakland Township field where they have been digging for any sign of Hoffa. It’s too soon, however, to know whether the slab is anything more than part of an old foundation for a barn. The dig — the latest in what’s been nearly a 40-year search — is reportedly the result of extensive FBI interviews with former mobster...

The Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit held a hearing today on “Examining How the Dodd-Frank Act Hampers Home Ownership.” The hearing was about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Qualified Mortgages (QM). The fear of Dodd-Frank and the CFPB is that the rules are so severe that it could hamper home ownership. Even though the current rate of home ownership remains above the 1994 rate of 64.2%. On May 29, 2013, the CFPB adopted a number of amendments to the QM rule that were proposed concurrently with the final rule in January. The amendments would (1) exempt...

Rush Limbaugh asks a pretty decent question. If Republicans need to pass comprehensive immigration reform in order to stave off demographic doom, why are Democrats so eager to help them? No less than Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey also said, "The Republicans' presidential prospects are forever over if they don't pass this legislation." Now, my question to that -- and I'm sorry for being so silly and naive and stupid. But I ask myself: "Why does Bob Menendez care whether we win the presidency or not?" Let me ask a better question. Why does Senator Menendez want us to...

Intel Unveils 14nm Xeon Phi “Knights Landing” ChipIntel on Monday announced the expansion of the Intel Xeon Phi coprocessors portfolio and revealed details of the second generation of Intel Xeon Phi products code named “Knights Landing”. The new products and technologies will continue to radically increase the energy efficiency and performance of supercomputers worldwide. Intel revealed details of its second generation Intel Xeon Phi products aimed to further increase their supercomputing capabilities. Code-named “Knights Landing”, the next generation of Intel MIC architecture-based products will be available as a coprocessor or a host processor (CPU) and manufactured using Intel's 14nm process...

Marco Rubio has repeatedly claimed he "wants more" from the Amnesty Bill now moving through Congress. Yes, folks, it's an amnesty bill. Let's cut the crap and call it what it is, because only through calling something what it is can we debate it. "Legalization" of those who are here illegally today is amnesty. I don't care whether it leads to citizenship now or later, the fact of the matter is that it rewards criminal activity by allowing those who stole from Americans and their resources to keep what they stole and remain here in America. There is no restitution....

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To think it only took the world's most (in)famous whistleblower to get the NSA to disclose that it had heroically managed to prevent terrorist attacks involving the New York Stock Exchange (we supposed they refer to the Manhattan-based TV studio and not the actual exchange where the servers are now housed in Mahwah, NJ) and the NY Subway. Because whereas there was a time in the past when the various US secret services would scurry at the opportunity to disclose their expertise to the general public, now it is a false negative that is supposed to disprove a positive (pervasive...