Free Republic

LOUIS — Donald Trump adopted a base-first strategy at the second presidential debate, tossing red meat to his most fervent supporters in an effort to save his campaign from imploding. Trump might have had little choice after an extraordinary weekend that saw Republicans fleeing his campaign.

<p>The Category 5 Hurricane Matthew continues moving across the Caribbean, and is scheduled to smash into the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by Tuesday evening.</p> <p>Hurricane Matthew reached Category 5 status in the early hours of Saturday morning, becoming the first to do so since Hurricane Felix in 2007. At its peak that day, Matthew’s 160 miles-per-hour winds were as powerful as Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, which is rated as “the most destructive storm in the U.S. modern history.”</p>

The commander of the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay on Saturday ordered the evacuation of families and other so-called “non-essential personnel” from the remote outpost in southeast Cuba ahead of Hurricane Matthew. “A mandatory evacuation has been called for all non-essential personnel,” said Guantánamo base spokeswoman Julie Ripley, in a statement issued just before 1 p.m. “The location will be announced once details are finalized. This includes dependents, school-aged children, special needs families, and their pets.”

A U.S. Navy sailor was sentenced Friday to two-and-a-half years hard labor for raping a Japanese tourist in Okinawa. Justin Castellanos, 24, who was based in the district's Camp Schwab, pleaded guilty in May to raping the 40-year-old victim in his hotel room in Naha, south Japan on March 13. The serviceman had found the woman, who was drunk and asleep in the hotel lobby, and taken her up to his room where he assaulted her. 'I am sorry for what I have done,' he told the court. 'My heart is filled with regret,' Stars and Stripes reports.

There hasn’t been this much excitement in the luxury boxes since the 1991 Kentucky Derby when Mane Minister showed at 87-1. Marco Rubio’s expected third-place showing set off a frenzy of spin and sly promotion in the commentary class. The conventional wisdom is that Rubio is the more electable Republican in November as compared to Ted Cruz or Donald Trump. The conventional wisdom is wrong, just as it was in 2012 and 2008. Marco Rubio has two significant problems that render him a problematic November candidate. The first is his record on the most important issue of the year. The...

European Space Agency's head Jan Woerner released the vision outline for the Moon Village, which could replace the International Space Station as early as 2030. The lunar village will be composed of structures created by 3D printers and robots using Moon dusts as raw materials. Woerner became the ESA head in July 2015 and made the Moon mission the space agency's central project. Woerner added that this lunar project is a crucial step towards the future flight to Mars. "I looked into the requirements I see for a project after ISS. As of today, I see the Moon Village as...

Many political reporters are trying to ascertain why there is so much anger on the right. Why are so many people willing to cast a protest vote for Donald Trump given his personal baggage and ideological inconsistencies? Why is there unprecedented hatred for the Republican Party by GOP voters, bordering on calls for a third party? On a Friday during the dog days of summer, there is usually not a lot of political news worthy of print. But this year is different. Not a day goes by when Americans are not entreated to another story about the foundation of their...

It is appropriate Scott Walker will be making his formal presidential candidacy announcement in Waukesha. While Walker may be a Wauwatosa resident and was Milwaukee County executive before being elected governor, his political base – and the biggest reason he is a viable presidential contender – is the Milwaukee suburbs. Waukesha is the unofficial capital of the suburbs and the heart of Walker Country. In all three of Walker’s winning elections for governor, he received staggering margins in the crescent moon region that wraps around Milwaukee County. Walker drew more than 70 percent of the vote in Washington, Waukesha, Ozaukee...

Cyprus will offer Russia military facilities on its soil, President Nicos Anastasiades said on Friday. In an interview with a local newspaper, Anastasiades said that a pact strengthening defense relations between the two countries will be signed when he visits Moscow on Feb. 25. "There is an old (defense) agreement which is to be renewed as it is. At the same time, some additional facilities will be provided just like we do with other countries - France and Germany for example," Anastasiades said. Cyprus is currently providing facilities to French planes, such as refueling and maintenance at an air force...

Requires development of longitudinal data system that maintains individuals' data from preschool through entry into workforce

Six vessels fom the Russian North fleet have left their base in Severomorsk in the Barents Sea and set off for the New Siberian Islands, where a military base under reconstruction will start functioning later this year. “The major goal of the latest expedition of the North fleet ships to the Arctic is to deliver personnel, equipment and property of the North fleet’s tactical group, which starting this year is going to fulfill military service at the New Siberian Islands on a permanent basis,” said the North fleet commander, admiral Vladimir Korolyov. The six vessels currently on their way to...

The days when a bare-bones "stripper" car came with vinyl seats, rubber floor mats and no air conditioning are long gone. Today, convenience and cold air come standard for all models, along with a long list of niceties that were once the sole domain of the loaded vehicle. A base Chevy Spark, as one example, offers aluminum wheels, ten standard airbags, power windows — even six months of OnStar service, in case you lock your keys in the car. On the surface, the new car market is offering better values than ever. There is just one small problem with nearly...

Friend, In just 10 days, we hit a critical end-of-month FEC Fundraising Deadline. The NRCC will publicly report how much money we raised in May and I am determined to have a strong showing. We're counting on supporters like you to help us reach our goal. Will you please contribute $100, $75, or even $50, right now towards our end of the month fundraising deadline? Even $25 goes a long way, Friend. President Obama's campaign machine is a serious threat to our Republican House Majority. That’s why I have decided to double-match every contribution we receive before midnight May 31st....

by Gina Cassini | Top Right News Outrageous. Reckless. Senseless. That is what many military families are calling the continuing ban on concealed carry for servicemembers on U.S. military bases. Bases like Ft. Hood, where 3 brave members of our military were gunned down by an apparently mentally-compromised Spc. Ivan Lopez. And the outrage will only grow in light of a new shocking report that Lopez was able to remain free for 15 to 20 minutes -- more than enough time for him to kill 3 and wound 16 -- before finally being confronted by a military policewoman, whereupon he took...

For the second time in a week, the nation´s top intelligence chiefs Tuesday issued a scathing assessment of the global threats facing the United States, warning that Syria is becoming a base from which extremist, Al Qaeda-linked groups could attack the U.S. “We are concerned about the use of Syrian territory by the Al Qaeda organization to recruit individuals and develop the capability to be able not just to carry out attacks inside of Syria, but also to use Syria as a launching pad,” said CIA Director John Brennan at a hearing before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

by John Urban | TopRight News A potentially disastrous security breach by the Pentagon was discovered by sheriff's deputies during a routine traffic stop in Southern Arizona. Pinal County deputies stopped a 2006 Ford Expedition for a traffic violation. The Mexican national initially presented an Arizona Identification Card, in the name of Armando Villalobos of Phoenix. A records check revealed that not only did the illegal alien have no driver's license, but there were outstanding felony warrants for his arrest in Texas.The suspect eventually told the deputy that his real name was in fact Mario Bustamante, 37, and that he was in...

A mystery object spotted on the surface of the moon has sent conspiracy theorists into overdrive. The bizarre wedge-shaped structure with rows of seven light-like dots along its edge appears on the lunar surface. It was discovered on the Google Moon viewer at coordinates 22042'38.46N and 142034'44.52E. Speculation has exploded over the images of the anomaly that UFO websites have likened to an alien lunar base or spaceship. There are also theories that it is an alien spaceship nestled under the dust of the moon or even a secret moon base occupied by humans.

An investigative report from an Arizona television station reveals illegal aliens routinely are marching across a classified military base in order to enter the U.S., and the military’s perspective is that it’s not the Department of Defense’s responsibility to chase down invaders. The report comes from KVOA-TV in Tucson, which reported that the fort, which is the home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command, is having hundreds, perhaps thousands, of illegal aliens come across its 73,000 acres. The site is located in the Huachuca Mountains only a few miles from the border...

Unclear who is behind the attack on base located in stronghold of Assad's Alawites, but Syrian, Lebanese media accuse Israel; Channel 2 reports attack's target were S-125 surface-to-air missiles.

The Republican National Committee is taking a drastically different approach to spending its money in the upcoming mid-term elections next year, putting up more money early on in the campaigns to build the party's grassroots rather than stockpile its cash until the final days of the election as it has been in the past. "Things have changed," RNC spokesperson Sean Spicer wrote in a memo Monday. "That [former] strategy is both outdated and ineffective." Now, instead of spending primarily on television ads and get-out-the-vote operations during the election's final 90 days, the RNC says it is investing in consistent outreach...