Free Republic

...Mnangagwa struck a conciliatory tone in the months leading up to the election. Declaring that Zimbabwe was “open for business,” he amended a law requiring local ownership of diamond and platinum mines. He signaled his intent to end farm seizures and vowed to sell off failing state enterprises. He even wrote a New York Times op-ed calling for democracy and equal rights for all citizens. But Mnangagwa is tied to numerous human rights abuses, including overseeing a series of government-ordered massacres between 1982 and 1986 known as the “Gukurahundi.” An estimated 20,000 civilians from Zimbabwe’s Ndebele ethnic group were killed....

During the Obama presidency, the U.S. administration was wary of the Muslim Brotherhood, which had come to power in Egypt after the country’s first-ever free elections. Despite his declared support for democracy and change in the Arab world in the wake of the Arab Spring, then-President Barack Obama did not take a strong position and reject the coup against President-elect Mohamed Morsi. The coup, as we know, led to the military’s return to power in the largest Arab country — along with tyranny, repression, corruption and mismanagement. That is the conclusion that David D. Kirkpatrick arrives at in his excellent...

FULL TITLE: Pastor Brunson ‘Immediately’ Expressed His Gratitude With Display of Patriotism After Being Freed From Turkey After Pastor Andrew Brunson was released from Turkey following two years of detainment, he expressed his gratitude in the most patriotic way — even before he touched down on American soil. Before the pastor landed at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington, D.C., on Saturday, his plane made a stop in Germany on Friday to refuel. While there, he and his wife were greeted by U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell, who presented Brunson with a folded American flag. The pastor, moved by the gesture,...

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., alleged Sunday that there is a “bureaucratic coup” being uncovered following reporting last week that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein discussed trying to oust President Trump. The New York Times reported Friday that Rosenstein considered rallying Cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution and offered to wear a wire to record his conversations with the president. Rosenstein has denied he considered such actions and follow-up reports have indicated that he was being sarcastic when bringing up the secret recording. Graham told “Fox News Sunday” that Trump should not fire the top Justice Department...

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters on Thursday that she is confused why Americans aren’t “uprising” against the Trump administration over conditions on the border with Mexico. The California Democrat’s weekly press briefing veered into explosive territory when the subject of illegal immigration came up. Mrs. Pelosi said there may be “uprisings” over children who are separated at the U.S. southern border when asylum seekers decide not to arrive at a proper checkpoint.

snip Informed sources in both Moscow and Kiev have told TIME that Tymoshenko has reached a deal with the Kremlin, under which she would be more considerate of Russia's needs — particularly for long-term rights to its Black Sea naval base at Sevastopol — and would tone down her traditional anti-Moscow diatribes, and in return she may find Russia more flexible when it comes to negotiating next year's prices for the natural gas on which Ukraine depends. However, Tymoshenko firmly denies rumors of any accommodation with foreign powers, insisting that she abides only by the interests of Ukraine. Rumors of...

Vladimir Putin is 'alive' but 'neutralised' as shadowy security chiefs stage a stealthy coup in Moscow, it was claimed last night. Former FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev was behind the plot, claimed chairman of the pro-Kremlin national Islamic Committee, Geydar Dzhemal. Snip... 'I think that Putin is neutralised at the moment, but of course, he is alive,' said Dzhemal, seen as a Kremlin loyalist. 'He is under the control of the power-wielding agencies, who have, in my opinion, organised a coup d'etat.' snip.. 'My information is that Patrushev met Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in Pyatigorsk on 11 March and tempted him...

CNN analyst and former CIA intelligence official Philip Mudd wondered aloud Monday when a shadow government will emerge to oppose President Donald Trump following a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland.

Democratic Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen on Monday called for the “military folks” to save America from President Donald Trump after Trump’s much-criticized press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Where are our military folks? The Commander in Chief is in the hands of our enemy!” Cohen wrote on Twitter, using language suggestive of a military coup. Cohen later said that he was in no way calling for a coup. “No coup called for,” he wrote, claiming it unlikely that someone would call for a coup on Twitter. Cohen’s bizarre tweet was similar to one from former Obama CIA Director John...

Nearly two years ago, the British people voted for Brexit. They rejected the arguments of the political, business, academic and media establishment, which were united in their support for the European Union and its elitist agenda that favors the rich. Instead, voters chose populism, voting for Britain to become a self-governing, independent nation outside the EU. You can say they were wrong; you can lament their decision. But you can’t deny the facts of what happened. But guess what? Denying the facts is exactly what the elitists are trying to do. Right now, the political debate in the United Kingdom...

On Friday there was more good economic news as the jobs report showed the unemployment rate dropped to 3.9%, the lowest since 2000. For African Americans and Hispanics, the unemployment rate is now the lowest ever recorded. In April, 164,000 nonfarm jobs were added to payrolls surpassing a 135,000 increase in employment in March. Among the sectors to perform well in April were construction which added 17,000 new jobs and manufacturing employment which surged by 24,000 jobs. Most analysts believe that the economy is nearing full employment, so it is not surprising that the Economic Cost Index shows wages are...

U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III has been appointed to preside over the special counsel’s criminal case against Paul Manafort. That is bad news for Robert Mueller. At a Friday hearing, Judge Ellis accused the Mueller team of “lying” about the scope of its investigation. He asked for a copy of the unredacted “scope memo” penned by Rod Rosenstein, which Congressional Republicans have also sought.The judge is particularly concerned that much of the information that forms the basis of the Manafort indictment was compiled by the Justice Department during the Bush and Obama Administrations, when Robert Mueller was the FBI Director.I...

Former CIA Director-turned-Twitter troll, John Brennan issued President Trump a warning Friday morning after the House Intel Panel released their much-anticipated Russia report, officially clearing Trump. There was no Trump-Russia collusion. End the witch hunt now and start prosecuting all involved in the attempted coup. Not only did the House Intel report clear Trump of any ‘collusion’ with Russia, it revealed a group of wealthy donors spent $50 million to fund the Trump-Russia investigation. A group of about 7-10 wealthy donors from California (Silicon Valley) and New York spent $50 million to fund a Trump-Russia investigation conducted by none other...

Top U.S. intelligence officials gathered in the White House Situation Room in March to debate a controversial proposal. Counterterrorism officials wanted to create a government dragnet, sweeping up millions of records about U.S. citizens—even people suspected of no crime. ~ snip ~ The rules now allow the little-known National Counterterrorism Center to examine the government files of U.S. citizens for possible criminal behavior, even if there is no reason to suspect them. That is a departure from past practice, which barred the agency from storing information about ordinary Americans unless a person was a terror suspect or related to an...

Montenegro's chief special prosecutor has said "nationalists from Russia" were behind an attempt to assassinate the PM and carry out a coup. Milivoje Katnic said the plot involved killing pro-Western PM Milo Djukanovic with a professional long-distance sharpshooter. The plotters are accused of planning to break into parliament and bring a pro-Russian government to power.

There are reports tonight that a radical left-wing organization is responsible for helping to free a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay named Abu Sufian bin Qumu. Bin Qumu has been cited by multiple sources at Fox News as at least being involved with, and possibly playing the lead role in the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Those attacks resulted in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other American diplomats. Michelle Malkin has revealed that the Center for Constitutional Rights represented Qumu and helped lead the charge in freeing him back in 2007. President Emeritus...

After 10 months of leading the FBI’s Trump-Russia investigation, counterintelligence official Peter Strzok had not seen compelling evidence that President Trump or high-level campaign officials colluded with the Russian government, according to a person familiar with his thinking. That account comports with a May 19, 2017 text exchange between Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page that was released earlier this week. “You and I both know the odds are nothing. If I thought it was likely, I’d be there no question. I hesitate in part because of my gut sense and concern that there’s no big there there,” Strzok wrote...

CONAKRY, Guinea — Coup leaders in Guinea issued a declaration on state radio Sunday saying all military generals of the former regime had been demoted, raising the spectre of instability in the country. The demotions included more than 20 military heads, including those who ran the country's army, navy and air force. The list also includes security force chiefs. .... The move comes amid questions about whether coup leader Capt. Moussa Camara is able to control the plethora of military units created under Conte's 24-year rule. Capt. Camara's group seized public airwaves and declared a coup Tuesday just hours after...

The cause of democracy in Africa could have done without this latest affront. Barely six months after giving the French president an undertaking that he would leave power at the end of his second term, Niger’s president, Mamadou Tandja, has rewritten the rules to give himself power for as long as he wishes. A general election was held on 20 October to renew 113 seats in parliament, which Tandja dissolved in May to overcome its opposition to his plans to change the constitution. He organised a referendum on 4 August to obtain popular approval for new rules, doing away with...

Two FBI officials who worked on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation exchanged text messages last year in which they appear to have discussed ways to prevent Donald Trump from being elected president. “I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office — that there’s no way [Trump] gets elected — but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk,” FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok wrote in a cryptic text message to Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer and his mistress. “It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40,” Strzok wrote...