Free Republic

An army is attacking the United States. Its war is being waged without bullets or fanfare. Denied by its government, these soldiers operate in shadows and in silence. Yet, glimpses of their operations are seen on a daily basis—hackers and spies attacking and stealing from U.S. businesses and the U.S. government. Until now, a complete view of their operations and of the military department that gives them their orders remained hidden. Yet, China’s spy and cyberoperations all share one thing in common: they’re all orchestrated under the People’s Liberation Army General Staff Department (GSD), the Chinese military’s top-level department dedicated...

On December 28, 2013, The New York Times published a thoroughly researched review of the September 11, 2012 attacks on the American diplomatic and CIA facilities in the city of Benghazi. David Kirkpatrick, The Times’ Cairo bureau chief, traveled to Libya and personally conducted a series of interviews with witnesses and even the relatives of suspects in that attack. His exhaustive account of the events on that night was illuminating, but his conclusions about what sparked that deadly attack made the most waves. Kirkpatrick found that there was “no evidence that al Qaeda or other international terrorist groups had...

China’s central bank unexpectedly slashed interest rates on Friday to re-energize the world’s No. 2 economy, joining a growing list of major economies that are trying to encourage growth in the face of a global slowdown. On top of the rate cut, Chinese authorities promised to inject credit into the financial system if needed. Meanwhile, the president of the European Central Bank said Friday he was ready to step up stimulus for the 18-country eurozone economy, whose performance continues to disappoint. And Japan’s government this week delayed a tax increase after the country slipped back into recession. News of China’s...

With so many Jihadist threats metastasizing around the world, it’s getting tough to keep track. There are more Jihadists fighting in more countries than ever before. Not long ago, America’s attention was focused on our porous southern border when thousands of unaccompanied minors were flooding across at an orchestrated invitation signaled by President Obama. That story seems to have been largely forgotten, except by people in border states. Now, however, with President Obama’s unilateral executive action on illegal immigration, the border will likely come back into focus. When the Mexican border was the top of the news, it served as...

Amnesty: Pundits warn that a funding fight over the president's move to grant de facto amnesty to illegal aliens threatens a politically risky government shutdown. But there's something much more important at stake here. The Founders had good reason to give Congress the power of the purse: Short of impeachment, it's the most effective way to stop a lawless president from disobeying the will of Congress and usurping powers not granted by the Constitution. The question is: Will Congress use this power to thwart President Obama's shredding of the Constitution with his executive amnesty plan? Incoming Senate Budget Committee Chairman...

A homemade sign proclaiming “AIDS, Ebola, Obama – Thanks Africa” caused a commotion in the town of Minden, Nebraska this week after a local man drew the ire of area residents when he erected it on his own property. The roadside sign was first spotted in the town of barely 3,000 on Monday this week, and it quickly created a stir on the internet as it was shared on the web first by Nebraskans, then soon the rest of the world. Link to Story

For months, a powerful U.S. senator has been pushing for details of a murky deal under which a Russian manufacturer supplies the rocket engines used to launch America’s spy satellites into space. At issue: how much the U.S. Air Force pays for the engines, how much the Russians receive, and whether members of the elite in President Vladimir Putin’s Russia are secretly profiting by inflating the price.

It doesn't matter what you think of Mark Reckless. It doesn't even matter what you think of UKIP. Whether you love them or hate them their victory last night in the Rochester and Strood by-election was a victory for (almost) all of us. Let me explain why by way of reference to two characters who embody almost everything wrong with our current political class.

One of the many new weapons shown for the first time Airshow China this year was the China Aerospace Science Industrial Corporation (CASIC) CX-1 Mach 3 cruise missile. The PRC’s defense industrial complex has a number of cruise missiles that can be either ship- or air-launched, and each successive show at Zhuhai seems to generate new models. So this missile is not a major breakthrough in Chinese defense technology. What makes the CX-1 unusual is its close resemblance to another missile that is well-known to the rest of the world: the joint Indian-Russian project, the BrahMos. The uncanny similarity of...

Russia warned the United States on Thursday against supplying arms to Ukrainian forces fighting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, hours before U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden was due to arrive in Kiev. Ukraine accused President Vladimir Putin of treating its territory like a "playing field", trying to unleash a full-scale war that would pose a broader threat to NATO countries.

“Stand by, Admiral Gorshkov, Aegis is at Sea!” The U.S. Navy’s first Aegis-equipped surface warship, the USS Ticonderoga (CG-47), joined the Fleet in January 1983, and all-but dared the Soviet Navy to take its best anti-ship cruise-missile shot. The Navy’s newest Aegis guided-missile destroyer in the fall 2014, the USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112), was commissioned in December 2012. Murphy is the Navy’s 102nd Aegis warship. Another 10 Aegis DDGs are under construction, under contract or planned––a remarkable achievement! Aegis surface warships were conceived during the height of the Cold War to defend U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups from massed Soviet...

UKIP's Mark Reckless says the Conservatives have been a "cosy cartel for too long" Nigel Farage has said UKIP can become a major force in Parliament at next year's election after its victory in the Rochester and Strood by-election...... Mr. Reckless took 16,867 votes, 2,920 more than Conservative Kelly Tolhurst's 13,947, with Labour's Naushabah Khan on 6,713-ahead of the Green Party.... In his acceptance speech on Friday morning, Mr. Reckless said Rochester and Strood had been UKIP's 271st most winnable seat and "if UKIP can win here, we can win across the country."...... UKIP leader Nigel Farage denied the result...

Ambassadors from five major European Union (EU) member states met with the Foreign Ministry's senior diplomat Alon Ushpiz in Jerusalem on Thursday, where they voiced opposition to the demolition of the homes of Arab terrorists. Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Spain were the five countries whose consul generals argued that such demolitions, which are meant as a deterrent for future terrorists and a punishment for heinous crimes, are "counterproductive." The ambassadors also denounced the attack on a Jerusalem synagogue this Tuesday in which four Jews and a Druze police officer were murdered by two Arab terrorists, reports Haaretz citing Israeli...

Japan stepped up its role in large-scale war games with the United States this week, with one of its admirals commanding air and sea maneuvers that the U.S. military described as the most complex ever overseen by the Japanese navy. The Keen Sword exercises involving more than 30,000 Japanese troops and 11,000 U.S. personnel come as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks a higher profile for Japan in the security alliance. At the same time, Washington has encouraged Tokyo to take a greater share of the defense burden, especially as China’s military modernises rapidly. Rear Admiral Hidetoshi Iwasaki commanded a flotilla...

There are no Palestinians. There are no moderate Syrian rebels. There is only Islam.

Russia certainly thinks so. Their new round of nuclear weapons, their new aggressive posture and their new spurning of joint nuclear programs with the United States, all point to a disconcerting trend in Russian thinking. Americans have short memories. Russians don’t. It’s only been 25 years since the Wall came down, but in Russia’s mind the Cold War didn’t end. If Russia’s invasion of Ukraine isn’t enough of a heads-up, then maybe their new generation of tactical nuclear weapons is. That’s right – new tactical nuclear weapons - as in “yeah, we might use them since their only tactical.” No...

U.S. stocks were setting up for a sharply higher open on Friday, taking their lead from gains in European and Asian markets and the first rate cut by China's central bank in more than two years. Read More China surprises with rate cut to spur growth The People's Bank of China cut its benchmark interest rates Friday for the first time in more than two years on Friday to lower borrowing costs and lift a cooling economy back on track.

DRAGHI: Inflation Must Rise Without Delay Mike Bird   European Central Bank boss Mario Draghi is speaking today at a banking conference in Frankfurt, and he has one central message: we have to bring inflation back up, now. It’s one of Draghi’s most forthright speeches, with one exceptional snippet: “It is essential to bring back inflation to target and without delay.” Draghi added: “We have to be very watchful that low inflation does not start percolating through the economy in ways that further worsen the economic situation.” You can take a look at the full text of the speech...

Despite going forward with immigration reform alone, without Congress, the White House is circulating several infographics showing what President Barack Obama is doing on his own and what Congress has left to accomplish. The images include three small ones—two of which promise tough border controls—and one large, overview infographic including those same immigration enforcement promises. The graphic ignores the myriad statements and assertions from Republican lawmakers — who will control both chambers of Congress in a short time — that Obama’s executive actions will make achieving immigration reform improbable, if not impossible....

President Barack Obama made some notable omissions Thursday night in his remarks about the unilateral actions he's taking on immigration. A look at his statements and how they compare with the facts: