Free Republic

Though Congress has averted the indignity of another shutdown, both Congress and the Biden administration have failed our allies and American national interests. Congress failed because it did not appropriate the funding necessary for Ukraine and Israel. The administration failed as well, but not only because it did not secure the funding that both our allies need (in Ukraine’s case, needs desperately). The administration’s larger failure is that it continues to refrain from telling Congress, the American people and quite possibly Ukraine and our NATO allies what its objectives for Ukraine are.

The Maarif Foundation, which was established by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government in 2016, has taken over the management of two schools linked to the Gülen group in Venezuela, the pro-gov’t Sabah daily reported on Saturday.The Foundation has so far taken over at least 78 schools linked to the Gülen group in Guinea, Somalia, Sudan, People’s Republic of the Congo, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Tunisia, Senegal and Chad with their 8,506 students. The foundation has recently signed an agreement to take over Gülen movement schools in Afghanistan, which have more than 8,000 students.The foundation also has opened...

The multi-faceted controversy over Donald Trump’s taxes has been rejuvenated by a partial leak of his 2005 tax return. Interestingly, it appears that Trump pays a lot of tax. At least for that one year. Which is contrary to what a lot of people have suspected – including me in the column I wrote on this topic last year for Time. Some Trump supporters are even highlighting the fact that Trump’s effective tax rate that year was higher than what’s been paid by other political figures in more recent years. But I’m not impressed. First, we have no idea what...

As President Obama wrapped up his conversation with Chris Matthews at American University, he took a swipe at the partisan media for dividing the country and making compromise more difficult. Obama said being the Commander-in-Chief for so long “makes you humbler, as opposed to cockier,” and compared himself to Sisyphus, rolling the boulder up the hill for eternity with little success. He spoke of how enthusiastic young people encourage him and give him confidence, only for the media to take that enthusiasm and use it to divide people. “The American people are good and they are decent, and yes, sometimes

You would not be saying TGIF in cable newsland if you were Alec Baldwin or Rachel Nichols last week. The actor’s 10 PM MSNBC show Up Late and the former ESPN reporter’s Unguarded on CNN both hit demo lows on November 8. With guests Cristina Tzintzun of the Workers Defense Fund and the Coalition for the Homeless’ Mary Brosnahan talking immigration reform and anti-poverty programs, Up Late With Alec Baldwin pulled in just 101,000 viewers among adults 25-54 on Friday. That’s a 41% drop from the 172,000 demo results of the one-hour show’s October 11 debut. While Baldwin’s total viewers...

In his increasingly desperate attempts to pander to a population that has by now entirely given up on the hope, and barely has any change left, Obama is going for broke (or technically the reverse) by setting the class warfare bar just that little bit higher. This time around, his targets are millionaires, who according to the NYT are about to see their taxes soar. Or not: nobody really knows if the proposed "Buffett Rule", affectionately known for crony communist #1, will impact just millionaires income tax, which incidentally is the same as what everyone else is paying, or, far...

It’s an Obama World… The Obama Department of Justice moved in this week to protect teachers with unacceptable English skills. Judicial Watch reported: Public school teachers with unacceptable English pronunciation and grammar are being protected by the Obama Administration, which has forced one state to eliminate a fluency monitoring program created to comply with a 2002 federal education law. Singling out teachers who can’t speak proper English in American schools—funded by taxpayers, no less—discriminates against Hispanics and others who are not native English speakers, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). As a result it violates the Civil Rights Act...

So much for "Minnesota Nice".

Barack Obama’s amazingly consistent smile from Eric Spiegelman on Vimeo.

The next focus of demonstrators protesting collective bargaining reforms should be Columbus, Ohio where thousands, if not tens-of-thousands, of protestors are expected to gather Tuesday and shout their views about a controversial bill that puts labor unions in the crosshairs of a determined governor intent on salvaging his state's financial situation. The protests should look and sound much like the ones from Madison, Wisconsin that have gripped the nation in the recent days and marries an uncomfortable economic reality with political opportunity. "It's to put our children first. It's to do the things without regard to political considerations and try...

TSA Agent Takes Child From Parent As I sit and write this post, 24 hours after this event took place, my hands still shake… with rage and with terror. I woke up this morning to my husband’s alarm clock, sat straight up in bed and thought “Where’s Jackson?” with fear paralyzing me. My worst nightmare took place yesterday. Worse than events that have taken place and that I have survived in my short 28 years of living. Worse than my wildest of dreams could conjure. My son was taken from me. Taken. My son was taken from me by the...

The administration has shown no deference to the rule of law while trying to close Yucca Mountain and halt deepwater drilling. It is disturbing, to say the least, how little deference the president and the administration give to the strictures of the Constitution and existing law. Whatever suits Obama’s partisan political interests takes precedence, regardless of the cost to us. However, it is heartening that judges are increasingly unwilling to let this rampage continue. The most recent example involves the planned nuclear-waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Almost everyone acknowledges that nuclear power is clean and safe, even though...

Apparently he's not the confidence-booster-in-chief. The majority of Americans — nearly 60 percent — lack faith in President Obama, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll published on Tuesday. The results are the exact opposite of what voters said in a similar poll at the beginning of Obama's presidency 18 months ago. Then, approximately 60 percent said they were confident with his decision making. And voters, by an 8-point margin, said they hope Republicans take control of Congress. More than 60 percent of voters also said they would probably not support their current representative. Just 26 percent said they would.

An Indian villager burrowed for 14 years with a hammer and chisel to cut a tunnel through a mountain so that his neighbours could reach nearby fields and he could park his truck outside his home. Ramchandra Das, 53, who lives in eastern Bihar state, carved a 10m-long, 4m-wide tunnel through the hill range from his village of Kewati. Das took up the Herculean task after villagers found the 7km trek over the mountain increasingly arduous. When the authorities refused to help to cut the journey time, Das began carving his way through the earth in the direction of the...

President Obama's diversity czar at the Federal Communications Commission has spoken publicly of getting white media executives to "step down" in favor of minorities, prescribed policies to make liberal talk radio more successful, and described Hugo Chavez's rise to power in Venezuela "an incredible revolution." Mark Lloyd's provocative comments - most made during a tenure at the liberal Center for American Progress think tank - are giving fodder to critics who say Mr. Obama has appointed too many "czars" to government positions that don't require congressional approval. They are also worrying to some conservatives who fear the FCC might use...

MONTPELIER, Vt. - The nuclear energy watchdog group New England Coalition has been waiting a long time, a very long time, for the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission to pay attention to its concerns. The agency has just replied to a petition concerning safety and radiation exposure that the coalition filed in 1975. "No petition before its time," said NRC spokesman Eliot Brenner. As if being ignored for three decades weren't enough, the NRC denied the group's petition. The coalition had been urging federal regulators to consider, as part of their environmental review of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, the...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2007 – Iraq is at a pivotal crossroad, the new commander of Multinational Force Iraq said in a letter to the command’s troops today. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus took command of all U.S. forces in Iraq today during a ceremony at Camp Victory, in Baghdad. “The stakes could not be higher,” he wrote in a letter addressed to Multinational Force Iraq troops and civilians. “Our task is crucial.” Security is the essential component needed for Iraqis to build a better future, and U.S. troops will help them achieve that goal, Petraeus wrote. “Shoulder-to-shoulder with our...

BANGKOK, Thailand - The Thai military launched a coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday night, circling his offices with tanks, seizing control of TV stations and declaring a provisional authority pledging loyalty to the king. The army commander took over the government and declared martial law. An announcement on Thai television declared that a "Council of Administrative Reform" with King Bhumibol Adulyadej as head of state had seized power in Bangkok and nearby provinces without any resistance. "The armed forces commander and the national police commander have successfully taken over Bangkok and the surrounding area in order to...

Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, commanding general, 25th Infantry Division, greets the Iraqi Army division commanders for the first time as he takes charge of Multi-National Division - North at Contingency Operating Base Speicher. Department of Defense photo by Army Spc. Michael Pfaff, 133rd MPAD. TIKRIT --Following a year marked by noteworthy successes in growing the size and capabilities of the Iraqi security forces, rebuilding Iraq and providing security for a vast region of the country, the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division on Wednesday transferred control of Multi-National Division North to the Army’s 25th Infantry Division. “Our mission here is...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2006 – As the Iraqi army gains in numbers and capability, so too does the country’s air force, which aims to grow to 2,500 airmen by the year’s end, the commander of the Coalition Air Force Transition Team said. Air Force Brig. Gen. Stephen L. Hoog cited impressive improvement over the past six months, noting that the Iraqi air force continues to grow and improve its ability support the counterinsurgency mission. The Iraqi air force’s counterinsurgency mission consists primarily of aerial observation and surveillance and air transportation. Officials believe it is critical for Iraq’s long-term ability to...