Free Republic

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan – President Barack Obama arrived here tonight on an unannounced visit to thank U.S. forces and meet with American officials. Air Force One touched down at the sprawling air base at 8:35 pm local time after a 13-hour flight from Washington. Obama, dressed in a brown leather bomber jacket and dark slacks, was met by Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and U.S. ambassador Karl Eikenberry. Obama is expected to remain on the ground for only three hours in what had been planned as a six-hour visit. Bad weather will prevent him from...

As THE WEEKLY STANDARD reported in August, pro-Israel group Z Street believes it was discriminated against after "Z Street was told by an IRS agent that it might not be granted 501(c)(3) status, which would allow the group to be tax exempt, because its position toward Israel differs from the Obama administration's official policies." Today, Z Street continues its legal battle to obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman slammed the world's response to North Korea firing on their southern neighbor on Tuesday, asking how the world will be able to stop Iran if they can't stop North Korea. North Korea fired hundreds of artillery shells at a South Korean island on Tuesday, in one of the heaviest bombardments on the South since the Korean War ended in 1953. South Korea responded by firing 80 rounds of shells back at the North.

‘Muslim tolerance allowed the Jews to stand in front of it and weep,’ says Information Ministry official. The Western Wall belongs to Muslims and is an integral part of Al-Aksa Mosque and Haram al-Sharif (the Islamic term for the Temple Mount complex, meaning the Noble Sanctuary), according to an official paper published on Monday by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Information in Ramallah. The paper, which has been presented as a “study,” was prepared by Al-Mutawakel Taha, a senior official with the ministry, to “refute” Jews’ claims to the Western Wall. In the past, PA leaders and officials have also...

RAMALLAH, West Bank -The Obama administration's troubled attempt to revive Mideast peace talks took another blow Sunday when the Palestinian president rejected the latest U.S. plan to get the sides talking again. Mahmoud Abbas said a proposed 90-day freeze on Israeli settlement construction wouldn't get him back to the negotiating table unless it includes east Jerusalem, a condition Israel staunchly opposes. Palestinians claim east Jerusalem for their future capital. For decades, Israel has built Jewish sections around the city's periphery, and about 200,000 Jews live there now. Palestinians consider the large neighborhoods as illegal settlements. The impasse highlights the gaps...

Airline passengers aren’t the only ones complaining about the Transportation Security Administration’s new enhanced security procedures. Many TSA employees aren’t too happy, either. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union that represents TSA workers, is urging the TSA to do more to protect its employees from abuse from airline passengers angry over the new security methods. The union reports that some members “have reported instances in which passengers have become angry, belligerent and even physical with TSOs (transportation security officers). In Indianapolis, for example, a TSO was punched by a passenger who didn’t like the new screening process,”...

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union that represents TSA workers, is urging the TSA to do more to protect its employees from abuse from airline passengers angry over the new security methods.

New TSA Screening Procedures The stories are now legion: A cancer survivor forced to remove her prosthetic breast.A man with a urostomy bad left covered in urine.A 12 year old girl forced to submit to being naked in a scanner.A rough search into her crotch leaves a woman in tears.Pants pulled down because of artificial knees, nipple rings removed, TSA agents screaming "I have power!" I have had enough. Barack Obama should be impeached and removed from office. He appointed the most inept and ignorant Attorney General in the history of this country. Both Holder and Obama have nothing but...

WASHINGTON – Two key members of Congress have decided to lift their holds on aid to the Lebanese military on Friday, clearing the way for $100 million to be transferred to the force. The money has been tied up since August after the members expressed concern about American funds ending up in the hands of Hizbullah, particularly after a deadly incident in which Lebanese Armed Forces soldiers shot at IDF soldiers along the border. Nita Lowey (D-New York), chairwoman of the foreign operations subcommittee of the appropriations committee, and Howard Berman (D-California), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, had...