Free Republic

Just came across an intriguing theory about Sergei Skripal, the former Soviet/Russian military intelligence agent who spied for Britain, and, along with his daughter Yulia, was nearly killed this spring by a dose of the nerve agent Novichok in the town of Salisbury, England, where they live. In a March 21 interview on the John Batchelor Show, Gregory R. Copley, editor and publisher of Defense & Foreign Affairs, posited that Sergei Skripal is the unnamed Russian intelligence source in the Steele dossier. Copley further explained (or tried to explain) to Batchelor (who kept cutting him off): “The people who wished...

The future of the Sochi Olympic venues is unclear. Alexander Valov, a Russian reporter for BlogSochi, visited Sochi's "coastal cluster" — a site that includes six venues, the Olympic Village, and the Olympic Park, all built from scratch on an undeveloped plot of land — and he took some eerie photos this week. He called the area around the Olympic Village "Dead City." The photos are a reminder that much of what was built for the Olympics has no long-term use. While a few arenas and other buildings have plans going forward — the media center is being turned into...

NAPLES, Italy — The Navy relieved the commander of the USS Taylor on Tuesday, about two weeks after the Florida-based frigate ran aground in the Black Sea. Cmdr. Dennis Volpe was relieved by Capt. Jim Aiken, commander of Task Force 65, which controls surface ships in the Navy’s 6th Fleet waters in the Mediterranean and Atlantic. A preliminary inquiry into the grounding resulted in a “loss of confidence” in Volpe’s ability to command, according to a 6th Fleet news release. Volpe was temporarily reassigned to the staff of Destroyer Squadron 14 in Mayport, Fla., Taylor’s homeport. His duties as commander...

From the opening ceremony with a malfunctioning ring, to police officers singing Get Lucky, the Sochi Winter Olympics have been a games to remember. But tonight marks the end for the highly controversial games, which are also the most expensive in Olympic history. Showing that the country has a sense of humour, dancers during the opening section of the show mocked the moment a ring failed to open during the opening ceremony. The joke was followed by an opulent show of ballet, circus performances and classical music, an ode to the country's rich literary history - before the Olympic flame...

The 2014 Winter Olympic games are in the books, and despite the United States and Russia being tied in the medal count mid-way through Saturday, the Russians pulled away Sunday to win the most medals of any nation. Russia finished with 33 medals overall, including an Olympic-high 13 golds. Launching them to first place were the country's men's cross-country 50 kilometer mass start racers on Sunday. Russia swept that event as Alexander Legkov took gold, Maxim Vylegzhanin took silver and Ilia Chernousov took bronze. The Russians also took gold in the four-man bobsled event. Team U.S.A. was second in overall...

The head of Russia’s Communist Party held up a hammer-and-sickle Soviet banner during a flower ceremony at the Winter Olympics, leading to a confrontation with staff over violating Olympic rules that bar political statements at the games. A series of photographs taken Friday night shows Gennady Zyuganov in a group of five men in the stands displaying the historic Soviet Banner of Victory toward the podium while medals were being awarded in three short track speedskating events at the Iceberg Skating Palace. The banner was a replica of the flag raised by Soviet soldiers in Berlin in 1945, in victory...

SOCHI, Russia — Ashley Wagner launched a withering attack on figure skating's hierarchy and the Winter Olympics judges on Thursday night after being pushed down to seventh in the ladies' individual competition. The 22-year-old American fought back tears as she revealed her frustration and anger with the judging at the Iceberg Skating Palace and suggested that the two Russian skaters, gold medalist Adelina Sotnikova and fifth-place finisher Julia Lipnitskaia, had been given unfairly inflated scores. "I feel gypped," said Wagner, who skated two programs without any falls and punched the air with delight at the end of her free skate.

Change.org, a website that hosts public petitions, crashed Friday morning after a flood of users signed a petition to investigate a controversial Olympic figure skating result. Russia's Adelina Sotnikova won the gold medal in an upset over South Korea's Yuna Kim. After the event, a Change.org petition called "Open Investigation into Judging Decisions of Women's Figure Skating and Demand Rejudgement at the Sochi Olympics" was started by a user named "Justice Seeker." It went viral in a way the website had never seen before. "The petition gained 700,000-plus signatures in just six hours and is sending traffic to our site...

Meryl Davis and Charlie White became the first Americans to win the Olympic ice dance title with a sultry, spellbinding performance to Scheherazade at the Sochi Games on Monday. In a showdown with rivals and Canadian training partners Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, the American pair proved to be a cut above the rest by winning with a record total of 195.52. Davis and White, who also became just the fourth non-Russian couple to scoop ice dance gold, set record scores in each segment of the competition - following up their 78.89 in the short with 116.63 in the long...

Russia, whose most famous export may be vodka, is staging the driest Olympics in memory. For many fans, it is the biggest upset of the Winter Games. A new federal law last year prohibited the sale of alcohol inside sports stadiums and arenas. And a local ordinance last month banned alcohol sales within 50 meters of some sports venues.In the mountain Olympic venues, which are outdoors and not subject to restrictions, the alcohol flows freely. But at indoor ice venues along the Black Sea, drinking options are limited. And alcoholic beer is sold at two Coca-Cola food stand areas and...

Olympians are speaking out on climate change at the Sochi games. U.S. cross-country skier Andrew Newell, who competed in his event on Tuesday, posted a letter addressed to world leaders calling for action on climate change. Roughly 105 athletes from 10 countries have signed the letter, including 85 from the United States. "Winter is in jeopardy," the letter states. "Inconsistent weather patterns caused by a changing climate are causing destruction around the world, and the economic impact is being felt in both large cities and small mountain communities."

Hey, the president’s an athlete too. He’s golfed with Tiger Woods, is an avid skeet shooter and knows a thing or 22 about shooting free throws. Tonight, though, in an interview with NBC’s Bob Costas, President Obama looked like he just wanted to go to sleep....

I just watched President Obama's taped interview with Bob Costas on NBC. He looked stoned. I'm not the only one who has that impression after seeing his droopy eyelids, bloodshot eyes and droopy mouth. Twitter lit up with comments about Obama's stoned appearance.

President Obama says part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's "shtick" is to look like the tough guy in Russia. "I think that’s where some of these perceptions come up," Mr. Obama said. "My sense is that’s part of his shtick back home politically as wanting to look like the tough guy. U.S. politicians have a different style. We tend to smile once in a while. ..." ...""There is no doubt we wanted to make it very clear that we do not abide by discrimination in anything, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,..."

**SNIP** The Salt Lake Games were held less than five months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Bush prefaced his declaration with a few non-scripted patriotic words: "On behalf of a proud, determined and grateful nation, I declare open the games of Salt Lake City, celebrating the Winter Games." Said Bach: "All the other heads of state respected the charter and I'm absolutely sure the charter will be respected tonight." Putin stayed true to the text, saying in Russian: "I declare open the 22nd Olympic Winter Games in Sochi."

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)“The towering presence, the empire that ascended to affirm a colossal footprint. The revolution that birthed one of modern history’s pivotal experiments. But if politics has long shaped our sense of who they are, it’s passion that endures. As a more reliable right to their collective heart. What they build in aspirations lifted by imagination. What they craft, through the wonder of every last detail. How magical the fusion of sound and movement can be. How much a glass of distilled perfection and an overflowing table can matter. Discover the Russian people through these indelible signatures. Discover what we share...

Earlier today, Garry Kasparov accused NBC Sports of pushing Putin propaganda. This latest downplay of decades of communism probably won’t make Kasparov change his mind about the network that’s airing the Sochi Olympics. Many viewers of the opening ceremony couldn’t believe their ears when the narrator referred to decades of Soviet-era communism as a “pivotal experiment”:

Live Discussion of the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Olympics

The 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, officially kicked off Friday with a massive ceremony celebrating the host country’s storied history. From Peter the Great to “Swan Lake,” many of Russia’s finest figures and achievements were given a chance in the spotlight. But the Russians also paid tribute to the country’s reigning political doctrine of the 20th century: communism.

President Barack Obama said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has a "tough guy" schtick he uses to appeal to his native countrymen while on the world's stage.