Free Republic

Paul Krugman is so frustrated by the lack of support for another round of stimulus spending that he's now calling for a fake alien invasion of the United States to spur a World War II-style defense buildup.

Murdoch followed up with a pair of tweets a couple of hours later, saying, "I did not say I would vote for him! Just a friend I admire," and, "Far away from world's troubles here on Great Barrier Reef swimming and reading. Seems irresponsible." Murdoch is the head of News Corp., which owns newspapers including the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal, and until recently oversaw Fox News and other networks as CEO of 21st Century Fox. The Australian billionaire's apparent desire to draft Bloomberg — the Democrat-turned-independent who left office in 2013 and has sent no signals...

eing pregnant in 2015 is a constant exercise in cognitive dissonance. At 16 weeks along, if I eat deli meat, dip a toe in a hot tub, or order an espresso at Starbucks, then I’m already a bad mom who’s putting her baby at risk. But if I decide that said baby has come at an inconvenient time or has too high a risk of having an undesirable medical condition, then I am a responsible woman who should be praised and supported for making the tough decision to dispose of the unwanted products of conception that have invaded my body....

A Louisiana State Police dies Monday after authorities say he was shot in the head and then taunted when he stopped to provide aide to a man whose truck was stuck in a ditch............

President Obama returned from a two-week vacation on Martha’s Vineyard on Sunday, but not before criticizing members of Congress for taking their own recess. During President Obama’s weekly address released on Saturday, the president chastised Congress: “Unfortunately, Congress left town for five full weeks—and they left behind a stack of unfinished business. For the first time ever, Congress failed to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. That left thousands of business owners and their employees at a serious disadvantage compared to their competitors overseas,” Obama said. …

Curious why few if any traders can actually execute any trades, whether buys or sells? The reason is that despite the relative calmness of the index prints, what is going on beneath the surface is an unprecedented wave of constant halt and unhalts as all stop levels were taken out, many in circuit breaker territory, making it virtually impossible for any matching enginge to, well, match buyers and sellers. Here is a sample:

U.S. stock futures opened lower on Sunday after Wall Street recorded its worst day since 2011. Dow Jones industrial average futures opened down about 80 points and shed as much as 163 points before holding at about 124 points lower. S&P 500 futures opened down 12.50 points and fell as much as about 18 points before holding at about 14 points lower. Nasdaq futures fell 33 points at the open before falling as much as 44 points and were last down about 35 points. Asian shares sold off dramaticallyat their open as well, with Tokyo sharply lower and all eyes...

At least 1,500 extra Venezuelan troops are being sent to the border The Venezuelan president has declared a state of emergency in a border region near Colombia following an attack by smugglers in which three soldiers and a civilian were injured. Nicolas Maduro said there would be 60 days of martial law in five municipalities in the state of Tachira. He also said the closure of the border, announced on Thursday, would be extended until further notice. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has criticised the move. Mr Santos said ordinary people on both sides of the border, including children, would...

Freepers I need some help. My local CVS drugstore messed up my 6 year old daughter's prescription and when my husband went to the store to return the improperly prepared antibiotic, the pharmacist and store manager laughed about what had happened. By the Lord's grace they still have their teeth and my daughter's illness was not severe enough for her to experience a negative impact from this, other than a postponement of her getting better. I am livid and want to contact someone about this, do any of you have any knowledge of who I can contact at CVS? I...

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name; That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

TULSA, Oklahoma - Oklahoma's Own helped a Marine reach his final resting place. U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Jonathan Turner enlisted in 1998 and served seven tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before he medically retired. He died last week in California from combat-related issues. His mother lives in Georgia and his Marine family in California made arrangements for his services. When the nonprofit Patriot Guard Riders heard his ashes were to be mailed home, the group decided to organize a chain of motorcycle riders across the country to give his remains a more dignified final trip home. They planned a nationwide...

This 888 point crash comes in the 8th month of our calendar We witnessed something truly historic happen on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 530 points, and that followed a 358 point crash on Thursday. When you add those two days together, the total two day stock market crash that we just witnessed comes to a grand total of 888 points, which is larger than any one day stock market crash in U.S. history. It is also interesting to note that this 888 point crash comes in the 8th month of our calendar. Perhaps that is just a...

P<> Explosion rocks China chemical plant 10 days after Tianjin catastropheDONGFU, SHANDONG, China, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Less than two weeks after catastrophic explosions leveled an industrial district in Tianjin, China, a chemical plant less than 200 miles away was rocked by its own blast Saturday. The explosion at the plant, located in Dongfu, Shandong Province, occurred Saturday evening. Authorities said at least nine people were injured, but no one was killed.

Mobile, Alabama (CNN)Donald Trump brought 30,000 supporters from deep red Alabama to a Friday night pep rally in a football stadium, the latest sign that the Republican front-runner has broad, nationwide strength. Over an hour of often rambling remarks, the New York businessman reveled in the crowd size while he offered them his usual menu of patriotic pledges and carefree criticism of the media, his opponents and political correctness that he said his crowd similarly despised. "We've gotten an amazing reception," Trump said as he began his remarks, turning his back to the podium at the Ladd-Peebles Stadium and pointing...

To the Struggle Against World Terrorism: A History Zurab Tsereteli The artist, Zurab Tsereteli, was in his home in Moscow on the morning of September 11th. The television was on as he was getting ready for work and Zurab, like the rest of the world, was glued to coverage of the attacks on the Twin Towers. He watched the towers collapse on TV and was moved to tears. That day, he went to work at the Academy of Art driving on a route that takes him past the American Embassy. People were gathered outside the embassy gates to pay sympathies,...

"....this week, Chicago Public Schools parents who have fought for a community-backed proposal for the former Dyett High School for nearly five years went on a hunger strike.

In DeflateGate there has been a weird inversion: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell set out to expose Tom Brady, and instead he has exposed himself and the entire league. It was at first baffling to watch Goodell commit such acts of overreach. It has since become merely revealing of a catastrophic arrogance. In going after Brady and the New England Patriots on such a flimsy premise as the inflation of footballs, Goodell has steadily etched out his real character and attitudes, and in doing so he has bared himself, and the league, to searing judicial review. The NFL’s entire legal argument...

The news last night that Giants co-owner John Mara declined to get involved in the Tom Brady settlement discussions arises from a potentially intriguing reality. With the request for Mara’s involvement coming from the court, why would Judge Richard M. Berman be going over Commissioner Roger Goodell’s head? On one hand, the explanation could be that Judge Berman has become exasperated with the NFL’s stubbornness regarding settlement. Earlier this week, the league was still insisting on the NFL Players Association and Brady agreeing to accept the major findings of the Ted Wells report and acknowledging the powers used in this...

A North Korean military official says a meeting of senior party and defense officials led by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Thursday night and "reviewed and approved the final attack operation." He gave no details on what kind of military retaliation North Korea would see as appropriate punishment for South Korea's shelling of its territory on Thursday. Kim Yong Chol, director of the general reconnaissance bureau of the North Korean army, on Friday denied South Korean allegations that Pyongyang has been raising tensions on the peninsula. He denied the North fired anything across the Demilitarized Zone and says...