Free Republic

In 1915, the city of San Diego was in the midst of a drought, and it was willing to do just about anything... They'd heard tales of this "rain man," Charles Hatfield, so they enlisted his help to fill the reservoir with rainwater.Hatfield was so confident he could bring rain to the parched city that he secured a deal but agreed only to accept money for each inch of rain that he produced: $1,000 per inch, to be exact, up to 50 inches. For the council, this was a perfect deal. If Hatfield was a charlatan and produced no rain,...

Bill Clinton was paid more than $1 million in 2015 by Laureate Education, a global operator of for-profit colleges, according to tax returns released today by Hillary Clinton’s campaign. The new figure brings the former president’s total compensation from Laureate to more than $17.5 million for his five-year role as an “honorary chancellor.” His role consisted of advising the company on educational matters and traveling to campuses across the world to speak to young people. Clinton ended his position at Laureate in April 2015 after Hillary Clinton launched her bid for the White House. Laureate International Universities, the company’s international...

1 pm EDT -- moments from now -- awaiting Perry speech announcing he is officially running for president

Prices drop as European Union sticks to 2020 emissions targetLONDON (MarketWatch) -- The price of European carbon emission permits dropped nearly 9% Monday after climate talks in Copenhagen resulted in an accord that fell short of initial expectations.Emission allowances for December 2010 delivery fell to 12.77 euros a ton Monday, from Friday's settlement price of 13.58 euros. The contract earlier dropped as much as 8.7% to 12.40 euros a ton. Emission allowances haven't traded that low in more than six months. The decline came after the United Nation's Copenhagen summit acknowledged a U.S.-led accord to combat climate change and prevent...