Free Republic

Not as strong as many, including President Trump believes. GDP growth and even the jobs data, including the unemployment rate, though fairly sunny, look deceptively strong and need a deeper look, which we have provided for you over the past few weeks. See here.How Will The Economy Hold Up As Trade War Escalates?More important, is the U.S. economy so strong it can withstand an escalation in the trade war with China?We seriously doubt it and fully expect Trump will be forced to cave on some of his completely unrealistic demands. We have been consistent from day one: China will never...

Bazillions of adult Game of Thrones fans may currently be preoccupied with dragons, and the mother of dragons and that giant dragon-killing-dart machine — but one girl in New Zealand is trying to get serious about the real-life study of dragons. So much so that the 11-year-old recently tried to tempt Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern into launching a dragon research program, with a little bit of telekinesis studies on the side. Unfortunately, the prime minister could not be bought. She said it was a no-go.

The New York Supreme Court recently ruled that a man shot by a gang member did not have standing to sue the retailer that legally sold the gun.  The court has been winding its tortuous way through the process for over a decade. Williams was shot in 2005. Williams v. Beemiller is about injuries sustained from an assault committed by a New York High School gang on an innocent bystander, who was mistaken for a member of an opposition gang. Daniel Williams was shot and injured. High school gang members do not have lots of assets.The Brady Center to...

After a revised budget proposal from the Whitehouse added another $1.6billion mostly to pay to stop more SLS delays NASA announced that their plan to return to the Moon in 5 years would be named 'Artemis'. Which is of course the best name for any lunar program, so good in fact that NASA aren't the first people to use the name of this goddess for a space program. So let's have a quick tour of other projects with the same name. Realistically, the budget may not happen, for obvious political reasons, but I hope the name stays.

Beijing and Rome can work together, Parolin tells Chinese media Vatican Secretary of State says Pope Francis sees China 'not only as a great country but also as a great culture' In an interview with a Chinese state-run publication, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin welcomed the opportunity for China and the Holy See to work together to “build a more secure and prosperous world.”“The prospect opens up that two ancient, great and sophisticated international entities – like China and the Apostolic See – may become ever more aware of a common responsibility for the grave problems of...

The “Fearing Evolution” Trope David Klinghoffer | @d_klinghoffer May 14, 2019 Writing at National Review, Razib Khan explains why “evolutionary biology is nothing for conservatives to fear,” since “it is one of the crowning achievements of modern Western civilization.” He takes aim at our colleague Michael Behe and urges against “rehashing the same old debates.” But as I’ve watched it over the past couple of decades, the evolution debate has itself rapidly evolved in interesting directions.Khan links to criticisms of Behe’s new book, Darwin Devolves, from snarling atheist Jerry Coyne. However, he doesn’t mention Professor Behe’s own extensive replies to his critics, collected on the...

Today’s Campaign Update, Part II (Because The Campaign Never Ends) This video clip of Rod Rosenstein riffing on Teenage Drama Queen James Comey has been making the rounds of Twitter and the fake news media all day: Embedded video Ryan Saavedra ✔ @RealSaavedra Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein slams former FBI Director James @Comey: "The former director seems to be acting as a partisan pundit, selling books and earning speaking fees while speculating about the strength of my character and the fate of my immortal soul" Very clever. Very funny, in that sniffling, slimy Rosenstein kind of way. He...

The congresswoman claims her Holocaust remarks were taken 'out of context.' But the proper context shows she’s pushing a terrorist narrative about Israel. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, along with 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, have accused Republicans of taking Tlaib’s comments about the Holocaust “out of context.” The problem is, when you put Tlaib’s remarks in the proper context, they’re far worse. The most generous possible reading of Tlaib is that, in a discussion about why she opposes a two-state solution, she was trying to credit Palestinians for providing Jews a “safe haven,”...

WASHINGTON (SBG) -- A man and woman in Boynton Beach, Florida have been identified after police accused them of stealing up to $500 worth of Red Bull drinks. Boynton Beach Police say the pair was seen at a local Walmart on April 21st walking out with the beverages. The woman can be seen in a picture released by police wearing a black outfit and sunglasses while the man is wearing a white shirt with shorts. It is unknown how the pair was able to get past workers at the store who are typically stationed at each door. "Thanks to the...

Former Vice President Joe Biden denied Monday that his son Hunter Biden asked him for a favor in Ukraine while serving on the energy board of a Ukrainian energy company. “We never once discussed it when he was there,” Biden told the Associated Press. “There’s not a single bit of evidence that’s been shown in any reporting that’s been done that he ever talked about it with me or asked any government official for a favor.” When he was vice president, Joe Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion in loan guarantees for Ukraine if officials did not fire the country’s...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is confident that the tariffs imposed by POTUS Donald Trump on China, including the latest round of 25 percent levies on $200 billion worth of goods, is much more than Beijing will eventually be able to weather. During an appearance on “Sunday Morning Futures” with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, Gingrich responded to a Twitter post by the president hinting that the Chinese government is “waiting” him out hoping that 2020 Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden wins the presidency next year and things can go back to ‘normal.’ “I think the Chinese are caught in...

“I asked to participate in the 101 Roundtable and was denied access based of the fact that I am ‘media.’ Yet, the tech giants that are rejecting reform are allowed to participate and still engage in a carefully coordinated public relations campaign.” On June 19, it will be five years since the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank, 134 S.Ct. 2347 (2014), which significantly changed the way courts and patent examiners evaluated patent eligibility of computer implemented innovation in the United States. While the Supreme Court ostensibly extended the patent eligibility analysis applied...

HAPPENING NOW: President Trump tours an LNG export facility in Hackberry, Louisiana before making a statement on energy sector infrastructure and the economy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Republicans are hunting district-by-district for just the right candidates — women and minorities in many cases — to help them recapture the House six months after a political tidal wave swept Democrats into control of the most diverse majority in history. Among the recruits are a Republican woman in the Oklahoma state Senate and a black political novice from Houston with Iraq combat experience and three Ivy League degrees on his resume. They are part of the GOP drive to gain at least 18 seats in the 2020 elections to win the majority — historically a...

Maude Lamont, a Philadelphia native who has been acting principal of Wilson High School since 2018, resigned this week after WW asked Portland Public Schools if it was investigating her for taking narcotics from the high school's evidence room. The announcement of her resignation came May 13, three days after WW asked the school district questions about the alleged February incident. The district is not speaking about the reason for Lamont's resignation. "We are aware of the allegations and are taking all appropriate steps to address them," says district spokesman Harry Esteve. "It is a confidential personnel matter, so we...

A man was booked on suspicion of murder after a woman was beaten to death with an electric scooter outside a friend's home in Long Beach Monday afternoon, officials said.

California on Monday filed its 50th lawsuit against the Trump administration in a case challenging a federal rule that bans states from deducting union dues from the paychecks of hundreds of thousands of workers who provide in-home care to low income, disabled and elderly people. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra argued that the new rule – which puts up barriers for taking employee medical benefits and voluntary union dues out of workers’ paychecks – not only harms the home care workers who have joined a union, but also the people these workers serve. “With this rule, the Trump administration is...

RUSH: Oh! Have you heard about this? Trump is going to give a speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the Fourth of July, and the media is outraged that he is going to “politicize” Independence Day. They can’t stand it! They’re beside themselves with rage and anger that Trump is going to insert himself in Independence Day in our national celebrations. “Alisyn Camerota discussed President Donald Trump’s proposed address from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as part of the Fourth of July celebration in Washington D.C.” She asked: Will Trump give a “foaming-at-the-mouth” speech where people...

Democrats in Congress have rallied behind Michigan representative Rashida Tlaib after Republicans, citing her recent comments about Israel and the Holocaust, accused the congresswoman of being an antisemite. Top Democrats forcefully defended Tlaib, marking another acrimonious showdown over perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. Republicans seized on Tlaib’s remarks about the role played by her Palestinian ancestors in creating a safe haven for Jews after the Holocaust gave her a “calming feeling”.

President Donald Trump’s motorcade was involved in a crash on his way to a speech in Louisiana, though the President is thought to be unhurt, according to MSNBC. MSNBC’s Hans Nichols reported Tuesday afternoon that passersby saw overturned motorcycles and that the local parish reported minor injuries.