Free Republic

As China considers ways to retaliate against President Trump’s mounting tariffs, it has increasingly acknowledged that it must first address its main obstacle to punching back: its own slumping economy. Chinese officials have vowed to respond with measures of their own if Mr. Trump follows through on his threat to put 10 percent tariffs on $300 billion in Chinese imports a year. If Mr. Trump enacts the tariffs next month, as he said he would do on Thursday, the costs would rise for nearly everything China ships to the United States, from shoes to car parts to the latest gadgets....

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio pushed for heavy scrutiny in choosing the Democratic party's nominee, arguing on Friday that they would face a "smart" opponent in President Trump. "Donald Trump's smart. I don't agree with a thing he says but he is smart -- he's tough," the 2020 hopeful said while appearing on "The View." Co-host Sunny Hostin seemed confused by his characterization of the president. "You think he's smart?" she asked. De Blasio responded by saying that he thought Trump was "strategically" smart. After Hostin opined that Trump was "impulsive," co-host Meghan McCain asked whether de Blasio...

Cambroraster falcatus was an ancient, primitive arthropod that dominated the ocean approximately 506 million years ago during the Cambrian period. The creature's name was inspired, in part, by Star Wars' Millennium Falcon due to its similar resemblance of the fictional spacecraft (sort of). C. falcatus, which was roughly the size of a human hand when fully grown though this fossil was nearly a foot long, also bore a striking resemblance to the modern horseshoe crab, per a study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. The anatomy of the apex predator featured a carapace that covered its...

“When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who weredemon-possessed met Him . . . and they cried out, saying, ‘What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?’” (Matthew 8:28–29). Demons can attack people mentally, physically, or spiritually. Spiritually, they oppose true religion, promote the false, and control the occult. Intellectually, they advocate false ideologies, insanity, and masochism. Our Lord always recognized demonized people as being victims of powers beyond their control and in need of deliverance, not condemnation or...

A photo taken by a Baltimore Sun reporter at the game shows the fans hanging the red, white and blue banner with the words “Keep America Great!” and “Trump 2020” during the eighth inning at Camden Yards. The paper reports the banner remained up for less than 10 minutes as other fans shouted “take it down!”

Joe Biden survived the second round of Democratic presidential debates, but it became more apparent that over half the 22-person field is irrelevant and should get out, the sooner the better. The former vice president was repeatedly under attack on health care, criminal justice, immigration and abortion. He stumbled sometimes, but overall was sharper than his mediocre performance in the first debate a month ago. This won't assuage fears of mainstream Democrats that the 76-year-old Biden may not be up to the challenge of a protracted primary fight and bitter battle against Donald Trump. Still he was sufficiently engaged to...

Delta Air Lines has come under scrutiny after the carrier reportedly did not allow a service dog scheduled to be delivered to a two-year-old child dealing with seizures on one of its flights. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, pet rescue agency representative Kim Biggerstaff was planning to fly a service dog named Daisy to California to help a two-year-old girl named Mila Lhautara who was born with hydrocephalus and recently diagnosed with epilepsy. When Biggerstaff tried to book a flight with Delta, the airline said the service dog would not be allowed to board. The animal was being flown to...

Police in Tempe, Arizona, arrested a man at a campaign event for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on Thursday after a scuffle with members of a pro-Trump group protesting the 2020 candidate’s stump speech. According to the Washington Post, the man was taken into police custody after refusing to leave the Marquee Theater at the request of the venue’s security. A member of the AZ Patriots told the Post that the man attempted to rip a cellphone from the hands of one of the group’s members who was filming the event. Some of the group’s members wore red pro-Trump “Make America...

The later art of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610), a seminal Italian Baroque painter. This video covers the years 1598-1610, and includes his most famous works. Much of his work is religious, with an unposed sense of the moment and, for me, too much blood and guts. There is a strong emphasis on the emotion of the subjects. Caravaggio is known for his use of light and shade - chiaroscuro - which also became known as tenebrism . This style, and his return to realism after the excesses of the Mannerists, has led some to consider him a father of...

A Birmingham, Alabama, police officer staged his own shooting last week in a grab for "stolen valor," leaving the department "polarized and hanging its head low," the police chief said Thursday. ~snip~ Smith said Buchanan was patrolling near railroad tracks along the Birmingham-Tarrant border early on July 21 when he radioed a call for help, with gunshots audible in the background. Fellow officers searched for Buchanan for more than half an hour before Tarrant officers found him on the ground beside the tracks, "appearing to be unconscious and holding his gun," Smith said. Buchanan's police car was found nearby with...

Not too many Democrats will admit it in public, but many know that their presidential field really is a clown car, full of clownish politicians. When Joe Biden is wise moderate, they are in trouble. Eight years of Obama's presidency cost them over a thousand seats at all levels of elected government, and the bench is thin, to say the least. Michael Moore was given 12 minutes of MSNBC air time last Tuesday, and the portly gazillionaire who wouldn't let his own employees unionize spent a good part of it hoping Michelle Obama would run for president because he thinks...

Early Tuesday evening, Trump supporter and art gallery owner Jahangir Turan was walking down a street in Manhattan, New York wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat he had purchased at Trump Tower, when he was allegedly assaulted in broad daylight by a group of teens. News of the attack only grabbed national attention on Thursday. Instead of reporting on the possible politically motivated attack in their own backyards, the flagship evening newscasts of ABC, CBS, and NBC were too busy suggesting Trump supporters at a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio that night were going to chant racist slogans. While the...

It’s been a cruel summer for Hamptons real estate Real estate sales and prices in the Hamptons continued to fall in the second quarter, marking a year and a half of declines, according to a report from Douglas Elliman and Miller Samuel. It was the worst second quarter for sales in eight years.

Iran Tanker Seizures Pushing U.K. Royal Navy to its Limits as New PM Takes Charge By: Jon Rosamond August 1, 2019 12:23 PM LONDON — Britain’s new prime minister, Boris Johnson, is facing a maritime security standoff with Iran that could, if handled indelicately, spark conflict in the Persian Gulf region. At the center of the drama is the tit-for-tat seizure by Tehran of a British-flagged oil tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz. As a result of decades of cuts, the Royal Navy has had a limited presence in the Middle East. Since the Falklands conflict in 1982 the number...

A history of money, banking, bonds, stocks, insurance, mortgages/real estate and etc. Appx 4 hrs.

‘We Have a Problem’: Letter from Naval Special Warfare Command CO to Force August 1, 2019 4:44 PM • Updated: August 1, 2019 5:14 PM The following is the July 25, 2019 letter from Naval Special Warfare commander Rear Adm. Collin Green to the members of Naval Special Warfare command. From: Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command To: Naval Special Warfare Subj: LETTER FROM THE COMMANDER 1. In our fast paced operational environment, the behavior of our people and the integrity of our organization are continually being tested. The trust placed in Naval Special Warfare by our military and civilian leaders,...

The land of progress – Saudi Arabia – has reached an acme of equality today. The Saudi regime is allowing women to travel without male guardians. The royal family has decided women over the age of 21 should be allowed to get passports without their husbands or fathers needing to sign off on it, despite resisting such silly Western ideas for years. It obviously seems more of a reluctant calculation than any sort of genuine progress, but even so it's undeniable the country is going through some changes. Here's what Mark wrote just over two years ago, upon the passing...

The United States has put NATO members on edge by withdrawing from a landmark arms control pact with Russia on Friday, the military alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told CNN Friday. Speaking to CNN's Hala Gorani, the Norwegian politician called the end of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Moscow a "serious setback." "I'm part of a political generation that was shaped during the 1980s, where we all were concerned for the risk of nuclear war and where we were actually able to reach the INF treaty that didn't only reduce the missiles but banned all intermediate range missiles...

"During National Shooting Sports Month, we celebrate the cherished tradition of recreational and sport shooting activities. Shooting sports bring people together and instill comradery among a significant portion of its fellow enthusiasts. The vibrant shooting sport culture is made possible, in large part, by our steadfast protection of one of our bedrock and most-cherished liberties, the right to keep and bear arms," the proclamation states. "Americans have a long history of participating in recreational and sport shooting activities. Early sharpshooters participated in matches to entertain family and friends and test their skills for a prize. During the turn of the...

Navy Declares Pilot in Death Valley Super Hornet Crash Dead By: Sam LaGrone August 1, 2019 3:35 PM • Updated: August 1, 2019 4:21 PM An F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, flies over the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in the Pacific Ocean, Feb. 19, 2019. The John C. Stennis is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Grant G. Grady) The pilot of a single-seat F/A-18E fighter that crashed on...