Free Republic

Freight rail has been an unquestionable success of government deregulation. Since deregulation was passed over forty years ago, America’s rail freight industry has gone from the brink of collapse to one of the most efficient and productive. A recent report from the American Consumer Institute (ACI) has highlighted this fact, showing since the passage of the Staggers Rail Act, the industry’s productivity has increased 159%, shipping volumes have increased 57%, and prices have plummeted 44%. In addition to these gains, the industry has also been able to generate “more than $10 billion in annual consumer welfare.” However, despite these substantial...

Consumer goods manufacturer Kimberly-Clark Corp. said it is planning to raise prices for the second time this year due to “significant inflation,” according to its CEO. The company, which makes Kleenex and Huggies diapers, expects input costs to rise by $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion during the current fiscal year, which is above a prior estimate that called for an increase of $1.3 billion. Our earnings were negatively impacted by significant inflation and supply chain disruptions that increased our costs beyond what we anticipated,” CEO Michael Hsu said during an earnings call, according to a news release from the firm....

The gun scenes in the Alec Baldwin movie "Rust" were considered dangerous enough to provide certain protections ... but not protections for people, but rather the expensive camera. Ian A. Hudson, a New Mexico-based principal cast member who plays an outlaw in the film, tells TMZ ... his last scene in the movie on October 8 was a shootout where he was killed, and he says he was terrified that there were 20 pistols and 2 rifles that were unloading blanks, and the only protection against a mishap was some sort of shield around the camera. -snip- Hudson says the...

BREAKING: Judge rules mob members shot by Kyle Rittenhouse cannot be called "victims," but can be referred to as as "rioters, arsonists, and looters" during his trial, which kicks off Nov 1

Guest co-host Gretchen Carlson said Tuesday on ABC’s “The View” that if former President Donald Trump promoted the COVID vaccine to his supporters, the pandemic would be over by now. Carlson said, “The problem with this vaccine, as we all know, is that it’s been politicized. People didn’t necessarily politicize the Polio vaccine, or at least today they don’t.”

Beijing keeps demanding answers about a mysterious US submarine incident that happened in the South China Sea earlier this month, accusing the US of being "cagey" and of trying to cover it up. The US insists that is not the case. The Seawolf-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Connecticut collided with an object in early October, and Chinese officials have asked about it repeatedly since then. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian said Tuesday that China has "grave concerns" and accused the US of being "irresponsible" and "cagey" by not providing details about the incident. He said the lack...

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said Tuesday he hopes the $1.2 trillion “bipartisan” infrastructure bill will pass the House by the end of this week. “I would like to hope it passes Wednesday evening,” Manchin said, and noted to reporters President Biden needs a win with New Jersey and Virginia holding gubernatorial elections this coming Tuesday. “By the end of the week,” Manchin said as a last resort.

Detectives have recovered loose and boxed ammunition and a 'fanny pack w/ammo' from the set of Rust where Alec Baldwin shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. An inventory of seized items was released by authorities but did not specify the type of ammo nor whether it included live or dummy bullets or blank cartridges. The items included three revolvers, two boxes of 'ammo,' 'loose ammo and boxes', spent casings as well as 'a fanny pack w/ammo', according to the inventory delivered to Santa Fe County Magistrate Court. The court records also show how two leather gun belts with holsters, articles...

We received a notice in the mail yesterday that as of the end of this month out Homeowners Insurance is being cancelled(State Farm). (I guess they don't really want you actually using it). Anyway we need to look for other Insurance. Please pray that we find the right agent/Insurance Company)(!

LMAO Cavuto makes me puke.

Smearing parents fed up with their kids’ schools as “domestic terrorists” seems to be a wild, incendiary charge with little basis in reality. Yet it’s the basis on which the U.S. attorney general has convened an FBI task force to surveil and intimidate parents who object to what their children are being taught, and how they are being treated, with public tax dollars. The organization that colluded with the Justice Department to create the pretext for chilling voters’ speech has backed down, but the FBI threat remains. School lockdowns have clarified and accelerated the deep, irreconcilable differences among American parents...

Everyday life is increasingly unaffordable and unpredictable in Joe Biden’s America. Inflation is at a record high, transportation costs continue to skyrocket, and a broken supply chain is making it harder for Americans to buy essential goods. An ongoing immigration crisis plagues the border, and, abroad, a botched withdrawal in Afghanistan created chaos and raised serious doubts about America’s status as a world leader. The failure of this administration to take care of its citizens both at home and abroad should have Democratic voters jumping ship from S.S. Biden and demanding answers from party leaders. Independents have already come to...

A 69-year-old Las Vegas woman is accused of defrauding Social Security for years after she allegedly dismembered her dead husband’s body and threw his remains in the trash, according to a federal criminal complaint. Survivor’s benefits for Shedleski in 2019 if her husband’s death has been reported would have been $14,000, but her husband’s benefits that were distributed that year totaled $24,000, the complaint said. The complaint said her husband last received medical care in 2015 at Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Jefferson Hills, which is near Pittsburgh. Her court-appointed defense lawyer, Wendi Overmyer, did not immediately respond to an...

Controversial cartoonist Michael Leunig has been axed from his prime spot in The Age newspaper after a cartoon comparing resistance against mandatory Covid vaccines to the fight for democracy in Tiananmen Square was censored. 'Apparently, I’m out of touch with the readership,' Leunig told The Australian's Media Diary of his sacking from providing the editorial page cartoon in Monday editions of the Melbourne-based publication. Leunig's cartoon, which never made the paper, featured one of his typically fragile, big-nosed figures facing the silhouette of a tank with a syringe in place of the gun turret. In the top left corner, the...

This year’s Thanksgiving feast is biting back as the ongoing supply chain crisis causes some holiday favorites to balloon in price, with turkeys now 27 per cent more expensive. Nearly every dinnertime staple – from the popular roasting bird to pumpkins – have jumped in price year-over-year, leaving consumers with a heftier tab. The price of a frozen 15-pound turkey will cost around $21.50 this year, up 27% from last year’s $16.95 price tag. A three-pound bag of Russet potatoes cost $1.12 last week, a 13% year-over-year spike from the previous $0.99 cost, according to the US Department of Agriculture...

President Biden's top advisers now meet at least once a week to discuss how to tackle the supply chain crisis and curb rampant inflation. The advisors discuss ways to relieves backlogs at US ports, how to recruit truck drivers and how to produce more semiconductors within the US, according to the New York Times. The Biden administration is finally trying to grapple with persistent inflation that they for months insisted would be transitory. But on Monday, Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen said they expected it to persist until mid to late next year.

A former Arkansas sheriff's deputy was charged Friday with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a White teenager whose death has drawn the attention of national civil rights activists. A special prosecutor announced the felony charge against Michael Davis, a former sergeant with the Lonoke County Sheriff's Office, in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain.

Sen. Rand Paul and Dr. Anthony Fauci brings attention to Research known as GAIN-OF-FUNCTION caughting attention of NC Rep. Cawthorn, saying GAIN-OF-FUNCTION research in NC needed "to be stopped forthwith." What is GAIN-OF-FUNCTION research? GAIN-OF-FUNCTION experiments take viruses, or other organisms, altering their genetic make-up to gain a new ability. In viruses, this can mean making more transmissible or more DEADLY. Why is GAIN-OF-FUNCTION research research controversial? Many scientists say risks outweigh any potential insights. Potential danger of creating a new virus highly contagious to humans led President Obama to put a moratorium on GAIN-OF-FUNCTION research in 2014. However, this...

The researchers incorporated their sensor into a prototype with a fiber optic tip that can detect changes in fluorescence in the test sample. Credit: MIT The technology could be developed as a rapid diagnostic for Covid-19 or other emerging pathogens. Using specialized carbon nanotubes, MIT engineers have designed a novel sensor that can detect SARS-CoV-2 without any antibodies, giving a result within minutes. Their new sensor is based on technology that can quickly generate rapid and accurate diagnostics, not just for Covid-19 but for future pandemics, the researchers say. “A rapid test means that you can open up travel much...

The United States Department of Justice is accelerating its antitrust probe into Apple and there is increased likelihood that Apple will face an antitrust lawsuit, reports The Information. Citing internal sources with knowledge of the investigation, The Information says there has been a "flurry" of activity as the DOJ has continued to question Apple, its customers, and its competitors about Apple's control over the iPhone. The DOJ sent new subpoenas to Apple's business partners over the summer, and has assigned more staff to the probe. Specifics have yet to be nailed down, but The Information's sources believe that the investigation...