Free Republic

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The International Monetary Fund on Friday slashed its U.S. economic growth forecast as aggressive Federal Reserve interest rate hikes cool demand but predicted that the United States would "narrowly" avoid a recession. In an annual assessment of U.S. economic policies, the IMF said it now expects U.S. Gross Domestic Product to grow 2.9% in 2022, less than its most recent forecast of 3.7% in April. For 2023, the IMF cut its U.S. growth forecast to 1.7% from 2.3% and it now expects growth to trough at 0.8% in 2024. Last October, the IMF predicted 5.2% U.S. growth this...

U.S. Jewish groups on Friday sharply denounced the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that recognized a woman's constitutional right to an abortion and legalized it nationwide, deeming it a "moral failure" that puts lives at risk.

The Bible In Paintings 2 ENCOURAGEMENT FOR APPRECIATING AND APPLYING GOD'S MESSAGE 2nd KINGS CHAPTER 2 When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take...

Berlin (AFP) – With climate change pushed down the news agenda as Germany tackles an energy crisis and the war in Ukraine, environmental activists are resorting to increasingly eye-catching stunts to get their message across. This week, around a dozen activists sprayed a black liquid that looked like oil on the chancellery in Berlin and stood in front of the building with a banner that read: "Save oil instead of drilling." Dressed in orange high-visibility jackets and hard hats, the protesters were members of Letzte Generation ("Last Generation") -- a radical protest group that has become the new face of...

A shooting at a Norway nightclub and in nearby streets that left two dead and 10 wounded Saturday night is being investigated as a possible terrorist attack, Norwegian police said. Police said the suspected gunman, a 42-year-old originally from Iran, was arrested after opening fire at three locations. The suspect was believed to be the sole perpetrator of the crime. Two firearms were seized, including a handgun and an automatic weapon. Barstad said the motive of the shooting was not immediately evident and it was unclear whether the shooting had any connection to the Pride Parade...

A gunman went on a terrifying rampage in a gay bar and surrounding streets in Oslo on Saturday, killing two people and seriously injuring 10 on the day the city's LGBTQ community was due to celebrate its annual Pride parade. The victims were shot inside and outside the London Pub, a well-known gay bar and nightclub open since 1979, as well as at one other bar in the centre of the Norwegian capital. A suspect, a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin, was detained minutes after, according to police who said they believed he acted alone. Two weapons, including a...

The cunning and contingency of history played out in magnificent style this week. If the left hadn’t lionized “Notorious RGB” and let her celebrity get to her head, maybe she would have stepped down when President Obama wanted her to retire back in 2014. If Harry Reid hadn’t been so desperate to protect the administrative state at the DC Circuit Court of Appeals that he decided to end the Senate filibuster for judges, Trump couldn’t have installed so many good judges. And who could have believed that after 50 years of Republican presidents botching their Supreme Court picks, the one...

Scientists have discovered the world's largest known bacteria, reaching up to one centimetre (0.4-inches) in length. The species, called Thiomargarita magnifica, was discovered on sunken leaves in the waters of a mangrove swamp in Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. It appears as thin white filaments like vermicelli pasta, and contains microscopic sulphur granules that scatter light, giving it a pearly gleam. T. magnifica is a sulphur-oxidising prokaryote, meaning it derives energy from the oxidation of sulphur compounds. Large sulphur bacteria have been shown to be hot spots for symbionts – an organism living in symbiosis with another. Another species...

The Arizona Senate was evacuated Friday night after pro-choice rioters and teachers protesting an education funding bill breached building security at the Capitol. Police fired tear gas from windows in the Capitol in a effort to control the mob. Video screen images show protesters entered the Senate chamber.

(From 6/22/22). A proposal to let all 1.1 million Arizona students use taxpayer-funded vouchers to attend private school passed the Arizona House of Representatives Wednesday after two Republicans who had opposed previous efforts to expand the program changed their position. The Empowerment Scholarship Account program, commonly referred to as ESAs, has been narrowly implemented since its creation in 2011. Eligible students include children attending failing public schools, children whose parents are in the military, kids who are in the foster care system and students living on Native American Reservations. Currently, roughly 11,800 students are enrolled and receive the voucher money....

A gun turn-in event is scheduled for June 27, 28, 29, and 30th, 2022 which is Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is an unusual approach, during working hours. Most of these events are scheduled for weekends. The event called by the Orwellian term “buy back” (police cannot “buy back” items that they have never owned), is scheduled to be held at the Northwest Division. The address is 4651 N Main St Fort Worth, TX 76106.$100 gift cards will be given out for firearms turned in. There are few firearms worth less than $100 on the...

“And we stand ready to work with other arms of the federal government that seek to use their lawful authorities to protect and preserve access to reproductive care. In particular, the FDA has approved the use of the medication Mifepristone. States may not ban Mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA’s expert judgment about its safety and efficacy. “Furthermore, federal agencies may continue to provide reproductive health services to the extent authorized by federal law. And federal employees who carry out their duties by providing such services must be allowed to do so free from the threat of liability. It...

Covid cases are rising again. In the UK, they have broken through the 200,000 infections-a-day threshold for the first time since April. In America, the sixth wave is well under way. In countries that kept the disease at bay for years, such as Taiwan and New Zealand, numbers are shooting up, driven by milder but highly infectious versions of the Omicron variant. The virus has not gone away, even if its death toll is much lower. But what has disappeared is any real or urgent interest from the media and the scientific establishment in finding out how it started. Imagine...

Progressive student activist David Hogg on Friday called on people across the country to rally in protest of the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, attempting to extend his anti-gun advocacy to a different issue. “I’m mad as hell and I’m ready to protest,” Hogg tweeted. “Let’s do something.” He then tweeted out a link for people to find protests across the country. “Let’s rally at the Federal courthouse across the country sign up here to protest tonight.” He claimed, “Let me be clear This isn’t just about Roe this is about the Supreme Court going backwards against...

European leaders should have heeded Trump's warning to them at the U.N. in 2018. President Donald Trump back in 2018 gave a speech to the U.N. General Assembly wherein, among other things, he was derided for forwarding his America First policies to the world. In general, he did well and took opposition in good stride. The keynotes of his speech were largely about individual nations forging ahead and bettering themselves and how the United States would pursue policies to assist nations doing right by both the United States and themselves. One of the highlights for many in the world, however,...

IPray For The Peace of JerusalemGenesis 26Isaac and Abimelek 26 Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4...

It’s not just who’s watching the watchers. It’s why are the watchers watching us? Maybe it is just me, but I get annoyed when I hear ads on TV or the radio offering us protection from hackers and other cyber-minions. These ads urge us to buy monthly policies that protect our computers from malware, eavesdropping, and home title protection. As I listen to these oh-so-sincere ads, I can visualize local thugs visiting small stores and “offering them assistance.” In the real world, this feels like a protection racket, and it is criminal behavior. Why do well-known companies get away with...

Today, loyalty to the nation is again being questioned. As the Pelosi-Thompson-Cheney circus rolls on in D.C., signals are given that the Democrats, have their sights set on more than just the former President. Obviously, the primary purpose of the pseudo-hearing is twofold: Destroy Trump and keep January Sixth alive, until November. Recently retired judge Michael Luttig, said the quiet part out loud: “Donald Trump and his allies and supporters are still a clear and present danger to American democracy,” The comment harkens back to the McCarthy era hearings and guilt by association. Once a communist always a communist has...

Billy Idol John Wayne

It certainly seems as if they’re engaged in a classic insurrection—and they’ll have a lot of foot soldiers for their rebellion against the laws of the United States. Angered that the Supreme Court announced in Dobbs that abortion is not part of the Constitution but is, instead, a matter for the states to decide, a lot of leftists are announcing that they’re ready to burn down the entire American system rather than yield to the Supreme Court’s ruling. Leading the charge are sitting members of Congress, people such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Maxine Waters. What they are demanding, and an...