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Amazon’s woke (and boring) reimagining of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Rings universe is bleeding viewers when it should be snowballing. According to the far-left Hollywood Reporter, “The Rings of Power had 988 million minutes of viewing time in the United States from Sept. 12 to 18, per Nielsen (the show’s fourth episode debuted Sept. 16). That’s a decline of about 18 percent from the previous week’s 1.2 billion minutes.” That’s a big decline, especially when Amazon is releasing new episodes every week. When a streamer dumps an entire season at one time, it makes sense for the show to decline in intensity...

Economic experts are sounding the alarm: if the most important product of the world's most important company fails, it could trigger a major economic meltdown. Amazon Studio's $1 billion Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power bet is universally praised by critics as a sprawling ode to diversity. Yet BusinessInsider reports that the TV series that could determine the future of streaming is "falling flat with initial audiences, posing risks for Amazon and the company's Prime membership program." And now economic experts are sounding the alarm. They're warning that if Rings proves a flop, it risks slamming the brakes...

Melania Trump made an announcement on Twitter this week that had some users scratching their heads. She’s joining all of the living former first ladies — Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Rosalynn Carter, along with current First Lady Dr. Jill Biden — to join efforts to get a women’s suffrage monument erected on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. “I am honored to join @WomensMonument and serve as an Honorary Chair of the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation to help secure a monument on the National Mall of enduring inspiration for women and future female leaders,” Melania tweeted. The...

Even after decades-high inflation, pandemic, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a new poll commissioned by CT Examiner suggests a close race for governor in Connecticut that mirrors the results four years ago between Democrat Ned Lamont and Republican Bob Stefanowski. In a three-way contest, Gov. Ned Lamont leads Bob Stefanowski 46% to 40%, with 5% opting for Independent Party candidate Rob Hotaling, and 10% undecided according to the nonpartisan poll released on Saturday. The CT Examiner/Fabrizio, Lee & Associates poll, conducted on Oct. 10-13, surveyed 1,200 likely voters and has a margin of error of +/- 2.8%. The...

Uss, who was detained in Milan, was charged in relation to a scheme to unlawfully obtain U.S. military technology and sanctioned Venezuelan oil in order to support Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, according to charges unsealed by the U.S. Department of Justice this week. “We are categorically against this and we condemn the practice of these kinds of arrests of Russian citizens,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Uss’ father, the governor of Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Krai region, Alexander Uss, has suggested the arrest is politically motivated, according to TASS. Another Russian government spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said Moscow would not leave the...

ballots and voter information guides for the Nov. 8 election were found inside a dumpster at a Lake Elsinore apartment complex, officials said. The Riverside County Registrar of Voters received a report about the discovery on Wednesday, Oct. 19, the registrar’s office said in an emailed statement. The U.S. Postal Service confirmed the report. It’s unclear how many ballots and guides were found in the dumpster or where the apartment complex in question is located. A resident reported on social media that at least 100 pieces of election-related mail were in the trash. The ballots and guides were recovered and...

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of the Treasury today published three reports pursuant to Sections 4, 5 and 7 of President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14067 on “Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets.” The reports address the future of money and payment systems, consumer and investor protection and illicit finance risks. “Innovation is one of the hallmarks of a vibrant financial system and economy. But as we have learned painfully from the past, innovation without appropriately addressing the impact of these developments can result in significant disruptions and harm to the financial system and individuals, especially our more vulnerable populations....

Acclaimed national security reporter James Gordon Meek hasn’t been seen since an April FBI raid on his apartment just outside of Washington, DC. Former colleagues at ABC News, a co-author on his forthcoming book, and even his neighbours say they have no idea where the documentary producer has been. The worrying disappearance raises questions over whether the Biden administration has targeted or arrested the journalist, a major test of the president, who made a point last year to put new safeguards in place protecting reporters during leak investigations. **SNIP** His co-author on a forthcoming book, Operation Pineapple Express: The Incredible...

Shots were fired this week when a newly released US Maritime Administration (MARAD) document from 2020 showed that a Department of Transportation (DOT) advisory committee recommended that members of the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank that’s opposed to the Jones Act, be charged with treason. Treason is a federal crime punishable by death. MARAD did not take action on the recommendation but new threats to the Jones Act are emerging, which may sink the 102-year law. The documents were part of a freedom of information act (FOIA) request filed by Cato which included recommendations from a March 2020 meeting...

Matthew Concepcion won the prize for the most pythons removed, having hunted a total of 28 snakes. Dustin Crum won the prize for the biggest python removed, having captured a snake measuring 11 feet and 24 inches. A total of 231 invasive Burmese pythons were removed in total from the Florida ecosystem during the 10-day challenge in August, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced. Burmese pythons are an invasive species in Florida. They are native to Asia, but they can also survive in Florida's subtropical climate. The snakes were first introduced to the environment in the 1970s—likely...

VELYKYI BURLUK, Kharkiv Oblast — War veteran Serhii Chepurnyi recently turned 40. This year, he didn't celebrate his birthday. His hands shaking as he took a cigarette from its pack, Chepurnyi carefully chose his words as he recalled what Russian soldiers did to him when occupying his native village, Velykyi Burluk. Velykyi Burluk, located roughly 50 kilometers from the Russian border, was swiftly occupied when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. The small settlement was officially liberated on Sept. 12. A few days earlier, Chepurnyi was freed from a torture chamber in Vovchansk, located within just...

In a demonstration against gasoline-powered cars, nine protesters glued themselves to the floor at the Porsche pavilion in the Autostadt museum in Wolfsburg, Germany. Spokesperson for the protesters Gianluca Grimalda denounced Volkswagen (VW), "they said they supported us, but they have failed to provide bowls for us to urinate and defecate into a decent manner while we're glued to the floor. They have also turned off the heat when the museum closes for the night. It is a crime against humanity." A spokesman for VW clarified the "support" issue. "We support their right to freedom of speech and assembly," he...

The “president” fell asleep on camera in the middle of a televised interview pic.twitter.com/ghKioeYx9o— Monica Crowley (@MonicaCrowley) October 22, 2022

Political debates between opposing candidates ramped up this past week, and if you were hoping for substantive policy contrasts, you must not have watched a debate in the past few decades. TV long ago turned debates into sound-bite-heavy posturing sessions, and so if you want to know what a candidate might do in office or get an accurate read on what they’ve done in the past, you’re better off reading about it. […] So, in light of that, what have we learned from the past week? Republicans are laser-focused on the economy, inflation, crime and blaming President Biden and Democrats...

“That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee” (Proverbs 22:19).

The U.S. federal budget deficit fell by half for the 2022 financial year as once-aggressive pandemic relief spending dried up and receipts surged, the Treasury Department said on Friday. The gap between what the government spent and what it collected tumbled to $1.375 trillion at the end of September, down from the 2021 deficit of $2.776 trillion. "Today’s joint budget statement provides further evidence of our historic economic recovery, driven by our vaccination effort and the American Rescue Plan," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. "It also demonstrates President Biden’s commitment to strengthening our nation’s fiscal health." Deficits...

Missouri woman WON'T be charged with killing fireman after grabbing gun from her felon boyfriend who was brawling with the emergency responder, then shooting him: Prosecutors say she acted in self-defense Anthony Santi, 41, was shot and killed on October 6 outside a gas station in Independence, Missouri He was off duty at the time, but stepped in to assist the gas station cashier after Ja'Von L. Taylor, 23, became aggressive Santi and Taylor began fighting, and the conflict continued outside, with the two men brawling and rolling around on the ground Taylor handed his gun to his girlfriend: a...

Former Chinese president Hu Jintao was unexpectedly led out of Saturday’s closing ceremony of the Communist party congress, AFP journalists on the scene witnessed. The frail-looking Hu, 79, initially seemed reluctant to leave the front row of politburo standing committee members in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, where he was sitting next to President Xi Jinping. He had brief exchanges with Xi and the premier, Li Keqiang, after stewards spoke with him. A steward, holding Hu’s arm, led the former president out.

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Join with fellow FREEPERS across the world to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Banking, Agri-Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, Technology, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) Religion Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.WE ALL STRUGGLE WITH SOME FORM OF UNGODLY BEHAVIOR, BUT WE DON’T HAVE TO CONTINUE IN IT. CHANGE IS POSSIBLE BECAUSE...