Free Republic

Lightning strikes! The 12-month-ahead probability of recession spiked in November across all of yield curve models. The deterioration in the outlook was most significant in the one that relies on the 3-month/18-month forward spread — Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s favored model — which now sees a 59% chance of recession next year, compared with almost 0% six months ago. Yield curve models see the strongest signal for recession starting around September 2023. We assess the probability of recession in the months ahead by looking at a suite of models: three yield curve models — which take as their sole input...

A videographer who was fired from his job working on WCVB's "Chronicle" show in 2021 for refusing Covid-19 shots has sued the station and the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance for his firing in November, 2021 and denial of unemployment benefits, saying the station refused his legitimate request for a religious exemption and that the state is also discriminating against him by refusing to pay him unemployment. In his suit, filed in US District Court, George Rodrigue II says the station could have easily kept him on because he only rarely engaged in close human contact on the job -...

They are making a royal fuss about it. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle demanded Saturday to have a royal summit with the entire British royal family and push for an apology regarding the alleged treatment at their hands, reports the Sunday Times. Following their Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan” — which dropped numerous bombshells — the former royals said they want to “sit down with the royal family” and address their grievances. “Nothing like that was ever done when Harry and Meghan raised various concerns — no meeting, formal apology or taking responsibility or accountability,” a source close to the...

A massive 6.4 earthquake rocked California early Tuesday morning leaving tens of thousands of people without power, with its epicenter just about 200 miles north of San Francisco, three days after 3.6 quake shook the Bay Area. No injuries were immediately reported following the strong earthquake left at least 70,000 people facing power outages in Humboldt County, after it struck 7.5 miles southwest of Ferndale, a small community about 210 miles northwest of San Francisco and close to the Pacific coast. Gas leaks are being reported across the region, while residents are being told to call 911 if there is...

Rep. Greg Steube recently argued that Congress may have played a part in mass shootings by allowing gun-free zones, which make people ready-made victims for violent criminals. The Sarasota Republican made the pitch at a hearing last Thursday on gun violence held by a House Judiciary Committee subcommittee...

Leave it to Republicans to fall short, either from nearsightedness, timidity, or both. Case in point, Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas. Twenty House conservatives, led by the quixotic speaker-aspirant Andy Biggs (R-AZ), are calling for Mayorkas’ impeachment. Their intentions are good, but their call is a little like calling for the arrest of Bonnie Parker but letting Clyde Barrow and his gang run free. Bonnie was nothing without Clyde. From the New York Post, December 13: Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), who introduced articles of impeachment against President Biden’s DHS chief last year, led the delegation of lawmakers at a press...

Man, Rob Schneider is just so damn cool. Seems one of his fans, who says he comes onto Twitter to get away from politics (dude, really?!), asked the comedian to get away from politics and stuff while tweeting. His response to this fan just kicks so much a*s. Take a gander, you’ll thank us: ____________ Hi Vaughn, I make my living as an actor & comedian. I love my job but I love people and my country and freedom of expression even more. I believe, in every way possible, each of us should be examples to others of standing up...

“‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it’” (Matthew 13:45–46). Pearls were the most highly valued gems in the ancient world, often purchased as investments, much like diamonds or precious metals are today. With pearls, a person could keep and conceal a great amount of wealth in a small space. The Jewish Talmud said the pearl was beyond the value of any set price, and that some ancients actually worshiped it. Elsewhere the New Testament uses the...

China is scrambling to deal with a surge in coronavirus cases after Beijing's retreat from a zero-COVID policy. With much of the population unvaccinated, there are fears of mutations, high fatalities, and economic upset. Chinese cities on Tuesday pushed ahead with plans to expand hospital bed capacity and build new clinics amid fears about the virus running wild through the population. Beijing's abrupt decision to relax stringent COVID-19 measures has raised fears that widespread infections among a largely unvaccinated population could lead to between a million and 2.1 million deaths. What's the situation at present? Authorities are expanding intensive care...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday made an unexpected visit to troops defending Bakhmut, currently the site of some of the bloodiest fighting in the war, as his forces try to hold off a desperate Russian assault on the city in the eastern Donetsk region. Zelensky’s trip, which was confirmed by his office on his Facebook page, highlighted the carnage in Bakhmut, where Russian forces, including mercenaries, have been pushing for months to claim a battlefield victory after a string of defeats and retreats in the south and east of Ukraine. It was not immediately clear where in Bakhmut the...

KPMG reports automotive executives are less bullish than they were last year about the adoption of electric vehicles. The survey found 76% are concerned that inflation and high interest rates will adversely affect their business next year. For the U.S., the median expectation for EV sales was 35% of the new vehicle market by 2030 — down from 65% a year earlier.

While the FBI was supposed to be investigating foreign influence operations ahead of the 2020 election, it was engaging in a political influence operation of its own right here at home. Throughout all of 2020, the FBI repeatedly “primed” former Twitter’s Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth to dismiss accurate reports of Hunter Biden’s scandalous laptop, and to refer to it as a Russian “hack and leak” operation, according to internal Twitter documents. Although the FBI almost certainly knew the laptop—which had been in its possession since December of 2019—was legitimate, it conducted a multi-faceted influence operation targeting multiple social...

@chiproytx 13 @HouseGOP to @SenateGOP: “…we are obliged to inform you that if any omnibus passes in the remaining days of this Congress, we will oppose and whip opposition to any legislative priority of those senators who vote for this bill – including the… leader.”

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Special Dispatch to the New-York Times. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Thursday, Dec. 18, 1862. The Richmond Dispatch of yesterday contains the following: GEN. LEE'S REPORT OF THE EVACUATION. HEADQUARTERS NEAR FREDERICKSBURGH, Dec. 16, 1862. As for as can be ascertained this stormy morning, the enemy has disappeared in our immediate front, and has recrossed the Rappahannock. I presume be is meditating a passage at some other point. Signed, R.E. LEE, General-Commanding. GEN. LEE'S OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE BATTLE. The following official report of Gen. LEE was received in this order on yesterday: HEADQUARTERS NORTHERN VIRGINIA, Dec. 17, 1862. To...

Dr Kerryn Phelps has broken her silence about a “devastating” Covid vaccine injury, slamming regulators for “censoring” public discussion with “threats” to doctors.

A J&B Blended Scotch Whisky commercial from Spain is "bringing people to tears with its message of love and acceptance," Today reported. The description of the ad on YouTube — via Google Translate — reads, "At J&B we want everyone to be able to celebrate at Christmas, without anyone being left out. But, sadly, on these dates, many people from the LGTBIQ+ collective feel uncomfortable or rejected in their own families and cannot celebrate with them. For this reason, we have made this Christmas story starring a grandfather and his family." What are the details? The ad begins with the...

The omissions will be more telling about what really happened on January 6, 2021 than what’s actually in the report. After several delays, the January 6 select committee will belatedly release the full findings of its 18-month “investigation” into the Capitol protest on Wednesday. Controversy over the contents of the final report led to infighting among staff. Strong-arming by lame duck Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who wanted to focus almost exclusively on the conduct of Donald Trump and omit criticism of law enforcement, prompted some investigators to quit the committee in protest. Family quarrels were set aside just in time...

Beijing (AFP) – Crematoriums across China are straining to deal with an influx of bodies as the country battles a wave of Covid cases that authorities have said is impossible to track. Cases are soaring across China, with hospitals struggling and pharmacy shelves stripped bare in the wake of the government's sudden decision to lift years of lockdowns, quarantines and mass testing. The United States has warned the outbreak is now of concern to the rest of the world, given the potential for further mutations and the size of China's economy. From the country's northeast to its southwest, crematorium workers...

Today was a big day on the way to New York’s energy future: Our “Climate Action Council” voted to approve the final “Scoping Plan,” telling us all how we are going to achieve, among other goals, 70% of statewide electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030 and a zero-emission electricity system by 2040. The press release has the headline “New York State Climate Action Council Finalizes Scoping Plan to Advance Nation-Leading Climate Law.” Here also is a link to the Scoping Plan itself. Taking a look at the Scoping Plan and its Executive Summary, I find that the two biggest...