Free Republic

With its CDS trading like an emerging market, it is likely no surprise that Fitch Ratings has placed the United States' 'AAA' Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) on Rating Watch Negative.CDS is trading like USA is anything but AAA-rated...With Fitch placing the United States' 'AAA' rating on Rating Watch Negative, here is an update of a very old chart I used to published: Composite Credit Rating (across the agencies) vs. 5Y CDS Across Select Countries. For obvious reasons, US CDS isn't trading in the AAA range. pic.twitter.com/yzyN4jluA8— Michael McDonough (@M_McDonough) May 25, 2023The T-Bill curve is not buying the...

Everyone knows that San Francisco is the nation's largest public toilet - requiring the city to employ six-figure 'poop patrol' cleanup team, however a new report from the city Controller's Office really puts things in poo-spective.For starters, feces were found far more often in commercial sectors, covering "approximately 50% of street segments in Key Commercial Areas and 30% in the Citywide survey," second only to broken glass as can be seen in the 'illegal dumping' section.If you're wondering about the city's fecal methodology, look no further than a footnote on page 43;Feces also includes bags filled with feces that are...

If you live anywhere in New York outside of the Big Apple and you’ve been watching the local news, there is one story absorbing most of the coverage and it involves busloads of migrants heading for suburban and rural counties. To say that people are unhappy about these developments would be an understatement, and that includes many self-described Democrats. But the state’s Democratic Governor, Kathy Hochul, appears to be tone-deaf on the subject, even as she attempts to put some political spin on the plans being cooked up by her and Mayor Eric Adams. On Monday evening, she appeared to...

The NY Post has a report today about the ongoing troubles in Los Angeles DA George Gascon’s poorly run office. According to the sources who spoke to the NY Post the office is still short by well over 100 staffers and has a backlog of 10,000 cases.“The reputation of the office has been destroyed and people know he’s hostile to his employees,” said Eric Siddall, vice president of the LA County Association of Deputy District Attorneys.“He has an authoritarian management style, and engages in retaliatory acts against employees who don’t share his ideology.”Sources claimed the District Attorney’s Office has over...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, 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. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 JOHN 5:14

RIGA, Latvia — Fresh off his claim of victory in capturing the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Russian mercenary boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin warned that Moscow’s brutal war could plunge Russia into turmoil similar to the 1917 revolution unless its detached, wealthy elite become more directly committed to the conflict. In a lengthy interview with Konstantin Dolgov, a political operative and pro-war blogger, Prigozhin, the founder and leader of the Wagner mercenary group, also asserted that the war had backfired spectacularly by failing to “demilitarize” Ukraine, one of President Vladimir Putin’s stated aims of the invasion. He also called for totalitarian policies....

Patti Gonia pitches The North Face's "Summer of Pride" CREDIT: YouTube Screengrab Following in the wake of the monster ad campaigns launched by Bud Light (Bud Light’s Efforts to Buy Back Their Own Supply Show Just How Badly They’re Tanking) and Target (Target Removes Satanic-Linked LGBT Merchandise, Citing ‘Volatile Circumstances’), outdoor brand The North Face has put its summer marketing into overdrive with the Summer of Pride campaign. The campaign stars Wyn Wylie, who goes by the “stage name” of Pattie Gonia — Patagonia, get it? Wylie’s business focus is on environmental issues.As part of the Summer of Pride...

Target is scrambling to try to deal with the uproar over its moves to promote LGBTQ clothing and products for kids, including books for children aged# 2-8 titled “Bye Bye, Binary,” “Pride 1,2,3,” and “I’m Not a Girl.” The store got a lot of outrage for targeting children. Outraged shoppers also complained about swimsuits offering “tuck-friendly” and “extra crotch coverage” in the children’s section. The company claims those are adult swimsuits, not directed toward children.Target @Target in damage control mode to avoid another go woke go broke “Bud Light” boycott disaster. Is it too little too late?#tuckfriendly #TargetGroomers #TargetGoWokeGoBroke pic.twitter.com/N7x5x7Af8x—...

An IRS supervisory special agent has now gone public in an interview with CBS about interference in a case in which he was involved. Gary Shapley said that he became so concerned about how the case was being handled by the Department of Justice that he just had to sound the alarm.CBS has determined that the case Shapley is talking about is the Hunter Biden case.A veteran IRS supervisory special agent says he personally witnessed interference by Biden's DOJ in the Hunter Biden criminal investigation — contradicting AG Merrick Garland's sworn testimony pic.twitter.com/ieKq6lvmdG— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 25, 2023The letter...

Starlink Mobility (RV and other users) has 300,000 customers who pay $2500 for installation and $250 per month. This is more than the $120 per month for regular residential. The higher charges for mobility/RV users and the higher estimate of Starlink mobility customers, the increase in residential charges of $10 per month, increases the conservative estimated Starlink 2023 revenue by about $1 billion to $17 billion.If SpaceX is able to increase Starlink satellite dish production to 500,000 dishes per month by mid-2023 then they could make 1 million in first half of 2023 and 3 million in the second half.

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis‘ special event on Twitter Spaces Wednesday evening was “by far” the most viewed in the history of the company. DeSantis made the announcement that he was running for president during the Twitter Space, which was hosted by Twitter owner Elon Musk and GOP donor David Sacks, a close friend of Musk’s. “This was by far the biggest room ever held on social media,” Sacks wrote in-part on the platform. “Twitter performed great after some initial scaling challenges. Thanks Twitter Team for adapting so quickly to make history!” Musk confirmed the news by retweeting Sacks’ tweet...

Update from Ukraine | Belgorod Operation is Over | More Operations to Come | Ruzzian Border is Weak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZqkyRT21j4&t=35s ****NEW SUMMARY Military MAPS & COMMENTS here: Invasion Day 454– Summary May 23, 2023 Jerome News The summary of the situation of Russian re-invasion to Ukraine covering the last 48 hours, as of 23rd May 2023 – 22:00 (Kyiv time). Invasion Day 454 – Summary *** Greatly appreciate the viewer controlled Map magnification tool to use on each Front map! [NOTE: A new era of our site begins, we’re glad to have you aboard. "A lot has happened in the world...

I've worked for a large bank for 6 years. I have excellent performance reviews. The female co-worker lives/works in California. I do not work with her on any projects nor is she related to my team. Nor are we in the same office. She reached out looking to leave CA to NC. There was a position open on my team & sent her the application. She applied and wasn't granted an interview. She called me mad and frustrated. She filed a complaint two days ago against me with HR. We last texted 3 months ago; HR has this text string....

An Australian Federal Police (AFP) Officer has been charged with trafficking methamphetamines, high level corruption, theft and money laundering. The magistrate who has released him on bail did so in part because he has “no criminal history.” The officer deserves the presumption of innocence but the range of criminal charges in a country where wrong doing police officers are rarely held to account seems to make a compelling case for protecting the public from what he might do when set free. Who agrees?

HORTON, MI - A flag waving in front of Hanover-Horton High School on Monday with the slogan “Let’s go Brandon” was not a political statement from the school, but a prank played by the senior class, Superintendent John Denney said. The attention-grabbing flag was one of several that members of the senior class raised on light polls outside the high school Monday morning, May 8, Denney said. Another six or seven flags with identical “Senior Class of 2023″ messages were raised, he said. The “Let’s go Brandon” flag was removed around 1 p.m. Monday, Denney said, when the district was...

Government contractors should prepare now for the U.S. to default on its debt, which would result in halted payments among other challenges. Government contractors will likely face a tough road ahead as Congress and the Biden administration navigate whether to raise the U.S. debt ceiling to avoid an economic crisis.If the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling isn't raised by June 1, the U.S. Department of Treasury won't have enough cash to pay all of its bills. It would then likely focus on maintaining its payments on the debt interest to preserve the U.S.'s creditworthiness, said David Wessel, director of the...

Russia’s winter push in Ukraine may have made little progress and at a “stunning” cost. More than 100,000 fighters from the Kremlin’s forces have been killed or wounded since December alone, the U.S. now estimates — outlining Moscow's massive losses as its military leaders scramble to recruit more men and prepare for an impending counteroffensive. The figure, if accurate, could spell trouble ahead for President Vladimir Putin. He faces a second year at war with the land he seized increasingly in Kyiv's sights and with his military's struggles forcing the Kremlin to balance battlefield necessities with domestic pressures. The casualty...

The United States now believes Ukraine likely was behind the failed drone attack on the Kremlin earlier this month. Russia said the attack was a terrorist attack and an assassination attempt on President Vladimir Putin... The drama surrounding the United States debt ceiling continuing to warm up. The Fitch ratings service creating a "Negative Watch"... Tonight Microsoft presenting a fearful message about China... The protests against pension reform imposed by President Macron in France continue... The 95-year-old tasered by a policer officer at an aged care home in Australia last week is dead... The markets today sharp drops.... The US...

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

Texas Bishop Joseph Strickland did not deny that he was confronted by the papal nuncio at a bishops conference in November 2021.(RNS) — If Texas Bishop Joseph E. Strickland is known outside of his diocese for anything, it’s for controversy. The conservative firebrand, who oversees the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, has sparked backlash from critics for everything from voicing support for priests who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to offering a prayer at a “Jericho March” event in the weeks leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. More recently, Strickland challenged Pope Francis, announcing...