Free Republic

As 2024 unfolds, ominous signs loom over the economic horizon, with the Druckenmiller Recession Indicator delivering a stark warning. Plummeting to its lowest level since 1999, this indicator, historically associated with economic downturns, is flashing red, raising concerns about the state of the economy. Leading economic indicators have endured a daunting streak, falling for 20 consecutive months. While many have clung to the belief in a recession-proof economy, the latest ISM data paints a different picture. A mere 5.6% of purchasing managers report any growth, mirroring statistics not seen since April 2009.

John 1:35-42 Friends, in today’s Gospel, two of John the Baptist’s disciples follow Jesus and encounter him.Jesus’ question to the two young men—“What are you looking for?”—is an indispensably important one. Many people go through life not really knowing what they most fundamentally want, and accordingly, they drift.The correct answer to Jesus’ question is “eternal life” or “friendship with God” or “holiness.” This is the simple, clear, unambiguous articulation of the end goal that any believer should have as he endeavors to lead his life.Now, other people may know more or less what they want spiritually, but they lack the...

Europe experienced stark weather contrasts on Wednesday, with extreme cold and snowstorms disrupting transportation and closing schools in Scandinavia while strong winds and heavy rain in western Europe caused flooding and at least one death. Temperatures fell below minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Nordic region for a second day in a row Wednesday. In Kvikkjokk-Årrenjarka in Swedish Lapland, the mercury dropped to minus 43.6 C (minus 46.5 F), the lowest January temperature recorded in Sweden in 25 years, Sweden’s TT news agency reported. Extremely cold temperatures, snow and gale-force winds disrupted transportation throughout the Nordic...

Disney executives announced an upcoming installment in the popular Star Wars franchise that will feature a female Jedi who mysteriously turns to the Dark Side at the same time every month. "We think female audiences will relate to a character who becomes moody and homicidal once a month," the film's director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy told reporters in a press conference this week. "I mean, our target demographic is definitely women, right? So featuring an empowered, self-assured female Jedi who just sort of goes on a Dark Side-y type rampage once a month for…reasons…will click with the millions of women who flock...

"I like to make men uncomfortable. I enjoy making men uncomfortable," Obaid-Chinoy says to laughter and applause before she refers to Stewart directly.

There is a war on the West. It is being fought by Western revolutionaries aimed at destroying our civilisation, and our past. It is a war we can and will win. To discuss his book, The War on The West, Douglas Murray joins Steven Edginton in the latest Off Script podcast. Watch the full episode above or listen on your podcast app by searching “Off Script”.

Dr. Peter McCullough, an eminent cardiologist and prominent critic of the COVID medical establishment, provided a comprehensive well-documented presentation to colleagues regarding crimes of the “biopharmaceutical complex,” the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the causes of the hundreds of thousands of deaths from the COVID “vaccine,” and how studies now show a connection between the “hyper-vaccination” of children, high rates of autism, and individuals going forward for transgender surgery.McCullough, who has made the case that no one in the world has more authority on the topic of COVID-19 than him, provided detailed analysis of multiple scientific studies and data reports...

Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 @julie_kelly2 NEW: Trump’s lawyers ask Judge Chutkan to consider contempt of court charge against Special Counsel Jack Smith for defying stay order on Jan 6 trial. Smith continues to file motions while case is on hold awaiting immunity ruling:

The state of Utah is now offering taxpayer-funded health insurance to children who arrived illegally in the United States thanks to a plan approved last year by Democrat and Republican legislators. Under an amended version of Utah’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), children in the U.S. illegally are eligible to receive taxpayer-funded medical benefits. Open enrollment for the amended program started on January 1. For Utah taxpayers, the annual bill is about $4.5 million and about 2,000 illegal alien children are expected to enroll in the amended program. According to the latest estimates, nearly 150,000 illegal aliens reside in Utah...

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., has withdrawn her endorsement of Ohio GOP House candidate Craig Riedel in the wake of leaked audio of him speaking poorly of former President Donald Trump. "I think he is arrogant. I don’t like the way he calls people names. I just don’t think that’s very becoming of a president," he said, in the audio, which leaked in December, Politico reported. He also reportedly said he would not endorse Trump, but did so immediately following the leak. "Earlier this week, I informed Craig Riedel (OH-09) that I will be withdrawing my endorsement. I...

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Contrary to concerns from some local leaders, a new study shows a decrease in gun crimes across six of Ohio’s eight largest cities following the implementation of the state’s “constitutional carry” law. The research, conducted by the Center for Justice Research (CJR) in partnership with Bowling Green State University, analyzed data from June 2021 to June 2023, covering a year before and after the law went into effect in June 2022. It focused on crimes involving firearms, verified gunshot-detection alerts, and the number of officers struck by gunfire. The findings revealed: Overall Decline: Across all eight cities,...

The Republican-controlled New Hampshire state House voted Thursday to approve a bill barring physicians from performing gender-affirming genital surgeries on transgender minors, sending the controversial measure to the Senate, where it is also expected to pass. House Bill 619 had initially sought to ban all gender-affirming medical care, including puberty blockers and hormones, for transgender minors but was later amended to prohibit only genital surgeries, which are already exceedingly rare for minors.

A federal judge in California on Jan. 3 dismissed a lawsuit that sought to keep former President Donald Trump off the 2024 Republican primary ballot in that state. District Judge David Carter granted a motion to dismiss the lawsuit “with prejudice,” which means that it can’t be submitted to the same court again, according to court papers. A plaintiff attempted to argue that they suffered “emotional injury” as a result of the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, while watching the events unfold on television, on the radio, and in various publications. They then argued that the...

Bill Clinton rape accuser Juanita Broaddrick reacted to the unsealing of U.S. court documents regarding individuals linked to the late convicted pedophile financier, Jeffrey Epstein, recalling what the former president allegedly said after allegedly raping her. “After Bill Clinton viciously raped me, he said, ‘Don’t worry, I’m sterile due to mumps when I was a boy,'” Broaddrick claimed. “Then he told me, ‘You’d better put some ice on that,’ pointing to my swollen and bleeding lip.’ There are good men…….and then there’s Bill Clinton,” she added:

NATIONAL SPAGHETTI DAY National Spaghetti Day on January 4th offers an opportunity to pick your sauce and add it to that long, thin cylindrical pasta of Italian and Sicilian origin. Usually made from semolina flour, this pasta has been a worldwide favorite for ages and loved by millions. #NationalSpaghettiDay There are various pasta dishes based on spaghetti, and the sauce determines most of them. Some examples include spaghetti ala Carbonara, garlic and oil, tomato sauce, meat sauce, bolognese, Alfredo sauce, clam sauce, or other sauces. In addition, we traditionally serve spaghetti dishes topped with grated hard cheeses such as Pecorino...

Carrefour is taking its spat with PepsiCo up a notch. No longer content to, as it did in the fall, label PepsiCo’s examples of “shrinkflation,” a nasty variant of inflation where the bag gets emptier while the price remains the same, or even increases, now the French grocery giant is doubling down. Starting Thursday with in-store signs that cite "unacceptable price increases," the supermarket chain is telling shoppers in four countries that it will no longer carry PepsiCo products.

Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Thursday on CNN’s “Inside Politics” that she believed the January 6, 2021 Capitol Hill riot was an assault on “personal freedoms” that former President Donald Trump must be held accountable for. When asked about President Joe Biden’s campaign ad highlighting the Capitol riot, Pelosi said, “I think it’s very important, but I think it also recognizes that democracy is a personal issue. Freedom to whether it is to have access to health care, when, if, and how to expand your family, freedom to be in the workplace in a very strong way because you have...

Missouri GOP Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer on Thursday announced his retirement from Congress at the end of his current term, marking the latest such declaration from the Republican conference ahead of the 2024 midterm contests. Luetkemeyer currently represents Missouri's 3rd District, which includes a central portion of the state mostly to the West of St. Louis and is decidedly Republican-leaning. "It has been an honor to serve the great people of the Third Congressional District and State of Missouri these past several years. However, after a lot of thoughtful discussion with my family, I have decided to not file for re-election...

WASHINGTON (TND) — John Lennon's son dislikes every little thing about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Seán Ono Lennon attacked DEI on X Wednesday following ex-Harvard President Claudine Gay's resignation.

The mass shooter at Perry High has been identified as Dylan Butler. It appears that the shooter was an online LGBTQ activist & part of the community.