Free Republic

The stock market’s bull run officially turns two on Saturday. The S&P 500 is up 61 percent since October 12, 2022, when the index hit its bear-market bottom at 3,577.03. We’re about halfway through the median bull market of about 46 months, according to JPMorgan. So if this ends up being a typical upswing, investors have about 22 months of runway left. Yet there’s reason to believe things are going better than usual. Over the past two years, the benchmark index has recovered from sharp pullbacks on its way to scores of record highs.

President Donald Trump has temporarily retired his golf clubs, and will not be playing the sport again until after the election, according to sources close to the Trump campaign. The decision follows the second assassination attempt on his life at his Florida golf course in Sept. After that, federal agents told the 2024 GOP nominee that they couldn't ensure his safety to a degree they were comfortable with if he continued to play the game, NBC News reported. Trump was briefed by federal law enforcement agents in two separate meetings to address safety concerns. Both Ronald Rowe, the acting director...

My wife was working near our Trump yard sign. It didn't take long for a bicyclist to to yell, "Trump sucks!" At least he didn't call her a racist, fascist, or a Nazi as he whizzed by. The same can't be said of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, or any number of members of Congress and the media who disparage Donald Trump with these insults. At a recent hearing, Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett called Trump a "would-be Fuhrer." Some neighbors who support Trump are afraid of putting up yard signs for fear Trump haters will allow their dogs to...

When clients tell Mercury Public Affairs, a consulting and lobbying shop with 18 offices worldwide, that they’re concerned about Donald Trump’s possible return to office, the firm has just the person to ease their nerves: Bryan Lanza. “He gives them assurances that there will be life after Nov. 5,” said one of the colleagues, referring to Election Day.Lanza declined to comment through a Mercury spokesman. A Trump spokesman did not respond to questions.Eight years after Trump entered politics promising to reduce the influence of Washington lobbyists — to “drain the swamp,” as he put it — advocates for corporate interests,...

Investigators fear the shooting is part of a surge in inter-ethnic tensions between Chechens and the Ingush. Vladimir Putin is facing a potentially serious outbreak of inter-ethnic violence, after a former Chechen and Ingush politician was seriously wounded by a gunman at his home just outside Moscow. Sherip Alikhadzhiev, an aide to Russian State Duma Deputy Vladimir Shamanov, was rushed to hospital with two bullet wounds and is recovering in intensive care. Russia's Investigative Committee said the gunman fired at least four times at the victim’s house in the village of Lapino near Odintsovo, before fleeing the scene. Mr Alikhadzhiev...

The government of Oregon has left Trump off of it its online voter guide.Here’s a closeup screenshot of the relevant part:And here’s a screenshot that shows most of the page:And here’s the link to that website:https://oregonvotes.gov/voters-guide/english/votersguide.htmlIt’s funny how every “accident,” “glitch,” and “error” is always in favor of the Democrats and against the Republicans.There’s no way that this wasn’t done on purpose.This is election interference.

Greek-American meteorologist Katie Nickolaou revealed that she and her colleagues have received death threats from hurricane conspiracy theorists through social media. Michigan-based Nickolaou, told The Guardian that she and her colleagues have borne the brunt of much of these conspiracies, having received messages claiming there are category 6 hurricanes, that meteorologists or the government are creating and directing hurricanes and even that scientists should be killed and radar equipment be demolished. “I’ve never seen a storm garner so much misinformation, we have just been putting out fires of wrong information everywhere,” Nickolaou said. Conspiracy theorists claim meteorologists control hurricanes “I...

Former President Donald J. Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, regularly blame America’s housing affordability crisis on a recent surge in immigration. They point to their plans for mass deportations of undocumented workers as part of the solution.But most economists do not believe that immigrants have been a major driver of the recent run-up in housing prices. Rents and home costs started to surge in 2020 and 2021, before the flow of newcomers began to pick up in 2022 and 2023.And while immigrants could have kept housing demand elevated in some markets, past studies suggests that they are...

It's not just frustrating. "Frustrating is an understatement," says Mika Brzezinski. So what's got Mika so frustrated? It's Kamala Harris's inability to get her message out. In Mika's view, the only person who can do it for her is Barack Obama. Morning Joe opened today's show with a clip of Obama speaking yesterday. As you'll see in the video, Obama boasted that he was the guy who did a great job on the economy, and then handed it off to Trump, who doesn't deserve credit. Trump "didn't do nuthin',"claimed Everyman Obama, the Harvard Law grad and squire of a sprawling...

Kansas City Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker officially endorsed Donald Trump while speaking to Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Thursday.When Ingraham asked Butker if he is supporting Donald Trump, Butker insisted that he is voting for Trump because he is the most pro-life candidate up for election this year.“I’m supporting the president that’s going to be the most pro-life president, I think Donald Trump [is right on the] topic that is the most crucial topic for me,” Butker told Ingraham. “I want us to be fighting for the most vulnerable, fighting for the unborn, and that’s what we should prioritize.”Ingraham...

Is a prophetic and ominous warning message being sent to Israel, as today Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian? Could Russia provide the Iranian regime help with their nefarious nuclear program? Will Iran speed up their nuclear development now that their protective “Ring of Fire” is collapsing? What are the prophetic implications of this potential nuclear alliance between Russia and Iran? Watch now.

The Donald Trump campaign is continuing to ask the Secret Service and White House for additional security measures in the final month of the election, as threats from Iran remain imminent — but has not gotten all its requests approved, The Post has learned. In the past month, Trump adviser Susie Wiles has written letters to the White House to coordinate with the Secret Service to increase assets to protect the former president. The Secret Service has OK’d some additional security measures, but some requests have gone unanswered. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) has also written a letter requesting Trump get...

To keep weight in check, it is not only important to consider what we eat, but also the times at which we eat. According to a study, there are two specific habits that are associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) in the long term: keeping a longer overnight fast and eating breakfast early. The study involved more than 7,000 volunteers aged 40-65 from the GCAT | Genomes for Life cohort, a project led by the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP). "Our results, in line with other recent studies, suggest that extending the overnight fast could help...

Democratic elitists have a habit of disregarding your legitimate concerns, refusing to address your questions and shaming you into giving them your support. With identity politics at the forefront of the Democratic Party strategy, they’ve now drafted Barack Obama to enforce demographic-specific shaming tactics. The target of harassment: black men. At the Kamala Harris campaign’s Pittsburgh office, Obama lambasted black men for their lack of “energy,” which he claimed to be more pronounced with the “brothers.”

Background: The aftermath of a tanker-truck crash that killed five people in Springfield, Ill. Inset: Footage of a car believed to have been connected to the crash (WCIA/YouTube). A teen driver from Ohio has apparently admitted to setting off a chain of events that ended in a fatal tanker crash and a toxic chemical spill in central Illinois. Five people were killed when a semitruck carrying anhydrous ammonia in Teutopolis, in central Illinois, on Sept. 29, 2023. The tanker jackknifed when it veered to the right in an apparent attempt to avoid a collision when another vehicle tried to pass...

PALM SPRINGS, CA — Palm Springs officials said Thursday that they have gotten several complaints from residents about a vendor selling political merchandise on city sidewalks, but confirmed that the vendor has obtained the business licensing to do so. "His right to sell political merchandise is protected by the First Amendment and state law, regardless of political viewpoint," the city said. "Like any licensed business, he must adhere to all city regulations. Violations will be addressed accordingly." The city released its statement on vendors' rights to sell political wares just a few days before Trump was expected to arrive in...

Almost two years ago, a Galveston man sued his ex-wife’s friends for wrongful death after they allegedly helped her obtain pills to terminate her pregnancy. The first-of-its-kind lawsuit set off a panic about a potential new avenue of abortion criminalization in post-Roe v. Wade America. On Thursday, the claims were dropped with nothing to show for them. This shocking test case was filed by Jonathan Mitchell, an anti-abortion legal crusader responsible for Texas’ novel ban on abortions through private lawsuits. That gambit, commonly known as SB 8, survived a court challenge. This wrongful death suit, which demanded $1 million each...

PITTSBURGH — Former President Barack Obama hit the campaign trail for Kamala Harris Thursday, reminding a group of Black males that election season is not the time to be thinking independently. "I know you feel like your brains are capable of making a wise and rational decision, but you need to take a moment and stop being all uppity," Obama said. "Y'all need to go into that voting booth like a bunch of good little brothas and mindlessly punch that ballot for anyone with a 'D' next to their name. That's your only job." "For four hundred years, the black...

[Catholic Caucus] Synod, October 9: Cardinal Fernández invites synod participants to weigh in on forthcoming document on women and ministryOn October 9, 343 of the 365 participants in the second and final session of the synod on synodality gathered in Paul VI Audience Hall for the third day of their four-day consideration of the session’s second module, “Relations” (synod agenda).“Relations” is the title of the first part of the session’s instrumentum laboris, or working document (pp. 11-22).Following the morning general congregation in Paul VI Audience Hall, participants gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica for a Maronite Divine Liturgy.“We must remember throughout...

Stories about internal polling must be taken with a grain of salt. Those kinds of leaks are generally self-serving and aimed at potential donors. So when news began leaking about how former President Trump’s swing state polling showed him in better shape than the public polling, I didn’t pay much attention. But now, we know these stories were true. In fact, there’s no question now that last week’s internal polling said Kamala Harris was already in trouble. And how do we know that…? Because the Harris campaign launched a media blitz this week. Yes, the campaign actually took the risk...