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The U.S. economy shrank in the first quarter despite underlying strength in consumer and business spending. Gross domestic product contracted at an annualized rate of 0.3 percent, the Department of Commerce said on Wednesday. The decline in U.S. gross domestic product marks a sharp reversal from the 2.4 percent growth rate recorded at the end of last year. This was the lowest rate of growth since 2022, when the economy avoided an official recession but contracted for two consecutive quarters. Final sales to private domestic purchasers, a closely watched measure of business and consumer health, expanded at a healthy pace...

The U.S. economy contracted in the first three months of 2025, as businesses rushed to stock up on imports ahead of tariffs and consumers eased their pace of spending. The Commerce Department said U.S. gross domestic product—the value of all goods and services produced across the economy—fell at a seasonally and inflation adjusted 0.3% annual rate in the first quarter. That was the steepest decline since the first quarter of 2022. The reading fell short of the 0.4% growth that economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal expected. The decline in GDP in the first quarter reflected front-running ahead of...

George Simion, the leader of the right-wing Union of Romanians (AUR) party, has emerged as the frontrunner in Romania’s upcoming presidential election, polling reveals. Simion is projected to win the first round of voting on May 4 with approximately 29 percent of the vote, according to Politico’s Poll of Polls. This puts him ahead of his nearest rivals, former National Liberal Party leader Crin Antonescu at 22 percent and Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan at 20 percent. Simion’s rise to prominence comes in the wake of the controversial decision to annul the results of the previous presidential election held in December....

First of all, Spain apparently has North Korea envy—you know, the North Korea where it’s Net-Zero Earth Day every day:Spain & Portugal Monday night:What’s the word the day after? It seems everyone is trying their best to avoid blaming renewable energy sources—especially solar power—from the blame. But reading between the lines it is pretty clear that over-reliance on renewables is likely the trigger for a cascading grid failure. This, from Twitter: < From a deep groupchat, last night, translated from Spanish, written by an expert in transmission and distribution of power. Not my words. "What has happened on April 28...

Video of blaze Police on Wednesday evacuated multiple communities, following the reigniting of last week's forest fire in Eshta'ol in five separate locations: Route 3, which has been closed to traffic; Canada Park; Neve Shalom; Mesilat Zion; and Mitzpeh Harel. The decision to evacuate was made due to the complex conditions on the ground, including strong winds and active fires which threaten to spread to populated areas. Later, Latrun was also evacuated. Just prior to noon, the Fire and Rescue Service ordered Kibbutz Nachshon's residents to evacuate. As of 2:20 p.m., the list of evacuated communities included: Neve Shalom, Beko'a,...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(4/30/25)[Prayer]Names and Titles of God the Holy Spirit (Spirit of Inspiration) Matthew 22:41-4541 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?King James Version________________________God Bless America.ML/LTOS

Universities are currently experiencing a full-blown assault from the federal government and from red-state politicians. Tired of subsidizing universities as a hotbed of ideological activism, Republican leaders are cutting budgets, forcing reorganizations, asserting control of university governance, and taking control of the general-education curriculum at state universities. Republicans have generally been more skeptical of generous funding of public education, including at the postsecondary level, but this is different. According to Gallup, 56 percent of Republicans in 2015 had a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education. In 2024, only 20 percent of Republicans did, and 50...

Planning a vacation in Hawaii? Might be better to make it sooner rather than later as local lawmakers are ready to hike a tax imposed on travelers staying in hotels, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations. AP reports the first-of-its-kind impost will earmark the funding boost for programs to cope with “climate change” with the politicians responsible pointing to the wildfires that devastated parts of Hawaii in 2023 as evidence that something must be done. State leaders highlight projects like replenishing sand on eroding beaches, helping homeowners install hurricane clips on their roofs and removing invasive grasses as a starting...

At a town hall meeting last week, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez — one of the few moderate Democrats left in the world — made a perfectly common-sensical statement: “Americans believe that only U.S. citizens should be determining the outcome of American elections.” She was greeted with a torrent shouts, boos, and profanity, signs that said “shame” from her constituents, and was ushered out of room for “security reasons.” After President Donald Trump called for a “revolution of common sense,” it spread like a virus – except among Democrats, who appear to have a natural immunity. Trump has been implementing his...

President Trump humiliated ABC’s Terry Moran by revealing why he picked him for “the break of a lifetime” in getting to interview him on his 100th day in office. The commander in chief put the senior national correspondent in his place during a tense exchange in which Moran challenged him about suspected MS-13 tattoos on deported illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia. “Hey, they’re giving you the big break of a lifetime, you know you’re doing the interview,” Trump said. “I picked you because frankly, I never heard of you.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that previous aid provided by the US to his country will not be included in the minerals deal being negotiated between Kyiv and Washington. “Agreements have been reached that the document does not include assistance provided before its signing,” Shmyhal said in a statement on Telegram late Sunday, summarizing his delegation’s visit to the US to conduct discussions on the document. Expressing that he held an “important” meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during his visit, Shmyhal said that their legal teams are working on the document and are making “good progress.” “The...

President Donald Trump speech to announce new fighter jets to the Michigan National Guard0:17 well I guess they think we're going to 0:18 save this place and you know what 0:21 they're right 100% right we're going to 0:23 save it and make it better actually so 0:26 at ease everybody at ease enjoy yourself 0:28 sit down if you can if those are chairs 0:31 yeah they are in a sense thank you very 0:34 much it's an honor to be back in the 0:38 great state of Michigan and as you know 0:41 we had big victory in...

LISBON — Following massive power grid failures that plunged multiple countries into blackouts, Europe promised its citizens it would get electricity back up as soon as possible so everyone would be able to hear the Muslim call to prayer over the loudspeakers. Officials said they were aware that essential staples of European life, like pausing to pray in the direction of Mecca and asking Allah to grant them bloody victories against the infidels, had been disrupted by the blackouts, but assured everyone the normalcy of assaults and stabbings could resume very soon. "Our way of fundamental Islamic life will continue...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend the May 9 parade, said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, APA's Moscow bureau reports. According to him, the Indian Prime Minister will not visit Moscow on May 9.

Quote from book by Catholic Scholar: Why then do Christians observe Sunday instead of the day mentioned in the Bible? In order to make clear to the Jews that they are no longer under the Old Law of Moses, which it requirements of circumcision, abstinence from certain meets and the scrupulous observance of the Jewish sacrifice on the Sabbath, but under the New Law of Christ, the infant Church changed the day to be kept holy from Saturday to Sunday. But since Saturday, not Sunday, is specified in the Bible, isn’t it curious that non-Catholics who profess to take their...

30 April 2025Wednesday of the 2nd week of EastertidePope Pius V Church, in Saint Louis, MissouriReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: C(I).First readingActs 5:17-26The men you imprisoned are in the Temple, preaching to the peopleThe high priest intervened with all his supporters from the party of the Sadducees. Prompted by jealousy, they arrested the apostles and had them put in the common gaol. But at night the angel of the Lord opened the prison gates and said as he led them out, ‘Go and stand in the Temple, and tell the people all about this new Life.’ They did as...

The world will not soon see a man like David Horowitz again.. One of the great Americans of our age, David Horowitz, died on Tuesday at the age of 86. David Horowitz was one of the towering intellects and most perceptive thinkers of the late twentieth century and early twenty-first; he was also a man of unusual courage and remarkable vision. Though few people today realize it, David Horowitz was also one of the most influential people of our time, as he was one of the first leftists of any prominence to leave the leftist ranks and become a stalwart...

“‘But I say to you, love your enemies’” (Matthew 5:44). People tend to base love on the attractiveness and likeability of the one loved. They love the so-called beautiful people, enjoyable activities, nice houses, and sharp cars. That list could go on, but Jesus’ kind of love is need oriented. In His parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:29, 36–37), the Samaritan showed tremendous love because he sacrificed his own convenience, safety, and finances to help a desperately needy man. The love our Lord sets forth here is translated from the Greek agape-, the noblest and best New Testament love....

'Border Czar' Tom Homan joined press secretary Karoline Leavitt first thing Monday morning in the briefing room to celebrate successfully securing the border in the first 100 days of President Trump's second term in office. After 99 days, "we have the most secure border in the history of this nation," Homan said. "Joe Biden was the first president in the history of this nation who came into office and unsecured the border on purpose." "It was Biden's awful open borders policy that recklessly allowed over 10 million illegal aliens to invade the United States," Karoline Leavitt added. "America's borders are...

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — First came their much-analyzed Oval Office moment. Next, their subject-to-interpretation hug. The two interactions between President Donald Trump and a sometime antagonist, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, reflect the Democratic governor’s efforts to move past last year’s hard-fought campaign and find common ground with the Republican president — at risk of political backlash. Whitmer, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, shared a hug with Trump as he arrived in her home state on Tuesday, less than a month after she shielded her face from cameras during an Oval Office appearance alongside Trump. It’s typical for a governor...