Free Republic

It’s still three years away, but gamblers have already coalesced around a clear favorite to win the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, according to one betting market. But Polymarket data shows gamblers believe the runaway leader for the GOP nod will lose in November to a Democrat. Vice President JD Vance has a massive 48-point lead over Secretary of State Marco Rubio -- who is in second place on Polymarket -- with 56% to Rubio’s 8%. No other potential GOP contender is above 5%; President Donald Trump, although constitutionally barred from serving a third term, is at 5% along with Florida...

With the Trump Administration headed down the road to higher inflation and the political chaos that results, it is worth asking why there are “only” $4 trillion in notional crypto tokens, this according to the Financial Times. The rise of bitcoin and other ethereal instruments evidences a strong desire on the part of many Americans to escape a sinking ship, but also confirms the love for creating new games to enable speculation. Are the crypto tokens really a way to avoid the demise of fiat dollars? As we noted in a recent comment in The Institutional Risk Analyst, the best...

Shrinkflation meets inflation as The Hershey Company responds to rising cocoa prices with packaging changes.-The Hershey Company will increase U.S. retail prices this fall due to the ongoing surge in global cocoa prices, which have reached historic highs driven by poor harvests and the impacts of climate change in key growing regions. -The company expects low double-digit percentage price hikes, with some product packaging sizes reduced, although Halloween-specific candies will be exempt from the increases. -Hershey’s is also seeking a tariff exemption, expecting chocolate import costs to reach as much as $100 million in the second half of 2025 once...

🚨 Game-changer alert. What if I told you the feds don’t need permission from sanctuary mayors or woke governors to start mass deportations? They just need one thing: the Declaration of Taking Act (40 U.S.C. § 3114). It’s called “quick-take” eminent domain, and it gives the federal government the power to seize jail space IMMEDIATELY—before any court ruling. Once a simple legal document is filed and compensation is deposited, ICE and DHS can take over city or county jails at 2:00 AM. No waiting. No permission. No delays. ⸻ 💣 THE PLAN: Midnight Federalization 1. DOJ files a 1-page declaration...

Donald Trump has said he will shorten the deadline he gave Vladimir Putin to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine, giving Russia '10 or 12' days to move. In a clear bid to apply more pressure, the US president said he had wanted to be generous with his original 50-day deadline, but that with no progress being made there was no reason to keep waiting.

A Silicon Valley startup claims it can turn mercury into gold. San Francisco, California-based Marathon Fusion is proposing a process that uses nuclear fusion to turn mercury into gold — something that has been sought by people for thousands of years. "Unlike previous attempts, our method is massively scalable, pragmatically achievable, and economically irresistible," Marathon Fusion said on its website. "Using our approach, power plants can generate five thousand kilograms of gold per year, per gigawatt of electricity generation (~2.5 GWth), without any compromise to fuel self-sufficiency or power output." In a Cornell University scientific paper submitted July 17, Marathon...

China said it "resolutely opposed" Czech President Petr Pavel's meeting in India with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and urged the Czech side to "abide by its one-China political commitment" and maintain healthy and stable relations. China's embassy in the Czech Republic posted the notice late on Sunday and said China firmly opposes any form of contact between officials of any country and the Dalai "clique". Pavel met with the Dalai Lama on July 27, it said. "China urges the Czech side to abide by its one-China political commitment, take immediate and effective measures to eliminate the bad influence,"...

"BREAKING: Active shooter described as a “middle eastern man” opened fire at police in Manhattan"

These are very early days, and there are good reasons to be skeptical of any public statements made by elected officials, diplomats, and other trained liars. But Trump announced his trade deal with the Europeans, the largest features of which are agreements to purchase American energy and arms. Those are major investments. A lesser component was the opening of European markets to more American goods at lower tariffs than what European goods will face coming here. Jim Geraghty uses cars to helpfully illustrate one problem for American manufacturers for breaking into the European market. Europe’s regulatory environment and lifestyle just...

Back in April, the rental car company Hertz announced that it would be using UVeye, an AI damage scanning hardward and software system from a former defense contractor of the same name, to check its cars for damage after they were returned. It didn't take long for problems to arise. As our sister site The Drive reported last month, customers soon started complaining that Hertz was charging them hundreds of dollars for minor cosmetic scuffs that would have been shrugged off by a human employee, or in some cases for phantom damage when none was visible at all. As much...

No economy rises or falls for just one reason, even a shock as big as Donald Trump’s trade policy, says Ruchir Sharma for the Financial Times.At the beginning of the year, the world was in striking agreement on one point: If Donald Trump went ahead with tariffs, it would strengthen the dollar and trigger stagflation. Chief executives, investors and commentators all said the same. Economists estimated that every percentage point increase in the tariff rate would shave 0.1 per cent off US growth and add 0.1 per cent to inflation. But so far, the consequences have been far less disruptive...

He wrote the classic that’s been covered hundreds of times, and made other fine records of his own.He wrote and recorded a classic soul song that has been covered by hundreds of artists, from Georgie Fame to Del Shannon, and from Wilson Pickett to the Four Tops. He was the versatile Bobby Hebb, the R&B man from Nashville born on July 26, 1936, who gave us “Sunny.” Hebb performed on stage even before he was in kindergarten, and when he wrote “Sunny,” inspiration came at perhaps the darkest time in his life. It was in November 1963, when President Kennedy...

Donald Trump’s administration has denied permission for Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te to stop in New York en route to Central America, after China raised objections with Washington about the visit. Lai planned to transit the US in August en route to Paraguay, Guatemala and Belize, which recognise Taiwan as a country. But the US told Lai he could not visit New York on the way, according to three people familiar with the decision. ***** The White House’s decision will deepen concerns among Taiwan’s supporters in Washington that Trump is taking a softer stance on China as he pushes to hold...

The Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ rights organization, is taking its LGBTQ equality message on the road with a multicity tour focused on changing more hearts and minds, particularly in red states. The “American Dreams Tour” will kick off Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio, and travel to cities in predominantly Republican-led states through November. The tour’s goal, according to HRC, is to amplify LGBTQ people’s stories “at a time of rising political attacks and cultural erasure” and “celebrate the communities pushing back against hate and fighting for a future of equality for all.” “For half a century, our movement...

Russia's war machine has become such an integral part of its economic engine that its military industry is likely to keep expanding even after the fighting in Ukraine ends, according to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "The end of hostilities will not lead to a radical cut-off of military investment," wrote CSIS analysts in a report published on Thursday. Now in its fourth year, Russia's war with Ukraine continues even as Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration weathers sweeping Western sanctions. And while cracks are starting to show, the Russian economy may still be able to...

Enquiring minds want to know: What the heck is up with Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein? Whether it’s a slow news month or just proof that the news business has a sweet tooth for the salacious, all media outlets – both old and new – have been working overtime to explain the bizarre machinations of Team Trump to either expose or cover up (take your pick) the truth about Epstein’s predilection for pedophilia. SNIP I posit that we can build a logical explanation for why Trump is protesting so hard that the Epstein story is a hoax or a waste...

Kids came for pizza, stayed for a cartoon rodent in handcuffs.The worker allegedly stole a customer's credit card during a June birthday celebration and racked up charges across town. He's now facing three felony charges—and no, dressing like a mouse did not help him sneak away. In news that feels extremely 2025, a Chuck E. Cheese employee was arrested in full mouse costume for allegedly committing credit card fraud—because apparently, some days you wake up thinking you'll spend the afternoon making kids smile, and end it in handcuffs with a giant foam head on the squad car. Jermel Jones, 41,...

President Donald Trump’s administration is considering a move, called a “pocket rescission,” that would effectively rescind federal funding and potentially bypass congressional approval, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said on July 27.The strategy occurs when a president submits a rescission proposal under the Impoundment Control Act—requesting Congress to cancel previously appropriated funds—within 45 days of the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30. The funds are withheld during the 45-day congressional review period, and if Congress doesn’t act before the fiscal year ends, the funds expire.When a rescission request is made outside of the fiscal year-end window,...

China’s unexpected advances in artificial intelligence in recent months have top U.S. researchers baffled. DeepSeek, seen as a cost-effective AI breakthrough for China, was a wake-up call for U.S. industry technologists, but many appear to have hit the snooze button. DeepSeek’s rapid development of a model matching American frontier AI companies’ outputs for seemingly lower costs caught many national security officials and researchers off guard this year.OpenAI’s Katrina Mulligan, who is working to foster closer ties between her company and military and intelligence officials, said DeepSeek stunned government and industry sources alike.Ms. Mulligan told an AI conference in June that...

An attempted firearms purchase led to the arrest of a Jamaican citizen who the town of Old Orchard Beach had hired as a police officer, FOX News reported on Monday afternoon. Jon Luke Evans entered the U.S. legally in September 2023, but overstayed his visa, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) stated. He was due to return top Jamaica on October 1 of that year but never boarded his flight home. The Maine Wire contacted the Old Orchard Beach Police Department seeking information about when Evans was hired, the status of his employment and what type of vetting the...