Free Republic

President Donald Trump could soon face a dramatically different Congress, and investors are already evaluating what that might mean for the stock and bond markets. With Democrats seeking control of the House and Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections, the possibility of divided government is raising questions about corporate regulation, government spending, and the future of some of Wall Street’s most important industries. Banking, artificial intelligence, healthcare, and cryptocurrency companies could face increased scrutiny, while changes in fiscal policy could influence interest rates and investment returns.Start Investing A Political Shift That Could Reshape Wall StreetThe November 3 elections will determine whether...

The number of babies born in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level for any calendar half-year in nearly 50 years. Figures published today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that there were 287,236 live births recorded in the first six months of 2026, a decrease of 2,406 births compared to the first half of 2025, when there were 289,642 live births recorded – and the lowest number for any calendar half-year since 1977. The latest total is around a fifth below the first half of 2012, when 360,256 live births were recorded, compared with 287,236...

As New Yorkers cast their ballots in Tuesday’s race for governor, the state’s economic health looms large: 34% of likely voters say taxes, jobs and inflation are the most important issues facing the Empire State, Emerson College pollsters found. Those voters should consider which candidate will stop piling up the government debt that will soon cripple budgets — and will stick our kids with a massive bill. For decades, New York’s leaders have been spending money on a credit card that nobody in power ever tries to pay off. But every dollar borrowed eventually comes back as higher taxes, service...

[Catholic Caucus] Dissenters rip Cardinal Ratzinger’s 1986 letter on homosexuality on 40th anniversary October 30, 2026» Continue to this story on National Catholic Reporter CWN Editor's Note: Critics of Catholic teaching on the immorality of homosexual acts strongly criticized the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s letter to bishops on the pastoral care of homosexual persons, 40 years after its publication. At the time, the congregation’s prefect was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. “We were horrified when we read it, but I would say we were not surprised,” said Sister Jeannine Gramick, cofounder of...

Ahead of the midterm elections, billionaire Elon Musk warned that a Democratic sweep of the White House and Congress in 2028 could spell the "end of democracy," outlining three moves he fears the party would make to cement its political power. The stark warning comes as Musk pours money into Republican campaigns, arguing that maintaining GOP control of the Senate is essential to preventing what he described as a "permanent one-party state." Musk outlined his three "biggest" concerns about Democrats gaining unified control of Washington, in an X post, warning that the party would move to grant statehood to Washington,...

Confused much? Rep. Ilhan Omar apparently didn’t know what her name was when applying in 2009 for a Minnesota marriage license to her alleged brother Ahmed Elmi, according to the document obtained by The Post. A certified copy from the Hennepin County, Minn., government shows that the Democratic congresswoman’s surname was initially written as Omar, before being crossed out and replaced with Elmi. A final edit reverted it back to Omar. The revisions are potentially significant as the Justice Department investigates whether Omar fraudulently gained US citizenship in 2000 by failing to use her accurate legal name — and birthdate.

A woman has been arrested ahead of President Trump's rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, for threatening to shoot President Trump on Thursday night. President Trump is en route to Daytona Beach to speak at a midterm rally tonight at 7 pm ET. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood identified the suspect as 21-year-old Allison Albro in an X post this morning. "Going to the trump rally in my city tmr so I can shoot him with my Glock!" she wrote on social media, according to a screenshot shared by Chitwood. "Wish me luck guys !!" The Sheriff also shared a photo...

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and his Democratic primary rival, Rep. Haley Stevens, clashed Friday ahead of a Sunday campaign event where both were expected to make a rare appearance together. The public rift between the two Democrats comes just days before one of the country's most hotly contested Senate races, as Republican nominee Mike Rogers seeks to peel off centrist Democratic voters. El-Sayed and the more moderate Stevens offered starkly differing visions for the future of the party during the primary, and although Stevens endorsed El-Sayed after he won the nomination, the two largely haven't campaigned alongside each...

Cardinal doubles down after saying Church should not ‘convert’ people Cardinal Vesco responded to Bishop Barron's correction by saying that Catholics, Jews, and Muslims have 'better things to do' than trying to convert one another.Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, the archbishop of Algiers, Algeria, responded to Bishop Robert Barron’s correction of his erroneous statement that the Catholic Church is “not there to convert” by doubling down and saying that Catholics and members of other monotheistic religions have “better things to do” than trying to convert one another.In an October 30 social media post responding to Bishop Barron, Vesco highlighted the actions of...

***** Tunes For Our Troops ~ The Freeper Canteen Presents: Halloween Music 2026 ~ *****~ Support The Artists You Hear Throughout The Canteen ! ~ ***** Warning: Not all music may be appropriate for children! Please click with caution. Thank you! Tunes For The Troops This music is provided for the entertainment of our Troops, Veterans, Allies & their families! Enjoy the variety of musical selections that the Canteen DJs provide throughout the thread. Please ping any DJ with your requests for the Troops! All music is removed on Monday.Thanks to all the DJs for their time & effort...

A Southside Virginia lawmaker is demanding an investigation after a constituent received an official rights-restoration certificate for his dog, Biscuit, a beagle-hound mix from Goochland County that died about five years ago. The discovery follows the "Betty No Last Name" controversy in Chesapeake — where a purported convict lacking a surname had "her" rights restored — and raises fresh questions about the governor's vetting process just days before voters decide whether to make felons' voting-rights restoration automatic via an Election Day ballot measure supported by Richmond Democrats. Del. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham — who received the letter from the constituent who...

Discover the 10 essential tools legendary woodsman Horace Kephart carried into the wilderness. These carefully chosen items made up his minimalist kit for survival, camping, and bushcraft in the early 20th century. From his iconic sheath knife to his compact folding lantern, this timeless gear still inspires modern outdoorsmen today. Join me as we explore Kephart’s must-have tools and see why they’re as practical now as they were ove

In 2008, California voters approved funding for a high-speed rail line between San Francisco and Los Angeles. A group of contractors donated tens of thousands of dollars to support the ballot measure. A state program manager projected that the initiative would create more than 100,000 construction jobs. Eighteen years and more than $15 billion later, not a single mile of high-speed track has been laid. The state hasn’t even laid track on the rump Merced-Bakersfield line that it wants to open in the 2030s. In a recently resurfaced video from his time as lieutenant governor, Gavin Newsom said the full...

“Can’t we just be Mexico or Paraguay and have peace and quiet while things mostly go to hell?” — Matt Taibbi A pro-Peltola political action committee (49th State PAC) paid $87,000 to an Ohio consulting company run by one Jerid Kurtz (operating under the name “Zane”) to compile a list of all the Dan Sullivans in Alaska and recruit one to run for Dan S. Sullivan’s Senate seat. They succeeded, finding Dan J., age 69, a retired US Forest Service employee and schoolteacher, in Petersburg, AK, who had never run for anything before. In late May 2026, he filed as...

Analysis of deep grooves in the bedrock on the islands of the Maltese archipelago suggests that they are ruts made by the wheels of carts over thousands of years, Gizmodo reports. It had been suggested that the tracks dated to between 5200 and 750 B.C. and were related to quarrying activity. Joel Grima of the University of Malta said that similar cart ruts can be found in urban areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. In Malta, more than 2,600 tracks totaling more than 30 miles have been recorded. Most of the tracks are in clusters, and some of them...

FRiends, I hope this helps in two scenarios: If you've seen an article somewhere and want to see if it has been posted already on FR, never post the whole article title in the FR search field (in the upper right corner of the Main page). Or say you want to search FR for an article with a certain word or words. Our esteemed founder Jim Robinson once posted this advice -- "The FR search works best if you confine it to one or two significant words of the title (usually one is all you need) - and stay away...

The left wants to control your life, has an agenda to destroy the country, and is spoiling for a post-midterm fight; we are not the same. So, get out there and vote for sanity. You’ve likely heard some variation of the left’s “both sides are the same” psyop game numerous times over the years, specifically designed to depress turnout of the pro-freedom right. Given that they do this under the assumption that the left is always more politically active, leftists’ use of this dirty tactic ironically disproves the psyop in that it shows both sides are vastly different. ou’ve likely...

The US is poised to approve the sale of Patriot missiles to Ukraine despite Volodymyr Zelensky resuming strikes against Russian oil refineries. On Friday, the US state department signed off on a transfer of up to 500 Pac-3 interceptor missiles to Kyiv, which will be funded by Ukrainian allies. Mr Zelensky has warned that Ukraine's dwindling supply of defensive weaponry means it will struggle to defend itself as Vladimir Putin prepares to hammer its power grid over the winter. However, the missiles could take years to arrive if, as expected, they have to be manufactured rather than drawn from the...

A new poll has found that Republican Ken Paxton has moved past Democrat James Talarico as the race for U.S. Senate enters its final days. The poll by Quantus Insights surveyed 1,221 likely voters between Oct. 26 and 28. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.2%. Republicans made up the majority of respondents at 46.7%, with Democrats comprising 39.4% of respondents and Independents at 13.9%. Texas Senate race is a dead heatThe Quantus poll found that 48.7% of respondents backed Paxton, while 47.6% backed Talarico. Only 2.2% of respondents said they were undecided. According to the poll, Talarico...

Intel suffers worst-ever daily decline as investors’ anxieties hit new highsSlowing growth. Dwindling cash piles. Cannibalized business lines. Pressure points are multiplying across the artificial-intelligence boom that has propelled markets and the economy.The cracks in the AI trade widened through the week, culminating in a sharp tech selloff Friday that sent the Nasdaq composite to its worst day since June and its worst month in more than a year. The vulnerabilities in Wall Street’s favorite trade have been building for months, periodically appearing around smaller companies drowning in debt. Each time, the largest firms behind America’s AI build-out have reassured...