Free Republic

Cracker Barrel's decision to remove a beloved businessman from its logo has sparked fury across the United States. The company announced earlier this week it would remove the likeness of Uncle Herschel, the real-life relative of the brand's founder Dan Evins, from its iconic signage. In the old emblem, Herschel was shown sitting on a wooden chair in front of the eponymous barrel. But he is notably absent from the new logo, which features just the text of the brand name in a yellow hexagon. The change is being keenly felt by fans of the restaurant, who knew Herschel as...

Wyoming and 10 other states’ claims that giant investment companies conspired to drive coal production down and drive prices up — increasing people’s energy costs — are at least plausible enough to keep a lawsuit alive, a judge has ruled. Wyoming filed suit in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Texas in late November against Blackrock Inc., State Street Corp. and Vanguard Group Inc. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton led the litigation. Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, West Virginia and Wyoming also signed the complaint. The states allege the three massive investment companies acquired substantial stockholdings in...

In April, at an extraordinary meeting of the World Economic Forum (“WEF”) board, Klaus Schwab announced he was stepping down with immediate effect and bogeyman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe was appointed the interim Chairman. On 15 August, with the completion of the investigation into Klaus Schwab and his wife Hilde, Brabeck-Letmathe has stepped down from his role as interim Chairman. On the same day, the World Economic Forum announced the appointment of Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock, as interim co-chairman alongside André Hoffmann, Vice Chairman of pharmaceutical and diagnostic giant Roche. This appointment takes effect immediately. Much has been written...

On this Independence Day 2021, I reflect on the America I love so much and how it looks very different from the one I knew as a child in the 80s and 90s. How, once upon a time, we celebrated our nationalism and patriotism, and today, there is a very vocal minority that resents the USA. I believe if they knew the realities behind China, they may rethink their position. As an American of Chinese ancestry and a community organizer on the ground, I felt an important need to discuss this topic. Perhaps one of the most bizarre news stories...

One lesson from the ongoing scandal is that it lifted the curtain of foreign governments’ covert influence campaigns in the United States. Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop revealed much information, including Hunter’s shady business dealings in Ukraine and China, raising questions about the extent to which President Biden was involved in his son’s business activities. This ongoing scandal lifted the curtain of foreign governments’ covert influence campaigns in the United States. No government has conducted such influence campaigns more effectively than Communist China. To understand China’s influence campaigns on foreign soil, one has to get familiar with a secretive Chinese government...

Arizona, Louisiana, Pennsylvania treasurers among those to sign.. A group of 26 financial officers from 21 states sent letters to 18 major financial institutions this week, warning them to abandon environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices if they wish to continue doing business with their states. The letters said ESG has undermined the traditional fiduciary duty that firms owe their clients, focusing solely on financial return, and instead prioritizes advancing political agendas. “Fiduciary duty has long been a critical safeguard that facilitated efficient capital allocation grounded in financial merit rather than political ideology,” the letter said. “But that clarity is...

The NYC Partnership threw a party — but no one really showed up. A who’s who of the New York City business community were no shows for a Tuesday meet and greet session with socialist democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani. The list of New York City-based CEOs that declined the Partnership’s invitation includes Jamie Dimon, the nation’s top banker and chief of JP Morgan, the nations largest bank; Steve Schwarzman, the CEO of private equity powerhouse Blackstone; Brian Moynihan, the head of Bank of America, the nations second largest bank; Larry Fink, the CEO of Blackrock, the worlds largest asset...

Despite having called Bitcoin BTC +0.59% an "immature asset class" that is inappropriate for long-term investors, Vanguard Group has become the largest shareholder in Strategy, according to a report from Bloomberg. Through its funds, the $10-trillion money manager owns 20 million Strategy shares or 8% of the outstanding common stock, according to a Bloomberg chart. Vanguard most likely passed Capital Group Cos. to become the top shareholder of Strategy shares during the fourth quarter, the report said. Strategy (ticker MSTR), formerly known as MicroStrategy, has become a proxy bet for Bitcoin as the company's chief business proposition has been acquiring...

BlackRock, a U.S. investment firm, suspended work on a multibillion-dollar Ukraine recovery fund following U.S. President Donald Trump's election victory, prompting France to work on a replacement, Bloomberg reported on July 5.The plan nearly secured the initial support of institutions backed by the governments of Germany, Italy, and Poland, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.Kyiv has sought to secure investment in Ukraine's reconstruction as Russia's war continues to destroy infrastructure across the country.BlackRock halted its search for institutional investors in January, causing the planned funding that sought to secure $500 million from governments, development grants, and investment banks, and...

The suit alleges a coordinated effort to block medical care for those exposed to toxic chemicals. Also named are Vanguard, Mercy Health, and Quest Diagnostics, with the CDC accused of instructing healthcare providers not to test for dioxins or other hazardous substances. Plaintiffs claim this led to widespread misdiagnoses, delayed treatment, and that a letter was circulated telling providers to dismiss patient health concerns. ...

Brief represents the first time the Trump administration has weighed in on green investing issues.. The Federal Trade Commission is throwing its weight behind a high-profile federal lawsuit led by 12 Republican-led states accusing three of the world's largest asset managers—BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard—of artificially constricting the coal market in violation of U.S. antitrust laws, the Washington Free Beacon has learned. The filing in the case is a remarkable move that represents the first time the Trump administration has waded directly into an issue or case related to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies. Led by powerful asset managers...

BERLIN (AP) — Members of Germany's biggest opposition party, the center-right Christian Democratic Union of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, have chosen prominent conservative Friedrich Merz as its new leader, the party said Friday. Merz's election with a strong mandate appears to mark at least a symbolic break with the Merkel era. Making his third run for the CDU's top post, he took 62.1% support in a ballot of the party's membership to beat two centrist contenders. A party convention next month will have to sign off officially on the membership vote, but that should only be a formality. Armin Laschet,...

Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock Inc., warned policymakers in New York City on Monday that crime, cleanliness and a shortage of quality schools have significantly undermined the city’s attractiveness to businesses. “The city is on the verge of losing a lot of companies,” the 72-year-old Fink said during a candid conversation hosted by the Economic Club of New York on Monday. “I don’t believe the city has the vitality that it did before.” ... Fink, who first arrived in New York during the rough-and-tumble 1970s when it was plagued by an economic crisis and widespread urban decay, expressed deep...

China has held up the $23 billion sale of dozens of ports worldwide — including two key ports in the Panama Canal — to a group led by US investing giant BlackRock after President Trump expressed concern about Beijing’s sway over the strategic shipping lanes. On March 4, CK Hutchison, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate controlled by 96-year-old billionaire Li Ka-shing, announced plans to sell 43 port facilities globally — including critical ports at both ends of the Panama Canal and near the Suez Canal — for approximately $22.8 billion. But China’s State Administration for Market Regulation unexpectedly initiated an investigation...

ExxonMobil's gay problem The world's largest oil company is under fire for refusing to specifically prohibit discrimination against gays in its employment policy. NEW YORK (FORTUNE) - Does ExxonMobil have a problem with gay people? While much of corporate America has embraced gay rights - by promising not to discriminate against gay workers and offering domestic partner benefits - the world's largest oil company has steadfastly resisted pressures to become more gay-friendly. ExxonMobil has been boycotted by gay rights groups, peppered with angry phone calls, criticized in gay-oriented consumer guides and pressured by shareholder resolutions - all to no avail....

Trump’s Blackrock deal is far from over. Generations of sending American jobs, tech, and manufacturing to China was equivalent to feeding wild tigers near the local kindergarten. And now jungles are full of tigers used to getting their way. I made the tiger photograph in the wilds of India. I made the video below in the wilds of Darien Gap. At an Embera village called Bajo Chiquito. Notice the Georgia Bulldogs tattoo. Maybe this guy is going to Georgia. And the man to his right. Wearing the cross. As many do. And the nice watch. After crossing through Darien Gap....

The ports surrounding the Panama Canal are about to come under American ownership. American asset management giant BlackRock (BLK) and a group of investors have agreed to buy ports on both sides of the Panama Canal from owner CK Hutchinson Holdings for nearly $23 billion, the Hong Kong-based firm announced Tuesday.

A BlackRock-led consortium has agreed a $22.8 billion deal to buy two major Panama Canal ports owned by a Hong Kong-based conglomerate following intense pressure from US President Donald Trump over alleged Chinese interference in the critical trade route. The sale is a victory for Trump, the Financial Times noted. The president had repeatedly suggested the US could take the Canal back, citing national security concerns: The waterway is controlled by Panama, but the ports at either end are privately owned. This deal brings two at either entry to the Canal under US ownership. The BlackRock-led group will acquire a...

DOGE: David Lebryk controlled the computerized payment system responsible for $6 trillion in Treasury payments before he refused to give Trump's DOGE team access to the system. His manager was a Nigerian immigrant appointed by Biden. He quit two weeks ago. ... Obama hired him ... Adeyemo was an Obama insider. He was Director of the National Economic Council under Obama AND he was a Sr Advisor at BlackRock - Very Convenient for them. We’re going to find out how MUCH the Treasury Department stole from the American taxpayers now. People are going to prison. ... Biden really did try...

DEI: LA Mayor Karen Bass is hiring an ‘outside consultant’ to rebuild the Pacific Palisades in a more equitable and environmentally sustainable way. She intends to award the contract without authorization from the property owners. ... CORRUPTION: California updated the law to allow Mayors like Karen Bass to take contributions from contractors and consultants to the city if they are award via competitive bid starting on Jan 1, 2025. This exemption is significant because it means that vendors winning contracts through competitive bids can still donate to political campaigns of officials overseeing the contract process—potentially leaving room for continued influence...