Free Republic

U.S. consumers just delivered a clear message: they’re not as worried as the experts thought. The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index jumped by 12.3 points in May, the largest monthly gain in four years, as Americans grew more upbeat about the economy, the job market, and their own financial prospects. The reading came in at 98.0, up sharply from April’s 85.7, and blew past all forecasts by economists. Econoday’s survey had a range of forecasts from 84.0 to 91.3, with the consensus at 87.3. It wasn’t just a bounce—it was a breakout. The Expectations Index, which measures how consumers see...

WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Finland on Thursday announced a new arms package for Ukraine amounting to around 200 million euros ($217 million) and pledged more defense cooperation with Kyiv. The aid package for Ukraine involves artillery ammunition, “which is in great need right now,” said Finland’s Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen as he signed a memorandum of understanding alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov. Finland’s Defense Ministry said other contents of the aid package would not be divulged at this time. Häkkänen said that Finland remains committed to supporting Ukraine and shares Kyiv’s “view of the Russian threat in light of...

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia aim to boost American automobile production to avoid President Donald Trump’s planned 25 percent auto tariff, according to a report. Trump on Tuesday said the tariff rates on auto imports will be “in the neighborhood of 25 percent,” with more details to come in early April. He noted that he will give auto manufacturers time to avoid the tariff. “If they have a plant and factory here, there will be no tariff,” the 47th president remarked.

President Biden took to social media to promote Small Business Saturday and his administration’s efforts to boost small businesses, including investing more than $50 billion into the space. “Every small business is an act of hope,” he wrote on social platform X. “This Small Business Saturday, we’re celebrating all small businesses, including the 20 million new business applications — 20 million acts of hope — since I took office,” he added.

Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) pledged to launch a campaign to boost radical sex change procedures in his state in response to Donald Trump’s landslide election. Pritzker used Transgender Awareness Week — November 12 to 19 — as a platform to showboat over the issue, Fox News reported. “This Transgender Awareness Week, I want you to know that I see you and have your back as governor,” Pritzker wrote on X. “Illinois has enshrined protections for gender-affirming care to meet this moment — and because of that, you will have a home here always.”

Ford Motor Company is hoping to boost sales of its electric vehicles (EVs) by giving away free at-home charging stations, executives announced this week. “Auto shoppers say they’re more likely to buy an electric vehicle if they could fill up at home. So we’re going to make it easy for our customers,” Ford CEO Jim Farley wrote on X: If you buy or lease a new [Ford] electric vehicle, we’ll include a complimentary home charger. This is part of something we’re calling the Ford Power Promise, which is about giving our electric vehicle customers convenience, peace of mind and expert...

The second presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris failed to give the Democrat hopeful a “boost,” Politico’s polling experts acknowledged Monday. Politico’s analysis runs counter to the establishment media claims Harris received a significant increase in support following the debate. Politico’s Steven Shepard reported: But surveys point to just a slight Harris bump, with national polls showing the Democrat’s lead has grown by about 1 percentage point since the day of the debate — even including national polls from NBC News and CBS News on Sunday giving Harris a mid-single-digit lead. Across three major...

Democrat presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris’s economic plan would increase taxes by $5 trillion over ten years, according to Americans for Tax Reform (ATR). Harris’s campaign announced an enormous economic package on Monday that would undo former President Donald Trump’s tax cuts, claiming it would be part of “a fiscally responsible way to put money back in the pockets of working people and ensure billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share.” Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act slashed the corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 percent, lowered income tax rates, and doubled the standard deduction. Harris’s economic...

The growing undocumented immigrant population in the U.S. will lower the deficit by nearly a trillion dollars over the next decade, according to a study by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). CBO’s projections are based on the net sum of economic activity generated, taxes paid and benefits allotted to the immigrant groups included in the study. The nonpartisan agency estimates a net population increase of 8.7 million such immigrants between 2021 and 2026, averaging an increase of 1.7 million people per year above the pre-2020 average annual net immigration of 200,000. CBO based its projections on the economic effects that...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning health providers that there is an “urgent need” to increase vaccinations against influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In an alert published Thursday, the agency cautioned that low vaccination rates, coupled with ongoing increases in national respiratory disease activity, could lead to more severe disease and increased health care capacity strain in the coming weeks. Providers should administer influenza, COVID-19 and RSV immunizations now to patients, if recommended, CDC said. The agency estimates about 42 percent of children have gotten a flu shot, while national coverage for adults is...

Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged $1 billion more for Ukraine while in Kyiv on Wednesday, saying the United States is “determined to continue to walk side-by-side” with the country in its ongoing war with Russia. “We are determined in the United States to continue to walk side-by-side with you,” Blinken told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting on Monday. He added:

US consumer spending rose more than anticipated in July, according to government data released Tuesday, showing resilience even as the economy cools on the back of a boost from online spending. Retail sales in the world’s biggest economy advanced 0.7 percent to $696.4 billion last month, up from a revised 0.3 percent rise in June, said the Commerce Department. Consumption has proven more robust than expected in the United States as households dip into savings accumulated during the pandemic, supporting growth while business activity slowed in recent months.

A stronger-than-expected jobs report has put the wind at President Biden’s back ahead of his State of the Union address next week, and it could provide additional momentum as he prepares a reelection announcement in the coming weeks. Biden on Friday hailed new data from the Labor Department that showed the economy added 517,000 jobs in January, far exceeding economists’ expectations. The president wasted little time connecting the positive development with next Tuesday’s address to the nation. “Next week, I’ll be reporting on the state of the union. But today, I’m happy to report that the state of the union...

The post-recession jobs boom continued in April with another strong employment report. We’ll also look at President Biden’s call to the GOP to help fight inflation and the cryptocurrency sanctions crackdown. But first … they’re on opposite sides of the aisle, but these two senators once bonded over a NSFW song.

San Jose is now the largest city in the state to require its employees and visitors of events at city-owned venues to show proof of a COVID-19 booster shot.The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to impose a new mandate requiring city workers and visitors of city-owned facilities, such as the SAP Center and San Jose McEnery Convention Center, to get boosted or show proof of a negative test before entry. The new law goes into effect immediately, but facilities have until Feb. 4 to implement the rule.Thanks, Council colleagues for approving my proposal to require boosters for City workers+the public...

Dr. Anthony Fauci warned during a press briefing on Thursday that a booster shot will be required for everyone "sooner or later" to ensure that the durability of protection from COVID-19 vaccines continues.

A powerful General Assembly committee voted Friday to revise Gov. Larry Hogan’s more than $46 billion budget proposal to provide millions more in funding for Maryland’s public schools, while cutting some of the Republican governor’s prized initiatives. Led by Baltimore Democrat Maggie McIntosh, the House Appropriations Committee approved a spending plan that provides about $320 million more for operating Maryland’s public schools. That would be the first step toward implementing recommendations from the so-called Kirwan Commission, which has proposed ambitious new programs to boost student performance. The committee’s spending plan also includes $500 million for public school construction and $46...

‘Believing you’re a winner’ gives men a testosterone boost and promiscuous dispositionNew findings suggest that the male body tries to “optimise” self-perceived improvements in social status through hormonal shifts that promote “short-term mating”. A new study shows that men only have to believe they’ve bested another man in competition to get raised testosterone levels and an inflated sense of their own value as a sexual prospect. Scientists found that this hormonal and psychological shift made men more inclined to approach new potential partners. The research team measured hormone levels, as well as self-perceived attractiveness and confidence in approaching women, in...

“The Batteriser has boost circuitry that will boost the voltage from 0.6 volts to 1.5 volts and will maintain voltage at 1.5—which is a brand new battery,” Roohparvar says. “There’s actually no IP [intellectual property] in the boost circuitry. Our technology is really a miniaturization technique that allows us to build the sleeve. We have some IP in some of the IC circuits that are in there, but the key is we’ve been able to miniaturize the boost circuit to a point that no one else has been able to achieve. “ To prove that he’s not peddling snake oil,...

(CNSNews.com) - Asked Thursday if the Affordable Care Act will help "undocumented individuals," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said no -- and that's why immigration reform is so important: "Well, the (Obamacare) bill is crafted in such a way that those who are undocumented will not have access to the tax credits or shopping in the (health insurance) marketplace. That has been limited, which is, frankly, why -- another very keen reason why we need comprehensive immigration reform," Sebelius told a gathering of Latinos in Philadelphia.