Free Republic

(The Center Square) - ExxonMobil shareholders on Wednesday approved the board of directors’ plan to redomicile the company's legal headquarters to Texas. Shareholders also rejected a proposal made by two proxy advisory firms urging them to vote against the plan and add more automatic voting options to the company’s retail investor voting program. In March, ExxonMobil Corp., based in Spring, Texas, announced its board unanimously recommended its shareholders approve changing its legal domicile from New Jersey to Texas, where its leadership and core operations have been based since 1989. The board hadn’t held a meeting in New Jersey for more...

In a country where big trucks are a big deal, those pickups and SUVs represent a big percentage of auto loans that come with a sizable monthly payment, more than $1,000 a month, according to new data. Experian Automotive’s analysis of more than 5 million open auto loans and leases in the first quarter shows nearly 19% of new vehicle loans include a monthly payment of at least $1,000. That’s up from roughly 17.4% year over year. “The assumption is that it’s all luxury, it’s high-line, and that is not the case,” said Melinda Zabritski, head of automotive financial insights...

Gloom and doom is everywhere these days—-except in the economic data or in business planning meetings. Surveys of consumers suggest that these are the worst of times. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index keeps hitting all-time lows. The Economist/YouGov poll shows 63 percent of Americans say the economy is getting worse, including a third of Trump voters. Eighty-four percent of Democrats say we are either already in a recession or likely to be in one in the next 12 months. Businesses aren’t seeing it. The Atlanta-Fed released its latest Survey of Business Uncertainty on Tuesday, and the results are...

When Elon Musk purchased Twitter and took the company over in 2022, he proceeded to fire approximately 80% of the social media company’s bloated 7500 person workforce. This included almost all HR related employees. The company roster was pared down to a lean 1500 people. Everyone in the establishment media claimed that Twitter(now called “X”) was going to collapse. The political left and their corporate allies did everything in their power to make this happen, including advertising cancellations and even government intervention, but they failed. X’s monthly active user (MAU) count has grown over the past 5 years–-rising from roughly...

From the Dayton, Ohio, suburbs to boardrooms in Dallas, the employees fueling AT&T’s next wave of growth aren’t fresh-faced college graduates with expensive four-year degrees. They’re skilled, blue-collar workers ready to get their hands dirty — and AT&T can’t find enough of them. “We need people who know how to actually work with electricity. We need people who understand photonics. We need people who can go into folks’ homes and connect this infrastructure to make it work right,” AT&T CEO John Stankey told CNBC during a recent interview from the company’s Dallas headquarters. “We find that we’ve got to go...

A large Coca-Cola bottling plant in Southern California will shut down permanently this summer, ending a longstanding relationship between the company and the city. Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling made the announcement in a May 8 WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notice – a legally required 60-day "heads-up" that employers must give to workers before a major layoff or office closure. "We regularly assess our locations, products, and services to ensure we can continue driving sustainable growth and innovation across our business," a spokesperson for Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling wrote to SFGATE. "As such, we have announced the closure of our Ventura...

Former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., is facing a fresh ethics complaint urging the Justice Department to investigate whether he leveraged his position in Congress to promote a startup business he was running on the side with his chief of staff. The complaint comes as Swalwell has also been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct in recent weeks, allegations he has denied despite conceding he has made poor choices in his past with women. The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a conservative ethics watchdog, filed a complaint Wednesday calling on the Justice Department's Office of Congressional Conduct to...

A federal judge Thursday ordered the detention of former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani and eight others in connection with the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center that killed 85 people, the judge's office said. A special prosecutor sought the order, alleging that the worst terrorist attack on Argentine soil was orchestrated by leaders of the Iranian government and entrusted to the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah. Iran's leading diplomatic envoy in Buenos Aires, Mohsen Baharvand, told The Associated Press that his government would oppose any efforts to detain Rafsanjani or other Iranian nationals. Baharvand, Iran's charge d'affaires, said the case...

The head of an influential Big Apple business advocacy group warned that companies are already taking steps to relocate or move jobs elsewhere because of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s tax-hike crusade. Steve Fulop, CEO of the Partnership for the City of New York, said many corporations are considering leaving or shifting their workforces to less costly states after it was revealed $900 billion asset manager Apollo Global Management is plotting a second US headquarters in the Sunbelt. “In the last week, there have been several [major companies] in the Partnership that have said they’re going down the same road [as Apollo],...

President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced America First Refining (AFR) is opening the first new U.S. oil refinery in nearly half a century in Brownsville, Texas. Situated in a massive deep-water foreign trade zone, the project will leverage advanced infrastructure and strategic rail and sea connections to transport low-carbon fuels and other energy products. "America is returning to REAL ENERGY DOMINANCE!" Trump wrote in an announcement on Truth Social. "THIS IS A HISTORIC $300 BILLION DOLLAR DEAL — THE BIGGEST IN U.S. HISTORY, A MASSIVE WIN for American Workers, Energy, and the GREAT People of South Texas!"

New York City doesn’t have enough hotel rooms for hordes of visitors coming to this summer’s FIFA World Cup and should suspend the current restrictions on Airbnb and other short-term rental platforms, business leaders told Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin on Friday. Groups including the Partnership for New York City and chambers of commerce for all five boroughs say the city must pause its short-term rental laws from June 1 to July 31 so more people can stay in the Big Apple during the games — along with celebrations for the country’s 250th anniversary and Fleet...

As national Democrats search for a unifying theme ahead of the fall’s midterm elections, a California proposal to levy a hefty tax on billionaires is turning some of the party’s leading figures into adversaries just when Democrats can least afford division from within. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders traveled to Los Angeles on Wednesday to campaign for the tax proposal, which has Silicon Valley in an uproar, with tech titans threatening to leave the state. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is among its outspoken opponents, warning that it could leave government finances in crisis and put the state at a competitive disadvantage...

SpaceX is considering a potential merger with either Tesla or xAI, according to people familiar with the matter. Bloomberg's Loren Grush and Kiel Porter break down what this possible consolidation of Elon Musk's empire could mean with Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow on "Bloomberg Tech." SpaceX Said to Consider Merger With Tesla or xAI | 4:57 Bloomberg Technology | 715K subscribers | 10,262 views | January 30, 2026

Join with fellow FREEPERS across the world to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, Technology, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) THE COLD REALITY OF THIS WORLD IS THAT EACH OF US IS MOVING TOWARD A FINAL DESTINATION. WHETHER THE CURRENT CRISIS WE ARE ALL EXPERIENCING ENDS QUICKLY OR STRETCHES OVER MONTHS AND YEARS,...

Three Democratic senators are sounding the alarm about lucrative contracts and loans the Pentagon provided to companies linked to Donald Trump Jr. In a letter sent Thursday to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the lawmakers – Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Andy Kim and Richard Blumenthal – requested information on whether DoD decisions to hand out loans and contracts to companies “associated with the president’s son may have been affected by conflicts of interest.” “If this is the case, it could mean that the Trump family is profiting from funds appropriated by Congress to keep Americans safe, raising both ethics and national...

Another major financial giant is planting its flag in Florida. Wells Fargo confirmed to Fox News Digital that it is moving its wealth management headquarters to West Palm Beach, underscoring a growing exodus of money and corporate influence from traditional financial hubs to low-tax, business-friendly states. The relocation makes Wells Fargo the first major U.S. bank to base its wealth-management operations in the Sunshine State. "Wells Fargo Wealth and Investment Management (WIM) is advancing its strategic commitment to serving high and ultra‑high‑net‑worth clients by increasing its presence in West Palm Beach," a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "Several senior leaders...

A Massachusetts woman is suing the town of Hopkinton, alleging officials negligently approved a criminal immigrant with a history of workplace sexual violence to operate a business where he later assaulted the plaintiff when she was 16 years old. The lawsuit, transferred to federal court Jan. 5, names Greek national Petros "Peter" Sismanis, who is in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. According to court documents, Sismanis was convicted in June 2025 for the 2023 sexual assault of the plaintiff while she worked at Hillers Pizza. The complaint also notes that Sismanis was previously accused in 1998 of rape, indecent...

(The Center Square) – A major American medical device manufacturer is investing $110 million to expand production in Nebraska as part of an effort to restore pharmaceutical manufacturing and improve domestic supply chains. Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) announced this week that it will expand its facility in Columbus, Nebraska, to increase production of prefillable syringes used in biologic drugs, including GLP-1 weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. The investment is expected to create about 120 new jobs, according to a press release from the company. The expansion comes as the Trump administration has urged pharmaceutical and medical manufacturers...

Verizon offered a paltry $20 credit to customers who experienced hours-long outages Wednesday — with the “pathetic” handout prompting even more outrage over the massive disruption. The telecoms giant said on X that the credit was to “help provide some relief” to affected users, claiming the refund “covers multiple days of service.” “This credit isn’t meant to make up for what happened,” Verizon wrote.

President Donald Trump announced what he described as an immediate and "final" trade order targeting Iran and its global partners. In a post shared on Truth Social, Trump said any country that continues doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran would be hit with a 25% tariff on all trade with the U.S. The president wrote: "Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America. This Order is final and conclusive. Thank you for your attention to...