Free Republic

The White House on Thursday said it had purchased 100 million rapid at-home COVID-19 tests with its “limited funding,” as the administration continues to call on Congress to pass more pandemic funds. The Biden administration said in a press release that the 100 million domestically manufactured tests would be directed into the Strategic National Stockpile. White House officials had no further comment on the tests when reached by The Hill.

Alex Green, Chief Investment Strategist of The Oxford Club, explains how the majority of investors fundamentally misunderstand when and why corporate officers and directors sell or buy their own shares… And this consistently leads to huge misses on investor profits left and right. Read on to see whether this error applies to you. – Kyle Wehrle, Assistant Managing Editor Finance professors who study insider transactions often issue a warning sign about the market when they see corporate officers and directors selling more shares than they’re buying. But this is entirely misguided, not least of all because corporate insiders almost always...

The Omaha Public Schools used more than $130,000 in federal stimulus dollars to buy each teacher, administrator and staff member a manual on how to become more culturally sensitive. The book by Virginia education consultants could raise some eyebrows with its viewpoints. The authors assert that American government and institutions create advantages that “channel wealth and power to white people,” that color-blindness will not end racism and that educators should “take action for social justice.” The book says that teachers should acknowledge historical systemic oppression in schools, including racism, sexism, homophobia and “ableism,” defined by the authors as discrimination or...

Mexico's central bank bought more than 90 tonnes of gold between January and March, according to figures from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The World Gold Council has said it expects central banks in emerging markets to be the biggest buyers of gold, with its price near record highs. Banks are seeking to diversify their reserves out of US dollars. Mexico now owns 100.15 tonnes of gold, data on the IMF website showed. At the end of January it held 6.84 tonnes. Mexico's purchase is equivalent to about 3.5% of annual mined output. The country now owns $4.93bn (£2.98bn) worth...

A local pipefitters union has snapped up the old Hillcrest Golf Club in St. Paul, paying $4.3 million for the private club and vowing to keep it private for at least two years. The union said it hopes to breathe new life into the business, which has been in the red with sliding membership. The all-cash deal closed earlier this month. (snip) Jermusek said the union plans to add on to some of the facilities and include some union offices on the site. The pipefitters union in St. Louis also owns a golf course.

SHANGHAI (AP) - General Motors Co. (GM)'s main joint venture partner in China, SAIC Motor Corp., says it has bought a nearly 1 percent stake in the American automaker through its initial public offering. SAIC, which is owned by the Shanghai city government, said Thursday it paid $33 a share for about 0.97 percent of GM at a total cost of nearly $500 million. GM's stock offer is worth potentially $23 billion and will end the U.S. government's role as a majority shareholder after the automaker entered bankruptcy protection in June 2009. The long-standing partnership between GM and SAIC -...

Even Willy Wonka might struggle to use this much chocolate. Yesterday, somebody bought 241,000 tonnes of cocoa beans. The purchase was enough to move the entire global cocoa market, sending the price to the highest level since 1977, and triggering rumours and intrigue in the City. It is unclear which person, or group of traders, was behind the deal, but it was the largest single cocoa trade for 14 years. The cocoa beans, which are sitting in warehouses either in The Netherlands, Hamburg, or closer to home in London, Liverpool or Humberside is equivalent to the entire supply of the...

Lindsay Binegar was 14 the first time she spent any winnings from years of showing hogs. She bought a purse. The second time, at 18, she splurged. She bought a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house with a two-car garage. And she paid in cash. "I've never heard of a teenager buying a house," said Nikki Gasbarro, spokeswoman for the Ohio Association of Realtors. "Smart girl." The Greenfield teenager has been saving money since she was 4 years old and won $100 showing a hog. "I didn't get the money; it went to the bank," said Binegar, now a 19-year-old freshman at Ohio...

In a move that critics may cite as his own inconvenient truth, former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, have added a house in secluded Montecito to their real estate holdings. The couple spent $8,875,000 on a gated ocean-view villa on 1 1/2 acres with a swimming pool, spa and fountains, according to real estate sources familiar with the deal. The Italian-style house has high ceilings with beams in the public rooms, a family room, a wine cellar, terraces, six fireplaces, five bedrooms and nine bathrooms in more than 6,500 square feet of living space. Montecito has long...

Columbus has spent about $1.9 million to buy 150 homes with federal money designed to shore up city neighborhoods ravaged by foreclosures and vacant housing. The city bought the houses in Linden, Franklinton and the Hilltop and on the South Side. Purchase prices averaged about $12,666; officials say they expected to spend twice as much, another stark reminder of how bad things have become in some neighborhoods. "We've been shocked at the values," said Donna Hunter, administrator of Columbus' land-redevelopment office. The lenders that sold the foreclosed houses to the city "perceived the neighborhoods as so challenged they were willing...

Two reporters film Coakley supporter who admits being paid to be a supporter. Not realizing he was being video taped, a member of the "Sheet Metal Workers" union, Local 17, admitting that he was being forced to come down.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Computer giant Dell announced on Monday it has acquired computer services firm Perot Systems, founded by Texas billionaire Ross Perot, for 3.9 billion dollars. "Dell and Perot Systems have entered a definitive agreement for Dell to acquire Perot Systems in a transaction valued at approximately 3.9 billion dollars," Dell said in a statement. Terms of the agreement were approved on Sunday by the boards of directors of both companies, it said. Dell, which is seeking to buy all ordinary shares of Perot Systems at 30 dollars a share, hopes to complete the deal by the end of...

We've seen it over and over, people in Europe who imagine that they should be allowed to vote U.S. presidential elections. Some of these people imagine that they should have a voice in our elections because, they say, America is so supremely powerful that the man who becomes our president makes decisions that will impact the entire world.

Mitt Romney Buys Clear Channel by Chris Bowers, Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 01:44:50 PM EST Rochester Turning finds this disturbing nugget on the 2008 Presidential race: Clearchannel just recently went up for auction. Mitt Romney's Bain Capital bought it along with Thomas H Lee Partners, but I'm not sure who owns them. The rumor on the Street was that there might be regulatory problems because the firms own positions in other media companies, but I'm not sure which ones.

Ok I have some offers for SUVs. I have taken Jeeps off the books because I dont have a large financial margin of error. FJ cruiser prices are coming in. I also have offers on 2006 Xterras and am looking at something called the factory invoice. Shouldnt I pay less than that? What the heck does a factory invoice have to do with reality? I have always understood that it was what the car would normally cost before the incentives and rebates that the factory gives the dealer. So how does one negotiate?

Law enforcement sources confirm to News 4 that Tucson Police have issued an "attempt to locate" on two Middle Eastern men in their 20's who purchased nearly 50 phones from Sam's Club and Wal-Mart in Tucson. Sources say the men made the purchases on Saturday and Sunday. There's been a number of arrests nationwide with very similar circumstances. News 4 is not linking this case with the national cases, but we do want to point out how similar they are. Arrests have been made in Michigan and Ohio and there are reports of large numbers of cell phones being sold...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Army News Service, May 4, 2006) – This Mothers’ Day, deployed troops at select locations in Iraq will be able to call home free, courtesy of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. For 24 hours May 14, the VFW will foot the bill for all voice over IP (VoIP) phone calls from 191 phone and Internet cafes throughout Iraq. The connection time, according to Operation Uplink manager Linda Ferguson, will allow servicemembers in isolated locations throughout Iraq to connect to U.S. phone numbers via Internet telephony service. Ferguson said the VFW-sponsored Free Call Day is an extension of...

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Iran has signed a deal to buy Russian tactical surface-to-air missile systems, a Russian newspaper reported on Friday. Iran is to buy 29 TOR-M1 systems, designed to bring down aircraft and guided missiles at low altitudes, said the Vedomosti daily, citing Russian defense sources close the deal. The deal is the biggest sale of Russian defense hardware to Iran for about 5 years, the newspaper said. It did not say how much the order was worth. Defense industry officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Tehran is under intense international pressure after failing to convince the...

First Sgt. William von Zehle bought a loaded Mercedes Benz while serving in Iraq, and its accessories make him wonder about the previous owner. The Mercedes Benz 560 has armor plating, bulletproof glass, microphones and a "crowd-control device" that consists of a series of pipes that shoot out flames from the side of the car. "I guess it was to make sure nobody got too close," said von Zehle, a Wilton firefighter. "One of the neat things, aside from the fact it's armored, is it has microphones that allow you to hear people talking outside the car and loudspeakers so...

King buys golden car fleet with 'purses of the poor' By Christopher Munnion in Johannesburg (Filed: 18/04/2005) King Mswati III of Swaziland has enraged the people of his impoverished kingdom once again by splashing out on a fleet of luxurious German cars at a cost of £500,000. The 36-year-old absolute monarch, under pressure at home and abroad over his autocratic rule and personal profligacy, has bought eight S-350 Mercedes Benz vehicles with gold-plated number plates. In 2004 the King bought BMWs for his 11 wives "He was so taken with the car when he saw it in a brochure that...