Free Republic

A principal goal of Stark Realities is to “expose fundamental myths across the political spectrum” — and few myths are as universally embraced as the notion that US participation in World War II lifted the American economy out of the Great Depression. This myth is dangerous not only because it leads citizens and politicians to see a bright side of war that doesn’t really exist, but also because it helps foster a belief that government spending is essential to countering economic downturns. That belief, in turn, has helped propel us to a point where the national debt now exceeds $34.6...

CAMDEN, N.J. -- Residents in the Philadelphia area are about to see a rare site — a battleship floating down the Delaware River. The USS New Jersey is scheduled to move from its dock in Camden on Thursday, when it will head to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for extensive maintenance work. The vessel, guided by tugboats, will initially head to the Paulsboro Marine Terminal, where it will be balanced to prepare for dry docking, and will then go to the Navy Yard six days later. The maintenance work is expected to take about two months to complete, officials said. Three...

The U.S. Department of Education has been reviewing the accounts of borrowers who have been in repayment for decades to see if they are eligible for forgiveness. Marlon Fox, a chiropractor in North Charleston, South Carolina, is one person to benefit.In August, he learned that his more than $100,000 student debt balance had been canceled. He’d carried the debt for 35 years. Shortly after Fox heard that his student loans were forgiven, he received a payment from the government for $56,801. A $60,000 debt that only grew In the 1980s,Fox borrowed roughly $60,000 to attend the Palmer College of Chiropractic....

CNN swiftly cut to a commercial break after anchor Wolf Blitzer looked like he was about to vomit during an interview with House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin on Thursday. As Raskin (D-Md.) talked about the dispute in Colorado over Donald Trump appearing on the ballot, Blitzer made a series of pained expressions as he seemingly tried to stifle himself from getting sick on air.

According to an analysis, published this month in the International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research, of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial data, the vaccine makers hid fatality data from regulators in order to qualify for Emergency Use Authorization Pfizer-BioNTech delayed reporting vaccine-associated deaths among BNT162b2 clinical trial participants until after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the product. The vaccine makers also failed to account for a large number of subjects who dropped out of the trial. Together, these strategies kept regulators and the public ignorant of a 3.7-fold increase...

Celebrity chef and Food Network icon Michael Chiarello died Friday after suffering an allergic reaction that led to anaphylactic shock, according to his restaurant group. He was 61. “We deeply mourn the loss of our beloved patriarch Michael,” Chiarello’s family said in a statement obtained by The Wrap. “His culinary brilliance, boundless creativity, and unwavering commitment to family were at the core of his being. He brought people together through the joy of shared meals, fostering lasting memories around the table.” The Post reached out to Chiarello’s reps for comment. Born on Jan. 26, 1962, Chiarello hosted shows on PBS...

Tax reporting threshold drops from $20,000 to $600 Average Taylor Swift ticket re-sold for $1,600 IRS will send out 44 million 1099-K forms this upcoming tax season (NewsNation) — It was a summer of record-breaking ticket sales for live events. From Taylor Swift to Lionel Messi, fans shelled out thousands to see their favorite stars in person. Scalpers made huge profits by selling their tickets for exorbitant prices, and now the IRS wants a piece of the pie. A new tax regulation enacted under the American Rescue Plan Act says anyone who receives over $600 from a settlement organization like...

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, received a chorus of boos at a concert on his home turf Saturday night. Brian Kirk, the lead singer of Brian Kirk & the Jirks, invited Murphy onstage, but the moment quickly soured at the Red Rock Tap & Grill in Monmouth County, just two miles away from the governor’s waterfront mansion. Kirk broke his embrace of Murphy to scold fans. “Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, what did I tell you guys?” Kirk said, pointing his finger at the crowd. “Hey, listen to me,” he continued. “Listen to me, he didn’t want to...

He’s been blacklisted. Anthony Loffredo, who calls himself the “black alien,” removed his ears, nostrils and even a few fingers; sharpened his teeth and dyed them purple; and covered his body in extreme tattoos. Now the Frenchman says he’s found one space where he can’t come in peace.

President Biden would lose to either of the top Republican rivals if he tries for a second term in 2024, according to a new survey. Both former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would beat Biden if the 2024 presidential election was held today, the Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll found Friday — while nearly two-thirds of those polled, 65%, said Biden should not run for re-election at all. The online survey of 2,050 registered voters found that 46% would support Trump in a rematch of the 2020 election, with 41% favoring Biden and 13% unsure. Trump’s 5-point edge was...

60 MIN: "when you saw the photograph of the top secret documents laid out on the floor at Mar-A-Lago what did you think to yourself?" BIDEN: "looking at that image how that could possibly happen how one anyone could be that irresponsible and I thought what data was in there that may compromise sources and methods by that I mean names of people who helped or et cetera and it just uh totally irresponsible"

CHARLESTOWN - COVID-19 cases are on the rise across the state. For Lorraine Hemingway of Carver, it's her 12th time contracting the virus. Now she'll spend her third Christmas without her family. She says she specifically misses spending more time with her grandchildren. "I look at them and it's almost like they got used to me not being around," said Hemingway. The first time Hemingway tested positive was in 2020. In 2021, she contracted the omicron variant. Since then, she's dealt with long COVID, a nickname for those who've had an acute case of COVID with long-term symptoms. "I've never...

According to Down Detector, the issues started at around 12:20 GMT Customers were able to browse the website, but couldn't complete checkout A holding page read: 'Sorry, we're experiencing unusually heavy traffic. Please try again in a few seconds'

Corals are truly a gift from Mother Nature. They are made by living marine organisms, mature slowly over decades into beautiful reef structures and are some of the most biologically rich and economically valuable ecosystems on Earth. Unfortunately, global climate change, unsustainable fishing, and pollution threaten corals and they are dying off at alarming rates around the world. Yet coral continues to be harvested for costume jewelry, souvenirs and home decor — especially during the holidays — which only further contributes to their decline. That's why it's best to leave corals and other marine life on the reef where they...

Note: The time of the tropical cyclone's center location at the bottom of the graphic will be 3 hours earlier than the time of the current advisory. The forecast cycle for each advisory begins 3 hours prior to the issuance of the advisory products. These graphics show probabilities of sustained (1-minute average) surface wind speeds equal to or exceeding 34 kt (39 mph). These wind speed probability graphics are based on the official National Hurricane Center (NHC) track, intensity, and wind radii forecasts, and on NHC forecast error statistics for those forecast variables during recent years. Each graphic provides cumulative...

A pair of pranksters posing as laid-off Twitter employees tricked multiple media outlets Friday as the public anxiously awaited news on whether Elon Musk had begun axing staffers. CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa interviewed two people who identified themselves as Twitter employees and were seen near the company’s San Francisco headquarters carrying cardboard boxes. Skepticism immediately emerged on social media. One of the pranksters said his name was “Rahul Ligma” — a reference to a popular internet meme — and held a copy of Michelle Obama’s book “Becoming” aloft while speaking to reporters. The other said his name was “Daniel Johnson.” CNBC,...

United Kingdom – A Suffolk radio DJ Tim Gough, 55, died of a suspected heart attack while broadcasting his morning show on Monday. Tim was vaccinated, telling people on social media to get their booster shot asap. Truly sad.

With Election Day less than three weeks away, a Lehigh County judge has rejected a lawsuit by four residents who demanded tighter restrictions on ballot drop boxes. The plaintiffs, all Republicans, demanded the boxes at the government center in Allentown and other parts of the county be open only during “normal” business hours and be monitored in person to make sure voters drop only their own ballots, or ballots they have been authorized to drop. In a ruling issued late Tuesday, Judge Thomas Capehart said evidence presented at hearings on the case showed in-person monitoring had not conclusively reduced third-party...

The growth rate of real gross domestic product (GDP) is a key indicator of economic activity, but the official estimate is released with a delay. Our GDPNow forecasting model provides a "nowcast" of the official estimate prior to its release by estimating GDP growth using a methodology similar to the one used by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. GDPNow is not an official forecast of the Atlanta Fed. Rather, it is best viewed as a running estimate of real GDP growth based on available economic data for the current measured quarter. There are no subjective adjustments made to GDPNow—the...

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 528,000 in July, and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.5 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job growth was widespread, led by gains in leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, and health care. Both total nonfarm employment and the unemployment rate have returned to their February 2020 pre-pandemic levels. This news release presents statistics from two monthly surveys. The household survey measures labor force status, including unemployment, by demographic characteristics. The establishment survey measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry. For more information about the concepts and statistical...