Free Republic

VLADIMIR Putin is weaponizing the "Jihad for Islam" to justify his war in Ukraine in a bid to gather support from the allied Chechen forces.

The U.S. Navy awarded Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri Marine $5.5 billion to develop the services’ newest class of warships, called frigates.

President Donald Trump signaled Thursday that he may consider an interim trade deal with China. The president told reporters he would prefer a full agreement with the world’s second largest economy. However, he left the door open to thinking about striking a limited agreement with Beijing.

President Trump says he is having “serious discussions” with congressional leaders about “meaningful” background checks.

"We cannot let those killed in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, die in vain. Likewise for those so seriously wounded. We can never forget them, and those many who came before them. Republicans and Democrats must come together and get strong background checks"

Trump is working on a proposal that would allow the U.S. to import drugs from Canada, HHS Secretary Alex Azar says.“Working on a plan on how we can import drugs safely and effectively from Canada so the American people get the benefit of the deals that pharma themselves are striking with other countries,” he says.

President Donald Trump likes to keep score. Well, here's a score for him: America, zero; while the rest of the world keeps tallying up free trade points. That's right; while American consumers have been waiting for well over a year to see some resolution to the various trade disputes started by Trump, other countries have agreed to lower their tariffs against each other and signed free trade agreements with one another. Meanwhile, American consumers and exporters are drowning in a sea of high tariffs. Some of Trump's supporters have argued that the president is actually a free trader who wants...

Manufacturing has slipped sharply in recent months, and President Trump’s tariffs appear partly to blame.Gauges including the ISM and Markit PMI indicate either flat or contracting activity.Nearly a half million manufacturing jobs have been added since Trump took office, but only 13,000 this year.While those measures could change direction once the tariff issue is settled, current conditions show that one of the key pillars in the Trump expansion is starting to wobble.

New orders for U.S.-made capital goods fell more than expected in April, further evidence that manufacturing and the broader economy were slowing after a growth spurt in the first quarter.The slowdown was driven by exports and a buildup of inventories.Orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft dropped 0.9% last month as demand weakened almost across the board, the Commerce Department said.Overall orders for durable goods, items ranging from toasters to aircraft that are meant to last three years or more, tumbled 2.1% in April. .... The renewed trade tensions are expected to weigh on exports, which earlier this year...

Stocks closed lower on Monday, giving up sharp gains from earlier in the day in a wild session that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average travel more than 900 points. The S&P 500 closed in correction territory, down 10 percent from its recent high. Traders blamed the possibility of more U.S.-China tariffs

President Donald Trump's military parade is estimated to cost $92 million, according to a U.S. defense official with firsthand knowledge of the assessment.An earlier estimate pegged the cost at $12 million.The parade will take place in the nation's capital on Nov. 10 and will feature armored vehicles, aircraft flyovers and period uniforms.

U.S. pork producers are about to be bitten by a second batch of hefty retaliatory tariffs from China and Mexico — and that has some large producers predicting they could lose big money and be forced to invest overseas. Executives say the pork industry has been expanding in recent years, in part on the expectation of export opportunities that would continue to support growth. However, the threat of a trade war is adding uncertainty and driving fear. "We put a halt on all investment, not just because we will be losing money, but because we don't know if growing in...

President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday that Harley-Davidson will be "taxed like never before" if the motorcycle maker moves production overseas. He claimed that the iconic U.S. company was using increased trade tensions as an excuse to justify planned changes in manufacturing. "A Harley-Davidson should never be built in another country-never! Their employees and customers are already very angry at them. If they move, watch, it will be the beginning of the end - they surrendered, they quit! The Aura will be gone and they will be taxed like never before!" Trump said in a tweet.

Online shoppers could find costs going up after the Supreme Court did away Thursday with a decades-old precedent limiting the ability of states to collect sales tax on certain out-of-state Internet purchases. The 5-4 ruling called the current rules “unsound and incorrect.”

Israeli Air Force’s interest in the Lockheed Martin F-16 was born after the Yom Kippur War when the IAF realized that, alongside the F-15 Eagle, they needed a new, advanced, relatively cheap, multirole jet. The negotiations with the U.S. to acquire the F-16 started in 1975 and after some years of delay, caused by the Middle East tensions, the Fighting Falcon sale was finalised in 1979 as result of the Camp David peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. The first F-16s were delivered to the IAF in 1980 and the following year, before all the Netz (as the F-16A is...

China is reportedly planning to scrap its controversial two child-policy.The country imposed a one-child policy for decades.China's birthrate has been declining rapidly since the 1980s and has become a pressing concern for President Xi JinPing as he looks to develop the economy.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping are working to give Chinese telecom company ZTE Corp "a way to get back into business, fast."ZTE earlier this month suspended its main operations after the U.S. Commerce Department banned American supplies to its business.As one of the world's largest telecom equipment makers, ZTE relied on U.S. companies such as Qualcomm and Intel for components.

Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed plans to further open up the Chinese economy during a Tuesday address.