Free Republic

For the first time in weeks, former President Donald Trump pulled ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris in one of the most-watched national polls — raising the prospect that her momentum has fizzled out just ahead of their debate. Trump edged out Harris 48% to 47% among likely voters nationally, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll. Other polls have similarly begun to show the 45th president regaining ground against his rival now that the Democratic National Convention has wrapped up.

NEW YORK — During the final moments of what was meant to be a weekend of rejuvenation for the Occupy Wall Street movement, a key organizer looked to call it quits. Aaron Black is a protester who emerged in recent months to take up the mantle of leadership within a movement that prides itself on being “leaderless.” He expressed his own frustration with Occupy Wall Street in a tone of defeat. The movement celebrated its first anniversary Monday at Zuccotti Park, right on Wall Street’s doorstep. Black was among hundreds of protesters arrested during the weekend. Without going into details...

Still plenty of people in Tahrir Square, but the crowds have thinned and stalwarts have taken to poetry readings and even the occasional wedding celebration to keep themselves busy. One reason is simply economic: Banks have been closed and food staples were already running out a week ago, so life in Cairo has necessarily had to move on. But another reason is crafty negotiating tactics from Mubarak and company. Time explains the wedge strategy: The regime appears to have adjusted itself to a daily outpouring of civil disobedience and dissent that would not have been tolerated three weeks ago; it...

WASHINGTON – Fears that the economic recovery is fizzling grew Thursday after the government and private sector issued weak reports on a number of fronts. Unemployment claims are up, home sales are plunging without government incentives and manufacturing growth is slowing. Meanwhile, 1.3 million people are without federal jobless benefits now that Congress adjourned for a weeklong Independence Day recess without passing an extension. That number could grow to 3.3 million by the end of the month if lawmakers can't resolve the issue when they return. All of this worries economists. As jobless claims grow and benefits shrink, Americans have...

SACRAMENTO -- A year after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promised the most radical overhaul of state government in decades, only a fraction of 1,200 suggested reforms in a sweeping plan have been launched and many have been abandoned, critics say. Commissioned last year as part of Schwarzenegger's campaign vow to root out waste, the California Performance Review task force issued the 2,200-page plan Aug. 4, 2004. It proposed consolidating agencies, eliminating dozens of boards and commissions and shifting more power to the Governor's Office in a move they said would save $32 billion over five years. "This has been an utter...