Free Republic

The Federal Reserve delivered an unexpected blow to hopes for lower borrowing costs in the future, projecting higher inflation and higher interest rates in updated forecasts released Wednesday. While policymakers left their benchmark rate unchanged and signaled that they may cut in the second half of this year, forecasts of officials showed they expect fewer cuts next year and the year after that. The central bank held the federal funds target at 4.25 to 4.50 percent, its level since the December rate cut. But the accompanying economic projections revealed rising concern that inflation is not receding fast enough—and that rates...

President Trump’s favorability rating at the start of his second term is significantly higher than it was when he first took office in January 2017, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. In the survey, conducted a few days after Trump was sworn into office, 47 percent of registered voters said they had a favorable opinion of Trump, while 45 percent said they had an unfavorable view of him. Another 8 percent said they either had not heard enough or refused to answer. That’s a marked change from the results of a similar survey conducted a few days after...

“So Amazon started their Black Friday deals early, and let me tell you, beware of this,” she says in the video. “I had 25 things sitting in my cart for the last two weeks, like things to prepare for the baby and I know the exact price of every single one of those items and what my cart total was two weeks ago.” Jess says she was expecting her cart total to drop significantly. “Everything was going to be on sale, and then I would put in my order,” she explains. “I logged in yesterday, all excited to see this...

Unionized dockworkers at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports began a strike Monday that will affect the flow of goods through ports that handle about half of seaborne trade to the U.S. and could have an impact on food prices. Ports affected by the International Longshoremen’s Association strike are key hubs for food imports from places like South America and Central America. For example, about two-thirds of bananas arrive at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a statement Tuesday saying it doesn’t anticipate food prices will be significantly affected by the port strike...

On Friday’s broadcast of Bloomberg’s “Balance of Power,” White House Council of Economic Advisers member Heather Boushey responded to a question on whether the higher corporate taxes pushed by President Joe Biden will harm hiring by saying that “We need to make sure that the federal government has the resources that it needs to be able to do the things that it needs to do.” And that”businesses have a lot of resources, we’ve also given them a lot of subsidies and supports to go out there and invest.” Co-host Joe Mathieu asked, [relevant exchange begins around 7:15] “[H]e talked about...

A measure of wholesale prices rose more than expected in July, countering recent trends showing that inflation pressures are easing. The producer price index, which gauges the costs that goods and services producers receive for their products as opposed to those that consumers pay, rose 0.3% for the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Excluding food and energy, core PPI also increased 0.3%. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting an increase of 0.2% for both readings. Excluding food, energy and trade services, PPI increased 0.2%.

ActBlue, the main fundraising platform for Democratic candidates and organizations, said it raised nearly 25 percent more money in the first quarter of 2023 than it did during the same period four years ago, when the party was ramping up to defeat then-President Trump. The total amount of money raised in the last three months was 24.7 percent higher than the same period in 2019, the organization said in a release. ActBlue said there were 1.4 million unique donors, totaling $218 million with an average contribution of $36.75. The strong fundraising numbers for the platform, which also said the number...

Californians are expecting skyrocketing natural gas bills this month, but this can’t all be blamed on the weather, according to industry insiders. Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), which serves about 5.9 million households and businesses, warned customers to expect “shockingly high” January bills that could be 128 percent higher compared to December. Those who typically paid around $65 a month last winter are likely to pay about $160 this year, SoCalGas said in a statement Dec. 29. Those with bills around $130 a month could see charges jump to $315. Last December, wholesale natural gas prices already cost five times...

When you’re an adult and look back on the places that you spent time in as a kid, chances are, they feel remarkably smaller than you remember. But 12 years later, that’s not the case with the San Francisco Art Institute, the gray monolith that now sits alone and empty in Russian Hill. The school, once famous for its maximalist Halloween parties and illustrious faculty, which included the likes of Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange and Mark Rothko, recently made headlines after it graduated its final class — marking the end of a 151-year saga as one of the oldest art...

Endorsement record is 178-15 (92%) Here are the losses, 40% of which were in now corrupt Georgia, 33% were state legislators GA - Governor - Win - Kemp , Loss - Perdue GA - Sec of State - Win - Raffensperger , Loss - Hice GA - Attorney General - Win - Carr , Loss - Jordan GA - Insurance Commissioner - Win - King , Loss - Witt GA - House - Win - Collins , Loss - Jones GA - House - Win - McCormick , Loss - Evans ID - Governor - Win - Little , Loss...

As the US marks Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of summer, the seven-day average for COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are more than six times what they were a year ago. The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center showed a seven-day average of 119,725 cases as of Saturday. That figure held at 17,887 cases on May 28 of last year. Despite the rising infection rate, COVID-related deaths were down from last year, a sign of increased immunity through vaccines and prior infections, along with wider availability of treatments.

Oil prices rose above $81 a barrel on Tuesday morning after the Biden administration announced the U.S. and other nations would release tens of millions of barrels of oil from reserves in a ploy to lower prices. The price of Brent, the global benchmark, rose by more than two percent following the announcement that the U.S. would be releasing 50 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserves. China, India, South Korea, Japan, and Britain are also planning to release reserves, the White House said.

Prices received by U.S. businesses for goods and services rose by much more than expected in June, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. The Producer Price Index rose 7.3 percent in June from 12 months earlier, the largest demand since 12-month data were first introduced in 2010. Compared with May, the index rose one percent. On average, this index rose by around 0.2 percent per month in the pre-pandemic Trump administration.

DENVER — Xcel Energy customers could see higher bills in 2022. The company submitted a proposal to raise rates to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. They say the increase will help fund “next-generation technology investments that expand and strengthen the reliability of the electric grid for customers, advance Colorado’s clean energy policies, and increase capacity to meet growing customer needs and expectations.” Xcel said that since 2019 and through 2022, it will spend for $4 billion on the investments. How much will my bill increase? Residential customers would see their bills increase by an average of $9.46 a month, or...

President Joe Biden said Monday he was “not at all” worried about higher tax rates on corporations pushing American companies out of the United States. Reporters questioned Biden about his proposed corporate tax increase from 21 percent to 28 percent to pay for his massive $2.5 trillion infrastructure proposal as he returned to the White House on Monday.

The US topped 15 million cases of COVID-19 this week but that number is likely exponentially higher — by as much as seven times, a top Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official said on Thursday. Aron Hall, co-lead of the agency’s epidemiology task force, offered the startling statistic during a virtual hearing over Pfizer/BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine.

President Trump’s job approval ratings has not been noticeably damaged by the Ukraine Hoax and is still higher than Barack Obama’s. While it’s true that Trump’s approval rating was climbing, and climbed to 45 percent in the Real Clear Politics poll of polls prior to the media and Democrats launching their coordinated impeachment blitzkrieg, as of now it sits at 43.4 percent, not even two points lower. What’s more, Trump disapproval rating has barely increased, from 52 percent to 53.6 percent.

The billionaire Republican front-runner starts getting specific about economic policy proposals. Republican front-runner Donald Trump began to flesh out his economic vision for America, and it includes raising taxes on the wealthy. Trump said during a Wednesday interview on Bloomberg’s With All Due Respect that he would like to change the tax code. “I would change it. I would simplify it,” Trump told hosts Mark Halperin and John Heilemann from the lobby of Trump Tower on New York‘s 5th Ave. Specifically, Trump targeted hedge fund profits, which are currently taxed at a lower rate than regular income. “You’ve seen my...

I have given you My Children My access to the Kingdom of ZION(Heavenlies) and the Fullness thereof but many see this as a distant place but truly My Kingdom is more than near you for "I AM THE KINGDOM" and I reside "IN YOU" ( (( ZION ALIVE )) ) and so how can two walk together unless they agree as Enoch does even now ?! For I AM FOR YOU not against you and My Love is your Pathway to the Highway Of Holiness for I Command Love and I AM COMMANDER of You "MY ARMY". So Come Up...

(CNSNews.com) - After President Obama unilaterally changed his health care law on Thursday, the insurance industry issued a warning."Changing the rules after health plans have already met the requirements of the law could destabilize the market and result in higher premiums for consumers," said Karen Ignagni, president and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). Here's Ignagni's full statement: