Free Republic

Tuesday on FBN’s “Varney & Company,” former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) predicted Republicans would not nominate former President Donald Trump to be the party’s 2024 nominee. According to Ryan, “anybody not named Trump” was the GOP’s best opportunity for success. “Is Donald Trump electable in 2024, bearing in mind that you have a history with Mr. Trump?” host Stuart Varney asked.

Global concerns such as epidemics, wars and disasters weigh upon the minds of people around the world during every decade. But can a dominant global problem such as the COVID-19 pandemic cause people to neglect other urgent societal problems? A new study concludes that answer is yes. Oleg Smirnov, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Stony Brook University and lead author, says that the data from their research illustrates how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the discussion on climate change on Twitter. He and co-author Pei-Hsun Hsieh, a Ph.D. student in Political Science, adopted Weber's psychological theory...

It’s happened. The eco-crazies in the liberal media are trying to mesh climate change and the pandemic into one big fear porn monstrosity. The Guardian released a nutty story Oct. 18 propagandizing how “[t]he next pandemic may come not from bats or birds but from matter in melting ice, according to new data.” The liberal outlet tried to frighten readers into believing in the imaginary specter of climate COVID: “The findings imply that as global temperatures rise owing to climate change, it becomes more likely that viruses and bacteria locked up in glaciers and permafrost could reawaken and infect local...

The latest scapegoat for climate change is your lovable dog and cuddly cat. According to CNN, pets are a negative impact in regards to climate change. CNN gave green advice on how to reduce your pets' "carbon pawprint," including feeding your canine companion "insect-based food" and adopting small rodents instead of dogs. Late last month, CNN published an article titled: "Our pets are part of the climate problem. These tips can help you minimize their carbon pawprints." The article went largely unnoticed until CNN promoted the article on social media – where it was widely ridiculed. CNN claimed that pets...

MSNBC host Joy Reid spoke with commentator Dean Obeidallah about Biden turning up the heat in his rhetoric about MAGA Republicans in an early September broadcast. Liberal MSNBC hosts and pundits worried about potential Democratic losses in the upcoming midterm elections, took to Twitter this week to stoke fears of "fascism" if voters supported Republican Party candidates. The liberal anchors were largely reacting to a New York Times poll that found independent voters were turning to the GOP over concerns about the economy. In a melodramatic tweet, MSNBC's Joy Reid bashed anyone who voted Republican as choosing "literal fascism." "It's...

On Monday, Europe’s natural gas prices fell to the lowest level in three months thanks to mild weather and a high level of LNG imports... hitting an intra-day low of $140 per megawatt-hour (down from $350 on August 26th, the lowest since July 1st). Gas storage in the EU is now at more than 90% and the bloc has managed to reduce its gas consumption by 10%.

Trillion Energy International Inc. (CSE: TCF) (OTC: TRLEF) (Frankfurt: Z62) is a company in the right place at the right time as it is poised to bring on desperately needed natural gas production within weeks to the European market. With energy prices going parabolic, gas supplies cut off and the Ukraine War drags on with no end in sight, Europe is facing a long cold winter and a decade of sky-high energy pricing. Russia has indefinitely shuttered the Nord Stream Pipeline, thereby cutting off much of Europe’s natural gas supply, in retaliation for Western sanctions. The pipeline won’t flow again...

This winter may see Europeans freezing to death, unable to heat their homes as natural gas supplies dwindle. Unemployment and bankruptcies will soar, as companies find themselves unable to cover their costs due to high energy prices. Germany’s vaunted chemical industry, heavily dependent on natural gas feedstock, is likely to wither on the vine. An economic and social disaster reminiscent of the 1930s is possible. The word “deindustrialization” is becoming real.And yet, as Bloomberg reports:Beneath the windmill-dotted marshlands of the Netherlands lies Europe’s largest natural gas reserve. The sprawling Groningen field has enough untapped capacity to replace, as soon as...

China told state-owned natural gas importers like Sinopec and CNOOC to halt LNG sales to Europe, per Bloomberg. The order to halt resales comes as Beijing looks to protect domestic gas supplies for the winter. China has been a crucial supplier of gas to Europe as the region faces a Russia-driven energy crisis. Beijing has reportedly told state-owned natural gas importers to halt resales of cargoes to buyers in Europe and Asia, to make sure China has enough supply for domestic needs this winter. The National Development and Reform Commission has spoken to Chinese energy giants PetroChina, Sinopec and CNOOC...

The sitting US Secretary of State very recently declared in an official press conference that the NS1 and NS2 pipeline sabotage will have “no impact on European energy resilience”… We should assume that Secretary Antony Blinken was referring to the timely supply of US LNG substitute equivalent to pipeline nat-gas now theoretically available (not) which would save the European day. With a clear smile, Blinken considered it to be a “tremendous opportunity” for the US to help Europe wean off of Russian energy… with the USA ready to be “the leading supplier (of dirty fracked seaborne LNG) to Europe”. And...

If Europe was a school student, last week it sat its first exam in Energy Savings 101. It failed. And that doesn’t bode well for much tougher tests to come in January. Despite strong imports of liquefied natural gas to replace Russian shipments, Europe needs to reduce gas consumption — by a lot — if it’s going to make it through the winter. Extra supply won’t be enough. Conservation is absolutely paramount. The exact amount varies from country to country, but on average, the European Commission has suggested a 10%-15% demand reduction. Germany and a few other nations, which in...

Russia has been playing this game for months and now it seems to have reached its inevitable outcome. The gas supply flowing through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline has been completely shut off. Russia claimed this week that it was shutting the gas supply off temporarily in order to do maintenance on the line. Then it claimed it had discovered a problem which prevented it from resuming the supply. No one is being fooled by any of this anymore. Even the German company that built the machines used to pump gas through the pipeline has said Russia’s explanation makes no...

LONDON/MADRID (Reuters) - Dozens of ships carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) circling off the coasts of Spain unable to secure slots to unload have prompted grid operators for the country to warn they may have to suspend loading to deal with this "exceptional situation". Europe is facing an energy supply squeeze as Russia has progressively cut gas flows after the West imposed sanctions in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late February. The region has had to find alternative supplies, including LNG, but the arrival of multiple cargoes of the superchilled fuel has exposed Europe's lack of "regasification" capacity,...

LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Dutch and British wholesale gas fell on Tuesday as low demand due to warmer-than-usual weather and ample supply due to the steady arrival of liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers put pressure on prices.The benchmark front-month Dutch contract dropped for the fifth consecutive trading day and was down 13.50 euros at 116.50 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) by 0858 GMT, the lowest level since mid-June.The British day-ahead contract fell by 23.00 pence to 35.00 pence per therm"Weak demand and comfortable supply continue to exert strong downward pressure. New weather forecasts pointing to warmer temperatures provide additional...

Climate change isn’t viewed as a major contributing factor for high prices right now, but as severe weather events increase in frequency and devastate industries that contribute to the U.S. economy, experts warn it increasingly will be if temperatures keep rising. Severe weather events, like hurricanes, wildfires and droughts, devastate entire communities while costing billions to rebuild. It also affects industry, from energy to transportation and agriculture, leading to a significant rise in food costs for millions. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said last week while speaking in North Carolina that climate change can manifest itself in “acute, weather-related supply shocks,”...

What was once just a nervous joke among Washington policymakers and military experts when Trump ran for the presidency has suddenly crept closer to a horrendous range of possibilities, judging from a Newsweek survey of former Pentagon officials and experts. And no one knows where the confrontation is headed after weeks of increasingly personal insults and military provocations from both sides. On September 26, four days after the Pentagon sent a flight of B-1 bombers and fighter escorts off North Korea in a display of military force, Pyongyang "moved a small number of fighter jets, external fuel tanks and air-to-air...

Komal Sri-Kumar, the president of Sri-Kumar Global Strategies, believes global central banks could soon face an important “credit event” after hastily raising rates, with Credit Suisse’s financial health a possible contender. “I think the Federal Reserve is going to have to face the consequences of a credit event” if it were to occur, Komal Sri-Kumar told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Monday. “Something is going to break.” “This may or may not be a Lehman moment,” he said when asked about Credit Suisse and referring to the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, which triggered a string of big Wall...

Famed investor Michael Burry delivered arguably his most dire warning about the current US economy to date late Thursday – suggesting he is concerned the ongoing downturn could be worse than the Great Recession. Burry, the boss of Scion Asset Management, noted that one of his market analysts said his comments were “spooky” because he voiced his concerns on Sept. 29 – the anniversary of a 777.68-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 2008 that ranked at the time as the largest single-day plunge in history. “Today I wondered aloud if this could be worse than 2008,” Burry...

Kati Pannwitz spends her evenings at home alone in a darkened and unheated apartment, watching old movies while worrying about the new reality of life in a country that is being drawn ever closer to the war in Ukraine. Surging inflation and fears about an energy crisis are hitting home for Pannwitz, 34, taking a heavy toll on her finances and the futures of both her and her 17-year-old son. No more vacations, no more trips abroad, no more going out, no more saving and an outlook that has grown increasingly bleak for Pannwitz — and millions of fellow Germans...

Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank are reportedly on the verge of collapse. They have 2.7 trillion in assets under management between them. It’s three times the assets of Lehman at the time of the collapse. On 15 September 2008, Lehman Brothers, a bank considered ‘too big to fail,’ filed for insolvency. It was the single largest bankruptcy filing in the history of the US. At the time, the bank had $639 billion in assets and $619 billion in debt. Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank are too big to fail. Some say Deutsche Bank will be okay, but Credit Suisse is...