Free Republic

HARRISBURG, Pa. — In the same spot where he spoke to thousands of people at a raucous State Capitol rally demanding an end to pandemic restrictions in April 2020, Doug Mastriano appeared on Saturday before a crowd of just a few dozen — about half of whom were volunteers for his ragtag campaign for governor of Pennsylvania. Mr. Mastriano, an insurgent state senator who in the spring cruised to the Republican nomination, is learning this fall that while it is one thing to win a crowded G.O.P. primary on the back of online fame and Donald J. Trump’s endorsement, it...

Two measures of manufacturing sentiment in January matched their worst performance in a year, a sign that sputtering overseas growth as well as the rapid deterioration in commodity prices is hurting U.S. businesses. The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index slowed to a reading of 53.5% from 55.1% in December, a reading that was below the MarketWatch-compiled consensus for a reading of 55%. U.S. stocks SPX, -0.41% moved lower in the immediate aftermath of the report. What has been good news for the U.S. consumer — tumbling gas prices — isn’t proving to be as good for U.S. business. That’s...

WASHINGTON – Federal Reserve officials cut their forecasts for growth this year and signaled they stood ready to take new steps to keep the recovery alive if the economy worsens. A new document, released Wednesday, revealed a more cautious mood among the Fed policymakers in light of Europe's debt crisis, a volatile Wall Street, a stalled housing market and high unemployment. With risks growing, Fed officials at their June 22-23 meeting saw the need to explore new options for bolstering the economy. That's a turnaround from earlier this year when they were moving to wind down crisis-era supports. No new...

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Silicon Valley's economy took a big hit during the global meltdown and could have trouble climbing out, according to a report released Wednesday. The 2010 Index of Silicon Valley said the region is entering a "new phase of uncertainty" where job losses, a shrinking foreign talent pool, a drop in investments and state legislative gridlock could put its standing as the center of technology at risk. ... "It's a report with a lot of bad news in it. Most years, Silicon Valley has all this good news. But this year, it's not entirely clear when the...

In an effort to jump-start her sputtering Senate campaign, Rep. Katherine Harris went on national television invoking the memory of her late father and saying the money he left her will form the financial foundation of her challenge to Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. Now the Harris campaign says that's not the case. Campaign spokeswoman Morgan Dobbs said Thursday that Harris will sell her existing assets rather than rely on money from her father, a bank executive who died in January. The Republican from Longboat Key appeared on national television saying she would use the money left to her by her...