Free Republic

The prices of goods and services charged by U.S. businesses rose by less than expected in May, adding to the evidence that President Trump’s tariffs are not putting upward pressure on inflation. The producer price index for final demand ticked up 0.1 percent last month, half of what economists had forecast. Core producer prices, a metric which excludes food and energy, also rose 0.1 percent, one-third of the 0.3 percent increase forecast by economists. If trade services, a measure of retail and wholesale margins, is also excluded, prices still rose by just 0.1 percent. Compared with a year ago, the...

The Islamic Republic of Iran is weak and vulnerable, far more than the regime would have us believe. That’s the biggest takeaway from last week’s suspected Israeli assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran — and it delivers important messages to the ayatollah, his terror proxies, the Iranian people and Washington policymakers. Haniyeh’s killing while under maximum protection by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps tells Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, that Israel has deeply infiltrated the ayatollah’s intelligence and security establishment. Furthermore, unlike in previous years, Israel is now prepared to use its power to...

“I gave them a sword. And they stuck it in, and they twisted it with relish. And I guess if I had been in their position, I would have done the same thing.” — Richard Nixon. What Nixon said, Donald Trump could easily say about himself. Of course, he will not. Richard Nixon was the last president who faced anything like the legal jeopardy former President Trump is facing — plus a frothing electronic lynch mob. The end game for both Nixon and Trump has some eerie similarities. Detested by the media, the New York-Washington elites and the left, both...

LONDON (Reuters) - A weaker sun over the next 90 years is not likely to significantly delay a rise in global temperature caused by greenhouse gases, a report said Monday. The study, by Britain's Meteorological Office and the university of Reading, found that the Sun's output would decrease up until 2100 but this would only lead to a fall in global temperatures of 0.08 degrees Celsius. Scientists have warned that more extreme weather is likely across the globe this century as the Earth's climate warms. The world is expected to heat up by over 2 degrees Celsius this century due...

US economic growth is much weaker than first thought, government figures show. The economy grew at an annualised rate of 1.3% in the second quarter, the Commerce Department said. Economists had forecast growth of 1.8%. And in a surprise move, first-quarter growth was revised down sharply from 1.9% to 0.4%. This evidence of economic weakness increases the pressure on the government as it attempts to increase its borrowing limit. Slow growth makes it more difficult for the US to tackle its deficit. If Congress does not raise the debt limit by 2 August, the US government could face funding shortfalls...

KABUL, Afghanistan (Jan. 19, 2011) – Afghan National Army soldiers and members of International Security Assistance Forces from 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment launched Operation Integrity Jan. 15. The goals of the operation were to cordon off a suspected hotspot for Taliban activity, search for weapon and improvised explosive device caches, disrupt enemy logistical operations and gather census data on local citizens in the region of Sistani. “Our primary task is to disrupt Taliban activity by searching suspected bed-down locations and possible weapons caches,” said Capt. Ronald Diefenbach, commanding officer of Weapons Company, 2/9. “Even if no insurgents or weapons...

Absence makes the heart grow weaker 18:17 28 March 2006 NewScientist.com news service Stu Hutson Loneliness is bad for the heart, suggests a new study. It shows that loneliness increases the blood pressure of those nearing retirement age to the same degree as smoking or a sedentary lifestyle. Chronic feelings of social isolation are associated with as much as a 30 mmHg rise in a person’s systolic blood pressure by the age of 65, which could easily push their systolic blood pressure over 150 mmHg, the medical definition of hypertension. The study showed that this is independent of other confounding...

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday backed a ballot initiative that would require fewer spending cuts than the reform measure he proposed during his State of the State speech in January - an apparent softening of his views on a key element of his reform agenda. The "California Live Within Our Means Act," drafted by members of a business-backed political committee, would let the state budget increase in line with past revenue growth. Though billed as a solution to California's chronic overspending, the measure's formulas, if enacted a decade ago, would have let lawmakers spend more than they actually...

Weaker Than Ever: MoveOns state of denial is bad for Democrats Fri Dec 3, 2:40 PM ET By Marc Cooper Never mind that George W. Bush won re-election by 4 million votes. Or that Democrats lost in 28 out of 50 states. Or that more than a third of Latino votes went to the Republicans. And that something like 40 percent of union votes went Republican. Dont worry — be happy. "We are truly stronger than ever." I know that because the liberal political action group MoveOn wrote me to tell me so. Indeed, it was so darn pleased with...