Free Republic

Move to phase out voluntary cuts depends on market conditions Oil futures headed lower on Monday as traders assessed a decision by the OPEC+ to extend cuts by the group into 2025 but to begin unwinding some additional voluntary reductions later this year. West Texas Intermediate crude CL00, -2.69% for July delivery CL.1, -2.74% CLN24, -2.69% was down $2, or 2.7%, to $74.94 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. August Brent crude BRN00, -2.38% BRNQ24, -2.43%, the global benchmark, fell $1.72, or 2.1%, to $79.39 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe. July gasoline RBN24, -2.12% declined by 2.1%...

Rates on U.S. government debt fell further Monday morning after construction- and manufacturing-related data came in below economists’ estimates. In data released on Monday, U.S. construction spending fell 0.1% for the month of April versus economists’ forecast for a 0.2% gain. In addition, the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing purchasing managers index came in at 48.7%, or below the median forecast of 49.6%, as the sector contracted for a second straight month. Traders are looking ahead to Friday’s release of the official jobs report for May, which is expected to show a 178,000 gain versus 175,000 in the prior month,...

WASHINGTON, May 29 (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday plans to announce new measures to support the development of new U.S. nuclear power plants, a large potential source of carbon-free electricity the government says is needed to combat climate change. The suite of actions, which weren't previously reported, are aimed at helping the nuclear power industry combat rising security costs and competition from cheaper plants powered by natural gas, wind and solar.

"We're going to be asking everyone who sells drugs, gets caught selling drugs," former President Donald Trump said in November 2022 as he launched his 2024 presidential campaign, "to receive the death penalty for their heinous acts." That promise was not an offhand remark; it has been core to Trump's platform. Which made one of his comments yesterday at the Libertarian National Convention all the more interesting. "I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht," he said, referring to the man serving two life sentences plus 40 years for a slew of convictions, including distributing narcotics. Ulbricht's legal troubles stem...

The Justice Department sued Ticketmaster and its parent company Thursday, accusing them of running an illegal monopoly over live events in America and asking a court to break up the system that squelches competition and drives up prices for fans. Filed in federal court in Manhattan, the sweeping antitrust lawsuit was brought with 30 state and district attorneys general and seeks to dismantle the monopoly they say is squeezing out smaller promoters, hurting artists and drowning ticket buyers in fees. Ticketmaster and its owner, Live Nation Entertainment, have a long history of clashes with major artists and their fans, including...

The Eyes of Texas are upon you, All the livelong day. The Eyes of Texas are upon you, You cannot get away. Do not think you can escape them At night or early in the morn — The Eyes of Texas are upon you Til Gabriel blows his horn. – “The Eyes of Texas,” school spirit song of The University of Texas at Austin The eyes of Texas were upon the ballots cast by several high-profile Texas politicians on Wednesday, after documents were leaked related to a stunning lawsuit accusing state election officials of failing to properly protect ballot secrecy....

Rep. Beth Van Duyne acknowledged Friday that she is “happily engaged in a relationship” with fellow Republican legislator Rich McCormick after the Georgia congressman filed for divorce earlier this month from his wife of 12 years. “I’m single. We’re both parents of adult children and empty nesters,” Van Duyne (R-Texas) told DailyMail.com in remarks her office later confirmed to The Post. “His marriage has been over for quite some time, as I understand it. He’s filed for divorce.” The romance between Van Duyne, 53, and McCormick, 55, was first reported by the Daily Mail Thursday evening, but a rep for...

Uranium producers including Cameco (NYSE:CCJ) and Denison Mines (DNN) are surging Friday following news that the U.S. government will ask companies to bid next month on contracts for as much as $3.4B of domestically produced nuclear reactor fuel.

The May and June US copper contracts both touched $5 per pound today, a record high for the metal. The story is well-known and something I've been writing about for years: There has been minimal investment in new supply and the green transition is incredibly copper-intensive. The latest leg is also benefiting from current and future demand for data centers and electricity in general. In addition, China's economy is improving and it's responsible for about 50% of global copper demand. The picture remains impressive. Goldman Sachs last month said copper is in "the foothills of what will be its Everest"...

The tallest building in Fort Worth has a commanding position in the city’s skyline, but the 1M SF building only commanded a price of about $12 per square foot at a foreclosure auction. The price per square foot amounted to less than 10% of the previous sale price for Burnett Plaza, which at 40 stories towers over the other buildings in Fort Worth. The winning bidder was one of Burnett Plaza’s lenders: Pinnacle Bank Texas bought back the building at this month’s auction with a bid of $12.3M, according to a report in the Dallas Business Journal. The previous owner,...

Three months ago, Nancy Mace's office was in disarray. The Republican congresswoman fired or lost nine staffers from her Washington D.C. office in three months - and many of them trashed her to the media on the way out. Now, the South Carolina lawmaker has dramatically hit back and accused the former aides of sabotage in an extraordinary interview with DailyMail.com. Mace, 46, says the departed staffers mismanaged $1million, hacked her phone, spied on medical records, and even submerged electronic devices in water and deleted files to cover their tracks. The mother-of-two claims they even went as far snooping on...

Former President Donald Trump came down hard on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a new interview with Time, criticizing him directly for the October 7 terrorist attack and indirectly for Israel’s presentation of its war against Hamas in the days since. Asked if he thought it was time for Netanyahu “to go,” Trump did not come to his old ally’s defense. “Well, I had a bad experience with Bibi. And it had to do with [Qasem] Soleimani, because as you probably know by now, he dropped out just before the attack,” replied Trump. “And I said, ‘What’s that all...

....In 2024 Kristi Noem, a strong contender to be named running mate to Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has managed to go one further – by admitting killing a dog of her own. “Cricket was a wirehair pointer, about 14 months old,” the South Dakota governor writes in a new book, adding that the dog, a female, had an “aggressive personality” and needed to be trained to be used for hunting pheasant....By taking Cricket on a pheasant hunt with older dogs, Noem says, she hoped to calm the young dog down and begin to teach her how to behave....

A message from our Founder: TGP Communications, the parent company of The Gateway Pundit, recently made the decision to seek protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the Southern District of Florida as a result of the progressive liberal lawfare attacks against our media outlet. This is not an admission of fault or culpability. This is a common tool for reorganization and to consolidate litigation when attacks are coming from all sides. It allows TGP to consolidate this lawfare in one court for ultimate resolution. Despite the radical left’s efforts to silence The Gateway Pundit through...

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) announced on Friday that he will co-sponsor Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) resolution to remove Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from the top job, becoming the third House Republican to back his ouster. Gosar, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, revealed his support for dismissing Johnson minutes after the House — with help from Democrats — advanced a foreign aid package that omitted border security provisions. Gosar referenced that omission in his statement backing the ouster effort. “I have added my name in support of the motion to vacate the Speaker,” Gosar said. “Our border...

The House on Friday advanced legislation to send aid to Ukraine and other embattled U.S. allies overseas, clearing a key procedural hurdle after Democrats stepped in to back the measure — a rare move by the minority party, but one that was crucial to nudge the package forward in the face of fierce conservative opposition. The chamber approved the foreign aid rule in a 316-94 vote, opening up debate on a quartet of bills combining military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with humanitarian assistance to Gaza and other global war zones. The successful rule tees up final passage of...

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton got a chilly reception at the nation’s highest court this month, when his office argued against Texas ranchers who were seeking compensation from the state over a Fifth Amendment takings clause issue. The Institute for Justice (IJ), a nonprofit public interest law firm, represented rancher Richie DeVillier in the litigation, who sued after his ranch was repeatedly flooded by a new median wall built by Texas officials along a highway just to the south of his property, which ended up functioning like a dam during hurricanes and other periods of heavy rain. The Fifth Amendment...

Former President Donald Trump claimed Friday that his efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade have created “very, very beautiful harmony” at the state level. He made the statement during a joint press conference with embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who has been targeted with a motion to vacate by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). One reporter asked, “Mr. President, while you were in office, you said that you would sign a federal abortion ban if Congress sent it to your desk. Why should Americans trust your word that you would not do it now if you were re-elected?” Trump...

President Donald Trump called on the Arizona legislature to use “HEART” and “COMMON SENSE” and pass a pro-choice bill in a post on Truth Social Friday. “The Supreme Court in Arizona went too far on their Abortion Ruling, enacting and approving an inappropriate Law from 1864. So now the Governor and the Arizona Legislature must use HEART, COMMON SENSE, and ACT IMMEDIATELY, to remedy what has happened,” wrote Trump. “Remember, it is now up to the States and the Good Will of those that represent THE PEOPLE. We must ideally have the three Exceptions for Rape, Incest, and Life of...

Fox News host Sean Hannity called on Arizona Democrats to nix an abortion ban that was reinstated by the state Supreme Court this week. On Tuesday, the high court reinstated a law that traces back to 1864 and was subsequently codified in 1901. It bans nearly all abortions except those that are needed to save the life of the mother. The decision supersedes Arizona’s 15-week abortion ban, though the state’s Democratic attorney general has said she will not enforce the “draconian” measure. The decision dropped a day after former President Donald Trump – who said it goes too far –...