Free Republic

The porn industry was featured last night on CNBC, which took its viewers “inside the $13 billion business of pleasure.” Well, there is no doubt that millions of Americans derive pleasure from porn, which may be found at the magazine stand, in the video store, on regular and pay-per-view cable and, of course, all over the Internet. But it is the passing pleasure of sin, as the Scripture warns us. It has a corrosive effect on our souls. That is borne out by the powerful testimonies of men and women alike who have experienced, first-hand, the deleterious effects of porn...

Andrew Ross Sorkin is apparently not too big to tank. The same goes for “Money Honey” Maria Bartiromo. CNBC insiders tell us executives at the cable business channel are “freaking out” because viewership levels are down essentially across-the-board, particularly with its marquee shows, “Squawk Box” and “Closing Bell." “Their biggest attractions have become their biggest losers,” says one TV industry insider familar with the cable channel’s numbers. According to Nielsen ratings obtained by Gatecrasher, from April 2011 to April 2012, “Squawk Box” is down 16 percent in total viewers and 29 percent in the important 25-54 demographic bracket that advertisers...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is considering a release from its strategic oil reserves, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Friday, acknowledging the harm that supply disruptions from Iran could have on the global economy. Rising tensions between Iran and the West .. have fueled a rise in oil prices, pushing benchmark Brent crude above $125 a barrel on Friday. "There is a case for the use of the reserve in some circumstances and we will continue to look at those and evaluate that carefully," Geithner said on CNBC television. "Obviously Iran can do a lot of damage to...

A previous story incorrectly reported that Mitt Romney's former firm, Bain & Co., was part of a team of consulting companies that advised President Barack Obama on a decision to shutter car dealerships during the auto bailout. Bain & Co. said it has no connection to the "Bain Consulting" firm referenced in government documents.

Newt Gingrich, presidential candidate, discusses the economy in the CNBC GOP Debate. The debate highlighted a simple but profound fact regarding the economy: returning to prosperity and job creation will not be easy. It will require fundamental change of the big government policies of Barack Obama and the Washington establishment.

The Republican candidate held their first debate in weeks last night, a forum dedicated to economic policy hosted by CNBC’s John Harwood and Maria Bartiromo, and for the most part they seemed to have improved with the time off. For the first hour or so of the debate, everyone seemed sharp, with crisp answers and very little to criticize. Even Rick Perry seemed to have improved — and then, one of the worst moments in decades of major political debates took place when Perry got lost on an easy listing of Cabinet-level agencies he wants to eliminate. Worst of all,...

From what I read today at the Chicago Tribune and the LA Times: "The CNBC host asked that if corporations care about the character of their chief executive officers, why shouldn't Americans care about the character of their presidential candidates?" 1.) Why shouldn't Americans care about the character of their presidential candidates... When did Cain ever say that Americans don't care about the character of their presidential candidates? 2.) On top of this apparently loaded question, this was shifted to Romney, who was - somehow - fortuitously placed right next to Cain during this debate. Coincidence? 3.) Now the MSM...

Putting aside Rick Perry's awful 53 seconds, the real story of the CNBC debate last night was how thoroughly the so-called weak field of Republican Presidential candidates collectively embarrassed the panel aggregated by the financial network. This was not lost on questioners Maria Bartiromo and Jim Cramer, whose demeanor change was obvious as the debate wore on. Meanwhile, in the post debate questioning, manchild Carl Quintenilla asked perhaps the worst question in the history of American journalism by trying to couch Herman Cain's "Queen Nancy" reference in light of his "problems with women." Puh-leeze. Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/11/weak_field_spanks_cnbc_liberals.html#ixzz1dJyZwnGK

No one touched Romney. He was unflappable and knowledgeable. He again showed the right political instinct to want to address the struggles of the middle class, although his tax plan doesn’t do it. His China-bashing will probably play well in the Midwest, although it’s foolhardy on the merits. He consistently got applause. I remember one of the early debates when Romney was flying above the other candidates and Pawlenty–I think–attacked him and he declined to reply, saying “that’s fine.” He said the same thing tonight when Santorum went after him. After all the churning in the race, Romney is in...

The crowd at the Republican presidential debate at Oakland University in Michigan made it clear Wednesday night that it wanted to hear about the economy, and not harassment allegations against former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain dating back to the 1990s. The crowd booed CNBC moderator Maria Bartiromo as she alluded to the allegations and asked Cain, “why should the American people hire a president if they feel there are character issues?” The debate was marketed beforehand as a discussion on the economy. Cain responded: “The American people deserve better than someone being tried in the court of public opinion...

The crowd at the Republican presidential debate at Oakland University in Michigan made it clear Wednesday night that it wanted to hear about the economy, and not harassment allegations against former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain dating back to the 1990s. The crowd booed CNBC moderator Maria Bartiromo as she alluded to the allegations and asked Cain, “why should the American people hire a president if they feel there are character issues?” The debate was marketed beforehand as a discussion on the economy. Cain responded: “The American people deserve better than someone being tried in the court of public opinion...

Carl Quintanilla: There's also a political element to this, and some people tell you if this had been a former Republican senator, or a Republican governor, the main-stream press would be much more aggressive than it is but because he was a Democrat, is a Democrat, because he was a friend of the President, that they've somehow, maybe... I guess they're saying that we've been soft on him... ? Dan Primack: You know, it's interesting... I'm not one to buy media conspiracies, or left-wing media conspiracies, it's not my bias, and to be honest, if we could pull off a...

NEW CANAAN, Conn. – Daisy Franklin of Norwalk was among the nearly 100 protestors who came to the New Canaan home of General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt Saturday to take part in the first known Occupy Wall Street rally in Fairfield County. "I worked in a small Norwalk manufacturing company for 15 years until it was forced to shut down a year ago," Franklin, 55, told the crowd, using a bullhorn. "Now, I get by on less than $200 a week of unemployment for me and my daughter. When you run out of money, you run out of options. So,...

Jim Cramer, CNBC host: "Now let's talk about the fact that you said the economy is weak. You put out a jobs plan. The New York Times today basically gives its obituary. 'Tax plan for jobs bill.' Familiar ring. Meaning the GOP will not back this. Is this dead on arrival?" Tim Geithner, U.S. Secretary of Treasury: "Absolutely not. I think that there's no reason now for the Congress of the United States not to act to help strengthen growth in the near term. It's the conservative, prudent, responsible thing to do. You can think of it as protection against...

The media is still showing the love for Obama. Not only does the fawning coverage continue but media executives are putting their money where their collective mouths are, by showering the Obama campaign with money. Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator and the new owner of NBC (and MSNBC) is the company that tops out the list of executives giving money to the Obama Victory Fund. Abby Phillip writes in Politico: President Obama raised eyebrows this weekend when he visited Comcast CEO Brian Roberts' Martha's Vineyard home on Sunday. Comcast, beyond being a telecommunications giant, is also the parent company...

Rick Santelli: 'If it Wasn't for the Tea Party...We Would Have Been Rated BBB' By Noel Sheppard Created 08/08/2011 - 7:09pm For over 24 hours, Obama advisers, Democrat senators, and terminally stupid ideologues in the media have been blaming Standard and Poor's downgrade of America's debt on the Tea Party. On Monday, one of the only sane voices in the mainstream media stood up and said, "If it wasn't for the Tea Party, they would have passed the debt ceiling thumbs up, we would have been rated BBB" (video follows with transcript and commentary): JOE KERNEN, CNBC: Alright. You know,...

Santelli slams the Obama administration for playing the blame game over the downgrade to our credit rating, noting that even if you think it’s a bad call, you don’t beat up the other coach or take the umpire out behind the barn. And he also points out that without Tea Party, we would’ve had a clean debt ceiling increase and our credit rating would have likely been dropped even lower to BBB. Listen to the end to hear his great analogy why we have a spending problem:

VIDEO:WATCH THE INTERVIEW:Presidential Candidate Bachmann On Jobs and Unemployment

Should the space shuttle program be continued? Yes No Unsure

<p>The last month has been a horror show for the U.S. economy, with economic data falling off a cliff, according to Mike Riddell, a fund manager at M&G Investments in London.</p> <p>"It seems that almost every bit of data about the health of the US economy has disappointed expectations recently," said Riddell, in a note sent to CNBC on Wednesday.</p>

Wall Street is having a hard time figuring out what to do now that the U.S. economy appears to be sputtering and yields are so low, Peter Yastrow, market strategist for Yastrow Origer, told CNBC. "What we’ve got right now is almost near panic going on with money managers and people who are responsible for money," he said. "They can not find a yield and you just don’t want to be putting your money into commodities or things that are punts that might work out or they might not depending on what happens with the economy.

Reminisces on CNBC now ongoing

Donald Trump was just on CNBC responding to allegations over his property dealings made by the New York Times. He blasted the paper for its report, and its reporter for refusing to appear on TV to defend his claims. The article reports that more than 300 people are suing Trump after he removed his name from properties they purchased. Those involved in the lawsuit allege there was no disclaimer that Trump was not the developer of the properties, but rather just "rented his name" to the actual developers. Trump ended up going on a multi-minute rant in which he insulted...

Lately, there have been duelling stories in the entertainment press about the future of ”Atlas Shrugged.” With disappointing box office returns, the producers have been asked if they will go ahead and complete the franchise and in one interview we’re being told there will be no trilogy and in another we’re being told that there will. To clear the air, I reached out via email and “Atlas” producers John Aglialoro and Harmon Kaslow were both good enough to respond with exclusive quotes that should help to calm fears of “Atlas” fans everywhere. Most surprising, though, was the revelation CNN, CNBC,...

If gas prices were on a train right now it would definitely be riding the President’s high speed rail. Steve posted on this in March when gas was around $3. The we told you a week ago that gas prices (then $3.90) were headed in this direction and got no interest from callers. Something tells me gas will soon be center stage. CNBC thinks so … so do others. Obama video below the fold. CNBC’s report is getting plenty of play, and well it should. While Trump has been grabbing the headlines inside the beltway … oil has been grabbing...

A TV and radio host shocked viewers when he said the human toll caused by the widespread death and destruction of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami was worse than the toll on the economy 'and we can be grateful for that'. In the wake of devastation which has seen thousands lose their lives following the 9.0 magnitude quake, CNBC's Larry Kudlow said: 'The human toll here looks to be much worse than the economic toll, and we can be grateful for that.' The pundit had been discussing the U.S. markets when the rolling screen graphic signalled the death toll was...

Here's something he said earlier: The topic (in advance of today's phony unemployment numbers) was how to get companies to hire workers. Lots of back & forth. But here is the kicker: Zell mentions that while Obamacare was about to come up for the final, miserable vote he went to Capitol Hill to "lobby" a couple of lawmakers. Reminding them that this kind of bill with so much uncertainty built into it, was guaranteed to put a chill on employment. Here is the exchange he relayed to the host. Zell to lawmaker: This bill gives only 6 years of services,...

The rarefied world of academics recently confirmed a sneaking suspicion: those “breaking news” banners on CNBC actually hardly ever, well, break news. And the market knows it. A study that culled from almost 7,000 interviews with chief executives on CNBC over nearly a decade found a recurring pattern: the stock surged on the day the company’s head gave an interview to the business news cable television channel, then dropped right back down over the next 10 trading days.

The Daily Caller has learned CNBC reporter Matt Nesto will not have his contract renewed, which is up at the beginning of 2011. Were Nesto’s politics a factor in the network’s decision not to bring him back? Nesto, known for his market research in appearances on the network throughout the broadcast day, is generally a low-key actor.

With Rep. Paul Kanjorski vanquished, the congressional horse-trading will begin to determine the leadership structure of the House Financial Services Committee. Kanjorski (D-Pa.) is Finance Chairman Barney Frank’s top deputy on the committee, but that will all change in January when the Republican majority takes over. After surviving two previous challenges, Kanjorski succumbed Tuesday to challenger Louis Barletta, a mayor in the 13-term congressman’s district in the northeast part of the state. With Kanjorski out of the way and the Democrats headed into the minority, all eyes will turn to whether the party leadership passes the baton to ultra-left California...

The expected Republican upset at the voting booth today is bound to leave many inside the Beltway confused. What on earth do the American people want? After all, just two years ago they threw out the Republicans, and now they are throwing out the Democrats. What Americans want is a government that stays out of their pocketbooks and out of their private lives. Under Presidents Bush and Obama, we've gotten just the opposite: government program after government program created with our money to socially engineer the economy. Evidence of voters’ desires lies in the huge swing we are seeing in...

The potentially historic midterm elections are a week away and left-wing voices are getting more shrill and paranoid than ever before. On CNBC’s Oct. 26 “The Call,” left-wing talker and frequent MSNBC guest Mike Papantonio went on a nearly six-minute conspiratorial, anti-corporation, anti-conservative candidate rant suggesting GOP U.S. Senate hopeful Sharron Angle was raising secret money from the Chinese government in order to help them ship American jobs overseas. ...more (w/video)...

Following up on the success of Marijuana, Inc., CNBC’s Trish Regan is returning to the pot fields of America for a new original documentary, “Marijuana USA.” Regan traveled the country and found marijuana has shed its back-alley stigma. The once illicit drug is attracting savvy, young entrepreneurs who are re-branding pot as a natural herbal remedy that can be sold openly, possibly, at a dispensary near you. “Marijuana USA” premieres Thursday, December 9 at 8pmET and re-airs at MidnightET.

An Internet-born movement to encourage solidarity with teen victims of gay bullying has spurred several celebrities, schools, and media to officially promote the pro-homosexual campaign by wearing purple this past Wednesday. A young woman named Brittany McMillan, who spread the idea on her Tumblr account, and was championed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), reportedly began the movement, which is intended to memorialize homosexual youths who have killed themselves. Several media outlets endorsed the movement, including CNBC, the Today Show, E!, HGTV, Philadelphia Magazine, Ms. Magazine, The View, and numerous Spanish-language media. Even the New York Stock...

RE John Harwood, CNBC Political Report: Tonight Harry Reed was given several minutes free reign amounting to a couple of commercials worth of national TV in which he attempted to exculpate himself re a questionable personal real estate holding and on another matter in which he failed to file proper papers with the Senate Committee on Ethics. He was then permitted to make a counter-charge of low blow by the opposition. No other countervailing view was presented. All of Whorewoods objectivity then comes to bear when in a followup summary he backs up Harry Reed's thin explanation by telling us...

CNBC ORIGINAL TAKES VIEWERS INSIDE A 10-MONTH INVESTIGATION OF THE WORLD’S MOST POPULAR HUNTING RIFLE AND EXAMINES WHETHER A COMPANY HAS GONE TOO FAR IN PROTECTING ITS SIGNATURE PRODUCT

It seems like a phony issue for the a struggling Obama administration to be promoting – the allegations that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce may or may not be using foreign contributions to fuel political ads against Democrats. However, President Barack Obama would be best advised to make sure his party wasn’t doing something similar before using the bully pulpit to push this meme. On CNBC’s Oct. 11 broadcast of “Power Lunch,” CNBC Washington correspondent Eamon Javers laid out the latest ramped up attacks on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from the president. ...more (w/video)...

What is it with Hollywood personalities going to Venezuela and being swept off their feet by the thuggish dictator Hugo Chávez. They come back with these stories claiming he is just misconstrued by the media and that he’s really a great guy. On Oct. 7, at an appearance at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., CNBC “Power Lunch” co-host Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, in an appearance promoting her book “You Know I'm Right: More Prosperity, Less Government,” explained how this could happen. She told an audience that Chávez has a very charismatic, seductive personality. “I was telling – my two most interesting...

One of the most embattled commodities over the last few years as the economy has struggled has been one of the most precious of all metals – gold. Over the last 12 months, the price of gold has appreciated considerably. But CNBC host Jim Cramer contends it is going higher – much higher. In an Oct. 5 interview for with Alix Steel, a reporter from Cramer’s website TheStreet.com, Cramer explained that the current high price of gold is not the result of a bubble, which he debunked by explaining the definition of a bubble. “Well you see, bubble’s a complicated...

As we near the midterm elections, left-wingers will be reading from the same tired playbook – the attempted marginalization of the Tea Party movement, but just more of it. But more and more, they are discovering the tactics are tougher to defend, as their side has their own fringe, loose-cannon elements. On CNBC’s Sept. 29 “Squawk Box,” hosts Joe Kernen and Michelle Caruso-Cabrera went after Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell for what seems to be hypocrisy – a willingness to attack one side for extremism, while ignoring extreme elements on the left. Rendell was asked by Kernen to elaborate on remarks...

We’ve all heard about the CNBC Saturday September 18, 2010 Obama Town hall meeting that the Wall Street Journal called a therapy session for disillusioned Soetoro supporters. Charles Krauthammer in his own no nonsense indomitable way, pulls back the curtain on the man whose mother was born in Kansas. Well we’re a long ways from Kansas and Barry Hussein Soetoro’s town hall meeting entitled, “Investing in America” was but a partisan attempt to defend the failed economic policies of his administration. However just like his failed trillion-dollar stimulus and economic policies, this so-called town hall meeting was a miserable PR...

While certain executives at News Corp. may not agree, it is obvious that at the moment, the top business news channel on Wall Street is CNBC. With that in mind director Oliver Stone prominently features the network's anchors prominently in the upcoming sequel to his 1987 film "Wall Street." This despite the fact that the film is produced by the 20th Century Fox film studio, a sister company to Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network. Per MarketWatch.com's : And no actual journalists shine brighter in the new 20th Century Fox production than Maria Bartiromo and her CNBC posse. If...

"I'm one of your middle class Americans. And quite frankly, I'm exhausted. Exhausted of defending you, defending your administration, defending the mantle of change that I voted for," a woman told President Obama at a town hall.

President Obama will answer questions about the economy at a town hall meeting that is scheduled to air at 12:00 PM on CNBC today. Obama has been working overtime to defend his administration's record on the economy, firing back at Republicans who want to blame Democrats for the bad economy. The President has been on the offensive over the past few weeks, accusing GOP lawmakers of blocking key aid to small businesses and tax cuts for the middle class.

The third time may well be the proverbial charm for Lou Barletta and his quixotic bid to unseat veteran Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski. Kanjorski, the influential senior Financial Services Committee member and frequent “Squawk Box” guest on CNBC, is fighting nothing less than a legacy-challenging battle to keep his seat. Kanjorski was instrumental in putting together this year’s financial reform legislation, particularly the areas that addressed the too-big-to-fail institutions that triggered the credit crisis. So his seat is a biggie in terms of the Washington governmental structure. As a 13-term incumbent representing northeastern Pennsylvania, Kanjorski had been breezing through election...

As a staunch capitalist and social liberal, Rick Santelli might not agree with everything being said at Tea Party rallies or this weekend's Right Nation convention in Hoffman Estates, but he's proud of what he wrought. "People ask me if I'm the father of the Tea Party movement," the CNBC commentator said outside the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. "I was the spark ...that started it. If being the lightning rod that started the Tea Party is what's written on my tombstone, I'll be very happy." But after his five-minute "rant" on CNBC 1½ years ago suggesting a tea party in Lake...

Bernie Marcus, founder of Home Depot, laid into Obama and pals this morning on CNBC and it was a sight to behold. As Greg Hengler said: ...may have been the best defense of small business, and the most important attack on the Obama Adminsitration all year. Marcus knows a little something about small business, because his business - Home Depot - was once a small business before it became a very BIG business. Home Depot employs 320,000 people, so Mr. Marcus knows a few things about job creation. Dead on target: [VIDEO AT SITE] Marcus - Now you take some...

TVNewser has learned President Obama will appear in a town hall meeting on the economy live on CNBC Monday. Update: The special will be called "Investing in America: A CNBC Town Hall Event with President Obama," and it will air Monday at noon ET. CNBC's Chief Washington Correspondent John Harwood will moderate the event, which will feature a live audience. CNBC will re-air the program that evening at 8 PM. The press release is after the jump. CNBC TO AIR "INVESTING IN AMERICA: A CNBC TOWN HALL EVENT WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA" MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH AT 12PM ET (Pre-empts "The Strategy...

This could confirm what many suspected all along - the corporate heads at General Electric (NYSE:GE) would try to use their media holdings to portray President Barack Obama and his administration in a positive light in order to gain a corporate advantage. That's how former CNBC reporter and current Fox Business Network senior correspondent Charlie Gasparino explains it in his forthcoming book, "Bought and Paid For: The Unholy Alliance Between Barack Obama and Wall Street." According to Gasparino, GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt had "helped his company feast off of the subsidies of Obamanomics," including the green energy initiatives and health...

To many, it's hardly a revelation to most, but when someone keeps taking the same action over and over again, even to his detriment, it can reveal a lot about that individual's belief system. This was an observation CNBC "Squawk Box" host Joe Kernen made about the Obama administration's willingness to embrace a populist "soak the rich" tactic against the wealthy in the United States, even though it isn't winning him favor with the American people, according to opinion polling. A new ABC News/Washington Post poll shows more people now think President Barack Obama's policies have hurt the economy than...