Free Republic

"It’s a great business and I’m going to put together a group to buy TikTok," Mnuchin said. Steve Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary under the Trump administration, said Thursday that he is organizing a group to buy TikTok as a bill proceeds through Congress that would force the popular social media app to either be sold or be banned. "I think the legislation should pass and I think it should be sold," Mnuchin said on CNBC's "Squawk Box," one day after the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill that would force the ByteDance, TikTok's Beijing-based parent company, to sell the...

Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Marco Rubio of Florida are teaming up to push the Biden administration to review the planned acquisition of Forbes magazine. The pair sent a letter Wednesday to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warning her that the planned buyout involves entities tied to Russia and the Chinese Communist Party, which previously tried to purchase the outlet. "Forbes reportedly holds a significant market share among younger Americans, with tens of millions of monthly users," the lawmakers wrote. "This puts Forbes in a unique position to collect and store sensitive personal data on these populations and influence...

It is not a secret that over the past decade, hundreds of large U.S. corporations have adopted woke policies, regularly injecting left-wing ideals into their products, services and employment practices. But some of these businesses have recently gone much further than merely promoting social justice causes; they have chosen to target conservative customers and employees, coercing or forcing Americans to abandon their deeply held beliefs in order to receive important goods or services or to stay employed. Although many conservatives have heard stories about corporate discrimination in recent years, they have often struggled to keep track of which businesses have...

The shifting sands of Democrat gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke’s gun control plans have solidified, for now, into a pledge to buy back AR-15s and AK-47s from Texans if the state legislature will support doing it. O’Rourke spoke with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith on Saturday and KVUE reported O’Rourke’s comments.

Here in Florida, we could deal properly with Joe Biden as per F.S. 104.061(2): "104.061 Corruptly influencing voting.— (1) Whoever by bribery, menace, threat, or other corruption whatsoever, either directly or indirectly, attempts to influence, deceive, or deter any elector in voting or interferes with him or her in the free exercise of the elector’s right to vote at any election commits a felony of the third degree... (2) No person shall directly or indirectly give or promise anything of value to another intending thereby to buy that person’s or another’s vote or to corruptly influence that person or another...

Would partner with Big Tech to use spy data from Amazon, Google and Apple.The Trump administration is considering launching a social credit score-style system in coordination with Big Tech that would use spy data collected from Amazon, Google and Apple devices to determine whether or not an individual can own a gun.“The proposal is part of an initiative to create a Health Advanced Research Projects Agency (HARPA), which would be located inside the Health and Human Services Department,” reports the Daily Caller. “The new agency would have a separate budget and the president would be responsible for appointing its director.”HARPA...

After what my wife had to endure Monday in a Fort Worth Mitsubishi dealership, I thought it might be wise to reinforce the notion that pond scum still exists in the new car buying market. Thank God I was only a phone call away. To make a long story short, they started by offering her dirt for her trade, which I already prepared her for. (NADA trade-in value is one thing, but they weren't even in the ball park.) They next tried to sell her the car for over a thousand dollars ABOVE what they were offering it on their...

Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff lost the Georgia special election Tuesday despite the fact that his campaign received unprecedented funding from the deeply liberal state of California. The young Democrat received 8.9 times as many many donors from California than from any other state in the union, including all of the totals from Georgia itself. The failed Democrat received 7,218 private donations from California residents. He benefitted from only 808 donations from inside of Georgia’s sixth congressional district. Hollywood insiders like Chelsea Handler and Georgia Takei donated to Ossoff’s campaign, and other celebrities like Jane Fonda, Sam Waterston, and Kyra Sedgwick...

In a presidential election year, there will, of course, be political biographies. But political biographies for children? This month three children's books about one candidate — Hillary Clinton — hit the shelves. Aimed at a variety of age groups, the books deliver a similar message of female strength, though admittedly one likely to go down easier in Democratic-leaning households. Jonah Winter's picture book "Hillary" (Schwartz & Wade, ages 4 to 8) begins with a slightly tongue-in-cheek overview of history's notably strong women: Queen Elizabeth, Joan of Arc ("she was kind of intense"), Rosie the Riveter, "and now there is Hillary."...

What's the possibility of getting a firearm "Swap Shop " on here. I've noticed from time to time freeper have question and "how much does this cost questions..... What do ya think

A Chinese investment firm is shelling out $1.3 billion to buy giant oil fields in Texas, reflecting growing interest from China in U.S. energy resources. Yantai Xinchao will acquire oil assets in the western Texas Permian Basin that are currently owned by Tall City Exploration and Plymouth Petroleum. The deal is part of a larger transaction between Yantai Xinchao and a second Chinese firm, according to a stock exchange filing on Saturday. The purchase, which includes oil fields in the state's Howard and Borden counties, has already been approved by the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment, the filing said. Many...

When you buy a home, a lot of the money you spend isn't going toward your home equity. The cost of homeownership includes the money you spend on fees, taxes, and interest. These costs do not increase the value of your home nor do they reduce the principal on your mortgage. We did some analysis on the cost of homeownership versus the cost of renting. Rental costs are offset by the interest you make on the cash you did not have to put toward a down payment. Homeownership costs are offset by the tax deduction you get on your mortgage...

Billy Gasparino and Jenna Dillon-Gasparino were savvy enough to wait out the housing boom of a decade ago as renters. Not until 2010, well into the bust, did they buy a house in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles, less than a mile from the beach, for $810,000. Only four years later, the couple see new signs of excess in the housing market and have decided to go back to renting. They are close to a deal to sell their house – for $1.35 million, a cool 67 percent gain. “It just seems like the housing market came back so...

If you are a renter and pondering whether it’s time buy a home, one thing that might be on your mind is a rent vs. own analysis. As you can imagine, this analysis will help you determine the financial benefits of owning a home vs. staying a renter. Many online rent vs. own analysis tools are available, but a little caution is needed, as some of these tools are very biased and skewed. Some always find that it typically makes sense to buy, while others show that you should rarely buy. Most of them look at the difference between the...

We have a lost generation of Americans. We who make up the baby boom generation still talk about the American dream. For the lost generation, the American dream is now dead. Who are the lost generation and why is the American dream nothing but a myth to them? The lost generation is the group we call “Millennials.” They are the people under 30. Why is their generation lost?

WASHINGTON — In a move aimed at shoring up support from Hispanic and progressive voters, President Barack Obama will designate the California home of labor leader Cesar Chavez as a national monument. Obama will establish the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in Keene, Calif., during a campaign swing through California next week.

Oakland is often criticized for its gun violence, then not recognized when it tries to do something about it. On Saturday, the Oakland Police Department set up the city’s first ever gun buyback in a Caltrans lot in Fruitvale. The net recovery? 12 guns. OPD Lt. Blair Alexander, in charge of the buyback operation, told the Trib he was disappointed in the lack of support it received: “The more people who come out, the more they send a message of a united front against violence.” Community leaders including 100 Mothers, which focuses on gun violence, had organized the effort. Oakland...

Authorities were hoping to net about 2,000 weapons in the city's annual gun buyback program Saturday, but the total tally of firearms that locals exchanged for gift cards won't be available until Monday, according to officials. The program, in its fourth year and held on Mother's Day weekend, is aimed at cutting down on shootings by allowing people to turn in the weapons - no questions asked - at six locations around the city, including Facey Medical Center in Mission Hills. About 600 to 700 guns were surrendered citywide in just the first hour, according to LAPD Lt. Andy Neiman....

It is easy to find a sexy stock upon which to "take a shot". I'm not a gambler. As a value investor, every now and then I get excited about compelling value. When markets are high, it doesn't happen often. I like companies that are growing in double digits, yet trading near asset values and pay healthy dividend while you wait for the stock price to bear a correlation to the revenue and earnings prospects of the company. This company has a long history, strong balance sheet, double digit growth, rising dividends and has declared "special dividends" (extra cash) that...