Free Republic

Jay Gatsby gave big, lavish, new-money parties at his sprawling mansion on the water because he wanted to seem cool. He wanted Daisy to notice him. Barack Obama gave a big, lavish, new-money party at his sprawling mansion on the water because he wanted to seem cool. Being cool is important to him. One difference is that Gatsby opened his house to the uninvited. Obama closed his house to many of the invited after getting flak for hosting “a celebrity mosh pit,” as Stephen Colbert called it, while officials were telling people to mask back up. It’s hard to stop...

In the volume void that follows the resumption of futures trading, and which saw US futures trade modestly lower, a sudden burst of selling in the gold futures contract sent Gold futures plunged as low as $1,677.0 or almost $100 lower from the Friday close of $1,761.50. Together with Friday’s post-payroll plunge, this has been the biggest 2-day drop in gold (in dollar terms) since the March 2020 crash.

House Sergeant at Arms William Walker announced on Wednesday that the remainder of the fencing around the Capitol will be removed starting as soon as Friday. The fencing — which was put up shortly after the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, when attendees of a nearby pro-Trump rally attempted to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election results — will take three days to come down. Walker cited the Capitol Police’s assessment showing a lower threat level than earlier this year, noting that it will “monitor intelligence information and the associated threat environment” moving forward.

Is the party almost over? Volatility has returned to Wall Street in a major way, and certain investors are getting absolutely crushed. On Wednesday, a trillion dollars in paper wealth had been wiped out during the trading session at one point, but those losses were later pared back as cryptocurrencies rallied. On social media, there has been a lot of weeping and wailing due to the huge financial losses that some people have experienced this week. But if you think that these losses are bad, just wait until you see what is coming later. In the old days, investors would...

Can't connect to FR via my ISP. But when I access via dreamhost, I have no problem. This post is via dreamhost.

Are we still permitted to question and debate the mask and lockdowns, or is the new inquisition muzzling us in more than a figurative way? Many – including physicians and health-care workers of all stripes – have been skeptical of the mask (as well as the curfews and ‘stay at home’ orders) and their prophylactic efficacy: What do these layers of fabric do to stop a virus that is so small it almost obeys the rules of the quantum world? People speak of ‘particularates’ and ‘expectoration’ with solemn and grave tones, as though viruses could vector no other way, when...

NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time since 1983, when Anheuser-Busch used all of its ad time to introduce a beer called Bud Light, the beer giant isn’t advertising its iconic Budweiser brand during the Super Bowl. Instead, it’s donating the money it would have spent on the ad to coronavirus vaccination awareness efforts. Anheuser-Busch still has four minutes of advertising during the game for its other brands including Bud Light, Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade, Michelob Ultra and Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer. Those are some of its hottest sellers, particularly among younger viewers. But the decision to not do...

Facebook has gone down for thousands of users in the United States and Europe on Friday night, with some unable to access the site and others reporting that porn had flooded their video feeds. Downdetector.com which measures website problems saw the problems start to occur around 10pm EST. At least 4,800 users in the U.S. reported on Downdetector that they were unable to log in. The most common issue appeared to revolve around those attempting to log in to the site - which they were unable to do.

Stock futures down a pretty good bit this morning. Haven't seen any significant news as to why (other than the usual lies). S&P -72 NASDAQ -151 DOW -507 Everything is corrupt. One of these days, we're going to see things implode because of it.

It’s not you. YouTube broke.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie admitted it was a “big mistake” to let his “guard down” by going mask-free at the White House event where he contracted the virus. In his first televised appearance since his coronavirus diagnosis, Christie, 58, said he had a “false sense of security” in believing that everyone at the event for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett had been tested for COVID-19. “For seven months, I was able to avoid the virus in one of the worst-hit states in the country, New Jersey,” Christie said on “Good Morning America” Friday

A white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin opened fire on an unarmed Black man who was simply walking away from him -- shooting him point-blank seven times ... and it's all on video. You see the man walking away from a few officers ... who appear to be telling him to stop, with guns drawn. He makes his away around a car in a nonthreatening manner, he opens the door and attempts to get inside. One of the cops grabs hold of his shirt, and for some inexplicable reason, he unloads seven rounds at arm's length. The victim was flown...

The thought just came to me. More than likely a lot of gun websites are going to be shut down as this continues to prevent the sale of guns and ammunition to people where they are not recorded on camera like you see at retail establishments. When that happens, it will be EXTREMELY difficult to find guns or ammo one might want at a "reasonable" price (although it is all too high now).

What is really happening with real estate sales right now? Any stories out there? Seems to be one of the best kept secrets right now. Anyone have any truthful information?

Berkshire Hathaway class A stock (BRK.A) has been trading down all day today from yesterday's close while the overall market has been up, the DOW at one point over 415 points up.

DOW futures down -305 at the time this was posted.

FRANKFURT, April 29 (Reuters) - German auto supplier and technology company Robert Bosch on Wednesday said it expects automotive production to fall by at least 20 percent this year, as the coronavirus pandemic slams the brakes on factory production lines and saps demand. "We are bracing ourselves for a global recession that will also have a considerable impact on our own performance in 2020," Bosch CFO Stefan Asenkerschbaumer said in a statement. "Given the many imponderables, we feel unable to make a reasonable forecast for the Bosch Group for the year as a whole. It will take a supreme effort...

Dow futures down over 500 this morning. Lots of pre-market trades dumping stocks.

FYI only....  Looks like the DJIA may tank again tomorrow. Let us hope it recovers before the opening bell.  Prayers are needed for our President, our Republic and the world to quickly recover. I am not so worried about the Coronvirus itself here in the USA, but the economic impact will easily be billions of lost revenue. https://www.cnbc.com/pre-markets/  

Looks like another blood bath today.  The Coronavirus hysteria in the media is drving the market down. https://www.cnbc.com/pre-markets/