Free Republic

I guess I'll start by noting that in China dealing with Covid-19 has meant things like health screenings where people are asked questions and their temperature is taken. Going to work in the "front lines" for me means going through such a screening. So life in the USA for many of us resembles going to work in Communist China. The media including the "conservative talk show hosts" like to talk a lot about Communist China or even Russia but I feel like they do that really to distract from how much like Russia and China like things are right here...

Up to 150 members of Saudi Arabia’s royal family have contracted the coronavirus, a person close to the family told the New York Times. Riyadh Governor Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulziz al Saud, a nephew of King Salman, was confirmed to have tested positive by two doctors, according to the Times. Many of the thousands of princes in the family are believed to have brought back the virus after traveling to Europe, the newspaper reported, citing doctors and people close to the family. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and many of his ministers are in isolation on the coast...

President Trump hoping for higher oil prices coming out of the OPEC+ nations video conference tomorrow.... Word tonight is that the price of Brent Crude Oil already rising to over 33 dollars a barrel..... The energy ministers of the G20 nations set to convene Friday...... The Afghan government said today that its going to release 100 Taliban prisoners..... The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claim to have killed dozens of Saudi coalition soliders and militia in a missile attack in Yemen.... In Syria, US military patrols in the northeast have again been confronted..... Today a report alleging the Syrian military staged chemical...

Late Breaking News from Australia where its Tuesday. The child sex abuse convictions of Australia's Cardinal George Pell have been overturned.... Lack of agreement on preliminary targets to cut oil production holding up the OPEC+ nations from starting their talks... But other talks between Russia and Saudi Arabia are moving forward.... In Iraq early this morning rockets struck a facility connected with foreign oil firms operating in Iraq including the American Haliburton... There's a report that an American military officer has been killed in an ambush in northeastern Syria.... Easter is coming this Sunday and in Idaho Ammon Bundy and...

The U.S. oil industry is divided on whether it could or should contribute to production cuts in an effort to stabilize pricesThe virtual meeting between OPEC and its allies scheduled for Monday has been postponed, sources familiar with the matter told CNBC, amid mounting tensions between Saudi Arabia and Russia. The meeting will now “likely” be held on Thursday, sources said. The Monday meeting was set after President Donald Trump said to CNBC on Thursday that he expected Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to announce a deal to cut production by up to 15...

Bill Withers who passed away at the age of 81 in Los Angeles sings one of his well-known songs... It is time for us to lean on each other and support each other the sentiment expressed by Ammon Bundy this week saying: "....I don't think there's ever been a time in our lifetime anyway where there's more need for us to unite to be united on important matters to be supporting each other to be bringing truth to each other and protection for each other...." In face of all the government restrictions Bundy bringing together people for a meeting in...

Details have been reported on last night's meeting in Emmett, Idaho called by Ammon Bundy in response to government restrictions related to Covid-19. Bundy says that state officials are "exploiting" the situation and violating the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution... The unemployment rate in the US moving up to 4.4 percent last month from the record low of 3.5 percent..... Russia now says that it is in communication with other countries in response to Saudi Arabia's call for an OPEC+ meeting involving oil producing nations.... A firing in Washington tonight related to last year's impeachment process against President...

Russia and Saudi Arabia are locked in a price war to control the oil industry. Here's what it's done to prices for oil around the world.The Exon on the corner of 22nd Street in Washington D.C. is now selling a gallon of gas for the low price of $1.79 USD. In Ottawa, the Petro-Canada on Bronson Avenue sells a gallon sells for $0.69 CAD. In both cases, prices are a fraction of what they were just two months ago. And while drivers across both countries might be enjoying the benefits of cheap gas, itÂ’s an actualized nightmare for the international...

".....I don't think there's ever been a time in our lifetime anyway where there's more need for us to unite to be united on important matters to be supporting each other to be bringing truth to each other and protection for each other..." Ammon Bundy calling a followup citizens meeting tonight in Emmett, Idaho at 8 pm in response to Republican Governor Brad Little's order to stay at home in response to Covid-19...... Special Comment-Wartime Situation Leads To Misleading Fake News We are in a wartime situation at this point with policies being implemented and situations emerging that disturb Americans...

Crude futures surged on Thursday, after President Donald Trump expressed optimism that a damaging price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia can be resolved. West Texas Intermediate crude for May delivery CL.1, 10.290% surged nearly $2, or 9.6%, to $22.80 a barrel, after slipping 0.8% to settle at $20.31 on Wednesday. June Brent crude BRNM20, 12.369% climbed $2.57, or 10%, to $27.30 a barrel, a day after the contract plunged 6.1% to $24.74 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe. “President Trump’s acknowledging of the problems in the oil patch is critical, and he also revealed he had spoken with the...

After having crashed nearly 70 percent in the first three months of 2020, benchmark WTI prices are trying to form a bottom around $20 per barrel. But this psychological threshold is looking increasingly shaky as global crude storage facilities are filling up at an unprecedented pace. OPEC and its partners officially ended their output cut deal today, following the words of Russian Energy Minister Novak that every producer is ‘’free to pump at will’’.

What Happens If You Can’t Pay Your Electricity Bill? By Julianne Geiger - Apr 01, 2020, 5:00 PM CDT Join Our Community Electricity With over 3 million Americans losing their jobs, and many more forced into lockdown, utilities are facing lower demand and more consumers that can’t afford to pay the bills At a time when over 3 million Americans have already lost their jobs, and as many as 47 million may be added to the unemployment roster, all that virus-forced staying at home will increase energy bills for people with limited means of paying them--at least until unemployment benefits...

After having crashed nearly 70 percent in the first three months of 2020, benchmark WTI prices are trying to form a bottom around $20 per barrel. But this psychological threshold is looking increasingly shaky as global crude storage facilities are filling up at an unprecedented pace. OPEC and its partners officially ended their output cut deal today, following the words of Russian Energy Minister Novak that every producer is ‘’free to pump at will’’. With a flood of physical crude set to hit the market, it will take weeks, not months, for global oil storage space to run out. The...

Global oil storage could reach maximum capacity within weeks, energy analysts have told CNBC, as the coronavirus crisis dramatically reduces consumption and some of the world’s most powerful crude producers start to ramp up their output. The coronavirus pandemic has meant countries have effectively had to shut down, with many governments imposing draconian measures on the daily lives of billions of people. It has created an unprecedented demand shock in energy markets, with storage space – both onshore and offshore – quickly running out.

'All Muslims' intending to travel to Islam's holiest sites to perform the hajj should delay making plans this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, a senior Saudi official has said. In February, the kingdom took the extraordinary decision to close off the holy cities of Mecca and Medina to foreigners, a step which was not taken even during the 1918 flu epidemic that killed tens of millions worldwide. Restrictions have tightened in the kingdom as it grapples with 1,563 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and 10 reported deaths so far. Every year, as many as two million Muslims perform the hajj...

Republican governors issue orders to stay home giving them a new and different name but first.... "We discussed with each other whether our rights can be taken by an order from a governor or an agency, and if they can be, what good are our rights?" Ammon Bundy spoke those words Friday following a Thursday night meeting in Emmett, Idaho in response to the "stay at home" order issued by Idaho's Republican Governor Brad Little.... In Iraq the United States has deployed two Patriot missile batteries and is expected to eventually deploy at least four.... The Saudi-led coalition staging air...

King Salman has ordered free treatment be provided to all coronavirus patients in all government and private health facilities in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom's health minister, Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, announced the king’s order at a press conference in Riyadh on Monday and said it included citizens and residents - even those in violation of residency laws. Al-Rabiah said the royal order was borne out of the king’s keenness to put the health of citizens and residents first and to ensure the safety of all. The number of virus victims in Saudi Arabia reached 1,453 on Monday, with 8...

A projection of how many will die from Covid-19 infection in the United States and the President signaling a longer duration for the coronavirus situation but first A riot broke out at a prison in northeastern Syria housing Islamic State detainees and operated by Kurdish elements of the "Syrian Democratic Forces". Some prisoners escaped and others took over a floor of the prison.... The shape of a new "unity" government in Israel is emerging that will raise the profile of the political faction headed by the former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz that calls itself the Israel...

Exclusive: Whistleblower’s data suggests millions of tracking requests sent over four-month periodSaudi Arabia appears to be exploiting weaknesses in the global mobile telecoms network to track its citizens as they travel around the US, according to a whistleblower who has shown the Guardian millions of alleged secret tracking requests. Data revealed by the whistleblower, who is seeking to expose vulnerabilities in a global messaging system called SS7, appears to suggest a systematic spying campaign by the kingdom, according to experts. The data suggests that millions of secret tracking requests emanated from Saudi Arabia over a four-month period beginning in November...

"They don't want to be on record as making the biggest mistake in history" US Representative Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) March 27,2020 Six point two trillion dollars worth of bailout rushed through Congress Friday with some going to the little folks but a lot going to the big folks and the big banks. "We Are All Socialists Now" The leadership of the House refused to have a roll call vote yesterday... All that's been done to financially manipulate things by the Federal Reserve means us little folks are going to need more money to manage things because prices are going to...