Author: Benjamin Franklin

The much-announced recession in the United States has yet to arrive, but the economy is already cooling down. Economic growth data released on Thursday by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 1.3% in the first quarter of the year. That is equivalent to a non-annualized quarterly rate of 0.3%. The number represents an upward revision from a previous estimate of 1.1% released a few weeks ago. Growth is clearly under the 2.6% annual rate with which 2022 ended, equivalent to a quarterly rate of 0.7%, but it…

New York, London, Nassau (8/1 – 33) Dustin Johnson came out on top of 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Series. In the first season of the new professional golf tour, now a fierce rival to the PGA Tour, Dustin Johnson was crowned “Individual Champion”. The former PGA Tour player won the LIV Golf Invitational Boston on 4 September 2022. Johnson also collected total 135 points from 7 events in the 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Series. The 38-year-old American snatched First Place in the final individual points standings. He came in ahead of Branden Grace (South Africa), Peter Uihlein (USA) and Patrick…

The United States’ debt ceiling crisis is, once again, provoking the usual commentary about the country’s presumed dysfunction. But the truth is that this unprovoked madness, causing self-inflicted wounds, is taking place against a backdrop of astonishing strength. The facts cannot be disputed. The United States has recovered from the coronavirus pandemic faster than any major economy in the world. As Bloomberg’s Matthew A. Winkler recently pointed out, unemployment is stunningly low. Gross domestic product growth has grown at three times the average pace as under President Donald Trump, real incomes are rising, manufacturing is booming, and inflation has eased for 10 straight months. Even the budget deficit,…

Ranching is an integral part of Wyoming agriculture. Raising cattle is the backbone of the agricultural industry in the state. Raising a quality herd can create tidy profits that you can use to build and grow your ranch.  The following are four breeds that will fatten your wallet if you take the time to fatten up your herd before taking them to the sale barn. 1. Angus – Imported from Scotland in the late 1800’s, Angus cattle are highly prized for the quality of meat they can deliver. They are the dominant beef cattle brand in America. Some estimates place the number of…

STATE DEPARTMENT — The United States continues to look at options to help dozens of private U.S. citizens who wish to leave Sudan amid ongoing violence and is exploring ways to return a diplomatic and consular presence to the African country as soon as possible, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday.“In just the last 36 hours since the embassy evacuation operation was completed, we’ve continued to be in close communication with U.S. citizens and individuals affiliated with the U.S. government to provide assistance and facilitate available departure routes for those seeking to move to safety via land, air and…

The war in the Ukraine created two main opposing camps of countries. An Alliance of Democracies on one side and a Group of Authoritarian. The escalation of geopolitical tensions linked to the Ukrainian crisis has highlighted two main opposing camps of countries — an Alliance of Democracies on one side and a Group of Authoritarian Regimes on the other. A number of countries have resisted choosing sides, however, as they strive to balance their national interests with international developments while simultaneously advocating the need to maintain peaceful diplomacy and global connections. While the number of these so-called “in-between” countries abound…

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said Thursday she has directed the state to obtain a supply of the most commonly used abortion medication in the U.S. amid fears that a court ruling could restrict access to it. The Democratic governor said regardless of the court’s decision about mifepristone’s availability, patients in Oregon will have access to it for years. “I will make sure that patients are able to access the medication they need and providers are able to provide that medication without unnecessary, politically-motivated interference and intimidation,” Kotek said in a statement. According to Kotek’s office, the state is partnering with Oregon…

Submarines are part of the AUKUS pact with the UK, which may also jointly develop a vessel with Australia. Australia is expected to announce it will buy as many as five US Virginia class nuclear-powered submarines in the 2030s as part of a landmark Pacific security pact with the United States and the United Kingdom, according to four US officials. Under the so-called AUKUS agreement, at least one US submarine will visit Australian ports in the coming years and, by the late 2030s, a new class of submarines will be being built with UK designs and US technology, one of…

A Pacific elder and former secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum says Pacific leaders need to sit up and pay closer attention to AUKUS and the Indo-Pacific Strategy and China’s response to them. Speaking from Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Dame Meg Taylor said Pacific leaders were being sidelined in major geopolitical decisions affecting their region and they need to start raising their voices for the sake of their citizens. “The issue here is that we should have paid much more attention to the Indo-Pacific strategy as it emerged,” she said. “And we were not ever consulted by…

Authorities in South Carolina say a former soldier shot and killed three children as they slept in their home while their mother frantically sought help COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A former soldier shot and killed three children as they slept in their South Carolina home Tuesday night while their mother frantically sought help, authorities said. The ex-soldier then killed himself. Charles Slacks Jr. also killed an Army soldier who worked with the children’s mother and happened to be at the home, Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark said at a news conference Wednesday. Slacks and the woman were divorced, but he…