Free Republic

‘They removed the interest-only repayments after several calls were made regarding the balance not being reduced’ Dear Quentin, My dad cosigned for my private Sallie Mae student loan in September 2018. I thought it was a federal loan because I believe they did both types of loans. I started paying back the $153,000 interest-only loan in September 2022, while my dad paid towards the principal and the balance increased. They removed the interest-only repayments after several calls were made regarding the balance not being reduced. My dad is trying to buy a new house, and Sallie Mae will not take...

Tennessee is set for a storm of cicadas not witnessed in more than 200 years. The nosey, red-eyed winged insects hibernate in either 13- or 17-year cycles, but the state will soon be buzzing with both - and experts have predicted there will be one million per acre of land. The infestation will likely see hundreds, if not thousands, of trees 'damaged beyond recovery,' a professor at Tennessee Tech University has warned. The last time these two groups, Brood XIII and Brood XIX, co-emerged was in 1803, the same year as the Louisiana Purchase and when Thomas Jefferson was president.

New Mexico Rep. Stefani Lord has proposed a bill suggesting pedophiles should face the death penalty. Rep. Lord says she was inspired to put forward the bill after the release of hundreds of Jeffrey Epstein documents that revealed the extent to which he abused girls on his Caribbean island, his ranch in her state and around the world. 'When I got elected, I was horrified that every time the legislature tried to pass a soft on crime bill, I would say, ‘Well, can we exempt pedophiles and rapists?’ And every time the Democrats said no,' Lord told Fox News. 'I...

Cannabis users who contracted Covid-19 had better outcomes and reduced mortality compared to people who do not use marijuana, according to new research presented at a conference in Hawaii this week. A presentation on the study, which was conducted through a review of the medical records of more than 320,000 individuals, was delivered on Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) in Honolulu. “Marijuana smokers had better outcomes and mortality compared to non-users,” the authors of the study wrote in their conclusion. “The beneficial effect of marijuana use may be attributed to its potential...

#WalkAway Testimonial: "As a black woman, I was taught my life would be disastrous"

NEW: In overnight DOJ filing, Feds confirm that the TX National Guard “has deployed armed soldiers and vehicles to block federal gov from accessing the river” in Eagle Pass, & TX informed them no BP agents will be allowed to enter Shelby Park “in any operational capacity”. This is a significant escalation by Texas after Feds fought to remove TX water barriers and razor wire, & DOJ is suing TX over its new border security law. This is potentially setting up to be the biggest state vs federal fight in a very long time. Full DOJ filing below 👇🏻

The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to weigh in on whether homeless individuals have the right to camp on public property. The issue is the biggest SCOTUS case in decades on the rights of the homeless, and the decision has the potential to impact how cities across the U.S. handle the homelessness crisis. Grants Pass, located in southwestern Oregon with a population of nearly 40,000, requested that the high court review a lower court decision that ruled it unconstitutional to punish homeless residents for camping on public property when no shelter alternatives are unavailable. According to court filings, there are...

The video begins with DeSantis running into the hotel store in an attempt to avoid Loomer. DeSantis then stands in the store, does not purchase anything, and eventually leaves, reluctantly walking into Loomer’s questioning. ” I confronted DeSantis as he was walking into his hotel, and he hid from me inside the hotel convenience store and used his staffers, including @Kelly_Kundinger, to physically block my body. His staff also shoved me and tugged on my clothing so that DeSantis could get away from me and run into an elevator. But, I didn’t back down!!!!!”

This week it was discovered that the Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis hired her ambulance-chasing paramour Nathan Wade to be the "special prosecutor" of Donald Trump for challenging the state's 2020 reported election results. She authorized payments to him amounting to over $600,000--including billings for 16 hours of consultation with the White House. Most of this money was spent on luxury getaway trysts for the two of them. Willis also secretly met with the House January 6 Committee to obtain "evidence" that did not have to be shared with the people she planned to prosecute because she had...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business; End to Sex Trafficking, Healthcare, Education, Churches, Technology and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His Will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14) I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (Timothy 2:1-2) Religion Forum Threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate...

"Stars could be there, we just can't see them." Hydrogen gas in the primordial galaxy J0613+52 with red indicating regions turning away from Earth and blue showing regions turning toward us (Image credit: STScI POSS-II with additional illustration by NSF/GBO/P.Vosteen.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Astronomers have accidentally discovered a dark galaxy filled with primordial gas untouched that appears to have no visible stars. The researchers behind the discovery say this galaxy, designated J0613+52, could be "the faintest galaxy found to date." Interestingly, scientists using the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) discovered the "dark" galaxy through a complete error. "The GBT was accidentally pointed to...

(Jan. 12, 2024) — Following up on the presidential eligibility posts recently appearing at The P&E here and here, the New York Post – founded, BTW, by Alexander Hamilton in 1801 – has come out and slammed President Trump’s suggestion that Nikki Haley is likely ineligible to the presidency. The Post labels President Trump’s suggestion that Haley is not a “natural born Citizen” (“nbC”) under the Constitution as being “bonkers.” Really? Where to start, where to start? First, President Trump’s post questioned Nikki Haley’s eligibility primarily in terms of her pursuit of the presidency, but it also addressed her likely...

If you’re ready to leave Earth behind and hit the cosmic highway, a new travel calculator designed to help you plot your next distant planetary journey may be able to help. Exoplanet Travel Planner Calculator: https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics/exoplanet-travel-planner From sorting out how long your journey will be to how many books and movies you’ll need to pack, the Exoplanet Travel Planner Calculator is a hilarious tool for your next big space adventure. Interstellar travel remains one of the most ambitious goals of human space exploration. Unlike trips within our solar system, reaching an exoplanet requires crossing vast interstellar distances, often measured in...

Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have identified a novel pharmaceutical compound that successfully kills leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells, potentially paving the way for new forms of therapy. Renato Aguilera, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, is the principal investigator on the project that identified the promising compound, called thiophene F-8. His team's findings were published in the journal PLOS One. "The main goal of my research is to discover new anticancer drugs that can eventually treat distinct cancer types," Aguilera explained. "This research not only had amazing results, it also led to...

You don't have to be an expert volcanologist to figure out that drilling straight into the side of a volcano is a rather ambitious idea. But that's exactly what a team of researchers are planning to do in the next couple of years in Iceland in what would be a scientific first. The aim is to rapidly advance our understanding of how magma behaves underground, and what prompts volcanoes to erupt when they do. At the same time, the team is hopeful of being able to tap into a near-unlimited source of clean energy. This controlled breaching of a magma...

Elysian says the world is vastly underestimating the capabilities of battery-electric airlinersElysian Aircraft A Dutch startup says everyone's hugely underestimating the potential of battery-electric aircraft – that it's possible to build large battery-electric airliners covering distances most assume we'll need hydrogen for. Elysian plans to prove it. The company doesn't believe it'll need some giant leap in batteries to do it, either; it says it can take 90 passengers some 800 km (497 miles) using a pack with 360 Wh/kg. Amprius, meanwhile, was shipping 450-Wh/kg cells back in 2022, and Chinese giant CATL launched a 500-Wh/kg "condensed" battery last year....

WASHINGTON — House Republicans said Friday that Hunter Biden’s offer to testify if they issue him a new subpoena was too little, too late — and vowed to forge ahead with holding him in contempt of Congress unless he immediately sets a date to appear. President Biden’s son waved a white flag in his standoff with House committees leading the impeachment inquiry into his dad for alleged corruption mere days before the full House was expected to hold him in criminal contempt. “While we are heartened that Hunter Biden now says he will comply with a subpoena, make no mistake:...

Claudia Paulk published a book about the trauma she suffered after a coerced abortion. Pregnant With A Baby She Wanted Paulk’s parents were Christians and very active in their church. She became pregnant at 19. Her boyfriend responded with “joy and positive emotions.” They both wanted the baby. A few days after the pregnancy test, the couple went out. Paulk says: It was one of the only wonderful memories I had of my pregnancy because it was the last time I was joyful about becoming a mother. For a moment, everything seemed blissful as I felt confident about my life...

ATLANTA — The Georgia judge overseeing the criminal election interference case against former president Donald Trump and allies said he planned to schedule a hearing next month on a motion seeking to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis amid claims she had an improper personal relationship with a special prosecutor she appointed to the case. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee said during a Friday hearing that he was first waiting to see a response from Willis to misconduct allegations leveled in a Monday court filing by Mike Roman, one of Trump’s remaining 14 co-defendants in the...

Thursday’s retaliatory attacks by U.S. and British forces on Iranian-backed Houthis inside Yemen have prompted support and condemnation from the international community. The retaliation follows weeks of Houthi attacks against vessels in the Red Sea. U.S. defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. and British attacks were launched from fighter jets, surface vessels and submarines. The attacks were carried out with the help of Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Bahrain. In a statement, a NATO spokesperson said the “strikes were defensive and designed to preserve freedom of navigation in one of the world's most vital waterways.” Likewise,...