Free Republic

Americans are always worrying about debt: their own and their government’s.This visualization, via Visual Capitalist's Pallavi Rao, maps each state by their household debt-to-income ratios (DTI) in Q1, 2025, revealing which states carry the heaviest burdens and which ones keep borrowing in check.Data for this visualization comes from the Federal Reserve. The highest ratio is visualized per state.ℹ️ Debt includes mortgages, autos, credit cards, etc., and excludes student loans. Income is based on unemployment insurance-covered wages, as reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Which States Carry the Most Debt?Two states share the top spot: Idaho and Hawaii both post a...

An investigation is underway after a customer shot and killed a man inside a Compton store who was reportedly threatening customers after groping a female victim, officials announced. The Oct. 19 incident, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, occurred just before 3:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of Alondra Boulevard, near the intersection of Poinsettia Avenue. A preliminary investigation revealed that an unidentified man followed a female customer into a beauty supply store and groped her, prompting employees at the establishment to demand he leave the premises. “The male became increasingly verbally assaultive toward...

I have met quite a few nice Somalis. But, beyond doubt, I believe that the admission of hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees has been a terrible mistake. There is no definitive count on the precise number of Somali refugees there are here, which in itself is troubling, but living in a Blue city where they make up a significant voting bloc I can tell you that their influence on our politics has been poisonous. Flashback to when Omar Fateh, Democrat mayoral candidate for Minneapolis, bragged about his involvement with the organization, Feeding Our Future, which was recently found guilty...

Some members of Congress are up in arms over a briefing by a senior administration lawyer who told them the Trump administration had no intention of adhering to the War Powers Resolution regarding the ongoing interdiction campaign against Venezuelan drug cartels. According to the Washington Post, T. Elliot Gaiser, head of the Trump administration’s Office of Legal Counsel, said the administration did not believe the strikes met the definition of hostilities under the law and did not intend to seek an extension of the deadline nor Congress’s approval of ongoing action.Heads popped. “The administration appears to be blowing through the...

CLEVELAND, Ohio — In an effort to stem its ballooning charity care costs, MetroHealth on Thursday launched a new financial assistance policy that eliminates 100% free charity care for some uninsured and underinsured Cuyahoga County residents, the health system said Thursday. MetroHealth is also encouraging such patients to enroll in health insurance during fall open enrollment periods. Under MetroHealth’s new financial assistance policy, now called its Healthcare Access and Assistance Plan, patients get higher discounts on their medical bills if they also seek counseling from MetroHealth’s financial counselors. Hardest hit by the changes are Cuyahoga County residents earning between 251%...

On Friday's episode of "Real Time," host Bill Maher said he was fearful that the Democratic Party is becoming a "ghost brand," drawing a comparison between the party's waning popularity and the downfall of former department store giant, Sears. "The cautionary tale of the ghost brand is an important one because it applies not only to business but also to politics. I fear the Democratic Party is at risk of becoming a ghost brand too," he warned. "Like Sears, it used to be mighty and ascendant and popular." Maher described a ghost brand as "a company or a store that,...

Election integrity was a key element in President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign. In March of 2025, shortly after resuming office, President Trump signed an executive order (EO) intended to increase election security and assure election integrity in American elections. A key component of that EO was the requirement for voters to provide proof of citizenship, establishing that they are eligible to cast their vote in federal elections, before being allowed to cast a ballot. That doesn't seem an unreasonable requirement, unless you're a Democrat. A U.S. District judge has now overturned that provision of the president's order. Donald Trump’s request...

Tucker Carlson markets his reporting as "real journalism." Yet while he didn't go completely off the deep end in his recent so-called 9/11 documentary, he fell in with big-name grifters who ignore the facts that destroy their 9/11 conspiracy theories. He did little to further serious inquiry into how government agencies and officials failed to thwart the attacks. Carlson proclaims the 9/11 Commission Report "is a complete joke" and demands a second commission as if it would somehow be "bipartisan" and not another "cover up." Tucker did some covering up of his own. In August, it was widely reported that...

[ CYPHER CODE #135 ] These sworn enemies share one goal: destroy the West. [ CYPHER CODE #136 ] Equality’s a joke when violence gets a pass. [ CYPHER CODE #137 ] Victims only matter when they’re useful. BRIEFING Jett here. There’s a video making the rounds out of the UK. It’s one of those clips that reminds you how broken everything’s become. Migrant men on one side, trans on the other, and in the middle is a society too polarized, confused, and afraid of the truth to say a word about it. Let’s get into it. If you missed...

Judge James Boasberg's chickens may finally be coming home to roost. The Obama-nominated chief judge of the United States District Court for D.C. now faces impeachment articles that Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Tex.) filed, thanks to explosive revelations surrounding Operation Arctic Frost—a coordinated effort that saw 197 subpoenas unleashed against Republicans in Congress and citizens during the Biden administration. The specifics make your blood boil. Then-Special Counsel Jack Smith sought Sen. Ted Cruz's communications from AT&T, and Boasberg rubber-stamped the request. But here's where it gets really ugly: Boasberg issued an order explicitly prohibiting AT&T from notifying Cruz that his records...

It's time to confront an uncomfortable truth: unchecked Islamic expansion poses an existential threat to Western civilization. Islam operates less as a religion and more as a totalitarian ideology cloaked in faith, demanding submission while rejecting assimilation. This "religion of intolerance" fosters violence and cultural conquest, exploiting democratic openness to erode the very freedoms that enable it. Islam is the world's fastest-growing faith -- surging by 347 million adherents from 2010 to 2020 alone, outpacing all others combined. Action is imperative to safeguard our heritage. By 2050, Muslims will number nearly 2.8 billion, comprising 30% of the global population, up...

Stacy Cox used one word repeatedly as she described how she felt after learning her ACA premium could jump over 300% without the enhanced tax credits: "devastating." "I don't know if I've ever cried opening a letter from an insurance or before, but it happened this time," she told ABC News. Cox's premium this year has been $495.32 for coverage for her and her husband. Without the credit in 2026, she was informed that it's increasing to $2,168.68. "It's devastating because we can't afford that," she said. "Just that bill right there, that's more than our mortgage, our insurance, most...

The Qatari regime is due to soon fall apart, even as its influence reaches far abroad, including to the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, Qatari dissident Khalid al-Hail told Maariv in an interview published on Saturday. The "regime in Doha is on the verge of collapse and won't last many more years," he told the Israeli outlet. Hail is a human rights activist and has previously been imprisoned in Qatar. When asked to elaborate on his belief that the Qatari government would collapse, Hail said, “It won’t hold for many more years. There will certainly be a fundamental change; not only do...

Democrats, especially Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, continually advocate for single-payer (taxpayer-funded) health care, proclaiming that health care is a human right. No one wants to see people suffer from untreated ailments, and it's indisputable that health care costs are skyrocketing. But conservatives argue that relief lies in free-market principles prioritizing innovation, choice, and efficiency. In contrast, proponents of socialized medicine -- often cloaked as "Medicare for All" -- insist it will deliver affordable, universal coverage. History and data paint a far grimmer picture: ballooning costs, endless wait times, rationed care, and needless suffering.Our own Medicaid program and failed experiments...

JK Rowling has accused Glamour Magazine of 'telling girls that men are better women than they are' after the publication named nine trans activists their 'Women of the Year'. The Harry Potter author, 60, who has been outspoken against transgender rights, took to social media to complain about the event, billed to celebrate 'the world's most extraordinary women—trailblazers, rule breakers, visionaries, and champions'. Sharing a picture of the nine women, Ms Rowling wrote: 'I grew up in an era when mainstream women's magazines told girls they needed to be thinner and prettier.

In 2016, journalist Del Bigtree issued a challenge to the head of infectious disease at one of the most prestigious medical institutions in the world: conduct the most thorough vaxxed vs. unvaxxed study that has ever been done. The expert took up the challenge and ran the study to prove Del wrong. That study never saw the light of day because the result was not the result desired by the pharmaceutical industry. The gold-standard of drug safety testing is the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. No vaccine has ever been subjected to a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The pharmaceutical industry refuses...

RESERVATIONS Recently, someone stopped by my office, handed me two sheets of paper, and said something to the effect of, "You're always sharing something with people; here's something for you." Then he was gone. Like so many encounters we have along life's way, this one was brief. But it left a lasting impression...and brightened my whole day. The article is definitely a "keeper". Originally written by Jonathan Lee for the Washington Post, it is entitled "Reservations of an Airline Agent". I've abbreviated it due to limited space, but the point is unchanged. Enjoy! "I work in the central reservation...

With an epic rhetorical flourish, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) blasted the Democrats for a 29-day shutdown, rejecting 14 clean continuing resolutions (CRs) that would fund the troops, SNAP, WIC, TSA, air traffic controllers, and nuclear defense workers. Supporting his argument, he noted that a recent poll found that 70%+ of the public feels that Democrats are out of touch and stated that major unions, such as the AFGE and Teamsters, are urging Democrats to reopen government. Additionally, he slammed the SNAP-only lawsuit a “scam” to prolong pain for political leverage against the “far left.” Starting his comments, the speaker of...

SUMMARY Emergency services have been called after "multiple people" were stabbed on a train travelling in Cambridgeshire Two people have been arrested, Cambridgeshire Police say - pictures show them responding to the scene at Huntingdon station There are no fatalities, but ten people are in hospital - with nine believed to have life-threatening injuries - according to British Transport Police The train involved was the 18:25 service from Doncaster to London King's Cross An eyewitness told the BBC they saw a man bolting down the carriage with a bloody arm, saying "they've got a knife, run", and a man collapsed...

Every fall, Americans are plunged into darkness an hour earlier when the clocks turn back at the end of daylight saving time. Many see the beginning of standard time as a mild annoyance. Sun lovers view it as the unfortunate start to a season of afternoon sunsets. Parents, as I can now attest, experience it as sleep-wrecking proof that the human construct of time is no match for the anarchy of toddlerdom. But I am convinced that our annual “fall back” is something worse than all of these things: not just an inconvenience, but an act of state-sponsored voter suppression.