Free Republic

Edra Denise Blixseth, age 55, is tiny, barely 5 feet 3, but she is at the center of a huge financial mess. According to personal bankruptcy papers her lawyer filed in March, she owes $500 million to $1 billion and has assets of barely half that, almost none of them liquid. Earlier this month, the court approved the sale of one of her most prized possessions - the private ski resort in Big Sky, Mont., known as the Yellowstone Club - to the private-equity firm of one of its members for $115 million. Just a year ago, that same buyer,...

In becoming the nation's top-rated cable news network, Fox News Channel was helped by millions of conservative viewers who tuned in to watch the likes of Bill O'Reilly, Tony Snow and Cal Thomas. But to win a ratings war in Washington, Fox-parent News Corp. is counting on the support of some unlikely allies: Democrats. News Corp. is quietly courting Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill to block a new local-TV ratings system that lowers ratings for many of its stations. The company contends the new ratings system, launched by Nielsen Media Research in four major television markets last year, greatly undercounts...

What do Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Brit Hume have in common? They all work under a Democratic fund-raiser. Peter Chernin, president and chief operating officer of the News Corporation, parent of the Fox Network, has made contributions to John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. "I don't think it's any secret that I am a Democratic supporter," Mr. Chernin said. He has some company. Gary L. Ginsberg, an executive vice president of News Corporation, has also contributed to Mr. Kerry. News Corporation is "a company with diverse interests," Mr. Chernin said. Perhaps more diverse than many Democrats imagined. As...