Free Republic

Social Security is barreling toward a 24% across-the-board benefit cut in 2032 that would slash roughly $500 a month from the average retiree's check — a hit that totals about $345 billion a year nationwide, according to a first-of-its-kind report from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a Washington fiscal watchdog. Yet as that fiscal cliff draws closer, the Trump administration is simultaneously pushing Wall Street-style Trump Accounts and quietly reshaping the Social Security Administration in ways that already make it harder for millions to access disability benefits. The group warns that without congressional action, "no state would be...

Glyphosate-based formulations (GBFs), such as Roundup, are the most heavily used herbicides in the world. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that glyphosate and GBFs are probably carcinogenic to humans, mainly for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)... In 2021, the French Institute of Health and Medical Research... also found that many studies demonstrated genotoxic damage (DNA breaks or structural changes) consistent with the induction of oxidative stress by glyphosate/GBFs, sometimes at exposure levels experienced by human populations... In a recent study of Thai farmers, a high frequency (97.6%) of those spraying GBFs with backpack sprayers had high...

Who will stop the Rain-ier? Scientists are warning that Washington’s Mount Rainier could unleash a catastrophic mudslide that has the potential to devastate three large towns within minutes. Often considered the crown jewel of Washington postcards, the over 14,000-foot-tall mountain is deemed the most dangerous in the US due to its towering height, frequent earthquakes, and precarious location upstream of a population center with over 100,000 people. While there is no evidence Rainier is about to blow its stack, magma is not the most dangerous fallout from the Cascade range’s preeminent volcano.

Scroll through any social media platform long enough and you’ll notice something that doesn’t quite add up. The same talking points, phrasing, and sudden outrage cycles are appearing across completely different audiences at the same time. It feels coordinated. And that’s because it often is. Foreign adversaries have turned modern technology into a new kind of warfare, one the United States hasn’t fully named, hasn’t clearly assigned ownership of, and isn’t yet equipped to fight at the speed it’s being waged. This is something more insidious than traditional espionage: the deliberate, systematic manipulation of how millions of Americans perceive reality—their...

Scientists are warning that the collapse of Antarctica’s massive “doomsday glacier” could eventually redraw large parts of America’s coastline, threatening major cities from Florida to California with severe flooding and rising seas. Researchers say the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is becoming increasingly unstable, raising fears that its eventual collapse could contribute to dramatic long-term sea level rise. While the glacier itself could add around 65 centimeters (roughly 2 feet) to global sea levels, some scientists worry it could destabilize much larger sections of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet—potentially contributing to sea level rise approaching 3 meters (nearly 10 feet)...

At least 131 people are believed to have died and 531 infected in the outbreak, according to health authorities in central Africa. An American missionary was among those who tested positive for the deadly disease. VIDEO AT LINK.......... The death toll from an Ebola outbreak in central Africa rose sharply Tuesday, with the head of the World Health Organization expressing concern over the “scale and speed of the epidemic.” At least 131 people are believed to have died and 531 suspected to have been infected in the latest outbreak, according to the Congolese Health Ministry. An American missionary was among...

Sleep is critical to being in good health, regulating how people think and informing everything from mood to physical health. But the country’s lack of sleep is a problem for everyone, even for those lucky Americans who are able to get enough shut-eye. In addition to individual health, insufficient sleep creates a drag on medical spending, workplace productivity, and long-term health outcomes. America’s chronic inability to get enough sleep comes with a real cost attached, one that researchers have put in the hundreds of billions of dollars in annual economic losses. The other culprit is the thing that makes the...

The Russians have developed the most sophisticated nuclear missile in the history of the world by a very wide margin, and it is specifically designed to be used in a future nuclear war with the United States. The RS-28 Sarmat is an intercontinental ballistic missile that has a maximum speed of approximately 15,500 miles per hour. It is 116 feet tall, and that makes it roughly as tall as a ten story building. It can carry up to 10 metric tons of thermonuclear warheads, and those warheads can destroy an area the size of the state of Texas. We have...

Michigan Republican Senate candidate and former House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers outlined his view of the state’s political landscape during a radio interview, as host Matthew Boyle described the race as “arguably the number one Republican pickup opportunity anywhere in America.” Appearing on Breitbart News Saturday, Rogers pointed to what he described as a shift within the Democrat field, citing recent convention activity and campaign rhetoric. “They’ve all got huge problems here,” he said, adding that some candidates are “very interested in owning grocery stores and owning every bit of your health care.”

The largest oil shock in history caused prices to surge. Now they're so high that they may be causing "demand destruction." That would mean slower economic growth. Oil prices have started to slip — but not necessarily for reasons that suggest a return to market normalcy. The International Energy Agency said Tuesday that “demand destruction” has begun to unfold. As a result of the acute energy commodity shortages stemming from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, oil appears to have reached a point where it is now so expensive that overseas businesses and households have begun curbing investment and...

Key points: >Consumer confidence plunged to a record low in April as fears mounted over rising energy prices and the broader impact of the Iran war, according to a University of Michigan survey. >The drop in sentiment coincided with a sharp spike in inflation expectations, with respondents seeing prices up 4.8% in a year from now, a full percentage point rise from the March reading. Consumer confidence plunged to a record low in April as fears mounted over rising energy prices and the broader impact of the Iran war, according to a University of Michigan survey Friday. The university’s headline...

Jamie Dimon has issued a stark warning that the Iran war could send inflation surging again and deal a fresh blow to financial markets. The JPMorgan boss said rising oil and commodity prices risk pushing up the cost of living - and forcing interest rates higher just as Americans were hoping for relief. That combination could hit everything from mortgage rates to stock portfolios.For households, that means higher prices at the gas pump, in grocery stores and across everyday essentials as rising energy costs ripple through the economy. It could also spell trouble for retirement savings, with Dimon warning that...

“I drive about 30, 40 miles a day, so I’m looking at $92, almost $100 in gas prices,” Mr. Harvey said. “So I’m like, maybe I should trade in my car and get something electric for the time being.” several brands have reported an uptick in electric vehicle sales in the opening months of 2026. Tesla has reported a modest year-over-year increase in sales, and Hyundai and General Motors’ Cadillac division have also seen electric car sales increase. You didn’t have to go far from the auto show on Saturday to see why drivers are showing a renewed interest in...

This seminar ended at 5 pm yesterday. Key Bank is supposed to be putting an active link at the Source URL some 24-48 hours later. I about fell of my chair when one of their four member team of experts explained why he felt NATO was reluctant, even resistant to contributing any support for reopening the Strait of Hormuz:There is a fear that Iran and its proxies will retaliate by sending more refugees over its borders.

Oil surged 10% Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump warned of further military aggression against Iran in the next two to three weeks, dampening hopes for an imminent de-escalation in the conflict. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for May were up 10% at $110.21 a barrel as of 8:13 a.m. ET. June futures for international benchmark Brent crude rose 8% to $109.25 per barrel. Trump in his speech attributed the increase in oil prices to the “Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict.” He said...

AIRLINES are heading into summer with a brutal fuel shock that is already forcing fare hikes, route cuts and fresh fears of travel chaos. A fast-moving supply squeeze has sent jet fuel prices soaring and rattled carriers on both sides of the Atlantic. In the US, big airlines are already scrambling as costs surge, and executives warn the hit could last well beyond the busy travel season. The Argus US Jet Fuel Index, an industry benchmark tracking wholesale jet fuel prices, climbed to $4.57 a gallon on March 27. Meanwhile, the spot price for jet fuel in the US, the...

The month-long closure of a crucial waterway for the global energy supply has sparked warnings the world is heading for problems worse than those caused by the 1970s oil crisis. Lars Jensen, a shipping expert and former director at Maersk, told the BBC the impact of the US-Israeli war on Iran could be "substantially larger" than the economic chaos seen in the 1970s. His comments follow a warning from the director of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, earlier this month that the world is "facing the greatest global energy security threat in history". "It is much bigger than what...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian-backed Houthi rebels entered the month-old war in the Middle East on Saturday, claiming two missile launches at Israel. About 2,500 U.S. Marines arrived in the region. And Pakistan’s government said that regional powers plan to meet Sunday to discuss how to end the fighting.

A new COVID-19 variant, BA.3.2, has been detected in 25 states, according to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new variant was first found in South Africa in November 2024 and has since spread to at least 23 countries; it accounts for 30% of current COVID-19 cases in certain parts of Europe.

Major disruptions in Qatar (15% of global LNG) and Australia have triggered a severe natural gas shortage, far worse than the oil shock. Gas prices have spiked sharply (Asia +143%, Europe +85%), with physical availability becoming a bigger issue than pricing. Countries are reverting to coal, Europe faces energy security risks, and rising gas costs could drive fertilizer shortages and food inflation.