Free Republic

America’s homeowners associations are running out of money — and patience. Amid rising insurance premiums, drained reserve funds and increased safety measures in the wake of the Surfside condominium collapse, the country’s hundreds of thousands of homeowners associations are cracking down on delinquent residents. Even more startling, HOAs are skipping grace periods and handing delinquent accounts over to attorneys. **SNIP** Besides delinquencies, costs have been rising for HOAs in insurance premiums, staffing, lawn care and materials. The annual insurance premium at one Long Island HOA surged to $360,000 from $60,000. Plus, there’s the expense of meeting stricter safety measures, which...

A socialist pol who is a shoo-in to represent part of Queens in the state Assembly whipped out his tin cup to beg the public to help pay his personal bills while he waits out the November elections, The Post has learned. Brian Romero — a former legislative aide hoping to succeed his ex-boss Jessica González-Rojas, who is headed to the State Senate — is already confronting his first self-inflicted budget crisis. The problem isn’t that the rent is too damn high — it’s that he doesn’t have a job to pay it. He set up a GoFundMe campaign to...

A social media-savvy Louisiana pastor and author was convicted of stealing over $340,000 from his congregations to fund his gambling and personal expenses.Dale Sanders, 56, was found guilty of a 25-count indictment charging him with wire fraud, access device fraud, and obstruction of a federal investigation after a five-day jury trial last week, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Sanders, of Kenner, withdrew funds held in one church’s bank accounts and ltransferred them to his own pocket to subsidize his lavish personal expenditures — including gambling, dining, and living expenses, prosecutors said. Sanders worked...

A terror group from Egypt told the FBI it was responsible for downing TWA Flight 800 and killing all 230 people aboard, according to newly surfaced FBI records featured in a new documentary marking the 30th anniversary of the tragedy. An explosive claim buried in a trove of newly obtained Freedom of Information Act documents is reviving decades-old questions about whether a missile or bomb brought down the Boeing 747-100 off Long Island on July 17, 1996. Among the records obtained by the transparency nonprofit Judicial Watch is a New York teletype dated two days after the crash, case file...

More than $107 million in opioid settlement money sent to local governments from 2023 to 2025 went unspent. New Mexico State Auditor Joseph Maestas said his office’s report shows counties and cities had not used most of the money from lawsuits against drug companies, distributors and pharmacies over their alleged role in the opioid epidemic. The report analyzed spending from Fiscal Year 2023 through 2025. Fiscal year 2026 is currently underway. “This is New Mexico’s opportunity to begin addressing it (opioid crisis) across the entire state and at this point we’re not doing the best job and we need to...

I hesitated to make this post. I've been watching along the sidelines the past 2.5 months, waiting to see what happens to this website. Free Republic relies on donations to keep itself operational, but, more and more, it looks like this quarterly donation period will not reach its goal. My question then is, "then what?" Let's face it, financial times are hard. People are not able to donate as they once did. In addition, many of the old guard have passed on to their rewards. And there are other reasons, to be sure. At the end of the day, I...

Graham Platner announced he is "suspending my campaign to be the next US Senator from Maine. Despite winning the Democratic primary last month with 150,000 votes--more than any other candidate in Maine's history--wealthy donors are demanding I step aside. The campaign of smears--that I am a Nazi, that I sent unsolicited photos of my penis to women, that I sexually abused other women--failed to deter voters from choosing me to be the Party's nominee. Now these potential donors are saying they won't provide any money for my campaign to continue to November. They will only donate if another person is...

Sir Keir Starmer announced in September that all UK citizens are to have mandatory ID to prove their right to live and work in the country. People in India, who have had digital IDs for years, tell Sky's Sam Coates how they work their country.

They’re flipping off social media. Nostalgic ’80s tech firm Commodore is hoping to combat tech addiction by releasing a retro flip phone that banishes social media apps. Dubbed the Commodore Callback 8020, this vintage phone reboot is billed as a “retreat from Black Mirror technology” designed to “help you spend less time staring at a screen,” per the blog. This throwback perhaps marks a fitting release for a nostalgic company that kickstarted the personal computer revolution of the 1980s and released the Commodore 64 — the best-selling PC of all time. The Callback, which will be available later this year,...

*** Key administration officials are pushing the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design a $250 banknote with Trump’s image, the Washington Post reported. Should the Treasury Department move ahead with the plan, it would mark the first time a living person’s face was slapped on a greenback since 1866. The $250 note would be a nod to America’s 250th birthday*** Under the Thayer Amendment, which passed in 1866, it is illegal to put the likeness of a living person on official US currency, bonds, or other financial notes. Nonetheless, US Treasurer Brandon Beach and his top adviser,...

Sri Lanka's central bank stunned markets by raising its benchmark policy rate by an outsized 100 basis points on Tuesday, as policymakers scrambled to stem inflation and support a currency buckling under soaring energy prices. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka CBSL) raised the overnight policy rate to 8.75 per cent from 7.75 per cent, blaming higher inflation and a depreciating rupee due to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Seven out of a dozen economists and analysts polled by Reuters had forecast only a 25 basis-point or slightly higher change to the rate, citing the deepening impact on foreign reserves...

AwakenedOutlaw⚒️ repostedMike Davis@mrddmiaJustice is coming for lawfare Democrats.I've said it on over 5,000 media hits.I know it's slower than we'd like, but it's coming.A special grand jury is seated in Fort Pierce.Subpoenas are going out.Joe diGenova is on board.Jason Reding Quiñones has 15 people on his team and growing.Comey. Brennan. Clapper. Blinken. Sullivan. Jack Smith.What these lawfare Democrats did was republic-ending, unacceptable, and inexcusable.And they will be held accountable.So this never happens again.Thanks for having me, @JoeTalkShowMay 21, 2026.

I currently have a credit union account I’ve had for 20 years. Within the last year they are scamming us members with this SAVVY MONEY crap. Back in November my account started to get emails welcoming me. They claim I signed up. Had to threaten credit union managers to get rid of this invasion of my trust. Then in Feburary I had to reset my wife’s password online. Within 30 minutes, she started getting the welcome messages. It took 3 heads to roll to stop this. What can be done ? This is Florida SACFCU.

It struck me earlier today that I have NOT written a regular check in years. Yes, I have written a few bank checks but as far as personal checks I can't think of any that I have written any in at least 5 and more likely 10 or more years. At one time in my life and in the lives of many others, writing checks were a frequent activity. However, after the onset of the Internet and doing transactions over the web my check writing activities dwindled further and further until it has reached ZERO except for the few times...

Talk about some dirty diamonds. A descendant of the Cartier jewelry dynasty was sentenced to eight years in federal prison after confessing to running an unlicensed cryptocurrency exchange that laundered more than $470 million in drug trafficking proceeds. Maximilien de Hoop Cartier, a resident of France who moonlights as a singer under the name “Max Cartier,” was sentenced in Manhattan federal court Tuesday after pleading guilty in October to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Cartier, 58, funneled the money through a web of US shell companies disguised as fake software and tech firms —...

Ilhan Omar is claiming the $30 million “error” on her congressional financial disclosures was a simple mistake — but lawmakers aren’t buying it. They point to the Democratic firebrand and her current husband’s curious history of making money conveniently appear and disappear when it suits them, at least on paper. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said Omar could be hit with felony charges if she is found to have lied about the cash. Minnesota Rep. Omar’s financial disclosures for 2024, filed last year, initially valued her husband Tim Mynett’s businesses at between $6 million and $30 million. This...

Jill Biden bid a whopping $35,000 for a cameo in Season 2 of “Heated Rivalry,” but was outbid by some more diehard fans of the show. The former first lady tried her luck at securing a walk-on role on the HBO Max sports romance during the NYC LGBT Center’s annual Center Dinner gala Thursday night. “Dr Jill Biden was a surprise guest tonight – and just bid $35k for a walk on [sic] role in Heated Rivalry season 2!” former Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Versha Sharma tweeted after the event. However, the 74-year-old educator was ultimately outbid by $90,000. “Final winners...

A generally good summary into some of the financial issues happening in the background of the dire Straits of Hormuz. Susan Kokinda highlights UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer declining to join an American blockade and claims Britain has lost control of the choke point. She details financial actions targeting Iranian money flows, including UAE arrests of IRGC-linked money changers, Treasury Secretary Bessent using Patriot Act Section 311 against a Zurich bank, and scrutiny of London-based crypto exchanges and Santander UK. She cites a UK military chief admitting Britain’s war planning has lapsed since the Cold War and links fuel disruptions...

Greece is ushering in a significant overhaul of its rental system, with new legislation set to eliminate cash rent payments entirely and move all transactions into the banking system. From April 1, 2026, tenants across the country will be required to pay rent exclusively through electronic means, in a move designed to improve transparency, combat undeclared income, and bring the housing market in line with modern financial practices. End of cash-in-hand rent The new rules mean that cash payments between tenants and landlords will no longer be legally recognised under any circumstances. Whether renting a city apartment, a holiday home,...

An Iranian negotiating delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqher Ghalibaf arrived in Islamabad Friday ahead of Saturday’s peace talks with the United States, which Ghalibaf demanded accept Iran’s “preconditions” before talks could begin. Speaking from Islamabad, Ghalibaf claimed Iran had goodwill toward negotiations but no trust in the United States, adding that the Islamic Republic was ready to reach a deal if Washington offered what he described as a genuine agreement and granted Iran its rights, Iranian state media reported. Ghalibaf stated earlier that Tehran’s demands include a ceasefire in Lebanon, which Iran and mediating Pakistan have stated was...