Free Republic

Roughly 42% of younger working Americans — spanning Gen Z, millennials and Gen X — report having no spare savings after covering their basic living expenses, according to the analysis, which surveyed about 3,600 workers and 1,500 retirees. Among those just getting by, about three-quarters said they are struggling to save for retirement, the survey found. The share of U.S. workers in this precarious financial position has grown significantly since 1997, when 31% lived paycheck to paycheck, according to Goldman. The investment bank projects that figure could climb to well over half of Americans by 2033 as essentials like housing...

Oct 3 (Reuters) - Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of U.S. President Donald Trump's Gaza proposal, and signalled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.

Milwaukee Public Schools announced in September that it would stop hiring new international teachers to help fill desperately needed empty positions. The change comes after the Trump administration announced it is overhauling the H-1B visa program, which MPS uses to fill the jobs. The H-1B program is designed to help U.S. employers hire international applicants to work in specialized industries like tech, education and engineering. The visa is limited to about three years and can be renewed. Among the changes is a hike in the fee for new applications to $100,000. Previously, it cost an employer around $3,000 to hire...

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with 33-year-old Shreya Mishra Reddy, a technical program manager at Visa based in Austin. Business Insider has verified Reddy's employment, immigration status, and unsuccessful H-1B attempts. The following has been edited for length and clarity. I never dreamed of living in the US. I grew up in India and wanted to stay close to my parents. In December 2021, I moved to the States for a Master's program in engineering management at Duke University. After I graduated in 2022, I got a job at Visa as a technical program manager in 2023....

11 Colorado stores will stay open for Taylor Swift’s midnight album release by: Heather Willard Posted: Oct 2, 2025 DENVER (KDVR) — All the world’s a stage, and Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” is releasing at midnight Friday in select stores. The hype around Swift’s new album has grown to “new heights,” especially after she announced her engagement to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on his podcast New Heights. This is Swift’s 12th studio album, coming after her massively popular Eras Tour swept the globe, and her show in Denver was so large it could be...

The federal electric vehicle (EV) tax credit expires at midnight, ending a 17-year policy pillar that helped close the price gap with gasoline vehicles and turbocharged adoption; the immediate fallout is likely softer demand, leaner EV production, and a strategic pivot by legacy automakers toward hybrids and profitable ICE (internal combustion engine) nameplates, while stopgap leasing workarounds cushion some of the blow. The end of the subsidy is a structural shock already rippling upstream: Battery makers face a growing U.S. surplus and shelved factory plans, undermining stated reshoring ambitions and setting up a whipsaw risk of future shortages if capacity...

The FBI said Wednesday it had cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish group that tracks antisemitism, after Republicans criticized the group for including slain activist Charlie Kirk's organization in a glossary on extremism. In a social media post, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau "won't partner with political fronts masquerading as watchdogs." The ADL did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was not immediately clear what sort of ties the FBI had with the ADL. Patel's announcement followed criticism of the ADL by conservatives, including billionaire Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr., over...

After US President Donald Trump and Congress failed to reach a funding deal by Wednesday's deadline, the government shutdown began. As a result, hundreds of thousands of federal employees face furloughs, and many offices will be closed. H-1B visas will also face a pause until the shutdown ends, says immigration attorney Nicole Gunara. She said that H-1B visa filings will not be processed until the Congress can agree on federal funding allocations.

OAN says government shutting down; Senate Democrats won't cave

Thousands of young Indians have mapped their adult lives with the aim of moving to the US, plans that now lie in tatters. Meghna Gupta* had planned it all – a master’s degree by 23, a few years of working in India, and then a move to the United States before she turned 30 to eventually settle there. So, she clocked countless hours at the Hyderabad office of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest IT firm and a driver of the country’s emergence as the global outsourcing powerhouse in the sector. She waited to get to the promotion that would...

Several Indian students who secured job offers in the United States have seen their offers withdrawn after US President Donald Trump announced the $1,00,000 H-1B visa policy. Under the new rule, US employers who are looking to sponsor H-1B visas should pay a one-time fee of $1,00,000, which many companies now cite as a reason to back out. Thousands of students, who are currently on F-1 visas, wanted to bag a job in the United States and obtain an H-1B visa. But with the new rules and skyhigh price on the visa, the companies are reluctant to pay the amount,...

Donald Trump just pulled off a political maneuver that has Democrats reeling — and, frankly, they should be. With a potential government shutdown looming on September 30, the Trump administration has made it clear that if Congress can’t pass a clean Continuing Resolution to keep the government running, federal workers could be facing mass firings. Not furloughs. Firings. Real jobs on the line. For years, Democrats thought they could weaponize shutdowns as a way to extract concessions from Republicans. Now, Trump has flipped the script by putting the pressure right back where it belongs: on them. The House passed a...

The U.S. Treasury announced on Wednesday it will grant a full-on bailout for Argentina, which includes the purchase of the country’s USD bonds, a stand-by credit line, and a US$20 billion swap with the Central Bank. “The Trump Administration is resolute in our support for allies of the United States, and President Trump has given President Milei a rare endorsement of a foreign official, showing his confidence in his government’s economic plans and the geopolitical strategic importance of the relationship between the United States and Argentina,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent posted on X.

A mix of high borrowing costs, dwindling job openings and growing economic and political uncertainty have left many U.S. households at a standstill, with many Americans saying they feel unable to buy new homes, take new jobs or move to new cities. The Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut last week — the first of the year, with the expectation that more will follow — may have boosted stock prices, but it isn’t likely to make much of a difference to everyday Americans, economists say. While the economy is generally in good shape, many people feel stuck. “Consumers have been increasingly...

President Donald Trump on Friday rolled out a version of his administration’s long-promised gold card, a $1 million fast-track for wealthy foreigners to live and work in the United States. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in a call later with reporters, said the gold card will replace the current EB-1 and EB-2 visa programs for people who are of “exceptional value” to the United States. He said the administration expects to initially make 80,000 gold cards available but will continue to evaluate the model and could eventually phase out other visas.

The CDC panel voted to change the universal guidance, which previously recommended the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine for most adults, but Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr still needs to sign off on the change. he Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine advisory board on Friday voted unanimously to end the universal recommendation that Americans receive a COVID-19 shot, in favor of individual guidance. The vote occurred on the second day of the panel's vaccine meeting, where they are also expected to weigh in on recommendations for the measles vaccine and Hepatitis. The panel already voted...

Donald J. Trump Truth Social 09.16.25 08:26 PM ESTI am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be…— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) September 18, 2025

A US immigration judge orders the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, an anti-Israel protest leader at Columbia University in New York City. Khalil became a high-profile figure after his arrest by the Trump administration in March. He has waged a legal battle against deportation since then. The immigration judge in one of his case, Jamee Comans, orders Khalil be deported to Algeria or Syria.

“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from.” “And in between the finger pointing there was grieving. On Friday the White House flew the flags at half staff which got some criticism, but on a human level you can see how hard the president is taking this.” ~~ video clip of President Trump ~~ “Gotcha. He’s at the fourth stage of grief, construction [audience laughs, applauds]...demolition...construction.” [at the White...

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — A federal appeals court rejected on Tuesday a transgender Houston County deputy's lawsuit over the county's health insurance policy, claiming the policy's provision denying coverage for sex change surgeries amounted to sex discrimination. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the provision did not discriminate on the basis of sex but instead denied specific medical treatment. The case centers on Anna Lange, who joined the Houston County Sheriff's Office in 2006 and transitioned from male to female in 2017. But the problem began when Lange asked the insurance company administering the Houston County health plan...