Free Republic

Every day brings a constant barrage of news and social media. The access is great — it's never been easier to stay informed about what's going on in the world around you. In turn, being informed on current events helps you stay connected to the world. But unending access to information often comes at a high price: your mental health. Take these steps to stay informed — and keep your mental wellness intact. Be selective with news coverage. Choose one or two sources you trust.

RealPage, Inc., a real estate software and data analytics company, is facing class action litigation and a federal investigation over whether it is facilitating a data-driven rental property cartel with landlords and property managers, driving up the prices renters pay each month.

Proptech company RealPage won’t be able to turn the page on its software controversy anytime soon. A class-action lawsuit filed by a University of Washington student accused RealPage of colluding with student housing providers to inflate rent, Multifamily Dive reported. The lawsuit, filed last month, names a number of prominent multifamily landlords, including Greystar and Cushman & Wakefield. The plaintiff alleges collusion in popular college towns, such as Ann Arbor and Gainesville. The lawsuit claimed operators had the ability to collaborate and track competitors’ rents through the RealPage platform.

Biden 'must secure our border': El Paso County judge candidate sounds off on migrant crisis Hannah Ray Lambert Sun, October 2, 2022, 12:00 AM·3 min read As El Paso County continues to grapple with a surge of migrants crossing the southern border, a candidate for county judge said the government shouldn't use local tax dollars to "process federal failures." "The federal government must secure our border," said Guadalupe Giner, who is running as an Independent. "They put this burden on El Paso County. And for whatever reason, the county has decided to open a processing center." The El Paso County...

The council two weeks ago approved a $2 million on-call bus services contract, which is proving insufficient as the city already shelled out $1.8 million for 81 charter bus departures as of September 21. The bus money, just like the $17,790 the city is spending every night in hotel rooms and the 22,245 meals served to migrants so far, is coming from the city's general fund. In addition, the city has committed 125 municipal employees to address the crisis, including 50 who are “embedded” at immigrant advocacy nonprofits that cannot find enough volunteers. The city’s total expenses on migrants stand...

The City of El Paso, Texas is getting flooded with 900 immigrants a day, according to officials, who said they’ve been forced to bus many of them out of town over an inability to handle the mass migration. The crisis in El Paso came to a boiling point Tuesday night when city leaders were told by federal immigration officials that 500 asylum-seeking immigrants from Venezuela made up of women and children would be released into the streets unless the city could house them. “This number was going to be above and beyond what our local [shelter] was prepared to take,”...

The home of a Las Vegas county administrative official was raided by cops Wednesday in connection with the fatal stabbing of local investigative reporter Jeff German — whom he had previously accused of targeting him in a “smear” campaign. Police carried out the search warrant at the home of Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, who had been the subject of a string of recent stories by the slain reporter, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Las Vegas Metro Police didn’t specify the exact address they were searching or offer any further details of the investigation into Friday’s deadly stabbing.

Ask anyone who shops at Costco (COST) what they think of it and you'll probably hear exuberant praise, along with a list of the great deals they scored on their last visit. More than 111 million people pay an annual membership fee just to get in the door, with fewer than 10% each year who decide the experience isn’t worth the price of renewing. To some, shopping at Costco is close to a religious experience, which might explain why Sunday is its busiest day. For others, going to the warehouse is like going on a treasure hunt. They may be...

When it comes to the National Archives, history has a funny way of repeating itself. And legal experts say a decade-old case over audio tapes that Bill Clinton once kept in his sock drawer may have significant impact over the FBI search of Melania Trump's closet and Donald Trump's personal office.

Beto O’Rourke is defending the F-bomb he dropped Wednesday night while confronting a heckler who he said was laughing during his remarks about the Uvalde mass shooting that killed 19 elementary school students and two teachers. The incident occurred during a rally in Mineral Wells as O’Rourke began talking about the need to curb mass shootings like the one that happened May 24 at Robb Elementary School. A man in the crowd could be seen and heard laughing as O’Rourke talked about Uvalde, prompting the Democratic nominee for governor to respond with an expletive.

Holly Matkin 20 hours ago Philadelphia, PA – Fourteen people were shot and three were killed after multiple gunmen opened fire during a chaotic gathering on Philadelphia’s South Street on Saturday night. Witness Geoff Ford said he and other patrons at a nearby restaurant locked themselves inside the building as the rowdy crowd jumped on cars and fought with one another shortly before the shooting. “I mean, you can’t control 400 kids,” one witness was heard saying in a video clip. “They’re fighting again. Where are all the f—king cops?”

Crusius on Aug. 3, 2019, allegedly drove from North Texas to El Paso with an assault rifle, went into the Walmart near Cielo Vista Mall and started shooting. Twenty-three people died and 23 others survived gunshots. Authorities believed he posted a racist manifesto online, railing against an influx of Hispanics into the United States.

While arranging travel for senior Air Force officials, a Maryland man bought a baby grand piano, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and pricey family vacations — all paid for with cash advances from a government credit card. Eddie Ray Johnson Jr., 60, of Brandywine, Maryland, was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison Monday, Nov. 29, after pleading guilty to charges of theft of government property that totaled at least $1,157,540.69 — the amount he was also ordered to repay. Johnson spent 15 years working for the Air Force as a civilian, most recently as a travel coordinator in the secretary of...

KABUL, Afghanistan – Almost three months ago, a social media firestorm erupted after users circulated an image of around 130 dogs in cages amid the frenzied US evacuation from Hamid Karzai International Airport, or HKIA. Rumors spread that the US government was leaving behind working dogs. The Department of Defense quickly clarified that the canines did not belong to the American military but were privately owned by contractors and had been placed in the care of private nongovernmental organization Kabul Small Animal Rescue. Charlotte Maxwell-Jones founded Small Animal Rescue in 2018 and, months after the US’ last plane left, continues...

After 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges in the deaths of two men who attacked him in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler immediately announced his request for action from the federal government. Now, some legal experts say any prosecution by President Joe Biden’s Justice Department claiming Rittenhouse committed civil rights violations while defending himself would almost certainly fail. And the chances of a successful civil lawsuit would likely be just as poor.

The NBA said on Sunday that the two fans who The Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James had ejected from a game last week had allegedly violated the league’s code of conduct for fans. “NBA spokesman Mike Bass on the two courtside fans at Pacers-Lakers who were removed from seats: ‘The fans were ejected for violating the NBA Fan Code of Conduct,’” Shams Charania, NBA analyst for The Atlantic, tweeted. “Sources said the two fans made inappropriate comments and gestures toward Lakers star LeBron James. No lifetime ban or further consequence is expected.”

I can tell you with certainty that right now attorneys for newly acquitted defendant Kyle Rittenhouse are working overtime. They are combing through every slanderous statement made about this young man. Every defamatory comment offered up before any facts were presented in a court of law is now under the microscope for possible litigation. Who is at risk of being sued? Politicians, including President Joe Biden, then a candidate without presidential immunity, was the first high-profile person to declare that young Kyle was a member of an Illinois militia. He ran a campaign ad condemning “white supremacists” featuring a photo...

You’ve heard the saying, “If you don’t like the heat, then get out of the kitchen.” Well, that only works if you’re not called to be in the kitchen. For those of us who are called to be there, it would be better to say, “Get used to the heat and get in the kitchen.” When it comes to the conflicts and controversies of our day, if we love God and we love our neighbor, do we really have a choice? On a daily basis, often from many different sides, I get blasted for positions I take in writing or...

Former NFL player Jack Brewer slammed former NFL player turned left-wing activist Colin Kaepernick during an interview on Monday, saying that Kaepernick’s message to young black men in the U.S. is poison. “This new Colin Kaepernick doctrine that’s penetrating the minds and hearts of so many of our underserved black kids across America is the single largest threat to black men in the United States of America,” Brewer told Fox News. “Because right now, folks are thinking that they’re victims, and they’re living in the most prosperous, the most opportunity, in any country in the world. And so this one...

Agents find 75 migrants locked inside refrigerated trailer NEWS by: Christina Aguayo Posted: Oct 31, 2021 / 06:55 PM CDT / Updated: Oct 31, 2021 / 06:55 PM CDT EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Border patrol agents in Southeast Texas found nearly 100 migrants locked inside a refrigerated tractor trailer. Photos of the migrants were released by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). The migrants were discovered after the driver of the truck had to go through an immigration inspection, where he was being questioned in regards to his citizenship. A Border Patrol canine alerted agents to the trailer. When agents...