Free Republic

A federal shutdown that was once expected to last a few days has now stretched into its third week with no resolution in sight. Millions of Americans are bracing for higher healthcare premiums, federal services are disrupted, markets are watching uneasily, and yet the two parties in Congress are behaving as if gridlock is a strategic advantage. For investors, this is no longer a background headline. It is a policy standoff that could reshape consumer spending, healthcare stocks, bond markets, and GDP projections heading into year-end. What makes this shutdown uniquely stubborn is not just ideological division. It is political...

ashington state's attempt to become an abortion pill vendor has allegedly failed after it spent millions to stockpile the drugs, which are soon set to expire. Key Takeaways: * A recent op-ed from an abortion provider laments the fact that Washington state stockpiled a large number of abortion pills that are set to expire soon. * The state reportedly paid a higher rate for the drugs than abortion providers, and a statute requires the state to sell the drugs at the state's cost plus a handling fee; this has made it difficult for the state to offload the drugs to...

...as the fourth largest aircraft manufacturing hub...IN THE WORLD. BOOMITY I'll bet y'all didn't see that coming. Neither did anyone else, except for a few visionaries back in 2008. That was when Airbus, as part of European consortium EADS, worked with Northrup Grumman to get in on the new, next-generation Air Force tanker deal, promised to build the bulk of the airframes in the United States, and won the initial contract for the project. Long story short, screaming and kicking by Boeing, years of skullduggery and John McCain machinations went on, and by 2011, EADS and Airbus had lost the...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Troops patrol train stations and streets in the nation’s capital. Masked federal law enforcement agents detain District of Columbia residents. Congress passes bills that further squeeze the city’s autonomy. And the one person who could act as a voice for Washington on Capitol Hill has been a rare sight. Even longtime allies say Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton, the district’s nonvoting delegate in the House, has not risen to the challenge of pushing back against the Trump administration’s intervention into her city. They cite her age, 88, and her diminished demeanor. That has raised questions about the 18-term...

Top of 15th inning in Seattle...Game 5...Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners...Winner will play Toronto Blue Jays...For the American League Championship... It is a long game...It is not on cable...It is on regular Fox channel...

The Right Way to Fight Anti-SemitismOctober 7’s second anniversary is cause for sober reflection on how to confront an ancient hatred.I remember the early hours of October 7, 2023. I was sitting at my desk in Gig Harbor, Washington, as the first grainy images from the Hamas terror campaign in Southern Israel started to circulate on X. For most of that day, I scrolled through my timeline, attempting to make sense of the carnage and barbarism.Elay, an Israeli-American contractor who had been working on my home, called me in a panic. Hamas militants had attempted to knock down his wife...

In 2020, California imported about 25% of its demand for electricity from Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Arizona due to the capacity limitations of the three utilities that serve the State (Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas and Electric). These capacity limitations resulted from the closure of fossil fuel plants and environmental restrictions imposed by regulatory authorities in California to meet climate change standards. New England, New Jersey, and New York combined imported about 30% of their demand from either neighboring states or Canada. Many utilities in PJM and MISO import electricity from TVA and the...

Millions of Americans were under threat of a devastating tsunami following a massive 8.7 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Russia. Residents in Hawaii were urged to evacuate from coastal areas as the entire island chain braced for the impact within hours. Data from the US Geological Survey shows the quake reached a magnitude of 8.7 and struck about 84 miles east-southeast of Kamchatska, Russia at around 7.24pm EST. Tsunami warnings were in effect for parts of Alaska while a tsunami watch has been expanded to cover the entire West Coast of the United States. The Department of...

Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) is blaming leftist groups and his own party for the ongoing government shutdown. In a social media post on Wednesday, Golden wrote, “This government shutdown is the result of hardball politics driven by the demands far-left groups are making for Democratic Party leaders to put on a show of their opposition to President Trump.” He added the shutdown is “hurting Americans and our economy, and the irony is it has only handed more power to the president.” Golden continued: This fight is ostensibly about health care, so let me be clear: I opposed the GOP’s Medicaid...

The man who became known as the “South Hill Rapist” is being released Thursday and is reportedly headed for an adult family home in Federal Way, Wash. As reported previously, Kevin Coe was accused of committing dozens of sexual assaults from the late 1970s to early 1980s in the Spokane area, crimes that terrorized the community for many years. Several convictions were thrown out due to inadmissible evidence, including victims being hypnotized to recall alleged rapes, such that Coe only ended up serving time for one rape conviction. He was sent to McNeil Island after civil proceedings in 2006, when...

Seattle Democratic Mayor Bruce Harrell said during a mayoral debate Thursday night he has “no desire” to put repeat criminal offenders in jail, and he doesn’t know how to answer the question on whether the city is “too lax” on repeat offenders. “So, let me make something very clear. I was the one that sponsored the ‘Ban the Box’ legislation when everyone opposed it because the criminal system has had a disparate impact on Black and Brown communities, let me lead with that,” Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said in a mayoral debate Thursday night when asked a follow-up question about...

During Thursday night’s mayoral debate, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said he wouldn’t jail aneight-time convicted offender and would rather learn about that person’s life story. Faced with a shockingly high number of prolific offenders severely harming the city of Seattle’s quality of life, Harrell’s comment was one of the most jaw-dropping, tone-deaf moments I’ve ever seen from a sitting mayor—and that bar is already subterranean in this city. Harrell delivered the kind of response that makes you wonder if he even lives in the same city the rest of us do. No jail time for eight-time repeat criminal The moderator...

Congressional candidate Kshama Sawant’s husband is facing assault charges after allegedly shoving a young staffer for a Washington Congressman in August. Police video obtained by KOMO News showed Sawant’s husband, Calvin Priest, leading a group of protesters who forced their way into a Renton town hall meeting at the Renton Technical College held by Congressman Adam Smith, with whom Sawant is competing for a congressional seat. Priest, 54, pushed Smith’s 22-year-old staffer as she attempted to block him and the other protesters from entering. The town hall was canceled once the protesters disrupted it, resulting in the arrest of Priest...

Nicholas John Roske is the armed suspect accused of threatening to kill U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Roske’s name was released via an unsealed arrest affidavit. Online records say Nicholas Roske, 26, is from Simi Valley, California. A LinkedIn page in the name of Nicholas Roske of Simi Valley says that he worked as an office manager at a pest control company. A criminal complaint accuses Roske of “attempts to kidnap or murder, or threatens to assault, kidnap or murder a United States Judge, to wit: a current Justice of the United States Supreme Court.” It outlines a number...

On Sept. 8, the DOJ sent a letter to Hobbs requesting a copy of the state's voter registration database within 14 days. The request included sensitive personal data for each registered voter: full name, date of birth, residential address, driver's license number, or the last four digits of their Social Security number. Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs has no intention of complying with a U.S. Department of Justice request for information from the state’s voter registration list. On Sept. 8, the DOJ sent a letter to Hobbs requesting a copy of the state's voter registration database within 14 days....

PARADISE RIDGE, Mount Rainier — They were a scientific odd couple, a perfect pair to make a breakthrough discovery. Geologist Dave Lescinsky knew glaciers, and his sure-footed mountain-climbing friend Tom Sisson had seen more of Rainier's oddities than most scientists. For years, it was assumed Mount Rainier's 25 mightiest glaciers chewed Washington's tallest volcano into its irresistibly craggy form. As lava spewed from Rainier's gullet over the eons, the theory went, fiery molten rock gushed from the summit, filling the valleys. Then the rivers went to work, sluicing out new valleys, ultimately exposing Rainier's signature ridgelines. Lescinsky and Sisson weren't...

The Lynnwood Times has received a report of local Kamiak High School staff members and a teacher allegedly pleased with the assassination of Charlie Kirk. If you are a student, educator, parent, or witness to any school staff, teachers or administrators condoning political violence, contact us directly at 425-931-1374. We will be following up with the Mukilteo School District on this matter. Below is the snapshot sent to us by a concerned resident and parent listed the following Kamiak High School staff liking the post: Reese Casson - Kamiak High School Office Assistant Simone Buell - Kamiak High School Office...

As educators and public servants, we believe symbolic acts such as lowering the flag should reflect the principles we work to instill in our students and community. When a person has made public statements that conflict with the values of inclusivity, respect, and student safety that we as a District strive to uphold, we may choose to not fly the flag at half-staff. Our decision reflects both our compliance with Washington State law and our unwavering commitment to ethical leadership and educational equity.

SEATTLE, Wash. — Washington state currently holds the highest gas prices in the nation, with the average cost for a gallon of regular gasoline at $4.66, according to AAA. This figure far surpasses the national average of $3.18.

If Brock Purdy’s game-winning touchdown pass to Jake Tonges against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 felt like an improbable play, it’s because it essentially was. The completion, which had a 14.7 percent chance per NFL Next Gen Stats, gave San Francisco a 17-13 lead with 1:34 remaining in the game. >>Brock Purdy's game-winning TD to Jake Tonges had a completion probability of 14.7%, the most improbable completion of the week entering SNF. Purdy was traveling 15.98 mph when he let it go, while Tonges had 0.4 yards of separation when the ball arrived.<< The 49ers quarterback connected with the...