Free Republic

After he applied to his 599th job, John Burg stopped counting. Burg was laid off as a contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development in January 2025, after a decades-long career that took him to Thailand, Kosovo and El Salvador. He was one of more than 300,000 federal workers and contractors whose jobs were eliminated by the Department of Government Efficiency. One year, one massive spreadsheet of job leads and only a handful of interviews later, Burg has returned to the job he had in college, doing carpentry jobs for his Takoma Park neighborhood, just outside of Washington. “A...

A Georgia congressman is proposing a controversial new idea -- he’s calling the “Make D.C. Square Again Act." He said it would expand Washington, D.C. by adding Arlington and Alexandria into the nation's capital. In a post on X, Congressman Rick McCormick said Arlington and Alexandria were “always meant” to be part of D.C., arguing the change would simplify long-running debates over political maps and representation. "What we want to do is make D.C. square again. It's a simple concept. Square. We repeal that unconsituational law, gIve back Virginia exactly what it should have, give D.C. what it should have...

The lawsuit was filed by two plaintiffs, one from California and one from Seattle, on behalf of a proposed nationwide class of people who bought Nintendo products from February 2025 through February 2026, when the company is accused of passing tariff costs along to customers.

A box containing hundreds of unopened Washington state ballots was reportedly discovered on the ground next to a dumpster behind a strip mall in Renton, raising serious questions about ballot handling and election security. Washington State Republican Party Chairman Jim Walsh said a concerned citizen brought the ballots to the GOP’s Bellevue headquarters after finding them discarded. “Earlier today, a concerned citizen contacted me and came and dropped off at the Bellevue headquarters a large box of ballots, Washington State ballots, specifically King County elections ballots, that were mailed to people and never received,” Walsh said in a video posted...

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts on Thursday gave preliminary approval to President Donald Trump's plan for a massive new triumphal arch monument in the nation's capital, according to the New York Times. The outlet reported that the body holds an advisory role regarding the project's design, but does not wield enforcement authority. The Associated Press reported that the commission approved the concept for several projects, including the arch. The federal agency next will review updated designs for all three projects at a future meeting before taking any final votes. The proposed monument features a giant arch topped with a...

Seattle is ramping up cleanup efforts as it prepares to welcome tens of thousands of visitors for the FIFA World Cup this summer, with a new report highlighting millions of pounds of waste removed, hundreds of thousands of sharps collected, and growing community participation across neighborhoods. The Seattle Clean City 2025 Community Impact Report, released April 14, outlines what the city calls a year of major milestones, stronger partnerships, and expanded, data-driven strategies aimed at keeping streets and public spaces cleaner and safer. In 2025, Seattle Clean City and its partners collected and removed 5.3 million pounds of waste from...

The first direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in move 40 years began today (Tuesday) at the American State Department. The meeting is taking place at the US State Department in Washington, with Israel making it clear before it began that the talks will have no impact on the fighting in Lebanon. At the same time as the talks opened, the IDF announced preparations for increased fire from Hezbollah. As they began, incessant alarms sounded in Kiryat Shmona and other settlements in the Galilee region, after a drone strike at the entrance to Nahariya. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio...

120 workers in Kent, Washington showed up to work -- and found out their jobs are gone. Not because the company is failing... but because it’s expanding somewhere else. In this video, we break down what really happened with Rise Baking Company, why those jobs are moving to Utah, and how the timing lines up with Washington’s new tax law signed by Bob Ferguson.

Wife and I will be in Seattle in June for an Alaskan cruise. We've got an AirBnB reserved in the 400 block of Vine Street. Any concerns with the location as we'll be flying in around 7:00 a.m. and will need to kill some time before we can get in around 3:00. Plan is to take an Uber from the airport to a Bounce luggage storage area a couple minutes from the AirBnB. What's good to eat around there for all three meals? Is the area we're staying in "safe," or would you avoid? An touristy things in walking distance?...

A monument honoring Indian spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda was unveiled Saturday at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle, marking a milestone event for the city and its growing Indian American community. The ceremony took place Saturday afternoon at the park along 1900 Westlake Ave., across from the Westin Seattle. The statue is a gift from the Government of India to the City of Seattle. Swami Vivekananda, who lived from 1863 to 1902, is widely recognized for introducing the philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to Western audiences. His address at the 1893 Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where he spoke on universal...

Two high-profile Democrats on Sunday called for Rep. Eric Swalwell to exit Congress as controversy continues to grow after sexual assault allegations surfaced against the California candidate for governor. Eugene Vindman said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that Swalwell should resign from Congress and drop out of California's gubernatorial race. "The accusations are absolutely heinous, and his admissions betraying his family are deplorable," Vindman said to host Dana Bash. "So Eric Swalwell needs to resign. He needs to drop out of the race… we should not tolerate this behavior, and Representative Swalwell needs to go." Vindman made the...

The initial wave of a massive bloodbath at Oracle has begun to show up in public filings — with 700 workers expected to lose their jobs by June 1, according to California state records. The software giant headed by billionaire Larry Ellison will cut 310 workers in Redwood City, 184 in Santa Clara, 158 in Pleasanton and 50 in Santa Monica. The statewide tally of roughly 700 job cuts, in addition to 491 firings in Seattle, is part of the software maker’s recently announced bloodbath that is reportedly in the thousands of jobs. Analysts at investment bank TD Cowen predicted...

Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow-citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government... Excessive partiality for one foreign nation and excessive dislike of another cause those whom they actuate to see danger only on one side, and serve to veil and even second the arts of influence on the other. Real patriots who may resist the intrigues of the favorite are liable to become suspected and odious, while its tools...

Government auditors in Democrat-dominated Washington State say that more than $1.3 billion in spending through the state’s childcare subsidy system cannot be verified. The audit, covering 2021 through 2024, revealed that the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) failed to maintain the necessary records to track federal childcare funds at the provider level, leaving a slew of expenditures and other payments unaccounted for. Concerningly, the financial review found in 2024 that $416 million was unauditable, with $356 million in 2023, $268.5 million in 2022, and $293 million in 2021. The State Auditor’s Office (SAO) described the situation as “serious...

Thirty-three people are now facing criminal trespass charges in connection with a pro-Palestine demonstration last year that caused an estimated $1 million in damage to a University of Washington engineering building. The 33 individuals arrested during the demonstration have been charged with criminal trespass, a gross misdemeanor. However, they are not facing felony charges tied to the property damage, as prosecutors say there is not enough evidence specifically linking any of them to that crime. Nearly a year after the demonstration, the defendants appeared before a judge to answer for their alleged actions, pleading not guilty to the charges. By...

A man who admitted to fatally shooting a pregnant woman was found not guilty by reason of insanity. As previously reported, a pregnant woman was shot and killed in her car at a Seattle intersection in June 2023. Eina Kwon, 34, a mother of a 2-year-old child, was senselessly murdered while sitting in her car with her husband. Her unborn child died following the shooting.

The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners passed an ordinance requiring home sellers to conduct Home Energy Score assessments when listing a house for sale. The decision makes the county the first in the nation to mandate such a program, said Ashley Arai, Director of the county’s Community Planning and Economic Development Department. The board voted 4-0-1 to pass the ordinance on Tuesday, March 17, with Commissioner Wayne Fournier abstaining due to concerns about the county's legal authority to implement the program. A Home Energy Score is a U.S. Department of Energy standardized rating system that evaluates a home's energy...

A 25-year-old who formerly served on a youth-focused board that provides insight to Pierce County about homelessness and housing instability has been arrested and accused of raping an infant girl.The victim is a child someone had asked the defendant to look after when she and her girlfriend moved in with them in a motel in 2023. Court documents indicate Tacoma Police Department detectives planned to contact the REACH Center, the organization that coordinates the Youth Action Board and hosts its meetings, out of concern that there could be other victims.The defendant is transgender and uses the name Isabelle, according to...

The California State Legislature has introduced a bill that would designate the Muslim holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as state-recognized holidays. The bill was officially introduced last month by Assemblyman Matt Haney and formally announced this week. If passed, California would become the second state in the country to recognize these holidays, after Washington. Eid al-Fitr, or the “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” marks the end of Ramadan. Eid al-Adha, the “Festival of Sacrifice,” takes place about two months later and coincides with the end of Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Under the proposed bill, public...

OLYMPIA, Wash. — This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com. The third “No Kings” march and rally has been scheduled for March 28, as participants will march toward the Washington State Capitol in protest of the “unconstitutional and unaccountable behavior of our federal government.” The event will begin at 11 a.m. and run until 3 p.m., including a march followed by a rally that features speakers, music, and sign-waving, Olympia Indivisible (OI) and Evergreen Resistance (ER) announced. OI and ER, along with several other coalition partners, have invited neighbors and friends to join together peacefully at the State Capitol Campus...