Free Republic

The Democrats have named their price to end the government shutdown — an additional $350 billion for health care over the next decade. Critics say a big chunk of that money may go to ghosts. At issue are the generous subsidies the Biden administration created for Affordable Care Act policies, sweeteners that are slated to expire in December. Making health care essentially free for millions of Americans, those policies have sent enrollment in Obamacare plans skyrocketing. But a recent study found they have also sparked a curious phenomenon: an estimated 12 million enrollees “without a single claim — no doctor...

MADISON, Wis. -- Madison police said an estimated 15,000 people attended Saturday's "No Kings" protest downtown. The group gathered at McPike Park at around 2 p.m. then marched up East Washington Ave. to the Wisconsin State Capitol. Police said the march was briefly rerouted after a K9 indicated the possible presence of explosives in a vehicle on West Washington Ave. near the Capitol. The vehicle was investigated and no explosives were found. There were no reported arrests as of 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

MILWAUKEE, WI — A Wisconsin activist who began protesting the Vietnam War in the 1960s says today's political tensions remind her of the anger and frustration she witnessed during that turbulent era. Connie Hughes, who has participated in demonstrations for more than five decades, recalls her first protest at the University of Wisconsin with about 100 people expressing outrage over young Americans being sent to war. "There were probably about 100 people, as I recall, and a lot of anger, because, of course, the people that were going to the war were our age, and they were being killed," Hughes...

Cyndi Greening has a distinct memory of when Donald Trump won the presidency last November. It’s from her living room floor. The former college professor from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, said she cried there for days until her 37-year-old son interjected: “Get up and do something. What’s the matter with you?” That’s when the Chippewa Valley Indivisible group was created. At the first meeting in January, 28 people showed up. At the next, it was 68. It then grew to 124. Today, membership is nearing 1,900. On Saturday, they’ll be among the millions of people marching in nationwide “No Kings” protests,...

Residents of a Milwaukee neighborhood are haunted by the death of an elderly woman in her backyard allegedly at the hands of her mentally ill daughter. Carrie Zettel, 64, called police at about 2 p.m. Sunday to report that her daughter was being violent, according to a search warrant. When police arrived, they found Zettel dead. "It happened in the backyard, and she beat her mother to death with a rock," said a family friend named Susan Henderson-Hoffmann. A criminal complaint said that police found a rock weighing about 4 pounds and stained with blood near the body. Her body...

Today, Judge Michael P. Maxwell of the Waukesha County Circuit Court issued a ruling in the case Cerny v. Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) that requires the WEC to verify the U.S. citizenship of ALL voter registration applicants and review existing voter rolls for non-citizens. The WEC and local officials must fulfill their duties and are barred from registering anyone without verification of US citizenship. The court also mandated collaboration between the parties to create a plan, utilizing Department of Transportation (DOT) records or other legal methods to identify ineligible registrants. This review must be substantially completed before the next statewide...

MADISON, Wis. -- Jaytona Lockhart is living on the streets of Madison. "I'm not gonna be homeless too long, you know what I'm saying? It's just for a season," he said. "I work myself into getting some resources to help me find some housing." Lockhart and others facing housing insecurity watch as the Dairy Drive tiny homes and the Veteran's Museum homeless encampment are shut down and the permanent men's shelter on the city's east side is built, all changing the landscape of homelessness in the community and highlighting a growing problem. "We have teams of providers that go out...

Democratic candidate Laura Benjamin announced that she's dropping out of a House race several days after putting out a fundraising campaign advertisement shredding into assassinated conservative icon Charlie Kirk. Who in their right mind thought this was a good way to drum up cash for a political campaign? When it comes to compassion and basic human decency, Benjamin is sorely lacking. Benjamin, a transgender former city council member in Wisconsin running in opposition to current three-term seat holder Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), announced that she was withdrawing from the campaign on Friday. The reason? A lack of campaign funds....

Planned Parenthood is pausing abortions in Wisconsin because federal legislation preventing Medicaid from funding abortion services for one year goes into effect Oct. 1. Wisconsin Right to Life praised the news. “Taxpayer dollars should never fund the taking of innocent preborn lives,” Heather Weininger, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, said in a Sept. 25 WisPolitics article. “Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has long centered its operations around abortion services, and this announcement only confirms that reality.” The Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law by President Donald Trump July 4, prevents Medicaid dollars from funding abortions. A federal judge initially...

Whitefish Bay businessman Bill Berrien — who also had a past dalliance with the disastrously kinky election method known as ranked-choice voting — has dropped out of the Badger State governor’s race. A Wisconsin RINO who appears to have a penchant for “sexually explicit” material — and a connection to a trans porn site — has dropped out of the Badger State governor’s race. Whitefish Bay businessman Bill Berrien, who also had a past dalliance with the disastrously kinky election method known as ranked-choice voting, quit Friday following reports linking the candidate to several “sexually explicit accounts” on social media....

A Planned Parenthood facility in Delavan, Wisconsin, has permanently closed its doors, marking a significant moment for pro-life advocates in the state. The closure, effective July 31, was confirmed by Pro-Life Wisconsin, a group dedicated to protecting life from conception. Dan Miller, state director of Pro-Life Wisconsin, announced the closure in a blog post, stating, “Planned Parenthood in Delavan is closed! Yes! It is true! Planned Parenthood in Delavan is CLOSED!” Miller noted that Google Maps lists the facility as permanently closed, and during a visit on September 8, he observed signs posted inside the glass door and office window...

Wisconsin farmers face a major threat to their livelihoods, as the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is pushing a radical fee hike that could devastate auction barns, livestock dealers, and farm families statewide. The proposal would increase licensing fees for auction markets by an astonishing 1,700 percent — from $420 to $7,430 — placing enormous burdens on those who work tirelessly to keep Wisconsin’s agricultural economy alive.As U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) warned, this is not merely a matter of dollars and cents: “Democrats cannot manage a budget, so they shift the burden onto you.” “Not...

A peaceful Wisconsin city has been thrown into a frenzy as a mysterious company plans to build a $1.6billion data center on hundreds of acres of farmland. Menomonie is facing the largest development plans the historic city has ever seen - and its residents are fighting back. Known for its stunning landscapes and small-town feel, Menomonie may be home to a massive data center that citizens fear will drain the area of not only its charm, but its resources.

Former employees at Minocqua Brewing Company's Madison tap room question how the brewery's political Super PAC, Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC, uses donations, saying employees were paid from the PAC despite doing no work for it. Brewery owner Kirk Bangstad, has raised more than $2 million since the PACs creation to support liberal political causes. The $2 million raised by the Minocqua Brewing Super PAC represents a small fraction of Super PAC spending in Wisconsin, where such organizations spent $49 million on the state's most recent Supreme Court race alone. However, former employees say some of those funds went toward...

An immigrant who allegedly evaded federal agents with the help of a Milwaukee County judge pleaded guilty Thursday to being in the U.S. illegally. Federal prosecutors charged Eduardo Flores-Ruiz in April with reentering the country illegally after being deported. He faces up to two years in prison when he's sentenced and agreed to be deported whenever he is released, according to a summary of the plea deal he reached with prosecutors. Online court records did not list a sentencing date. His attorney, Martin J. Pruhs, didn't immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press on Thursday afternoon seeking comment....

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- New Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons has been dealing with an L4/L5 facet joint sprain in his back and he may receive an injection before Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions if needed to help him play, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday. Before trading Parsons last week, the Dallas Cowboys prescribed him a five-day course of prednisone, an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid to help him recover from back tightness. They also had him on a physical therapy program. Parsons practiced with the Packers on Monday for the first time and according to several players...

Florida police arrested a 13-year-old on Friday who is charged with possessing child pornography and beastiality material after he joined an “online cult” that allegedly targets minors for abuse, according to a local sheriff. The unnamed suspect was charged with four felonies weeks after police received a tip about a group on Discord, a popular gaming platform, encouraging a young girl to harm herself during a “live cut show,” Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said in a Monday press conference. The suspect’s group adheres to “Satanic and neo-Nazi ideology” that has been linked to similar cases in the U.S., and...

JD Vance went the WRONG WAY down a one way street to avoid protesters in Wisconsin. Disgraceful.

BROOKFIELD, Wisconsin (WISN) -- More than $1 million in tools was stolen from Milwaukee Tool, allegedly by an employee who shipped the tools to himself and others without paying, according to investigators. Brookfield-based Milwaukee Tool, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year and recently added a downtown Milwaukee corporate location, discovered the theft this spring. According to a Brookfield police search warrant for bank records obtained by WISN 12 News, the employee at the corporate office is believed to have "created and deleted approximately 115 orders from late March 2024 to late March 2025. Of those orders, 109 shipments were...

FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys have traded Pro Bowl edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, sources told ESPN. The Cowboys will receive defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks in return, sources told ESPN. Parsons agreed to four-year, $188 million deal with the Packers that includes $120 million fully guaranteed at signing and $136 million total guaranteed, making him the highest-paid non quarterback in NFL history.