Free Republic

Senate candidate and U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) supports legislation that, if passed into law, would prohibit Arizonans from buying AR-15 rifles. Gallego highlights his gun control support on his campaign website, although he does not go into the specifics of what his proposed policies would do if enacted. For example, the campaign website mentions Gallego’s time as a U.S. Marine and his use of a gun with full-auto function. “Carrying and using his M16 to defend himself and his fellow Marines in Iraq made it clear to Ruben that weapons of war have no place in civilian life,” it...

PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - An apartment complex was evacuated Monday morning in Prescott Valley after a fire sparked at a building under construction. Police say the fire broke out on the south side of Florentine Road at Main Street. "The 685,000-square-foot building/parking lot structure that was under construction was completely engulfed in flames and is a complete loss," Prescott Valley PD said.

Ladder 11 had a black US flag with a red line in a firetruckNew York firefighters are in the midst of a controversy over a black United States flag with a red line on it that they were forced to remove for reportedly being considered "fascist" by New York officials following a constituent's complain. According to Ladder 11, the black US flag honors the six brothers who were killed on 9/11, however, a person representing Democratic Manhattan Councilwoman Carlina Rivera demanded it was taken down. According to Lisander Rosario, some constituents complained about the symbol "He called it a "fascist...

This week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill to protect homeowners from squatters moving into their homes while the owners are away and attempting to assert "squatters rights," i.e., the right to live in the home without paying for it. The new law allows the home owner to show proof of ownership and have law enforcement officers evict the squatters. DeSantis contrasted Florida's new law with the markedly dissimilar laws in New York and California, saying "in those states people who break into homes while the owners are absent are deemed to have established a prima facie claim...

Government officials seek to shape the economy to the liking of politicians.Not that many Americans expect politicians to be truthful, but for the sake of naïfs walking among us at this late date, let's point out that, when President Joe Biden rails against giveaways to big business, it means a lot of money is on its way to favored corporations. To the extent the president is serious about the anti-business animus in his speeches, it's directed only at private enterprises that go their own way; entities that follow government direction are recipients of all sorts of privileges and largesse. The...

LEANDER, Texas — Leander resident Shaun Noll never expected to spend Easter morning going through the wreckage of his home. But that’s where he found himself after a battery for his cordless vacuum exploded. On Thursday, Noll’s two young sons were in his living room when a battery that had been plugged into the wall charging a cordless vacuum exploded. --- end excerpt ---

"It's just an effort to keep everybody safe and make sure nobody has any ill will," he claimed.The FBI spends "every day, all day long" interrogating people over their Facebook posts. At least, that's what agents told Stillwater, Oklahoma, resident Rolla Abdeljawad when they showed up at her house to ask her about her social media activity. Three FBI agents came to Abdeljawad's house and said that they had been given "screenshots" of her posts by Facebook. Her lawyer Hassan Shibly posted a video of the incident online on Wednesday. Abdeljawad told agents that she didn't want to talk and...

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who sparred with top public health officials in heated hearings about Covid-19 and the government’s response to the pandemic, has found a Democrat to join him in investigating the virus’ origins. And it’s not just any Democrat. It’s Gary Peters (D-Mich.), chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on which Paul is the ranking Republican. The duo announced yesterday they are investigating where Covid came from, the high-risk research that Paul believes caused the pandemic, as well as broader “national security threats posed by high-risk biological research and technology.” Why it matters: Lawmakers...

An anti-squatting "professional" is warning homeowners against taking squatters to court, amid ongoing issues relating to property rights. Flash Shelton, who describes himself as a professional squatter remover, on Wednesday spoke to Fox News' America's Newsroom about how to handle squatting incidents and different ways to remove uninvited dwellers from your home. "First thing, call law enforcement, it's dangerous, don't do anything yourself, it's property, don't risk your life. Call law enforcement and when they tell you there's nothing they can do, contact SquatterHunters.com, let us assess the situation, before you hire an attorney and go to civil process," Shelton...

In 1957, the BBC stunned the nation with a prank that redefined April Fools’ mischief. Picture this: a picturesque family in the Swiss countryside delicately plucking strands of spaghetti from a tree. Absurd, right? Yet, this whimsical scene aired on the BBC’s Panorama as a seemingly authentic report.

Migrant advocacy groups support provisions of the Democratic governor's budget, namely a $12 million child tax credit, but want to see further spending included in the final piece. Members of the Raise the Floor Alliance and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights touched down in the state Capitol Thursday and outlined a $2 billion spending package. Among their demands is $40 million towards interpreter services and assistance for migrants trying to become citizens. A tight budget year could preclude the proposal, but advocates say surplus revenues and increasing taxes on the wealthy could secure needed funds. Credit... State...

No more sneaking in with your friends.It's about to become harder to get a table at the Costco food court than at a Michelin-starred restaurant. In recent months, Costco has taken a more drastic approach to ensuring only actual members are able to get all those sweet, sweet perks. And now, Costco is taking aim at freeloaders hoping to snag a $1.50 hot dog at the food court sans membership card. In March, a Reddit user shared a sign in the r/Costco community that they spotted at their local Costco in Orlando, Florida. The sign read: “Effective April 8, 2024,...

Just in time for Easter too.In 2023, egg prices hit an all-time high, topping out at about $7 per dozen in some parts of the country. That number was reached thanks to a perfect storm of inflation and a severe bird flu epidemic. Fortunately, by mid-summer, prices had returned to somewhat normal rates. But, according to new reports, we may be headed for yet another expensive egg season, just in time for Easter. According to Nerdwallet, egg prices are once again on the rise due to another outbreak of bird flu and inclement weather. The Centers for Disease Control and...

It’s a New York nightmare: What if you accidentally throw out your precious jewelry, or money, or car keys with the city’s 24 million pounds of trash collected each day? Last Friday, Jill, a Staten Island mother-of-three, was distraught when she realized she’d just tossed all three. Her wallet — which contained not only cash and credit cards but also car keys and a pair of gold earrings from the 1940s — had ended up in the trash after a mix-up while her daughter unloaded bags from their car. She realized this just after a Department of Sanitation garbage truck...

It's $7.50 on Amazon.It's April 1, which means companies all over the world are doing the most when it comes to trying to prank us all. But Velveeta promises its newest release is anything but a joke. On Monday, the company best known for its brightly colored cheese announced it is getting into the personal care game with Velveeta Gold, its very first hair dye. And it promised Food & Wine — over and over again — that it indeed isn't a joke. “La Dolce Velveeta is a lifestyle — always confident and forever in service of living by your...

Two Weeks to Flatten Became Eight Months to Change the Election In 1845, Congress established Election Day as the Tuesday after the first Monday of November. The Act sought “to establish a uniform time” for Americans to cast their ballots for president. Historically, voters needed to provide a valid reason – such as illness or military service – to qualify for absentee ballots.But Covid served as a pretext to overturn that tradition. Just 25% of votes in 2020 occurred at the polls on Election Day. Mail-in voting more than doubled. Key swing states eliminated the need to provide a valid...

I got a splinter of information yesterday and I found a little something on YouTube but this is also on "X" and it's very interesting concerning the Trump case with Stormy Daniels https://twitter.com/OANN/status/1773162937093374213

An apparent airstrike in Damascus on Monday killed Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a top commander in the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Iranian state television has confirmed. Iranian press reported that Zahedi was meeting with leaders of Palestinian Islamic Jihad at the time of the strike, but these reports could not be independently verified. Zahedi commanded the Quds Force's Unit 18000, responsible, among other things, for smuggling ammunition and precision weapons into Lebanon. He had also commanded the IRGC's Air Force and Imam Hussein Division in the past. Initial reports indicate that at least six people were...

ISTANBUL, April 1 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Monday to correct any mistakes that led to his party's defeat in Turkey's local elections where the opposition capitalised on economic woes and alienated Islamist voters, casting uncertainty over his reform plans. Sunday's vote marked Erdogan and his AK Party's (AKP) worst defeat in more than 20 years in power, revitalising the opposition party and strengthening Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's standing as the president's main rival. Redrawing a political map long dominated by the AKP, the Republican People's Party (CHP) won the popular vote for the first time in decades...

In 2023, Oakland, California was the site of 14,554 motor vehicle thefts, an all-time high for the city. With increases in burglaries and robberies as well, violent and property crimes are higher in Oakland than they have been since the early 1990s.The California city of Oakland has approved a plan to install 480 surveillance cameras equipped with automatic license plate readers in an effort to fight rising crime in the city. Most of the cameras, 290, will be deployed inside the city while the remaining 180 will be placed on freeways. The cameras will provide law enforcement with the ability...