Free Republic

Still trying to get rid of the gophers in my yard. I read there are scents they don't like, makes 'em leave so I'm making a natural pest repellent spray infused with peppermint to ward off the gophers. I thought I'd put it up here for anyone else with this problem to try. Not expensive, doesn't hurt pets. Hope it works. Surprisingly this recipe says to mix with distilled water and VODKA!? They will either leave or hang out at the patio trying to hook up with loose gopher chicks 🦫 If I hear them singing Muskrat Love tonight I'll...

Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Wednesday insisted once again that no ceasefire in Iran would be possible without the inclusion of Lebanon. “The completion and consolidation of a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon will be the result of the resistance and steadfast struggle of the great Hezbollah and the unity of the Axis of Resistance," Ghalibaf wrote in a post on social media. He added, “The United States must comply with the agreement. Resistance and Iran are one soul, both in war and in ceasefire. America should withdraw from ‘Israel First’ mistake." .....

Pro-life leader criticizes Cardinals Cupich, McElroy, Tobin for ignoring abortion on 60 Minutes‘I don’t seem to recall three Bishops doing a lengthy interview with 60 Minutes to denounce President Biden’s policies’ that killed 700,000+ children in chemical abortions last year, Kristan Hawkins said.Pro-life leader Kristan Hawkins has criticized three U.S. cardinals for their interview on “60 Minutes” for failing to speak up about abortion.Hawkins, the president of Students for Life, responded to a clip from CBS’ “60 Minutes” TV interview with Cardinals Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, Blase Cupich of Chicago, and Robert McElroy of Washington, D.C.She wrote: “I...

Join with fellow FREEPERS across the world to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, Technology, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) LIFE IS FRAGILE . . . HANDLE WITH PRAYER

One activity that saw a boom during the pandemic was baking sourdough bread. This unique cooking process requires a special starter and feeding the mix almost daily to keep it active. It turns out this fun hobby is still alive and well in New Hampshire. Dragonfly Dough Co. Katlynn Wageling makes a variety of sourdough baked products at Creative Chef Kitchens in Derry. It's a commercial kitchen space where small food businesses can do their kitchen work. In 2025, she started a small business called Dragonfly Dough Company. Wageling said sourdough requires extra work. "It's so much longer, such a...

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is handing out $500 vouchers to migrants so they can enjoy haircuts, massages and other self-care benefits, despite the city's budget plunging nearly $50 million short. Applicants who are 'low-income, isolated queer and trans migrants, asylum seekers and refugees' are prioritized for the 'wellness allowance.' The initiative, called 'Boston Matters', was created by OUTnewcomers, a nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ+ migrants in Boston alongside the Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement, Mass Daily News reported. Applicants get $250 to $500 toward 'non-clinical care' completely funded by the city agency, which is run by the Democrat's administration. They...

The Washington State Attorney General’s Office staff has billed more than 34,000 hours working on lawsuits filed against the Trump Administration since November 2024, according to records obtained by The Center Square. More than two thirds of those hours billed within a six-month period. The 34,000 hours represents a combined 1,416 days or 3.9 years of billable work. “That's a significant amount of time even for an agency with 800 lawyers,” Citizen Action Defense Fund Executive Director Jackson Maynard told The Center Square. “For comparison a lot of private law firms have billable requirements for lawyers in the range of...

Rob Schneider, who has never served in the military and is now too old to do so, took to social media on Friday to call for the United States to “restore the military draft for our nation’s young people” amid the ongoing war with Iran that was started by President Trump and Israel. “We must once again recommit ourselves to one Nation under God, indivisible. Therefore, we must restore the military draft for our Nation’s young people,” Schneider said. “Each and every American, at eighteen years of age, must serve two years of military service.” The Sopranos star Michael Imperioli...

Channel smugglers are launching small boats from Belgium for the first time as growing pressure on their operations by French police forces them further along the coast. Boats are being launched more than 60 miles from England, before travelling along the Belgian and French coastlines to collect migrants in so-called “taxi” operations. Towns as distant as De Haan, near Bruges, have been used as launch sites for the dinghies, which then motor along the coast for up to four hours before collecting migrants in France, analysis of vessel tracking data by The Times has found. It comes as Britain tries...

Full story Legislation in California aimed at preventing the production of 3D-printed firearms has civil liberties groups raising an alarm. The bill, A.B. 2047, would require businesses that sell 3D printers in the state to alter their software to detect and block the printing of untraceable firearms, commonly referred to as “ghost guns.” The legislation would also make it a crime to “knowingly disable, deactivate, uninstall, or otherwise circumvent any firearm blocking technology” on a 3D printer. While proponents of the bill say it is necessary to prevent the spread of unregulated firearms, critics — including the Electronic Frontier Foundation...

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Wednesday to investigate unspecified allegations against an unnamed senator. “It seems like the Senate has its own trash to take out. @LeaderJohnThune, you need to look into the allegations against one of your senators; it’s very disturbing,” Luna wrote on X. “My chief [of staff] will be contacting your chief [or staff].” The Florida Republican did not specify the nature of the allegations or which senator she was referencing. Luna has consistently called for the expulsion of lawmakers from Congress who have engaged in sexual misconduct. “I’m...

SummarySterile fly release The U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled a new facility at an old Air Force base near Edinburg, Texas, that will disperse sterile screwworm flies into the community. Sterile insect technique Scientists breed sterile male flies using gamma or X-ray radiation, then release them into the wild. These males mate with female screwworm flies, preventing the females from producing offspring. Screwworm threat Screwworm larvae infest open wounds on animals, like livestock and pets, and can kill the animal within 10 days if left untreated. These pests can be devastating to the cattle industry, which has already faced shortages....

Trump War Room@TrumpWarRoom·4h🚨 @SecScottBessent with a direct message to American taxpayers:"I want to encourage everyone out there watching today to change their withholding ... you will get an automatic real wage increase on a weekly or a monthly basis."April 15, 2026

In recent years, it has become something of a commonplace to say that American institutions are losing their sense of purpose. Universities, once understood as places for the disciplined pursuit of truth, now struggle to sustain genuine intellectual diversity. Professions that once carried an internal sense of vocation increasingly operate under external pressures—economic, bureaucratic, and ideological—that compete with their traditional ends. Medicine is no exception. By many measures, modern medicine is more powerful than ever, yet both patients and practitioners sense something amiss. Patients often feel managed rather than cared for. Clinicians, for their part, report rising rates of burnout...

Eric Daugherty@EricLDaugh·3h🚨 HOLY SMOKES. Sec. Scott Bessent just said that because Iran BOMBED Gulf neighbors, those countries are suddenly opening up Iranian regime BANK accounts to TreasurySo he can FREEZE their assets! Checkmate playing out. 🔥"What may prove to be FATAL mistakes the Iranians made was bombing their [Gulf] NEIGHBORS.""Who are now willing to be much more transparent in terms of the funds, or do a deeper dive in investigating the funds that are held within their banking systems.""So, we have pushed out to them the request that we want to freeze more funds of the leadership of the IRGC...

Overton@overton_news·19hStephen Miller could HARDLY keep it together when Jesse Watters asked if President Trump had been following the Swalwell saga.MILLER: “Why, has he had a bad week Jesse? I haven’t been watching.”[Bursts out into laughter]Then Miller dropped what he said is the single most important part of the entire story — and it leaves the Democrat Party completely exposed.MILLER: “The most important part about this story, and look, Swalwell is a scumbag, he is a terrible person, the worst of the worst, the lowest of the low, the most dishonest of the most dishonest…”“But the real story here is how...

Amid the implosion of former Congressman Eric Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign, the race to be California’s new governor next year is up for grabs as pundits guess who will fill in Swalwell’s leading position. A poll released Tuesday may offer a clue: progressive billionaire Tom Steyer leads with 21% of likely voters and Republican candidate Steve Hilton is second at 18%, according to SurveyUSA. Swalwell, who resigned from Congress Tuesday after bombshell sexual assault allegations, polled at third with 9% of voters. The poll was conducted from April 8 to 10, right as the accusations came to light and when rumors...

Orlando attorney says he won’t compete for Florida governorJohn Morgan took to social media on Monday to announce a new initiative: a $100,000 prize for a contest to name his new third party here in Florida. The Orlando attorney opened up his video statement by declaring he would not be running for office. “For about the last year and a half, a lot of people have been asking me to run for governor of the state of Florida. It’s really quite an honor,” he said. “So today, I’m going to answer that question and tell you my plans.” According...

Vice President JD Vance's anti-fraud task force has shut down nearly 500 hospices and home health agencies in Los Angeles alone, Fox News reported. The figure includes 447 hospices and 23 home health agencies. Collectively, the facilities accounted for roughly $600 million in public funds fraud. President Donald Trump officially named Vance his "fraud czar" earlier this month, following a series of raids in LA that saw federal authorities target many hospices in the area. “Where there is fraud, the task force will find it,” a Vance spokesperson told the outlet. “We will not stop until every hard-earned taxpayer dollar...

Dalton Republican state Rep. Kasey Carpenter is facing criticism after a photo of him dressed in blackface has been circulating on social media. The grainy photo shows Carpenter posing alongside his wife at a party with his white skin painted brown. Carpenter said the photo was taken at a Chattanooga bar about 12 years ago when he was in his 30s. He said it was a costume party where guests dressed like power couples, and they chose to dress like Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, who were married at the time. In a phone call Monday, Carpenter called the getup...