'So I thought that was a mistake'

'Maintain safety with nuclear power'

'Serious act of intimidation'

'The public deserves to know'

In the lead-up to California’s Nov. 4 special election to approve its proposed Democratic gerrymander, state party leaders are butting heads over messaging strategy. Democrat mega-donor and failed 2020 presidential candidate Tom Steyer caused a stir when his last-minute early October $12 million ad buy featured a self-given monologue highlighting his opposition to President Donald […]

'I’ve been preparing'

As the government shutdown grinds through its third week, this weekend could be a major turning point, with “no kings” rallies taking place across the country. Republicans say these rallies have contributed to the partisan gridlock and are putting Democrats on blast for their support of the protests. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., has accused Democrats of refusing to support a funding extension and prolonging the shutdown to appease the Saturday crowd, or as he calls it, “the hate America rally.”  “You’re going to bring together the Marxists, the socialists, the Antifa advocates, the anarchists and the pro-Hamas wing of the far-left Democrat party. That is the modern Democratic Party,” said Johnson on Friday. “As the shutdown drags on, it’s becoming increasingly clear that this spectacle is the reason the Democrats have refused to reopen the government.” Schumer himself has praised the rallies. This No Kings Day:Don't be afraid to exercise your right to free speech.Don't let Donald Trump or Republicans intimidate you into silence.Be proud that you are standing up for our democracy. pic.twitter.com/gZl5MrR7Y7— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) October 16, 2025 “This weekend’s no kings rallies will be an affirmation about what America is all about. We are a democracy in America, we have no kings, despite the fact that Trump has even said he wants to become one and is acting in ways that are a threat to our democracy,” said Schumer in a floor speech Thursday. “For weeks, Republicans have tried to vilify these rallies… These are love America rallies… no kings day says we will not stay silent.” On Friday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., was unclear about whether he planned on attending the rallies, but praised the goal of the rallies. “I haven’t finalized my schedule for the weekend, given the sensitivities around the government shutdown, and I’m still very hopeful that Republicans will decide to show up for work so we can get the government back open, but I support the right of every single American to participate in the rallies that are going to take place this week,” said Jeffries.  House Leader Hakeem Jeffries says that protesting is as American as apple pie ahead of the planned “No Kings” rallies across the country. READ MORE: https://t.co/EeD0YbQZJs #jeffries #nokings #governmentshutdown #news #politics pic.twitter.com/jCf4NyrhQh— The National Desk (@TND) October 17, 2025 He added, “Showing up to express dissent against an out-of-control administration, that’s as American as motherhood, baseball, and apple pie. That’s the First Amendment… What you’ll see this weekend is what patriotism looks like: people showing up to express opposition to the extremism that Donald Trump has been unleashing on the American people.” Republicans appear to hope this rally will get Democrats’ obstructionism out of their system. “I don’t expect that they have any intentions of eliminating the shutdown before their big rally on the 18th of October, apparently. At least that’s what Democrat senators have shared with us,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told reporters on Oct. 9. The post Are Dems Keeping the Government Shutdown for ‘No Kings’? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Australia is moving forward with a national facial recognition network that will link millions of citizens’ identity documents, despite ongoing uncertainty about privacy safeguards. The National Driver Licence Facial Recognition Solution (NDLFRS) will merge biometric data from driver’s licenses and passports so that both government departments and private businesses can verify individuals’ identities. The proposal dates back eight years but has recently accelerated. The Digital Transformation Agency confirmed that the Department of Home Affairs will host the system, while each state and territory will continue to manage its own data. The agency stated that the project aims “to protect Australian people from identity theft, to manage and prevent crime, to increase road safety and to improve identity verification.” It also noted that “Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia have provided data to the NDLFRS, with other states and territories to follow.” Although the initiative remains marked as “unendorsed,” the government is preparing to activate key components. The Attorney-General’s Department has announced that the accompanying Face Verification Service (FVS), which checks whether a person’s facial image matches the photo held in official records, is expected to begin operation in 2025. Western Australia is likely to be the first jurisdiction to share its driver’s license data before the end of this year. Once operational, the network will allow facial images from passports and licenses to be used for verification in a range of settings. However, the Digital Transformation Agency has acknowledged that governance structures, risk management systems, and oversight arrangements are still being developed. It also said that biometric decisions will continue to involve human oversight and that, at least for now, people must have the option to use non-biometric verification methods. The government has not clarified whether concerns about privacy and data security have been resolved. Greens Senator David Shoebridge criticized the rapid progress of the rollout, arguing the government had “failed to live up to its commitment to have stronger privacy laws in place to protect our online data.” He said, “This should not be rolled out until we have privacy laws fit for purpose that put far stronger barriers to this data being lost, misused or hacked,” and warned that “Facial recognition data is some of the most personal information that can be shared online, and right now, there is no confidence that the Albanese government has protections in place to keep this data safe.” The NDLFRS was first agreed upon in 2017, when federal, state, and territory leaders committed to creating a shared repository of biometric facial images for use by law enforcement and other agencies. Then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull rejected claims that the plan constituted “mass surveillance.” Progress stalled when the Coalition’s Identity-Matching Services Bill 2019 failed to pass Parliament. The current government revived the proposal through a scaled-back legislative package, the Identity Verification Services Act and its related amendments. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Australia Advances National Facial Recognition Network Despite Privacy Concerns appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

During Debate, Mamdani Offers Slick Dodge When Asked About Disarming Hamas

At the end of every episode of Comedy Central’s The Weekly Show podcast, host Jon Stewart answers listener-submitted questions about various news topics. This Thursday, Stewart responded to a question about who is to blame for the government shutdown by answering “the Founders” and, more profanely, “fuck James Madison.” Stewart’s answer also made no sense, “Who is responsible for the government shutdown? I'm gonna go with the Founders, who came up with this fucking fakakta, overly complex bureaucratic web of nonsense that it takes to get anything done, and I think it's very difficult when one political party that represents 75 million voters has zero say, authority, heft, and in a functioning political environment that isn't a zero-sum game, there would have been conversations up until now that took some consideration. Some, I'm not saying a lot.”     Stewart wants Democrats to have a say in policy, but it is that “overly complex bureaucratic web of nonsense” he just finished ranting about that is allowing them to shut down the government to try to force health care concessions out of Republicans despite their own minority status. A less “complex” system would mean Democrats have no power at all. As it was, Stewart continued, “I'm not saying, like, they don't still get the shitty little offices and don't get to use the, you know, the Senate steam room, except when Schumer's in there towelless. But some consideration that those 75 million people should have a scintilla of representation in the federal budget. So, that—” After Gillian Spear chimed in to add that “seems reasonable,” Stewart rolled on, “Thank you, Gillian. Thank you. So yeah, once again, fuck you, James Madison. Boom!” That led to more crosstalk between Stewart and the show’s producers. Lauren Walker added, “You're always saying that.” Stewart added, “Every episode should end with that,” while Brittany Mehmedovic claimed that is “our new slogan.” Repeating himself, Stewart exclaimed, “Thanks so much for watching. Thanks so much for listening. Fuck you, James Madison. Boom!” That was not the end of the show, but it was the end of that question. Meanwhile, as Stewart curses the Founders, it is hard to think of another system where the minority party has as much power as the one they created. That is what Stewart said he wanted. Whether he will hold that position in the future when Washington’s balance of power changes remains to be seen.