Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday introduced a proposal for a “Citizen Bill of Rights for Artificial Intelligence” to protect consumers. “Additionally, Governor DeSantis announced a proposal to protect Floridians from footing the bill for Hyperscale AI Data Centers and to empower local governments to reject their development in their communities,” a press release read. “Today, I proposed new legislation on artificial intelligence and AI data centers to protect Floridians’ privacy, security, and quality of life,” DeSantis said. “Our AI proposal will establish an Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights to define and safeguard Floridians’ rights—including data privacy, parental controls, consumer protections, and restrictions on AI use of an individual’s name, image or likeness without consent,” he continued. As Al continues to develop we're committed to safeguarding Floridians' rights, data, tax dollars, and way of life. Today, I was proud to announce new legislation that will establish an Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights in Florida, as well as legislation that will protect… pic.twitter.com/58hbO6uLQl — Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) December 4, 2025 A closer look: More from the press release: The Artificial Intelligence proposal will establish an AI Bill of Rights to provide consumers with protections. Reenact protections Florida has already passed against “deep fakes” and explicit material, including those depicting minors. Prohibit any state or local government agency from utilizing DeepSeek or any other Chinese-created AI tools to protect American data. Prohibit AI from using an individual’s Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) without their consent – tie it to harm or sale of a product (political ads, schemes to defraud already in law). Require a notice to consumers when interacting with AI (Company chatbots). Prohibit entities from providing “licensed” therapy or mental health counseling through artificial intelligence. This can be expanded to include use of AI to imitate a licensed professional. Provide parental controls for minors which will allow parents to access the conversation their child has with a large language model, set parameters for when the child can access the platform, and notify parents if their child exhibits concerning behavior. Ensure data inputted to AI is secure and private. Prohibit companies from selling or sharing personal identifying information with third parties (deidentified) and mirror data privacy protections in current law. Limit insurance companies from using AI for insurance claims. Require that AI cannot be used as the sole determination in adjusting or denying a claim. Insurers that use AI for claims must detail the use and allow the Office of Insurance Regulation to inspect the AI model to ensure it does not violate unfair insurance trade practices. The Data Centers proposal will protect Consumers from footing the bill for AI Data Centers. The proposal will: Protect Ratepayers—Prohibit utilities from charging Florida residents more to support hyperscale data center development, including electric, gas, and water utilities. Protect Taxpayers—No taxpayer subsidies for Big Tech. Protect Local Control—Allows local government to prohibit data center construction/development. Protect Florida’s Water Resources—Ensure that water resources are not utilized to the detriment of the public. Protect Natural Florida— Prevent the construction, siting, or operation of a data center by foreign principals or on land classified as agricultural and/or lands under a greenbelt exemption, and require setbacks and vegetative buffers. Requires FDOT to complete noise abatement reviews to protect natural Florida from noise pollution. DeSantis discussed his proposal for an AI Bill of Rights at a press conference: Governor DeSantis Proposes Citizen Bill of Rights for Artificial Intelligence https://t.co/xVvmeE9f5q — Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) December 4, 2025 WUSF shared: DeSantis is proposing his wide-ranging AI bill of rights to address the “obvious dangers” of artificial intelligence. “You know, it could set off an age of darkness and deceit,” he said. “Some will say that it’s going to lead to … curing cancer and all that. I hope so. I think that would be great, but, but human nature is what it is, there’s going to be huge temptations to take this in a very bad direction.” DeSantis said he’s been working with legislators on the bill — and that it would have renewed consumer protections against deep fakes and explicit material, especially involving kids, and misuse of personal data. It would limit AI use for insurance claims, require disclosure of its use in legal filings, and create restrictions — including local controls — for the huge, power-guzzling data centers that AI requires. His proposal has safeguards for children interacting with AI chatbots — parents could read their chats and set parameters, and companies would have to notify parents if a child exhibited concerning behaviors. Megan Garcia spoke in support of the proposal. She’s a Central Florida woman whose 14-year-old son died by suicide after getting involved with a Character.AI chatbot. “Last week was Thanksgiving,” she said, “but we weren’t celebrating because there was an empty chair at our Thanksgiving table. Our beautiful child is gone, and it’s too late for him, but it’s not too late to protect millions of other children in our state.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday discussed details of the Sunshine State’s effort to completely eliminate property taxes for primary residences. DeSantis explained that amending the state constitution would be the preferable route to benefit homeowners. “Property taxes are local, not state. So we’d need to do a constitutional amendment (requires 60% of voters to approve) to eliminate them (which I would support) or even to reform/lower them,” DeSantis said. “We should put the boldest amendment on the ballot that has a chance of getting that 60%… I agree that taxing land/property is the more oppressive and ineffective form of taxation,” he continued. Property taxes are local, not state. So we’d need to do a constitutional amendment (requires 60% of voters to approve) to eliminate them (which I would support) or even to reform/lower them… We should put the boldest amendment on the ballot that has a chance of getting that… https://t.co/WpOQmjNl0X — Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 13, 2025 “If this goes to the voters, they approve it, that will be part of Florida’s constitution. So you’ll have constitutional protection for your homesteaded residence. It cannot be undone by a politician,” DeSantis said on “Fox & Friends.” “If we were starting a society from scratch, I don’t think taxing property makes sense. I think you would rather have consumption. But we are where we are in Florida,” he explained. “You’re going to have all these snowbirds that have these properties, some of these wealthy people that buy these and live in three, you can tax them. You can still do the taxes what you’re doing on Airbnbs,” DeSantis said. “There’s a lot of ability to tax and be able to raise revenue for the things that really matter,” he added. “We also have some rural counties. We have 32 fiscally constraints. Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, these are powerhouses. I’m putting in my budget the revenue to totally backfill every one of those rural counties. So they’re not going to miss a single thing. I’ve got a big surplus. Why would I not do that to be able to help them?” he explained. “There is frustration, some say ‘some guy will come in, buy 12 houses and will do Airbnbs or whatever.’ Well guess what? Those are taxed. You as a homeowner, family, you’re not taxed,” DeSantis said. Watch the clip: BREAKING: Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida citizens MUST have their property taxes abolished, and he'll do so by amending the constitution and letting Floridians vote on it… …and politicians CAN'T undo it! "As a homeowner, a family, you're not taxed! Isn't that a good… pic.twitter.com/VGJxXafgMk — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 5, 2025 Fox Business shared more: DeSantis reiterated Friday that the goal is to eliminate property taxes “completely” for homesteaded residents — a move that, if adopted, would make Florida the first state in the nation to eliminate property taxes on primary residences while also having no state income tax. Lawmakers are reportedly advancing a package of proposals in the Florida House that include a $500,000 homestead exemption (with a potential maximum of $1 million for seniors), a cap on assessment increases, and the option of eliminating property taxes on homesteads altogether. According to the Florida Policy Institute (FPI), property taxes generate roughly $55 billion annually and provide around 18% of county revenues, 17% of municipal revenues, and up to 60% of school-district funding in many areas. The group warns that eliminating property taxes could force a dramatic increase in other revenue sources — in some estimates, raising the state sales tax from 6% to as much as 12%. DeSantis’ office pitched the proposal in March and has since vetoed a study on property taxes that evaluates how local governments use tax revenue and what happens if they are reduced. DeSantis clarified that the tax cuts may need to be phased in and 60% of voters will need to pass the proposal on the 2026 ballot. Watch the full segment on “Fox & Friends”: News 6 shared additional details on the proposals: All of the proposed amendments aim to slash property taxes for homeowners, largely by direct exemptions. For example, HJR 201 pushes to exempt all homesteads from non-school property taxes. However, a common feature among them is that they all prohibit local governments from cutting law enforcement budgets simply due to lower property tax revenue. In addition, state Rep. Tobin Overdorf, the chairman of the House Select Committee on Property Taxes, said these proposals wouldn’t impact school funding. The four proposals approved on Tuesday include the following: HJR 201 — Eliminating Property Taxes House Joint Resolution 201 would establish a homestead exemption for all non-school property taxes. In addition, the amendment would prohibit local governments from reducing their law enforcement funding. HJR 205 — Property Tax Exemptions (Seniors) House Joint Resolution 205 would exempt residents ages 65 and over from paying non-school taxes on their homes. In addition, the amendment would prohibit local governments from reducing their law enforcement funding. HJR 209 — Property Insurance Relief House Joint Resolution 209 increases homestead exemptions for non-school property taxes by $100,000. However, this only applies if the property is subject to a comprehensive multiperil insurance policy. In addition, the amendment would prohibit local governments from reducing their law enforcement funding. HJR 211 — Accrued Tax Benefits House Joint Resolution 211 would allow the full value of the accrued benefit from special limitations on homestead property tax assessments to be transferred to a new homestead for non-school levies. In addition, the amendment would prohibit local governments from reducing their law enforcement funding.

CNN operative Jake Tapper was roasted online Thursday after he brazenly misidentified the arrested January 6 pipe-bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr. as “a 30-year-old white man” — all while his network deliberately refused to air [...] The post CNN Caught Lying About J6 Pipe Bomber’s Race – Calls Black Suspect ‘White Man’ While Hiding His Photo appeared first on The People's Voice.

President Donald Trump was awarded the FIFA Peace Prize during the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., on Friday.

The EU Commission is trying to force the United States into following their anti-free speech laws by punishing the Tech Giants. That isn’t a conspiracy theory. They have said that is what they are doing. The Commission fined Elon Musk’s platform X €120 million, about $140 million, for three key breaches of their oppressive speech […] The post Infuriating! The EU Commission Fines X $140 Million for Speech ‘Violations’ appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

When I was a young child in the 1980s, all I wanted to do was tell stories. Along with writing, I tried drawing my creations, sketching out characters and settings. They were always simple; I remember some of my first stories being about characters called Starboy, who was a star with hands on two points and a hat on the top one, and Boneboy, who was a bone with the same stick figure limbs. One of the biggest influences as a young artist was Ed Emberley. His art books, such as The Big Red Drawing Book, were filled with step-by-step instructions for drawing practically everything in the world. Every step was simple to follow, represented by a line, a circle, a box, drawn by itself underneath the growing image. It didn’t matter what you wanted to draw, it was in one of his books. An octopus? Oh yeah. A firetruck with the ladder extended? Yup. An alien? Pick one. Emberley’s main drawing books were separated by color but that didn’t really relate to what you might find inside. He also released a book of animals, book of faces, a book of Halloween, and the best one, How to Draw Monsters and More Scary Stuff. In all, Ed Emberley published 26 drawing books between 1970 and 2002, and has collaborated on many more children’s books, frequently with his wife, Barbara, and his daughter, Rebecca. In total, he’s illustrated or contributed to over 100 books and has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.I would borrow many of his books from the library and tell sprawling stories with the instructions inside. I remember one of the books (not which one unfortunately) that had a ton of circus stuff included: the tents, the clowns, the lions, the little cars. I loved following along with his art and how easy it was to customize it. Each page was filled with a dozen or so objects, and I copied everything I could find, while also learning enough to develop my own art beyond his examples. With just a few more extra lines or shapes, your art could be elevated, and I’m sure Ed would have loved to see it.I recently bought one of his books again to share with my son. My son loves drawing, and I know he’d appreciate how much he could learn from them. Apparently, I’m not the only adult going back to collect them for their children as many of the books have been reprinted from their original publication. Interest in his books isn’t limited to kids and their parents, as Ed Emberley has received awards for his illustrations in children’s books, including the Caldecott Medal in 1968 for Drummer Hoff, and as a runner-up for One Wide River to Cross the year before. Both books were collaborations with his wife, Barbara Emberley. The Caldecott Medal is awarded to the artist with the most distinguished picture book for children, and other winners include Jumanji in 1982 by Chris Van Allsburg, and Maurine Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are in 1964. I can’t recall if I ever read one of his collaborations when I was a child, but I can see that his art is so much more intricate in those than the instructional books I’m used to. As I grew up, my own art evolved quite a bit. Over the years, however, when my opportunity to draw diminished, so did my talent for it. At least I know there are still some guides to help bring my skills back up if I never needed them.

Testifying before Congress on Thursday, Navy Adm. Frank M. Bradley flatly denied that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth issued a “kill all” order for strikes on a vessel carrying alleged drug-smuggling Venezuelan narco-terrorists in the Caribbean in early September, pushing back against accusations of war crimes. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said that the strikes on September 2 were “entirely lawful and needful and they were exactly what we would expect our military commanders to do.” Cotton added that during a classified briefing with Bradley, he witnessed “two survivors trying to flip a boat” after the first strike and “board it with drugs.” “Admiral Bradley was very clear that he was given no such order to give no quarter or kill them all,” Cotton added. The Washington Post published an anonymously-sourced story on Saturday claiming that things had gone very differently, however. According to the initial story, a direct order to “kill them all” was attributed to Secretary Hegseth — and the scenario described suggested that two survivors had been clinging to wreckage when a second strike was ordered to ensure that they weren’t left alive. Democrats and legacy media outlets were only too happy to run with that narrative, and they spent much of the week declaring Hegseth — along with anyone who had been involved in carrying out his order — was likely guilty of war crimes and continued with those questions after viewing video of the second strike on Thursday. Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) said the second strike on the boat was “one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service. You have two individuals in clear distress, without any means of locomotion with a destroyed vessel, who were killed by the United States.” “Now there’s a whole set of contextual items that the admiral explained. Yes, they were carrying drugs. They were not in the position to continue their mission in any way,” he continued. “Based on what I’ve seen, I am deeply concerned about the legality of the strike,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) told PBS News on Thursday. “I’m deeply concerned about the legality of the entire operation, and it needs a further investigation for a possible war crime.” Following the briefings on Thursday, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell demanded that the Washington Post retract their piece. 50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at DailyWire.com/cyberweek. “The Washington Post must retract their story which led to this latest hoax against Secretary Hegseth,” he posted. “It’s an insult to the American People & to everyone who wears the uniform of our country.” Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) called the outrage from Democrats “manufactured and disingenuous” after mocking the war crime accusations on social media. Virginia Kruta contributed to this report.

Asked by a reporter about Catholics in Europe believing that Islam is a threat to Christianity and whether they were right, Pope Leo XIV responded by saying they were often people who were against immigration and should be less fearful. “All of the conversations that I had during my time both in Turkey and in Lebanon, including with many Muslims, were precisely concentrated on the topic of peace and respect of people of different religions,” Pope Leo stated, adding the understatement, “I know that as a matter of fact, that has not always been the case.” “I know that in Europe, there are many times fears that are present, but oftentimes generated by people who are against immigration and trying to keep out people who may be from another country, another religion, another race,” he declared. “And in that sense, I would say that we all need to work together. One of the values of this trip is precisely to raise the world’s attention to the possibility that dialogue and friendship between Muslims and Christians is possible.” The pope turned to Lebanon, which was a beautiful country in the 1960’s, but started to be torn apart with the entrance of the Palestine Liberation Organization, headed by Yasser Arafat. As FDD has noted: The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was founded at a conference in East Jerusalem in 1964 under Jordanian sovereignty. The organization started recruiting Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, training them, arming them, and launching attacks across the southern border with Israel, inviting Israeli reprisal. Lebanon’s Christian establishment was enraged, saw the Palestinian militias as a threat to the sovereignty of the Lebanese state, and sided with global capitalism against the PLO and the now-defunct Eastern Bloc. Christians thus became Lebanon’s Right. Meanwhile, many Lebanese Muslims took the side of fellow Muslim Palestinians and their armed factions. These Lebanese connected with the world’s leftist organizations and governments and emerged as the country’s Left. By the time the Lebanese civil war ended in 1991, the Muslim Left had prevailed over the Christian Right. “I think one of the great lessons that Lebanon can teach to the world is precisely showing a land where Islam, Christianity are both present and are respected and that there is a possibility to live together, to be friends, “ the pope pronounced. “Stories, testimony, witnesses that heard even in the past two days of people helping each other, Christians with Muslims — both of them had their villages destroyed, for example — of saying, we can come together and work together. I think that those are lessons that would be important also that we heard in Europe or North America that we should perhaps be a little less fearful and look for ways of promoting authentic dialogue and respect.” 50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at DailyWire.com/cyberweek. Pope Leo’s perspective would seem to be at odds with Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, who wrote in Hope for the World: To Unite All Things in Christ, “If you really understand Islam, you understand that the Church really should be afraid of it.”