A Wisconsin teenager was convicted of "sadistic and evil" acts related to serial rapes committed in Milwaukee.Seventeen-year-old Tremonte Kirk was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Tuesday by Judge David Borowski at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.'This is as aggravated, depraved and sadistic and evil as it gets.' In December, Kirk saw a random woman from a busy street and followed her into the elevator of her apartment. He raped her and then stomped on a surgical incision on her leg.The woman, Charlotte Nozar, testified in court against her attacker."Your honor, the serial rapist you have sitting in front of you today is an existential threat to the women of Milwaukee," she said. "Nothing, nothing can give me my life as I knew it and my leg back," she added. Judge Borowski berated Kirk for his actions and pointed out that his criminal behavior extended back to when Kirk was only 12 years old. "This is as aggravated, depraved and sadistic and evil as it gets. You engaged in monstrous conduct, conduct that would lead the average person to believe you are an absolute monster. Your parents raised a monster," said the judge. "Your record, Mr. Kirk, is horrible. If you were 40 years old, it'd be a horrible record." DNA evidence presented during court linked Kirk to another potential assault last year of a woman who was sleeping in her car at the time. She was able to escape the attack. "I had to run for my life, and my survival depended on instinct," said the woman. "Trauma is not measured by how quickly a victim could get over it."RELATED: Elderly woman beaten to death with a rock — police said they found her daughter 'covered in blood' Astoundingly, Kirk had been wearing an ankle monitor during both instances. "You had a GPS monitoring device on your ankle when you were doing this! Did you honestly think you weren't ... did you think you were going to get away with it?" asked the judge. Kirk apologized in his statement, but Nozar said she could not accept the apology and did not forgive him. "On the good days when the thoughts are minimal and fleeting, I'm all about the healing," Nozar said. "On the bad days, when the stinging memory plays over on a continuing loop, I'm pissed off as hell that I even have to." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A tech entrepreneur is hoping casual AI users and businesses alike are looking for a new pal.In this case, "PAL" is a floating term that can mean either a complimentary video companion or a replacement for a human customer service worker.'I love the print on your shirt; you're looking sharp today.'Tech company Tavus calls PALs "the first AI built to feel like real humans."Overall, Tavus' messaging is seemingly directed toward both those seeking an artificial friend and those looking to streamline their workforce. As a friend, the avatar will allegedly "reach out first" and contact the user by text or video call. It can allegedly anticipate "what matters" and step in "when you need them the most."In an X post, founder Hassaan Raza spoke about PALs being emotionally intelligent and capable of "understanding and perceiving."The AI bots are meant to "see, hear, reason," and "look like us," he wrote, further cementing the use of the technology as companion-worthy"PALs can see us, understand our tone, emotion, and intent, and communicate in ways that feel more human," Raza added.In a promotional video for the product, the company showcased basic interactions between a user and the AI buddy. RELATED: Mother admits she prefers AI over her DAUGHTER A woman is shown greeting the "digital twin" of Raza, as he appears as a lifelike AI PAL on her laptop.Raza's AI responds, "Hey, Jessica. ... I'm powered by the world's fastest conversational AI. I can speak to you and see and hear you."Excited by the notion, Jessica responds, "Wait, you can see me? That's so cool."The woman then immediately seeks superficial validation from the artificial person."What do you think of my new shirt?" she asks.The AI lives up to the trope that chatbots are largely agreeable no matter the subject matter and says, "I love the print on your shirt; you're looking sharp today."After the pleasantries are over, Raza's AI goes into promo mode and boasts about its ability to use "rolling vision, voice detection, and interruptibility" to seem more lifelike for the user.The video soon shifts to messaging about corporate integration meant to replace low-wage employees.Describing the "digital twins" or AI agents, Raza explains that the AI program is an opportunity to monetize celebrity likeness or replace sales agents or customer support personnel. He claims the avatars could also be used in corporate training modules.RELATED: Can these new fake pets save humanity? Take a wild guessThe interface of the future is human.We’ve raised a $40M Series B from CRV, Scale, Sequoia, and YC to teach machines the art of being human, so that using a computer feels like talking to a friend or a coworker.And today, I’m excited for y’all to meet the PALs: a new… pic.twitter.com/DUJkEu5X48— Hassaan Raza (@hassaanrza) November 12, 2025In his X post, Raza also attempted to flex his acting chops by creating a 200-second film about a man/PAL named Charlie who is trapped in a computer in the 1980s.Raza revives the computer after it spent 40 years on the shelf, finding Charlie still trapped inside. In an attempt at comedy, Charlie asks Raza if flying cars or jetpacks exist yet. Raza responds, "We have Salesforce."The founder goes on to explain that PALs will "evolve" with the user, remembering preferences and needs. While these features are presented as groundbreaking, the PAL essentially amounts to being an AI face attached to an ongoing chatbot conversation.AI users know that modern chatbots like Grok or ChatGPT are fully capable of remembering previous discussions and building upon what they have already learned. What's seemingly new here is the AI being granted app permissions to contact the user and further infiltrate personal space.Whether that annoys the user or is exactly what the person needs or wants is up for interpretation.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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HOMESTYLE CHICKEN & NOODLES Our most popular recipe from the last Weekend Potluck was this recipe for Homestyle Chicken & Noodles from Grandma Honey’s House! Our other featured recipes include: Eggnog Tres Leches Cake from Semi Homemade Kitchen, Christmas Cranberry Cake from Easy Southern Desserts and I am sharing one of my favorite recipes: Crock Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy! HOW DO I GET TO THE RECIPES? PLEASE READ THIS! Just click on any of the photos below to take you to the full recipes! Also, when you scroll down to the bottom of this post, you’ll see a bunch of little thumbnail photos of recipes that your favorite food bloggers are sharing right now! THE RECIPE WITH THE MOST CLICKS: Homestyle Chicken & Noodles by Grandma Honey’s House RECIPES THAT CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION: Eggnog Tres Leches Cake by Semi Homemade Kitchen Christmas Cranberry Cake by Easy Southern Desserts FEATURED HOSTESS RECIPE: Crock Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy by The Country Cook YOUR HOSTESSES: The Country Cook~ Brandie South Your Mouth~ Mandy Sweet Little Bluebird~ Mary You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter