Under President Donald Trump’s administration, the permitting process for “critical mineral” mining is set to be more “transparent” as the greenlit projects will have a public review process. The Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) announced this adjustment on Friday to bring “increased transparency, accountability, and predictability” to the review process. This comes after […]

'Get bullied into lighting billions of dollars on fire'

'He was sharp'

Did you know that your tax dollars funded the housing and transportation of illegal aliens across the country? President Donald Trump has moved to stop this phenomenon, and his efforts recently met with an important success. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced that it would not renew agreements with the federal government relating to children’s services and refugee support. As I wrote in my book, “The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government,” the USCCB formed one arm of the Immigration Industrial Complex, the network of NGOs receiving federal funds to move illegal aliens across the country. Some of this work may be noble—it involved finding homes for unaccompanied alien children and those freed from human trafficking—but it also abetted the border crisis, on an industrial scale. The Immigration Industrial Complex Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas admitted in an April 2022 memorandum that his plan for “border security” involved “bolstering the capacity of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to receive noncitizens after they have been processed by [Customs and Border Protection] and are awaiting the results of their immigration removal proceedings.” The Biden administration released millions of illegal aliens on parole, giving them court dates to adjudicate their immigration status, but these aliens routinely miss their court dates and move to live elsewhere in the country. In 2022, The Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center teamed up with the Oversight Project to track where illegal aliens move. They traced cell phones detected at federal immigration facilities, finding that these devices moved across the country. Illegal aliens in facilities maintained by Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, for example, moved to 433 out of America’s 435 congressional districts. As a reminder, at least 9 million illegal aliens entered the United States under President Joe Biden. Only 11 U.S. states have populations greater than 9 million, and even left-leaning “sanctuary city” mayors lamented their inability to deal with the influx of illegal aliens.   Many faith-based NGOs that launched to help legal immigrants in previous eras of U.S. history revamped their efforts in recent years, helping immigrants apparently regardless of legal status. These Immigration Industrial Complex groups likely would not exist without federal funding. Global Refuge, formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, for example, received $180 million in government grants, more than seven times what it received in “all other contributions” ($25 million), in 2022. The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants reported receiving the vast majority of its revenue ($117.4 million of $121.7 million) through government grants in 2020. Chapters of Catholic Charities received at least $1.13 billion under Biden through the Refugee and Entrant Assistance State/Replacement Designee Administered Programs grant from the Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services, for example. Catholic Charities USA received $1.4 billion of its $4.7 billion in revenue from government support in 2022—more than the $1 billion it received in private donations. The Trump Freeze The Trump administration froze tens of millions of dollars in grants in order to conduct a program integrity review. This seems eminently reasonable. While Americans of faith like myself may support programs that care for the less fortunate—particularly legal immigrants and refugees— we should not be forced to pay for these charitable programs with our tax dollars, much less have our tax dollars spent to help relocate illegal aliens across the country. The administration should ensure that these programs do not abet the immigration crisis and incentivize more illegals to enter the country. Predictably, however, the Immigration Industrial Complex responded with lawsuits. USCCB sued the State Department in March to challenge the freeze on around $65 million in federal funding for refugee services. The Biden administration had provided the USCCB with $100 million annually, and the funding covered more than 95% of the bishops’ spending on those programs. The State Department canceled two multimillion-dollar refugee resettlement contracts with USCCB last month, directing the bishops to “stop all work on these program[s] and not incur any new costs.” Only in this context did the USCCB finally announce the end of its work with the federal government. “Today, the USCCB makes the heartbreaking announcement that we will not be renewing existing cooperative agreements with the federal government related to children’s services and refugee support,” the bishops said. “This difficult decision follows the suspension by the government of our cooperative agreements to resettle refugees.” In other words, the USCCB is claiming to take a pro-active action, but the announcement actually represents the USCCB’s recognition of reality—the administration had already made the determinative steps. ‘Rigorous Screening’ Notably, USCCB claimed, “All participants in these programs were welcomed by the U.S. government to come to the United States and underwent rigorous screening before their arrival.” The Biden administration “welcomed” many immigrants outside the legal channels established by Congress, particularly through the program that imported people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. The Biden administration chartered planes for these aliens and granted them parole to remain in the country, a protection the Trump administration will remove later this month.   Lora Ries, director of The Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, contested the vetting claim. “The Biden administration demonstrated repeatedly that aliens and sponsors were not adequately vetted, whether that was Afghan evacuees, sponsors for unaccompanied children, sponsors for parolees, or others,” she told The Daily Signal. “Lack of vetting was the reason for multiple Inspector General reports and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services pause of one of its parole programs,” Ries added. A Critical Admission Bill Canny, the executive director of USCCB’s Migration and Refugee Services program, told EWTN News that the program cannot continue without federal funding. “You can’t replace the generosity of the [United States] taxpayer and how they help either needy people overseas or needy people domestically,” Canny told EWTN. “You can’t replace that, in this case, some $200 million a year, which it would have been this year. So we can’t replace it with private [money].” Perhaps USCCB should create a new program that can be funded with private donations, to address the real human concerns that justified the original program. In that case, not only would the program be directed to the people who most need it, but it would also be able to survive without federal strings attached. USCCB was fulfilling a few important charitable functions, but its old program formed part of a noxious Immigration Industrial Complex. I pray that it can establish a new program dedicated to helping legal refugees and human trafficking victims, without abetting the border crisis. Americans of faith in general—and Catholics, in particular—are a generous people. Let’s allow them to fund charity with their own dollars, not by using the power of the state to force them to fork over the cash. The post Trump Scores a Key Win Against the Immigration Industrial Complex appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Age verification laws passed by US states continue to face legal challenges on First Amendment grounds, with a federal judge last week striking down the one passed in Ohio. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley ruled to issue a permanent injunction in the NetChoice v. Yost case, thus making null and void the Parental Notification by Social Media Operators Act, passed in mid-2023. The law required parental consent for users under 16 to access social media. We obtained a copy of the injunction for you here. The judge defined the case as “(Residing) at the intersection of two unquestionable rights: the rights of children to ‘a significant measure of’ freedom of speech and expression under the First Amendment, and the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their children free from unnecessary governmental intrusion.” NetChoice – a group that gathers the tech’s biggest corporations, including Google, Meta, and Amazon – announced victory in a press release heavily emphasizing issues like privacy, security, and constitutionality as the reasons for prevailing in this case, after achieving the same result in fighting against a similar law in Arkansas. More: The Digital ID and Online Age Verification Agenda And while coming from the mouth(piece) of Big Tech, these arguments might sound hypocritical – two things get to be true at the same time. Big Tech’s concern about this “genre” of laws may plausibly be solely about the fear of losing users and masking that with privacy and First Amendment grandstanding – equally, these sometimes seemingly hastily and poorly put together pieces of legislation may, in fact, fail to properly address the paramount issue of constitutionality. And that is something NetChoice and those it represents will continue to exploit as long as legislators fail to strike a proper balance between free speech and what these laws are supposed to be doing – shielding minors from harmful content. To make matters more complicated, according to Judge Marbley, that balance may or may not currently exist in the US legal system. “Protecting children’s well-being is a laudable, perhaps even achievable, goal. But Ohio’s imperative is to achieve this goal through legislation that is constitutional,” the ruling reads. More: How the “think of the children”; narrative is being used to crush online free speech and privacy NetChoice (and Google, Meta, etc., lurking behind it) – evoking concepts like the US Constitution guaranteeing “rights that the government may not violate” – ring particularly hollow given the many years these giants have been enforcing censorship, including in collusion with the government. But given that the judge in the case did not seem entirely sure the current legal system is equipped to both protect speech, and minors online (by stating this was “perhaps even achievable”) – those truly dedicated to the cause of protecting children and not scoring easy political points, should work harder while drafting and wording their legislation. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Ohio’s Social Media Digital ID Age Law Gets Tossed in Free Speech Fight appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Columbia University is now facing allegations of targeting a student for voicing his religious beliefs online. Daniel DiMartino, a graduate student and outspoken Catholic, has come forward with claims that the university is subjecting him to an official investigation over his faith-based opinions shared on a podcast. Columbia’s Office of Institutional Equity (OIE), a department recently created as part of the university’s response to growing concerns over alleged antisemitic behavior on campus, contacted DiMartino in March with a notice accusing him of “conduct that could constitute discriminatory harassment.” The message offered no specifics. After pressing for clarification and receiving none, DiMartino was summoned to a meeting with three officials from the OIE, who identified themselves as investigators. During the meeting, he was informed that multiple complaints had been filed against him. The officials claimed their purpose was not disciplinary, but to ensure the matter did not “escalate into a disciplinary outcome.” According to DiMartino, they described the investigation as being “for [his] own benefit.” What followed was a presentation of screenshots from DiMartino’s social media accounts, featuring statements reflecting his Catholic convictions. Among the posts was one declaring, “God does not teach us that we can change our gender,” along with others defending politicians who support bans on gender-transition procedures for minors and questioning gender ideology in a conversation with a Catholic friar. The university’s investigators also took issue with DiMartino’s appearance on a January episode of the Timcast podcast, where he suggested that immigrants with visible gang-related tattoos, including those involved in child trafficking, should undergo heightened scrutiny. Columbia officials reportedly considered this view discriminatory, but DiMartino maintains that it aligns with basic public safety principles. “At the end of their presentation, I said, ‘I am totally open to at some point having said something I didn’t believe in … but in all the cases that you showed me, I absolutely stand by what I said,’” DiMartino recounted. DiMartino challenged the premise: “If someone is offended, that’s not going to stop me from sharing what I believe. The overwhelming majority of people in this country agree with what I said … I just don’t believe men can become women and women can become men.” He says he was further cautioned to reflect on the discussion before posting online again. When he responded, “Can you understand that this sounds threatening?” the conversation ended without a resolution. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a nonprofit dedicated to defending free speech on college campuses, has since taken up DiMartino’s case. The organization has formally warned Columbia University against retaliating for what it describes as constitutionally protected expression. “What this really amounts to is censorship through intimidation,” DiMartino said. “No student should be put through an inquisition for practicing their faith.” If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Columbia University Faces Backlash for Investigating Catholic Student Over Social Media Posts appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. One year after launching AltStore PAL, one of the pioneering third-party app stores for iPhones in the European Union, where alternative Apple’s grip on iPhone apps are loosened, its developers have rolled out a major expansion: AltStore Classic. This addition enables users to install a vast range of non-notarized apps, including those requiring just-in-time (JIT) compilation, with minimal friction. AltStore Classic, now available through the PAL store, represents a significant throwback for longtime users. It mirrors the original AltStore experience, first introduced in 2019, but comes with a host of upgrades tailored to meet new regulations and user convenience in the EU. Remarkably, users can now install this legacy-style platform within the newer AltStore PAL framework, effectively sideloading an app store inside an app store. What sets this version apart for EU-based iPhone users is the elimination of several long-standing barriers. There’s no need for a developer account, no requirement to renew the app every few days, and no dependency on a Mac or PC running AltServer for initial setup. While AltServer remains necessary to manage non-notarized applications post-installation, the overall process is now considerably more streamlined. The launch also introduces a new tool named StikDebug. Designed to enable on-device JIT compilation, StikDebug unlocks powerful capabilities for advanced apps and emulators installed through AltStore Classic. With these advancements, EU users can now run performance-intensive emulators like Dolphin, which supports Wii and GameCube titles, as well as meloNX for Nintendo Switch games. This represents a major leap for mobile emulation enthusiasts across the region. For European gamers with a fondness for Nintendo’s library, especially those keen on legal emulation, this milestone opens the door to an unprecedented level of accessibility and convenience on iOS devices. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post AltStore Classic Brings Retro Rebellion to iOS appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. A senior figure at the World Health Organization is advocating for a renewed and enduring partnership between global health authorities and Silicon Valley giants, lamenting what he views as a drop-off in corporate tech cooperation following the COVID-19 saga. Andy Pattison, Team Lead for Digital Channels at the WHO, expressed frustration over what he described as a fading commitment from major tech platforms after pandemic restrictions began to lift. He proposed forming what he called “a health online collective,” aiming to replicate the level of cooperation seen during COVID-19, but on a constant, institutional basis rather than one sparked by emergencies. The goal, he explained, is to embed these relationships so deeply that a pandemic-scale digital response becomes routine, not reactive. “The health cluster work together in the real world,” Pattison said, “but in the digital world, we tend to start again.” His vision is a standing alliance of tech companies and health authorities, ready to push unified messaging at all times, not only in crisis. This push for persistent digital coordination follows what Pattison described as a period of unprecedented synergy between WHO and technology companies during the pandemic. According to him, these partnerships were already forming prior to COVID-19, focusing on vaccines like MMR, but rapidly escalated once the pandemic began. Meta, formerly Facebook, played a key role, he said, helping to coordinate an initial roundtable with other major tech platforms. That meeting laid the groundwork for a surge in corporate collaboration with the WHO, from tightening “misinformation” censorship policies and inserting WHO-approved content into users’ feeds, to directly amplifying the organization’s messaging through social media. “The range of projects was from the policy side…to working with product managers…to amplify a lot of our content through their channels,” Pattison recalled. These actions were part of a wide-ranging campaign to control the digital narrative around public health, with WHO guiding platforms on how to manage information flow. Pattison made clear that the organization does not measure its success solely in likes or impressions. The actual goal is behavioral manipulation. “The actual proof of the pudding…is actually behavior change,” he said, underscoring the fact that influence over decision-making, not just visibility, is the metric for their online campaigns. That change isn’t left to institutional channels alone. Pattison proudly highlighted a WHO initiative known as Fides, a program designed to enlist and amplify healthcare influencers who are willing to carry WHO talking points to their audiences. Influencers are provided with key messaging and data, and if the content “resonates,” they are encouraged to turn it into engaging posts, often dressed up with humor or emotion to ensure wider appeal. “We work with the technology companies [to] boost those people,” he explained, referring to algorithmic promotion and visibility enhancements facilitated by social media platforms. This tight integration between private companies, government-linked institutions, and selected individuals creates a well-oiled feedback loop, where health narratives are shaped, delivered, and monitored for efficacy. Pattison sees the influencer pipeline and Big Tech’s algorithms as powerful tools for tailoring WHO-approved narratives to local contexts, all while maintaining central message control. “It’s not WHO generically telling people about something,” he said. “It’s a creator from Uganda talking about… the latest scandal… making it relevant.” As the WHO repositions itself for future health crises, its digital communication strategy is clear: deepen ties with tech giants, sustain control over digital health discourse, and prioritize behavior modification over mere information dissemination. The organization’s post-pandemic playbook seems less about restoring public trust through transparency and more about institutionalizing an infrastructure of message management built on censorship-era foundations. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post WHO Pushes for Permanent Tech Alliance to Institutionalize Digital Health Messaging and Behavior Control appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

London Protest for Trans Rights: Shouting, Threats and Vandalism

Academic Insanity Strikes Again