The Voice finalist Michelle Brooks-Thompson sang a gorgeous rendition of the national anthem to kick off game one of the 2024 NBA finals, and fans can’t stop talking about it. Michelle performed ahead of the Dallas Mavericks vs. Boston Celtics matchup on June 6. And while fans knew she would give a beautiful performance, they were still shocked by her power and emotion. “Michelle Brooks-Thompson just sang the hell out of that national anthem, Sheesh,” a fan wrote on X after her performance. “Wow Michelle Brooks Thompson just killed the national anthem,” another fan gushed. “What a voice!” “Michelle Brooks Thompson getting the national stage she deserves. Legend of the game!” someone posted. After her stunning performance, some are saying that the “NFL needs to book her now for the Super Bowl National Anthem.” “The Voice” Finalist Michelle Brooks-Thompson Got Her Start Singing The National Anthem Michelle Brooks-Thompson competed on The Voice Season 3 with Adam Levine as her coach and has since made a career out of her musical passions. But singing the national anthem is actually where she got her start. At a young age, Michelle began performing The Star-Spangled Banner before high school and college games. She eventually won the “Sing Your Way to Fenway” contest, which allowed her to sing for a Red Sox-Yankees game, according to Mass Live. Today, the singer continues to perform for various local and national events, with her focus being on gospel music. She uses her gift and strong faith to help others heal their trauma. “My passion is to use music to encourage people and help them seek hope and keep faith, in the midst of every storm that life brings,” she wrote on her personal website. “My sincere desire is that my songs will inspire people to live life with more faith, love, and hope.”  You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post “The Voice” Finalist Belts The Most Gorgeous National Anthem At NBA Finals appeared first on InspireMore.

'The Speaker should bring the ALVIN Act to the floor'

Have you heard David Lee Roth’s cover of the classic Tommy Tutone song “867-5309/Jenny”?  The legendary Van Halen frontman released this song on his YouTube channel last week without any information about the recording. I don’t know about you, but I like to know who plays on a record. Who’s the guitar player, who plays drums, who plays bass? I enjoy knowing that stuff. Yes, I know, in the end, it’s all about the song, but there is something about knowing who played on the record that makes me enjoy the music a little bit more. Even on David Lee Roth’s The post Trying To Make Sense Of David Lee Roth’s Cover Of 867-5309/Jenny appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. As the UK prepares for its General Election on July 4th, Meta has announced a series of measures aimed at combating “misinformation” and “hate speech” on its platforms. While the tech giant frames these initiatives as necessary steps to ensure the integrity of the election, critics argue that Meta’s efforts may actually hinder free speech and stifle legitimate political debate. Meta’s announcement highlights a multi-faceted approach, supposedly drawing on lessons from over 200 elections since 2016 and aligning with the UK’s controversial censorship law, the Online Safety Act. The company’s track record raises questions about its ability to impartially police content. Critics argue that Meta’s definition of “misinformation” is often too broad and subjective, leading to the removal of legitimate political discourse. By relying on third-party fact-checkers like Full Fact and Reuters, who have their own biases, as everyone does, in the types of content they choose to “fact check,” Meta risks becoming an arbiter of truth, silencing voices that may challenge mainstream narratives. Meta’s plan to tackle influence operations, including coordinated inauthentic behavior and state-controlled media, sounds, to some, laudable on the surface, the broad and opaque criteria used to determine what constitutes harmful influence could easily be misapplied, leading to the suppression of legitimate outlets that offer alternative perspectives. The company has faced significant criticism for its handling of misinformation, raising serious concerns about its ability to effectively moderate content. Meta’s handling of the Hunter Biden laptop story in the lead-up to the 2020 US presidential election exacerbated concerns about its content moderation policies. When the New York Post published a story about Hunter Biden’s alleged involvement in questionable overseas business dealings, Meta moved swiftly to limit the spread of the story on its platforms, citing its policy against the dissemination of potentially hacked materials. This decision was widely criticized as a politically motivated act of censorship, particularly after it was revealed that the laptop and its contents were genuine. The suppression of this story fueled accusations of bias and raised questions about the extent to which Meta was willing to go to control the narrative in sensitive political contexts. Meta’s initiatives are said to protect candidates from “hate speech” and “harassment.” However, the application of these policies often appears inconsistent. Public figures, particularly those with views that are controversial to Big Tech, might find themselves disproportionately targeted by Meta’s enforcement actions. This selective protection can skew public perception and unfairly disadvantage certain candidates, affecting the democratic process. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Meta to Focus on Censoring “Misinformation” and “Hate Speech” Ahead of UK Election appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Sunday Reflection: Division or Addition?

The New York Post reported that a Disneyland employee died after being thrown from a faulty golf cart that was being recklessly driven through the backstage area of the California-based theme park. Bonnye Mavis Lear, who was an administrator at the park's Club 33, suffered severe injuries to her head around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Details about the incident were released by police Sgt. John McClintock.'It didn’t have to end this way. All of this mess could’ve been avoided if the driver of the golf cart wasn’t driving recklessly.'She was quickly taken to the hospital and eventually succumbed to her injuries two days later. While the police have insisted that the incident was a traffic collision, Lear's colleagues have said that she was thrown off the golf cart when the driver "recklessly" struck a bump in the road, according to the report.Lear was reportedly riding in a rear-facing seat of the golf cart that was traveling at 20 miles per hour behind Critter County, a temporarily closed part of the park. The cart suddenly hit the bump, sending Lear off the vehicle.“It didn’t have to end this way. All of this mess could’ve been avoided if the driver of the golf cart wasn’t driving recklessly,” Rae Delgado, a California Adventure attractions cast member, said.“The golf cart from the entertainment department was brand new. How the hell could it fall apart?! It’s just so unfair to us & the family.”Fox News Digital said they reached out to Disneyland for comment.“She went to grab the handrail, it gave way and sent her out of the vehicle. We do not know if the passengers were aware that she had fallen out,” Delgado continued.As a result, Lear suffered head trauma and a fractured skull that could not be solved in surgery.Delgado went on to say that the Anaheim resort managers told cast members not to say anything about the incident surrounding her death. The Disneyland veteran had been an employee for 24 years, per reports.“We are heartbroken by the loss of Bonnye and offer our sincere condolences to everyone who cared for her,” Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock said, according to Fox News Digital.“At this time, we are focused on supporting her family and our cast members through this tragic event and making sure they have the resources they need.”The authorities are investigating the incident. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated that the use of artificial intelligence poses "significant [financial] risks" even though it appears to benefit financial firms, according to Fox News Digital.Fox News obtained excerpts of a speech Yellen is prepared to deliver on Thursday. She is prepared to speak at an AI conference that will be held by the Financial Stability Oversight Council and the Brookings Institutions. She is set to concede that AI "offers tremendous opportunities for the financial system," but that there are still risks involved.'Concentration among vendors developing models, providing data, and providing cloud services may also introduce risks, which could amplify existing third-party provider risks.'"For many years, the predictive capabilities of AI have supported forecasting and portfolio management," Yellen stated in an excerpt. "AI's ability to detect anomalies has contributed to efforts to combat fraud and illicit finance. Many customer support services have been automated. Across these and many other use cases, we've seen that AI, when used appropriately, can improve efficiency, accuracy, and access to financial products.""Specific vulnerabilities may arise from the complexity and opacity of AI models; inadequate risk management frameworks to account for AI risks; and interconnections that emerge as many market participants rely on the same data and models," she continued.Yellen went on to say that the "complexity and opacity" of AI models, along with "inadequate" risk management frameworks that crop up from the same data and models can lead to vulnerabilities, according to The Hill.She went on to say that if too many market players rely on the same AI models and data, it could result in reinforcement of existing biases or create new ones that significantly impact financial markets."Concentration among vendors developing models, providing data, and providing cloud services may also introduce risks, which could amplify existing third-party provider risks. And insufficient or faulty data could also perpetuate or introduce new biases in financial decision making," Yellen said.Even though there are some serious challenges, Yellen remarked that AI-powered tools can greatly help broaden access to financial services. This could also make them more affordable for the average consumer."Advances in natural language processing, image recognition, and generative AI, for example, create new opportunities to make financial services less costly and easier to access," Yellen said. She went on to say that the IRS is using AI for "enhanced fraud detection.""Scenario analysis, often used by firms and governments to understand opportunities and risks in the context of uncertainty, could also be beneficial," she continued. "Given how quickly AI technology is developing, with fast-evolving potential use cases for financial firms and market participants, scenario analysis could help regulators and firms identify potential future vulnerabilities and inform what we can do to enhance resilience."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!