Sylacauga, Alabama, residents were abruptly booted from a recent city council meeting after several asked questions about the uptick in illegal immigrants resettling in the area.Approximately 20 minutes into last week's meeting, Sylacauga City Council President Tiffany Nix demanded the meeting come to an end after three locals raised concerns about Haitian nationals moving to the city.'You're treating them like lawful U.S. citizens, which they are not.'The first resident asked, "I would like to know how they were vetted.""Was everyone vetted? Where are they located?" she continued. "It's said that they have work visas, but the work visas show that the company that they work for is not — it's not a factory that we have here.""Who's heading up watching over this situation? What information can you give me about this situation? I'm just concerned," she added.Nix responded, stating that "unfortunately," the city council does not have information to provide the public about the new arrivals. "We just don't have any information on it," Nix said. "We just know that they are here legally."Councilman Ashton Fowler also chimed into the conversation, telling the resident, "This is above us. We found out when everybody found out."Fowler noted that he had met some of the Haitian nationals when they started attending his church."The ones at church with me are great people," he said. "That's the only interaction I've had with them. I know that there's more than that here in town.""As far as knowing how they got here and what their deal is, we're left out of the loop just as you. That goes way high up," Fowler told the resident.Nix claimed there was "no reason" for the city council to investigate the situation because "no crime has been committed."Councilwoman Laura Barlow Heath told the concerned local that she has attempted to reach out to state and federal leaders for additional information.A second resident asked the city council members why they do not have information about immigrants being bused into the area."We see the stuff on Facebook and social media just like you have. We have no knowledge," Nix replied.The resident asked why the city council members had not reached out to someone to gather information about the busing situation."With all due respect, has anybody seen anybody get bused in here?" Nix questioned. "It's hearsay. But that's the thing, people are posting stuff on social media and people are saying things that they don't know anything about. Nobody has seen any of those things happen."The resident responded, "But I also went by where they're living, some of them. And they're just sitting around outside. They're not working.""But what's wrong with that?" Nix asked."They supposedly came here to work," the resident replied. One of the city council members claimed that the foreign nationals could be working night shifts somewhere."I wasn't going to comment on this, but I am now because I feel like I need to," Nix said. "I want to welcome anybody to Sylacauga that wants to come to Sylacauga.""That's how I feel about it. If people aren't breaking the law, they're not causing any problems, I don't see what the issue is," she added.Later, during the meeting, a third resident, David Phillips, started to raise the immigration issue again but did not get far into his statements before Nix cut him off."The attitude of the council throughout this process is entirely unacceptable," he stated. "You're treating them like lawful U.S. citizens, which they are not.""I'm going to cut it off," Nix retorted, referring to ending the meeting. "We have no reason to want an investigation or treat people differently because of how they look. There's no reason for it."Phillips responded, "Who said that?"Barlow Heath told Nix that residents were raising "valid concerns.""How are they valid concerns, Laura?" Nix asked."We're done," Nix declared. "I'm going to ask all of you to leave because this meeting is over."In an interview with Fox News Digital, Phillips stated that he was "a little shocked" the city council ended the meeting."I've seen some crazy things at the city council meetings in the past, but that was sort of egregious even for them," he told the news outlet. "In this country, we were designed to be able to [have] ... basic fundamental free speech. ... That's the whole point of public comment. That's what they build into the meeting. That's why there's a podium there with a microphone so the people can ask questions. And she just blew that all up."Nix did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Former presidential candidate Marianne Williamson warned Democrats that their dismissing a concern about migrants eating cats will hurt them in the election. Residents in Springfield, Ohio, have reported in social media posts that Haitian migrants are capturing and eating pets, but local law enforcement have said they have no such confirmed reports. The issue has gone viral on social media and was used by Vice President Kamala Harris to try to paint former President Donald Trump as unhinged during the debate. 'Smug elite jerks who think they’re too smart to listen to anyone outside their own silo.' "Continuing to dump on Trump because of the 'eating cats' issue will create blowback on Nov. 5," said Williamson on social media. "Haitian voodoo is in fact real," she added, "and to dismiss the story out-of-hand rather than listen to the citizens of Springfield, Ohio confirms in the minds of many voters the stereotype of Democrats as smug elite jerks who think they’re too smart to listen to anyone outside their own silo." Regardless of the pet-eating issue, residents have demanded that local officials do something to mitigate the effects of a large influx of migrants into their community. "Let me be clear: This is not about race. This is about people being given the privilege of coming here from another country and having no respect for our people, our land, or our life's work. People living their life here the way they did in Haiti," said one resident to the Springfield commission. Anti-Trump critics and media members have claimed the pet-eating narrative is driven by racism and xenophobia. Despite the criticism, Trump has signaled that he's not abandoning the issue by posting political cat memes on Truth Social. Williamson ran for president in the Democratic primary in 2024 but suspended her campaign after lack of support. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Former President Donald Trump may have softened his pro-life stance, but Americans can’t let that deter them from stopping Kamala Harris in her tracks. Rusty Reno, the editor for First Things, believes this wholeheartedly, as this is a spiritual war that we have to win. “There’s kind of a referendum about what kind of country we’re going to have going forward, or even the future of Western civilization,” Reno tells Jill Savage and Matthew Peterson of “Blaze News Tonight.” “Rapid demographic change, declines in fertility — we’re undergoing some pretty dramatic cultural changes, and I think that I go into the election thinking that it’s not just a decision about policy, it’s really a kind of spiritual-cultural decision about what kind of country, what kind of civilization we’re going to have,” he explains. “So the stakes are high indeed,” Peterson comments. According to Reno, the world appears to be split between “two fundamentally different worldviews” and that it’s “almost as if we’re living in separate realities.” While the extreme progressives and conservatives have been discussing civil war, he doesn’t believe it will come to that. “I think that’s overblown, precisely because the middle 60% is not engaged in the same passionate way that the two sides are,” he explains. “But by the end of the decade, I think we will be going either one direction or the other as a country.” And for the sake of our country, that direction should be right. “There are two things to keep in mind. One is we’re going to vote in early November, and we have a choice, and we may not like Donald Trump’s retreat from a strong pro-life stance, but the alternative is a radical, pro-abortion Democratic party,” Reno says. “So I have no question, I have no qualms of conscience in voting for Donald Trump on the grounds that his administration is more likely to defend life than would a Democratic Party administration,” he continues. “The second thing is that we can work at the state level, at the local level, to continue to support pro-life politicians, bring them up through the system,” he adds. Want more from 'Blaze News Tonight'?To enjoy more provocative opinions, expert analysis, and breaking stories you won’t see anywhere else, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

The Australian government is considering passing a bill that would fine online platforms for spreading misinformation or disinformation. However, mainstream news outlets would be protected from penalties for spreading similar content.The government declared it would force platforms to set codes of conduct to govern how to stop allegedly dangerous falsehoods from spreading, which would need to be approved by a regulator. If the platform did not set its own guidelines, the regulator would force its own guidelines on them and fine the platform for not complying.Violations for not preventing the spread of material denounced by the government would result in fines of up to 5% of a company's global revenue.'Misinformation and disinformation pose a serious threat to the safety and wellbeing of Australians.'According to Reuters, the banned subjects include content that allegedly hurts election integrity or public health, calls for denouncing a group, legally injuring (defaming) a person, and speech that allegedly disrupts key infrastructure or emergency services. The latter would likely already be a crime."Misinformation and disinformation pose a serious threat to the safety and wellbeing of Australians, as well as to our democracy, society, and economy," Australian Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said.She added, "Doing nothing and allowing this problem to fester is not an option."Political commentator Lewis Brackpool said the policy was incompatible with the "once great principles of western nations." "Governments across the west have been captured by ideological NGOs, lobbyists, and the activist class who look to not only seek control of citizens’ speech, but push for the demise of the west for their own perverse utopian system," Brackpool told Blaze News. Brackpool pointed to the recent banning of Elon Musk's X in Brazil, which attempted to fine the platform similarly for noncompliance in removing alleged disinformation.Brackpool added, "there is a dark corner that globalists and politicians are turning to. After the X ban in Brazil, authoritarian western governments around the world are mirroring this trend."The Australian government claimed there is an overwhelming demand for a crackdown on misinformation; it cited a poll from the Australian Media Literary Alliance that stated 80% of respondents want the spread of misinformation to be dealt with.The communications minister said that the bill would include protection for professional news, a move that mirrors social media platforms in the past. Sites like YouTube and Facebook have previously used labeling certain news outlets as reputable sources to downrank independent outlets in their algorithms.Religious and artistic content would also allegedly be protected under the proposed law.Musk had a simple response upon hearing about the legislation, calling the Australia government "fascists" in a post on X. 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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iPhone 16 pre-orders start on Friday, September 13th. While the new device lineup will be released on September 20, it's important to note that it won't have any Apple Intelligence features out of the box. Even though Apple claims this iPhone has "built-in" Apple Intelligence functions, they won't be available to the general public until Apple releases iOS 18.1, which is currently in beta. Cupertino expects to release iOS 18.1 to all users by October. However, if you're one of the early birds to get the iPhone 16, you won't be able to take advantage of Apple Intelligence, and even more enticing features won't arrive until later this year. But there's an easy way to take full advantage of your new iPhone 16 and start using Apple Intelligence as soon as you get your phone. You only need to follow the steps below. Join the Apple Beta Software Program for instant access to Apple Intelligence Even if you're not a developer, you can join Apple's Beta Software Program. You need to enroll your Apple ID on the website, and then you can take advantage of Apple's public beta releases. After you follow the Apple Beta Software Program steps, do that on your iPhone 16: On your iPhone, open the Settings app Tap on General and Software Update Tap on Beta Updates and enable iOS 18.1 Public Beta Apple Intelligence features coming to iPhone 16 Image source: José Adorno for BGR Once the beta version is downloaded, you can take advantage of the following features: Writing Tools: Proofread your text, rewrite different versions until the tone and wording are right, and summarize the selected text with a tap. Improved Siri: With a new design, Siri can maintain context between requests. Even if you stumble over words or shift what you’re saying mid-sentence, Siri can understand what you actually want. Priority notifications appear at the top of the stack, letting you know what to pay attention to at a glance. Notifications are summarized so you can scan them faster. Priority messages in Mail: Elevate time-sensitive messages to the top of your inbox, like an invitation that has a deadline today or a check-in reminder for your flight this afternoon. Record and transcribe calls in the Notes app: Just hit record in the Notes or Phone apps to capture audio recordings and transcripts. Apple Intelligence generates summaries of your transcripts so you can get to the most important information at a glance. Reduce interruptions: With iOS 18.1 beta 1, an all-new Focus Mode understands the content of your notifications and shows you the ones that might need immediate attention, like a text about picking up your child from daycare later today. Smart Reply in Mail: Quickly draft an email response with all the right details. Apple Intelligence can identify the question you were asked in an email and offer relevant selections to include in your response. Clean Up: This Photos app feature can identify and remove distracting objects in the background of a photo without accidentally altering the subject. Summarization: Apple Intelligence can now summarize more than just Messages and Mail notifications. Use the Camera Control button to find out information about a restaurant with Visual Intelligence. Image source: Apple Inc. With iOS 18.2, Apple is expected to add the following features to iPhone 16 users: Image Playground: Users can create playful images in seconds, choosing from Animation, Illustration, or Sketch. This app is built right into apps like Messages and is also available in a dedicated app; Genmoji: Create custom emojis by writing a prompt to Apple Intelligence, such as a frog with a hat, and so on Visual Intelligence: It helps users learn about objects and places faster than ever before. Users can click and hold Camera Control to pull up the hours or ratings for a restaurant they pass, add an event from a flyer to their calendar, quickly identify a dog by breed, and more. Wrap up With this article, you're now ready to take advantage of Apple Intelligence on your iPhone 16 from day one. Don't Miss: iPhone 16: Release date, features, A18, price, AI, and more The post How to get Apple Intelligence on your iPhone 16 on day 1 appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Best Apple deals for September 2024 Today’s deals: $20 Amazon credit, 23% off Galaxy Z Flip 6, $50 Ninja blender, $48 Anker ANC earbuds, more Today’s deals: $129 Apple Watch Cellular, $750 Hisense 75-inch TV, $29 humidifier, $140 standing desk, more Today’s deals: $189 Apple Watch SE, $1,000 off Sony OLED TV, $350 Dyson V8 Plus, $30 JBL earbuds, more

The legend of the moon eyed people of southern Appalachia has captivated the imaginations of Cherokee Native Americans as well as European settlers, and modern residents of the region alike. The Cherokee legend proclaims that long before the Cherokee people came to the mountains of the southeast, another race of people called the moon eyed people lived in caves and atop the mountains in large forts. Roy Williams explains. John Sevier. The moon eyed people were supposedly nocturnal and could not see well during the day, they also supposedly had pale skin due to their lack of exposure to sunlight. Certain stone structures such as the one at Fort Mountain in northwest Georgia are associated with this legend. The Cherokee legend claimed that the moon eyed people and the Cherokee went to war in the past and eventually the Cherokee drove them out from their mountainous territory. This myth captivated the minds of early European settlers who used this myth to claim the ahistorical connection that a previous white race had built the large stone structures in the Appalachian Mountains that the Cherokee claimed the moon eyed people had built.The legend of the moon eyed people gives us a unique window into the minds of early European settlers in North America. The claim that a previous white race built the stone structures on the mountaintops of southern Appalachia such as the one at fort mountain spread like wildfire as it entered the public consciousness for Euro Americans. The legend was augmented and reconfigured to argue that the moon eyed people were a lost colony of Welsh men who were descendants of the Welsh prince Madoc who supposedly sailed to the Americas long before Christopher Columbus. This legend spread so prolifically that President Thomas Jefferson included correspondence to Lewis and Clarke indicating that they should keep their eyes open for evidence of “Welsh Indians” in their exploration of the territories included in the Louisiana Purchase. John SevierJohn Sevier was the first governor of Tennessee between 1803 and 1809. Sevier fought in the Cherokee and Chickamauga wars as Euro-American settlers pushed further into Cherokee territory. Sevier supposedly interacted with a Cherokee chief named Ocotosota in the mid-1780s. The source claims that Ocotosota said that he, "told of the fort being built by white men from across the great water."  Ocotosota told him that the ruins atop fort mountain were built by white men known as the moon eyed people. This source however is difficult to determine in reliability since chief Ocotosota died in 1783, probably before governor Sevier ever interacted with him.Benjamin Smith Barton’s book, New Views of the Origin of the Tribes and Nations of America (1797) is another source for these early interactions between the Cherokee and Euro-Americans settlers in describing the myth of the moon eyed people. Barton citing colonel Leonard Marbury describes the story in which the Cherokee expelled the moon eyed people from the mountains of southern Appalachia. Marbury recounts that, "the Cheerake tell us, that when they first arrived in the country which they inhabit, they found it possessed by certain 'moon-eyed-people,' who could not see in the day-time. These wretches they expelled." While this source has issues in determining its validity due to the separation of experience between Barton and Marbury, it does provide another clue into the legend of the moon eyed people and early Euro-American colonial thought. Cultural significanceThe legend of the moon eyed people should not be doubted when considering the cultural significance it plays to the Cherokee people. However, early Euro-American settlers’ perception of this myth should be scrutinized appropriately. The legend of the moon eyed people bears a striking resemblance to the mound builder myth which proliferated in early colonial America and into the 19th century. Native Americans told Euro-American settlers that they had not built the mounds throughout the United States. Archeological and historical research has proved the Mississippian civilization of North America built these structures hundreds and sometimes thousands of years before contemporary Native Americans came to live in these regions such as the Creek and Cherokee people. Euro-Americans settlers took this to mean that a previous advanced white civilization had constructed these structures. The legend of the moon eyed people follows the same trajectory. Euro-American used these structures to create a narrative, from the mounds built by the Mississippians to the enigmatic structures on Fort Mountain in Northwest Georgia to lay claim over the Americas in establishing their legitimacy as heirs to the lands. The mound builder myth has been refuted by archeological surveys proving that the Mississippian civilization built these structures. The ruins atop fort mountain will probably follow the same fate as a forgotten ceremonial or defensive structure built by Native Americans in the distant past. The legend of the moon eyed people endures as an important element of Cherokee culture, however any pseudohistorical claims about lost Welsh princes or ancient white civilizations in North America must be cast aside as a byproduct of the racial ideology of early European settlers. Find that piece of interest? If so, join us for free by clicking here.  ReferencesTibbs, David (2008). "Legends of Fort Mountain: The Moon-Eyed People / Prince Madoc of Wales". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved April 30, 2013."Forsyth County News ('Fort Mountain')". Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.Barton, Benjamin Smith, M.D. (1797). New views of the origin of the tribes and nations of America. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: John Bioren for the author. p. xliv. at Internet ArchiveFeder, Kenneth L. (2005). "The Myth of the Moundbuilders" (PDF). Frauds, Myths, And Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology. Central Connecticut State Univ: McGraw Hill. pp. 151–155, 159–160, 164–166. ISBN 978-0-07-286948-4. Retrieved May 19, 2012.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., asked the FBI to turn over documents related to Democrat Vice President nominee Tim Walz and his ties to a China-linked research institute that partners with the Wuhan Institute of Virology.