'I was appalled'

Migrants in the District of Columbia are driving unregistered mopeds and motorcycles, making food deliveries on popular apps, such as Uber Eats and DoorDash—violating both companies’ terms of use in the process. In April, The Daily Signal launched an investigation into the unprecedented rise in motorcycle and moped traffic in Washington, D.C. The news outlet uncovered that drivers, many of whom entered the country illegally over the past four years, were operating unregistered motorized vehicles in broad daylight, facing no consequences for those actions. Following The Daily Signal’s reporting, D.C. police launched Operation Ride Right to clamp down on these illicit activities. To date, more than 200 mopeds have been impounded, more than 60 people have been arrested and 207 citations handed out. Simultaneously, many of those drivers are logging into Uber Eats and DoorDash to make deliveries. As The Washington Post previous reported, some illegal aliens in the District are “renting” login information from approved users—a serious violation of Uber Eats’ community guidelines. The Daily Signal launched an investigation to ascertain whether the same migrants driving unregistered mopeds are also using apps such as Uber Eats and Door Dash, and if so, how? On Wednesday, we placed four separate delivery orders, two on Door Dash and two on Uber Eats, from various D.C. restaurants. Within an hour, two of the four orders were delivered by migrants driving unregistered motorbikes. Our first DoorDash driver, “Jeremy,” arrived on a 150cc motorcycle with a “49cc” tag affixed to the back and no license plate. (Photo: Tim Kennedy/The Daily Signal) As previously uncovered, many illegal aliens use these same fake plates to evade police detection. Jeremy confirmed that the DoorDash account was his and that he crossed into the U.S. five months ago.We asked him if he needed a driver’s license or Social Security number to drive a motorcycle with DoorDash. “No,” he said. DoorDash drivers are required to follow all local laws. Driving an unregistered motorcycle is against D.C. law. When asked what its policy is regarding drivers using unregistered vehicles, a DoorDash spokesperson said the following: “We’re always working to help ensure that streets remain vibrant and active in the communities we serve. The overwhelming majority of Dashers do the right thing, and like all drivers must follow the rules of the road. If they don’t, then they face consequences—just like anyone else.”  According to the company, sharing Dasher login information is strictly prohibited and can result in account deactivation. In August 2023, the company rolled out an additional screening process, “Identity Re-Verification,” in the U.S. If the Dasher app detects signs of possible account inauthenticity, users would be prompted to reverify their identity by taking a selfie. Persona, a third-party ID-verification firm, would then check to see whether the selfie matches the government ID on file. Dasher applicants must compete a background check using their Social Security number. Our second delivery was picked up by an Uber Eats driver on a bicycle supposedly named “Damian.” Surprisingly, our driver pulled up not on a bicycle, but instead an unregistered motorized vehicle. He affixed the same “49cc” tag to the back and was carrying a bag with “www.flyebike.com” edged in large green ink on the back. We asked him what his name was. He said “Derwin,” not Damian, the name linked to the driver account. Derwin, a migrant from Venezuela who crossed into the U.S. seven months ago, told us the account was his. When asked how large his engine was, the driver said he did not know. The Daily Signal went to a motorbike dealer in the District of Columbia when we first started reporting on this issue. At the time, the dealer only sold 50+cc bikes (motorcycles), very similar to the one Derwin arrived on. (Photo: Tim Kennedy/The Daily Signal) We then asked him the obvious: Why does the application tell us you’re on a bicycle, when you are driving a motorized bike? Derwin said that he selected “bicycle” through the Uber Eats app. We asked him if the Uber Eats app asked him for his driver’s license and whether he had undergone any security checks while using a “bicycle.” He said no. The Heritage Foundation’s Christian Lasval chats with Uber Eats delivery driver Derwin (aka Damian). (Photo: Tim Kennedy/The Daily Signal)According to Uber Eats, whether using a motorized scooter under 50cc (moped) or a car, all drivers must be at least 19 years old and have a valid driver’s license in their name. If delivering on foot or by bike, applicants need a government-issued ID. We asked Derwin if he had ever been stopped by the police. He said no, but that he has recently noticed law enforcement impounding other people’s motorcycles. An Uber spokesperson told the Daily Signal: All couriers who deliver with Uber are required to hold a valid right to work in the U.S., pass a criminal-background check, and be over the age of 18. Sharing accounts is prohibited by our Community Guidelines and is something we take seriously. We have steps in place—such as our Real-Time ID Check, which requires couriers to periodically take a selfie to help verify their identity—to ensure that the courier delivering your food is the person the account belongs to. If a courier is found to be sharing their account or using a fraudulent account, we remove their access to our platform. According to Uber, all applicants are required to provide the company with a Social Security number and valid government-issued ID to undergo a background check. According to Uber’s Community Guidelines, “delivery people using a vehicle are required by law to maintain a valid driver’s license, insurance, and vehicle registration.” The Daily Signal previous reported that some illegal aliens can obtain a temporary D.C. DMV [driver’s] license, that’s valid for a maximum of 18 months. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, illegal aliens either paroled into the United States or those who have applied for asylum and their application has been pending for at least 150 days, may submit Form I-765, Application for Employment. Migrants can then, according to the Social Security Administration, complete a “section on the application to request [a Social Security] card.” While it’s technically possible for illegal aliens in the District of Columbia to obtain driver’s licenses and Social Security numbers, allowing them to apply to deliver food for apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats, their insistent use of unregistered mopeds and motorcycles violates both companies’ terms of use. The post EXCLUSIVE: Migrants on Unregistered Mopeds in DC Use Food Delivery Apps—Violating Company Rules appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Maine Solar Development Fees About to Take All the Sunshine Out of Some People's Lives

Tech mogul Elon Musk has defended and softened his previous comments refusing to crush free speech to please advertisers. Last November, the owner of X (formerly Twitter) had told anti-free speech advertisers to “go f— yourself,” The Hill noted, but during a conversation with the CEO of a multi-national ad company, Musk walked this back a little. “It wasn’t to — to advertisers as a whole,” Musk told WWP CEO Mark Read on Wednesday at the Cannes Lions advertising festival. “It was with respect to freedom of speech. I think …it is important to have a global free speech platform, where people from a wide range of opinions can voice their views.” He explained that some companies, including Disney, Paramount, Apple, IBM and Warner Bros., were “insisting on censorship,” and he objected to it. If it’s between “censorship and money or free speech and losing money, we’re going to pick the second.” After those companies suspended advertising on X last year Musk had crudely bid defiance to the censorship-obsessed companies, The Hill reported.  “We’re going to support free speech rather than agree to be censored for money, which is, I think, the right moral decision,” Musk vowed. He agreed that advertisers “have a right to appear next to content that they find compatible with their brands. That’s totally fine.” He added, “But what is not cool is insisting that there can be no content that they disagree with on the platform.” Musk returned to his of argument that X is an online public square. “In order for X to be the public square for the world, it really got to be a free speech platform,” he insisted to Read. “Now, that doesn’t mean people can say illegal things. It’s free speech within the bounds of the law.” Yet free speech concerns remain for X. Not only did X CEO Linda Yaccarino openly brag of censorship on X to please advertisers, but both she and Musk have espoused a policy of “freedom of speech not reach.” This means content deemed objectionable is suppressed. Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on so-called “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using MRC Free Speech America’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

On Friday, ABC’s The View shared their expectations for the upcoming presidential debate between President Joseph Biden and Former President Donald Trump. They strongly encouraged Biden to “mock him” and “get under his skin.” Moderator Joy Behar began by identifying Biden as the “oldest living president” and Trump, unsurprisingly, as “the oldest living convicted felon.” Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin tagged on by indicating that Biden needs to “take head on the issue of age and vitality” whereas Trump needs to just “appear not crazy.”     As Farah Griffin continued her Trump rant, she declared, “But on the other side he might shout out a domestic terrorism organization like he did in the last first debate” in regards to Trump telling the Proud Boys to “stand back, and by.” But Griffin concluded that what will matter the most at the end of this debate would be what moments go viral. Despite the numerous videos of Biden falling, freezing, or forgetting what to say, co-host Ava Navarro decided to condemn these videos as fake by declaring, “But you know I think Republicans and Trump and his minions have done themselves such a disservice with all of these edited cut and spliced videos that they’re spreading around of Biden seeming lost and decrepit.” Navarro went on to claim that Republicans have set the bar so low that all Biden has to do is show up and not “keel over on his way to the podium.” On a roll, she professed, “I also think that it's part of the reason that you now see Trump saying, oh, he's on drugs. Which, by the way, I can't believe we have to say this, but it's patently false.”  Trump requested that Biden take a drug test before the debate which, expectedly, the Biden administration has made no comment on. She wanted Biden “to mock him, get under his skin, he needs to cure Trump amnesia that this country has and remind us of the horror of the four years, he needs to tout and take credit for all the things his administration has done.” Some accomplishments the Biden administration have were raising gas prices by 40 percent and watching the inflation rate go up by 3.8 percent compared to under Trump’s administration. But Haines wanted to weigh in by giving her strong opinion of Trump, “he is a highly emotionally reactive human being.” She suggested that Biden ask Trump who won the last election as a way to get under his skin. Haines encouraged Biden to “Beat him on the small topics that will just make him lose his mind.” Click "Expand" to view the transcript: ABC The View 6/21/2024 11:03:11 – 11:06:04 JOY BEHAR: So Joe Biden is the oldest -- he would be the oldest living president and Trump would be the oldest living convicted felon. So, who -- who has got more to prove here? ALYSSA GRIFFIN: I think the stakes are incredibly high for both. I think it's important that's happening for democracy, seeing them side by side, seeing the contrast and the juxtaposition. For Biden, I think he needs to take head on the issue of age and vitality. He needs to show up. He needs to look forceful and commands of facts. Donald Trump needs to appear not crazy and they’re gonna have to -- SARAH HAINES: That's gonna be hard, Alyssa. GRIFFIN: There is a world in which he could get through 90 minutes, keep it substantive, focus on policy. I've seen him do it. They shouldn’t dismiss that he can. But on the other side he might shout out a domestic terrorism organization like he did in the last first debate so we don’t know but I think a record number of people will tune in to this, but also what matters is what ends up on TikTok. What are the viral moments? What are the pull quotes that people see? People -- six in ten Americans didn't want this rematch but here we are, and they're gonna tune in to see who the best option is. ANA NAVARRO: But you know I think Republicans and Trump and his minions have done themselves such a disservice with all of these edited cut and spliced videos that they’re spreading around of Biden seeming lost and decrepit. Because it’s -- they've made it so they've lowered the bar so that if Joe Biden shows up, and doesn't keel over on his way to the podium, he's had a good night. And, you know, and I also think that it's part of the reason that you now see Trump saying, oh, he's on drugs. Which, by the way, I can't believe we have to say this, but it's patently false. Everything you just saw in that video, there is no evidence for, it's absolutely false. He's making it up. I think Joe Biden needs to get under his skin. I think he needs to mock him, get under his skin, he needs to cure Trump amnesia that this country has and remind us of the horror of the four years, he needs to tout and take credit for all the things his administration has done, but also be forward looking. SARAH HAINES: He doesn't need to mock him, though. I think it’s so easy to rattle him and you could stay -- BEHAR: Rattle who? Trump? HAINES: Donald Trump. You could stay the more like regular person and be the contrast to his crazy, just by talking about things that enrage him. Start by talking about who won the election, go from there. Like you can literally -- he is a highly emotional reactive human being. It's not response. Responding to someone takes thought and is usually careful. He is only reactive. So I think he just has to start slow, and I would prefer he doesn't mock him because mocking is Donald Trump's weapon. He does it well. Let him do that. Beat him on calm topics that will just make him lose his mind. BEHAR: What if Trump says something about his son, Biden's son, that's a trigger point I think? SUNNY HOSTIN: I think Biden is a real statesman, and I think he will rise to that occasion right? And we know who Trump is: he's a convicted felon. 34 counts. BEHAR: 34 times. (…)

ProPublica Is BIG MAD at Greg Abbott for Campaigning (and Winning) Against Anti-School Choice Republicans

What Biden Is Practicing for the Debate May Just Be the Funniest (and Saddest) Report Yet

Putin's War, Week 121. Putin Threatens, Zelensky Negotiates, and the White House Sends Lots of Missiles

What if your next computer was a 3D-printed laptop? It sounds ridiculous, but it might not actually be that far off. That’s because Framework, a company that has made a name for itself with its modular laptops, has released open-source 3D CAD files for its most popular laptop, giving users full access to the design. The main gist here is that giving its community access to the files via open-source 3D CAD files will allow Framework fans to create various mods for the laptop. But it also opens the door for users to potentially 3D print the full laptop, too. You’d still need to put all the pieces together—including the internal hardware—but it’s an interesting step that could pay off for Framework in big ways. Framework has made itself known by providing extremely moddable products in the past, and giving users the ability to create a 3D-printed laptop is a huge step toward opening new doors for the modding community. In fact, members of the community have already started working on new things. https://youtu.be/km3MVZ8HZeY?si=FPEN-gYzKYSkK28N One member of the community, Joseph Schroedl, has created an open-source RGB LED Matrix that can be retrofitted into the normal LED Matrix Input Module. Others like EmilioP have designed a new carrying case for the Expansion Bay modules that the Framework 16 uses. The company says its main hope in releasing the open-source CAD files was to kickstart the mod community and make it possible to create 3D-printed laptop replacement parts and other accessories—which we’re already seeing. Considering these laptops' already more open and repairable nature, it isn’t surprising to see so many jumping on board with the idea. It will be interesting to see what the community does with full access to the CAD files, as they’ve already shown a lot of interest in modding the laptops beyond their standard design without the level of access that Framework has just provided. Perhaps we’ll even see other companies taking cues from Framework in the future—at least on repairability. Hey, one can hope. Don't Miss: This new study could kill manned missions to Mars before they even happen The post You can now 3D print your own laptop appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: $20 Amazon credit, $79 AirPods, $20 Echo Pop, $899 M3 MacBook Air, $289 iScooter, more Best laptop deals for 2024 Today’s deals: $150 off GEEKOM mini PC, $21 TOZO earbuds, $90 Ninja Air Fryer Pro, $360 Galaxy A35, more Today’s deals: $30 Echo Dot, $22 mini power bank, $629 Weber Spirit grill, $130 Beats Solo 3, more

A host of vice presidential hopefuls will descend on Atlanta next week for a watch party and fundraiser for Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump's first presidential debate against President Joe Biden, the Washington Examiner reported.