One strike and … you’re canceled. Tech giant Meta has vowed to censor speech related to major sporting events this summer. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp, announced plans to target “bullying, violent threats and hate speech” across its platforms. As sports fans look forward to the UEFA EURO 2024 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, they now face the added concern of being silenced by biased online censors.  The Big Tech company also explicitly mentioned its coordination with law enforcement, indicating that no activity or event is exempt from Meta’s mania for crushing free speech. In its release, Meta openly bragged about its thousands of censors and the vast network lined up to stifle free speech. “Since 2016, we’ve invested more than $20 billion into safety and security and quadrupled the size of our global team working in this area to around 40,000 people. This includes 15,000 content reviewers who review content across Facebook, Instagram and Threads,” Meta proudly declared. The Big Tech company further boasted that it had censored 95 percent of allegedly violative “hate speech” before it was even reported to the platform. Yet Meta, like other leftist entities, very vaguely defines hate speech and often applies the term to content it dislikes. For instance, in November, Facebook censored a meme stating there are only two genders. Meta announced several features, including a setting for athletes to automatically hide “offensive” comments. Instagram will also use artificial intelligence to warn users even before they post comments that could be deemed violative. The company will further specifically tailor censorship supposedly to protect women. Ominously, Meta mentioned its work with law enforcement, without clarifying whether this meant basic legal compliance or work with government entities to censor speech. “We cooperate with law enforcement in their investigations and respond to valid legal requests for information,” Meta stated.  Notably, Meta is one of the companies accused by Congress and a lawsuit before the Supreme Court of caving to government pressure and censoring content. Conservatives are under attack. Contact Facebook headquarters at (650) 308-7300 and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on “misinformation” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

Friday marked a big win for gun rights advocates when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Trump administration-era ban on bump stocks by the ATF. In their immediate reactions to the 6-3 ruling, CNN Newsroom pontificators were largely unhappy with the court’s affirmation of a piece of plastic not being a machine gun and lauded the “fiery” dissenting opinion authored by liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Of course, the opinion just flaunted their ignorance of firearm mechanics. Chief legal analyst Paula Reid seemed rather disinterested while reading the majority opinion written by Justice Clarence Thomas, who explained the technical details of the mechanical workings of a firearm that would lead to a machine gun designation: let me read you the top of Justice Thomas's opinion. The majority here. He writes that, “Congress has long restricted access to machine guns, a category of firearms defined by the ability to shoot automatically more than one shot by a single function of the trigger. Now, these are semi-automatic firearms which require shooters to re-engage the trigger for every shot are not machine guns.” He says, “This case asked whether bump stock, an accessory for a semi-automatic rifle. that allows the shooter to rapidly re-engage the trigger and therefore achieve a high rate of fire, converts the rifle into a machine gun. They hold that it does not.” She followed up by lauding Sotomayor’s “fiery” but ultimately ignorant take on machine gun mechanics. “When I see a bird that walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck. A bump stock-equipped semi-automatic rifle fires automatically more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger. Because I, like Congress, call that a machine gun,” the liberal justice proclaimed.     To use her duck analogy against her; Sotomayor might see a creature with a bill and webbed feet that lays eggs and loves to swim, but what she’s calling a duck is actually a platypus (Not to be confused with the 1911 Platypus from Stealth Arms, particularly their “Perry the” model). “And yes, you can read from that dissent from Sotomayor. She's frustrated and she's been making it clear. She's been frustrated lately on the Supreme Court,” host Jim Acosta sympathized with her. Luckily, Republican strategist and “gun company” owner Shermichael Singleton was on set to school the liberals on the basic mechanics of firearms: There is a distinction between a bump stock and a fully auto weapon. I don't want to get into the nuances of the intricacies of this, but a bump stock uses the reciprocation recoil in order for the rifle to fire at a quicker rate than one pulling your finger. But I'm a competitive shooter. If you're a competitive shooter, you can fire a weapon pretty quickly, generally speaking, anyway. Fully auto allows the trigger to disengage and cycle freely. That is a huge mechanical difference between the two. “[So,] when you read that quote from Justice Thomas and this is not a machine gun, he is effectively accurate in that description, and that's an important thing to point out,” he argued. It all seemed to go over Acosta’s head as he shifted to former Biden assistant Meghan Hays for the emotional reaction. “This is really going to frustrate progressives,” he teed her up. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CNN Newsroom June 14, 2024 10:28:12 – 10:31:49 a.m. Eastern (…) JIM ACOSTA: And I do want to try to get a response from Meghan and Shermichael. You're both here. And, Shermichael, you own a gun company. You've talked about this issue in the past. Quick reaction from you, and then I want to get back to Paula Reid. SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON (CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR): Yeah I mean, look, I'm not surprised by the decision. I'm also not surprised that it was authored by Justice Thomas, who also authored the Bruen v. New York case in 2022. There is a distinction between a bump stock and a fully auto weapon. I don't want to get into the nuances of the intricacies of this, but a bump stock uses the reciprocation recoil in order for the rifle to fire at a quicker rate than one pulling your finger. But I'm a competitive shooter. If you're a competitive shooter, you can fire a weapon pretty quickly, generally speaking, anyway. Fully auto allows the trigger to disengage and cycle freely. That is a huge mechanical difference between the two. So, when that -- when you read that quote from Justice Thomas and this is not a machine gun, he is effectively accurate in that description, and that's an important thing to point out. ACOSTA: This is really going to frustrate progressives, Meghan. MEGHAN HAYS (FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT BIDEN): Absolutely. And, look, I worked for MGM Resorts when this shooting happened, this was devastating to the community. This was devastating, not only financially to the company, but devastating to the community emotionally. This is going to have a huge impact. And, I mean, again, Congress does need to act. The president can't do anything further as we just saw President Trump got overturned. So, I mean, this is going to be -- I think people will rally around this, and this will be another call to action for Democrats. EVAN PEREZ: One last quick thing. I mean, this was -- the bump stock thing had been, you know, knocking around, to your point, even in the Obama administration. There had been this effort to address this. And in the Obama administration, they had decided we can't go that far. It doesn't work. The ATF had decided this doesn't work under the current law. And in the Trump administration, they had taken a second look and said, ‘no, actually we can do this.’ And so that's the irony here is that, you know, it's the Trump administration, as you pointed out, that had a very conservative view on this, that they're the ones that decided to do this when the Obama administration had decided that the law that the current statutes did not support the ATF being able to put this rule into effect. ACOSTA: And Paula, let me get back to you. You have more on this. PAUL REID: Yeah we’re taking the time to go through this opinion and for anyone, just tuning in, let me read you the top of Justice Thomas's opinion. The majority here. He writes that, “Congress has long restricted access to machine guns, a category of firearms defined by the ability to shoot automatically more than one shot by a single function of the trigger. Now, these are semi-automatic firearms which require shooters to re-engage the trigger for every shot are not machine guns.” He says, “This case asked whether bump stock, an accessory for a semi-automatic rifle. that allows the shooter to rapidly re-engage the trigger and therefore achieve a high rate of fire, converts the rifle into a machine gun. They hold that it does not.” But in a fiery descent, his liberal colleagues disputed this. For example, Justice Sotomayor wrote, “When I see a bird that walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck. A bump stock-equipped semi-automatic rifle fires automatically more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger. Because I, like Congress, call that a machine gun, I respectfully dissent.” So, a pretty fiery dissent from the liberal justices. Now Jim, we are still waiting for 20 other outstanding opinions from the high court, including that big other gun question that we were talking about earlier. There'll be no more opinions today, but we do expect to get more later next week all right. ACOSTA: All right. Very interesting. And yes, you can read from that dissent from Sotomayor. She's frustrated and she's been making it clear. She's been frustrated lately on the Supreme Court.

There are plenty of advent calendars out there for kids and adults. However, there are surprisingly few for cats. Given how inexpensive so many cat toys are, it is surprising that more companies do not make cat advent calendars. That said, there are still a few options for you to look at this festive season. Some only cover 12 days, while others cover more. Some are exclusively toys, while others may also have treats involved. Hopefully, these reviews will help you determine which cat advent calendar is best for your feline. A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024 Image Product Details Best Overall Dr. Seuss for Pets How the Grinch Stole Christmas Cat Advent Box Many toys included Covers 12 days High-quality materials used Check Price Best Value Larchio Cat Advent Calendar Quality toys, like cat wands Many different types of toys are included Inexpensive Check Price Premium Choice Midlee Cat Advent Calendar Several plush toys with catnip included Reusable calendar Several crinkly balls included, too Check Price Best for Kittens MOVINPE Cat Toys Advent Calendar for Kittens Several kinds of toys included Made specially for kittens Great value Check Price Larchio Cat 12-Day Advent Calendar Inexpensive Cat wand included Variety of toys Check Price The 8 Best Cat Advent Calendars 1. Dr. Seuss for Pets How the Grinch Stole Christmas Cat Advent Box – Best Overall Check Price on Chewy Check Price on Amazon Number of Days: 12 Out of all the calendars we looked at, the Dr. Seuss for Pets How the Grinch Stole Christmas Advent Calendar for Cats is our favorite overall. It includes only toys and covers 12 days, which is super nice if your cat cannot have treats for whatever reason. It also includes many different types of toys, like plush toys, teaser wands, and feather balls. Therefore, even if your cat is picky, there should be something they like in this package. Of course, every toy is Grinch-themed, which we love. The toys are also made with pretty high-quality materials, which is a rare thing with these advent calendars. Of course, if you’re looking for a calendar with treats included, this is not a suitable option. Pros Many toys included Covers 12 days High-quality materials used Cons No treats 2. Larchio Cat Advent Calendar – Best Value Check Price on Chewy Check Price on Amazon Number of Days: 24 The Larchio Cat Advent Calendar covers 24 days, allowing you to start on the very first of December. There are only toys included, and they range from mice to balls to strings. You should find something for just about any feline in this kit. There are even some cat bow ties! These toys are made from surprisingly high-quality materials, which is amazing given how inexpensive this advent calendar is. We think it’s the best cat toy advent calendar for the money. We love that this calendar includes a real cat wand with several attachments. It’s not just the cheap crinkle balls you often get from these calendars. Pros Quality toys, like cat wands Many different types of toys are included Inexpensive Cons Calendar itself is a bit low-quality 3. Midlee Cat Advent Calendar — Premium Choice Check Price on Chewy Check Price on Amazon Number of Days: 12 The Midlee Cat Advent Calendar covers the 12 days leading up to Christmas with festive toys. The box that holds the toys is very nice, with nifty little boxes instead of the usual pop-out cardboard windows. Plus, this also means that you can theoretically re-use the box each year with different toys. While it is more expensive than other options, this reusability is a very nice touch. Most of the toys included are plush and have catnip inside them. There are also a few balls for some added variety. The only potential problem with this is that your feline may smell the catnip before you open the calendar, leading to some of the toys being ripped out too soon! That said, if you keep it out of reach of your cat, this advent calendar is a great option. Pros Several plush toys with catnip included Reusable calendar Several crinkly balls included, too Cons Expensive 4. MOVINPE Cat Toys Advent Calendar for Kittens – Best for Kittens Check Latest Price Number of Days: 24 The MOVINPE Cat Toys Advent Calendar for Kittens is made especially for the new kitten in your life. It includes a surprise behind every door, including toys, teaser wands, and even a fluffy mouse. You and your kitten will love the surprises inside! The springs and crinkle ball will keep your kitten entertained for hours. Of course, this is made specially for kittens, so the included toys are not ideal for large, adult cats. Pros Several kinds of toys included Made specially for kittens Great value Cons Not ideal for large, adult cats 5. Larchio Cat 12-Day Advent Calendar Check Latest Price Number of Days: 12 If you’re impressed with our budget pick but want something even cheaper, consider the Larchio Cat 12-Day Advent Calendar. This is the same brand with the same toys. However, it only covers 12 days, making it a bit more affordable. You get the same variety of toys but fewer of each. For instance, instead of four attachments for the cat wand, you only get three. Of course, the toys are pretty high-quality and come in enough variety that there should be something for just about any feline. The toys are designed to be completely safe for cats, which also means avoiding any potentially harmful materials. That said, it only covers 12 days. While that is the average number of days for these calendars, the alternative one by the same company covers 24. Pros Inexpensive Cat wand included Variety of toys Cons Only covers 12 days 6. Trader Joe’s Advent Calendar for Cats Check Latest Price Number of Days: 25 Spend the days leading up to Christmas with this Trader Joe’s Advent Calendar for Cats. It includes a daily treat for your feline, all of which are flavored as salmon & dried seaweed recipes. The salmon used to make the treats is completely free of antibiotics and caught wild from the waters of the Atlantic. All the treats are individually packed so that they stay fresh until you open them. That said, these treats are reported to be rather hard. Picky cats may not particularly like them, especially the seaweed-flavored options. Pros Includes a treat for every day Free from antibiotics Real, wild-caught salmon Cons Not ideal for picky felines 7. Fancy Feast Festivities Advent Calendar Check Price on Chewy Check Price on Amazon Number of Days: 24 Unlike many other advent calendars, the Fancy Feast Festivities Advent Calendar offers your cat treats and food exclusively. This calendar is meant to provide your cat with a range of treats and wet food for them (and you) to try. Therefore, you will need to replace your cat’s regular food on some days and adjust their calories as necessary. Of course, this is a bit more work than the other boxes, though it also makes it a bit more exciting. This kit includes several different flavors of wet food and many different treats. The wet food recipes include real meat and are complete and balanced for adult cats. This also means that you cannot use this for kittens, and perhaps even seniors. Pros Includes whole servings of wet food Several types of treats Pretty durable box Cons Only suitable for adult cats Requires changes to your cat’s regular diet 8. Lily’s Kitchen Advent Calendar for Cats Check Latest Price Number of Days: 24 Like many of the previous advent calendars, Lily’s Kitchen Advent Calendar for Cats offers several different kinds of treats for your cat to try. There are three different flavors, but several surprise windows to open. Therefore, your cat will get many of the same treats, but there will be something surprising for them to eat every day. There are mixed reviews on the treat’s appeal, though. They are also a bit expensive for what they are. You only get a few treats in each door, and the price is much higher than most other advent calendars out there. Pros Several flavors of treats Spans many days Cons May not appeal to pickt cats Expensive Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the Best Cat Advent Calendars Choosing a cat advent calendar can seem a bit overwhelming. There are just so many toys involved, and many companies do not make it very obvious what the calendar includes. Luckily, we’ve put together a complete guide to help you choose the best advent calendar for your feline. Image Credit: Nadtochiy, Shuttterstock What Does It Include? The very first thing you should consider is what the calendar actually comes with. Some companies only include the cheap crinkle balls that you could likely purchase inexpensively. Obviously, your cat probably isn’t going to be amused with getting another vaguely Christmas-colored crinkle ball every day—and there is no reason to overspend. Therefore, it’s important to scroll through any available pictures of what’s in the advent calendar or check out reviews for information on what is included. Preferably, high-quality toys of a large variety should be in the advent calendar. You don’t want only balls or only plush toys, for instance. That said, there are bound to be a few doubles. A calendar might include two or three toy mice, for instance. Use your judgment when figuring out if the toys work for your cat or not. You should also ensure the toys are high-quality. You don’t want to give your cat cheap toys that will fall apart in a few hours. While this is frustrating due to the wasted money, it is also a safety hazard. How Many Days? Advent calendars range in the number of days covered. The most common numbers are 12 (for the 12 days of Christmas) and 24 (so that you can start on the first of December). The option you pick largely depends on your budget and preferences. As you’d expect, the more days covered, the more expensive these kits tend to be. However, this isn’t always the case. The most expensive option in our reviews only covers 12 days, but it comes with a reusable box (hence the more expensive price). Sometimes, it may also be that your cat simply doesn’t need 24 new toys. If you have several cats with different preferences, this may be a good number. However, it takes a very playful cat to make good use of 24 toys. Images Credit: Mahony, Shutterstock How About the Box? While it may not be around for long, the box everything comes in is also important. You’ll be using the box for days as you count down with your feline, so it should be relatively durable. Some toys have catnip, and you preferably don’t want your cat breaking into the box to get the toys out early. The toys should also be easy to remove. Most boxes have small windows you’re supposed to punch out each day, but this may be done with a varying degree of ease. Some are pretty easy to open, while others may inadvertently cause tearing on the part of the box you aren’t supposed to be opening. Sometimes, you may also get a calendar with a reusable box. This makes it cheaper next year to do an advent calendar for your cat (and allows you to pick toys you know your feline will like). Pricing Advent calendars come at a range of price points. You have to consider whether or not the specific calendar is worth the price. We included a range of advent calendars in our reviews, so you should be able to find one in your price range. We do recommend staying away from very cheap advent calendars, as these are often cheaper for a reason. You don’t want to put your cat in harm’s way by giving them dangerous toys. Image Credit: Natalya On, Shutterstock Conclusion While there aren’t many cat toy advent calendars available, we do hope that you found one you like in our reviews. Our favorite is the Dr. Seuss for Pets How the Grinch Stole Christmas Advent Calendar for Cats, as it provides an optimal mix of toy quality, toy variety, and price. However, there are cheaper options available, as well. The Larchio Cat Advent Calendar is less expensive than most others, but it also covers 24 days—more than most of the competition. Featured Image Credit: NataKor, Shutterstock The post 8 Best Cat Advent Calendars In 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks appeared first on Pet Keen.

After Biden’s supposed victory in 2020, Americans’ faith in our election system has waned significantly. With November 5 just around the corner, people across the country are skeptical about whether or not we will have a fair election this time around. BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales along with the Blaze Originals team recently headed to Michigan to investigate the state’s voting system, granted the swing state heavily altered its voting laws after Trump’s victory in 2016. What they uncovered suggests that a fair 2024 election is highly unlikely. For starters, “In 2018 Jocelyn Benson replaced Ruth Johnson as Michigan’s secretary of state.“ Johnson, a Republican, “was interested in doing the right thing when it came to protecting the voter roles and keeping them secure and fresh and ... not outdated,” Sara tells Glenn Beck. However, Benson, who’s “Soros funded” and formerly worked for the Southern Poverty Law Center investigating hate crimes, was “part of the Secretary of State Project that George Soros is funding.” Benson attempted to “allow Michigan to count ballots that were received after Election Day,” and although she was unsuccessful in this endeavor as a result of being sued, she did manage to enact “same-day registration” and “[registering] without showing a photo ID" policies. Glenn is shocked. “You need a photo ID for anything — everything! — except for the most important thing a citizen can do?” he asks in disbelief, noting that he recently had to present his ID in order to obtain a simple fishing license. “If you did care about democracy and you did care about the state of your country, you would want election integrity and security,” says Sara, referencing the Democrats behind these loose voting laws. “In the state of Michigan, they now have a constitutional right to vote by mail,” despite the fact that “all of these other first-world countries ... have decided that mail-in voting is a horrible way of doing things,” she criticizes. There is some good news, however. Organizations, such as Public Interest Legal Foundation and the RNC, are “suing the crap out of these states and out of these secretaries of states” who are behind these new corrupt voting laws. They also address issues such as the long list of “dead people on the voter roles in the state of Michigan” and the fact that “105% of Michigan’s population [is] currently registered to vote.” To learn more about the corruption in our voting system and what you can do to fight back, watch the clip below. Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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More than 170,000 people traveled out of state for abortions in 2023, the first full calendar year since the Supreme Court's ruling in June 2022 ended the federal right to an abortion and led to a rise in restrictions and outright bans on the procedure in several states.