The satirical website the Babylon Bee has had enough. Claiming that California's recent laws on online speech have gone too far, those at the Bee have filed a motion against California’s Attorney General Robert Bonta, urging the courts to immediately halt enforcement of what they see as unconstitutional restrictions. Several new laws, including AB 2355, AB 2655, and AB 2839, have been accused of eroding the First Amendment protections of free speech.In fact, AB 2839 was recently deemed unconstitutional by a federal judge. Judge John A. Mendez of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California said the law "acts as a hammer instead of a scalpel" and "hinders humorous expression."In an exclusive interview with Blaze News, Kristen Waggoner of the Alliance Defending Freedom spoke about the ongoing battle on behalf of the Babylon Bee."California's laws are a roadmap for widespread censorship. They use vague standards to punish people for posting certain political memes online," Waggoner said. "If Americans can be sued for posting, or even reposting political jokes, then we do not live in a free society."Perhaps the most egregious law is AB 2655, also known as the Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024.The bill's digest says the law prohibits any person or entity from distributing deceptive audio or visual media about a candidate for elected office within 60 days of the election. If the content intends to "injure the candidate’s reputation or to deceive a voter into voting for or against the candidate," it could be considered illegal.The law also requires any "large online platform" to block deceptive content before and after an election.'Individuals must be able to express political beliefs without fear.'Under the California law, platforms are required to develop reporting procedures for California residents to flag any content that "has not been blocked or labeled in compliance with the act."The laws "censor parody and satire," Waggoner continued. "When Governor Newsom signed the laws, he said publicly that [California] made it illegal to post a parody video about Kamala Harris. So even Governor Newsom thinks the laws ban satire," she claimed.Waggoner went on to say that the same government officials can't seem to articulate to the public how far the laws will go. These acts would "kill humor," Waggoner said, adding that they could blur the lines between a democracy and a dictatorship.Based on what were described as vague standards with steep penalties, the Babylon Bee is asking the government to stop the new laws before they get out of control."In a free society, individuals must be able to express political beliefs without fear of being dragged into court to defend a meme. And we shouldn't trust politicians like Gavin Newsom to be arbiters of political truth online," the attorney added.Newsom's spokesperson, Izzy Gardon, said in a statement that the governor's office was "confident" courts would ultimately uphold the new law against "deepfakes.""Deepfakes threaten the integrity of our elections, and these new laws protect our democracy while preserving free speech," the spokesperson said.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A group of parents accused teachers within Texas' Spring Independent School District of giving their preschool-age children "sleepy stickers" — apparently body-worn patches that release melatonin and other substances.Lisa Luviano told WKRC-TV her daughter first brought the sleep patches to her attention last month.'We did say we wanted to file criminal charges if this is something that is true.'"The sticker makes me fall asleep," four-year-old Layne reportedly told Luviano.Luviano told the news outlet that her daughter arrived home from school one day and showed her parents the patch, which she was still wearing at the time."She kind of pulled up her little shorts and said, 'Mom, look, this is my sleeping sticker.' And I was like, the what?" Luviano said.The concerned mother told KTRK-TV that her girl said her teacher gave her the stickers "for sleeping time."Layne's father, Joseph, stated that he suspected something was wrong when his daughter was not falling asleep at night.He told WKRC, "Two o'clock in the morning, I hear some noise in the room, and I go over there, and she's still up."The day after Layne came home and showed her parents the patch, Lisa went to the school and filed a report."We did say we wanted to file criminal charges if this is something that is true," Lisa told KTRK.Lisa also took a photograph of the purple and blue sleep patch — which includes illustrations of a moon, clouds, and stars — and sent the image to other parents in Layne's class.Melissa Gilford, whose child attends the same school as Layne, stated that her daughter recognized the patch from Luviano's photo."I showed it to my 4-year-old, and she said, 'Yes, that's the sleepy sticker,'" Gilford told WKRC.After researching the patch online, Gilford discovered that it contains melatonin and other substances she was unfamiliar with.Najala Abdullah, another parent, explained that her 4-year-old son also received the stickers while in class.Abdullah said, "They're giving them drugs to make them sleep, to keep them quiet."She noted that her son recently stopped eating and was returning home from school with untouched lunches. "Every night, my son will come home. He's staying up. He's not sleeping," she told KTRK.Abdullah also filed a report with the school as well as Child Protective Services.Spring ISD issued a Tuesday statement to KTRK saying two of its teachers were placed on leave as police investigated the matter."Spring ISD is aware of allegations that two staff members at Northgate Crossing Elementary School allegedly administered sleeping supplements to students on Sept. 24. These staff members were immediately removed from the classroom and placed on administrative leave pending an ongoing investigation by the Spring ISD Police Department. The district takes every allegation of educator misconduct seriously and will take all necessary measures to ensure that our students are educated in a safe and nurturing environment," the district stated.You can view a video report here about the controversy.Last December a Spring ISD staff member was placed on administrative leave after allegedly giving melatonin gummies to students.Anything else?Melatonin, which is sold as an over-the-counter nutritional supplement, is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to Children's Health, there are no extensive studies on the appropriate dosage for children. However, Michelle Caraballo, M.D., a Pediatric Pulmonologist and Sleep Medicine Specialist at Children's Health and Assistant Professor at UT Southwestern, recommends one to three milligrams for toddlers and preschool-age children.The Sleep Foundation recommends just one to two milligrams for children around 5 years old and up to three for children 6 to 12.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Anderson Cooper DRILLED in the Face by Debris While Covering Hurricane Milton (But Gets Little Sympathy)

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The iPhone 17 rumor mill is churning at full speed now that the iPhone 16 is available in stores. The big change for next year's series will be the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" model that Apple will reportedly use to replace the Plus model. The iPhone 17 Air is being referred to as such because it's supposed to be thinner than the other iPhone 17 models. Personally, I really want it to be my next upgrade if the rumors are accurate. The iPhone 16 is just a placeholder device, as far as I'm concerned. There's no guarantee that Apple will make the iPhone 17 Air. It has plenty of time to change its mind, as we're still about a year away from the iPhone 17 launch. But if the Air does happen, and this new rumor is right, Apple will use the same electric glue battery technology introduced in the cheaper iPhone 16 models on every version of the iPhone 17. Continue reading... The post iPhone 17 Air might feature the same electric battery glue as the iPhone 16 appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Top Prime Day deals: $169 AirPods Pro 2, $170 Apple Watch SE, laptops, Bose headphones, robot vacuums, more Today’s deals: Pitaka iPhone 16 cases, $10 off Starbucks coffee, $199 iPad 9, $36 Dreo space heater, more ECOVACS Fall Prime Day blowout: Up to $350 off best-selling robot vacuums like the T30S Best Dyson vacuum deals of Prime Big Deals Days 2024

Wall Street's main indexes closed lower Thursday as investors looked to higher-than-expected inflation and unemployment claims for indications on the health of the U.S. economy and the path for interest rates.