Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was formally charged in France this week for a wide range of alleged crimes stemming from his refusal to cooperate with law enforcement officials investigating crimes occurring on the encrypted communication platform. French authorities detained the 39-year-old Russian billionaire over the weekend when his private jet landed in the country as part of an investigation into 12 potential offenses, including refusal to cooperate with law enforcement, complicity in operating an online platform that enables organized crime, and complicity in a wide range of crimes. Durov was indicted on six charges Wednesday afternoon and was subsequently released from prison after posting a €5 million bail. He is banned from leaving France and must check in at a police station twice a week. The charges he now faces includes complicity in the administration of an online platform that allows organized crime groups to conduct illicit transactions; refusal to cooperate with law enforcement when he is required to by law; complicity in organized fraud, distributing hacking software, child pornography, and illicit drugs; and other crimes. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that Telegram had “an almost complete absence of response” to official inquires initiated by France’s judicial system. Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you. Free speech advocates have voiced their strong opposition to Durov’s arrest online, warning that other top tech executives could be arrested in the future for similar reasons. Telegram, which has been around for more than 10 years, has more than 900 million users worldwide and has long been used by criminals and terrorist groups to communicate. Why France decided to open a criminal investigation into the platform several months ago, when it likely could have done so years ago, is unclear. The Russian military uses Telegram on the battlefield in Ukraine to communicate between soldiers and units, according to The New York Times. “To date, Telegram has become perhaps the main means of units’ command and control” a pro-war collective of Russian military analysts said on the platform after Durov was arrested, adding that the Russian military now needed to create its own secure channels of communication.

When Nicole Kidman signed on for Batman Forever in 1995, she wasn’t swayed by money. According to a new interview, Nicole took the role of damsel in distress, Dr. Chase Meridian, for a totally different reason. Nicole told L’OIfficiel that when people asked why she signed on for the film, she explained, “Why are you doing that?’ I’m like, ‘Because I get to kiss Batman!'” It wasn’t about fame and fortune but about experience and trying something new. Her career has certainly had a wide breadth of roles, something Nicole credits to her willingness to change and challenge. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nicole Kidman (@nicolekidman) Nicole Kidman Wants A Challenge She told L’Officiel that her motivation comes from different places. “The thing people don’t understand is, it’s not about the check. A lot of the mainstream big blockbusters that I do are hopefully different.” She added that her zest for adventure has also helped her along the way. “I’m willing to travel, which a lot of people are not,” she explained. “My kids are willing to travel… maybe less so now [that they’re older], but they’re very interested in the world, too. They say they’ve got so many stamps on their passport, more than most people that are in their eighties. That’s because when they were little, they lived in Morocco [where Kidman filmed Werner Herzog’s Queen of the Desert] and then we went to the Algerian Desert, where they were riding camels and in the souks for three and a half months. They’ve lived in France, Australia, England, Scotland, Ireland, Asia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, all over.” Her next role is opposite Live Schreiber in The Perfect Coupole, a murder-mystery miniseries on Netflix. Nicole Kidman called her character one to watch, “[Greer] is surprising. Greer is the matriarch. She’s tough, but she’s a mother bear. She’s very protective of her sons; she’s very bright, and very complicated. I like how she’s inscrutable, a survivor, and formidable.” The Perfect Couple begins streaming on September 5. This story’s featured image is by Kathy Hutchins via Shutterstock. The post Nicole Kidman Reveals REAL Reason She Starred In “Batman Forever” & It Wasn’t For The Paycheck appeared first on InspireMore.

'They're tired of DEI, they're tired of the campus protests'

'Scary position for the Democratic Party'

Europe's Free Speech Crackdown Could Be Coming For Americans Next, Advocates Warn

'Nothing to protect Trump’s constitutional right'

On the latest episode of “The Tony Kinnett Cast,” we examine the bizarre goal of Vice President Kamala Harris to distance herself from her role in the Biden-Harris administration while claiming responsibility for what she considers to be its successes. How can a vice president be both the insider and the outsider in the race for president? How is it going for legacy media’s attempt to cover that up? The double standards get much worse as we take a look at the wild case of Michigan officials who are trying to keep independent presidential candidates Jill Stein and Cornel West off the ballot while forcing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who last week endorsed Donald Trump, to remain on the ballot despite asking to be taken off. We chat about political tokenism and what makes a “photo op.” After Trump paid a visit to Arlington National Cemetery to honor the 13 fallen service members killed during the Biden-Harris administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the former president was hit with allegations of using the event for political gain. Who gets to decide what makes a trip necessary for a leader to make instead of a campaign convenience? Oklahoma’s superintendent of schools, Ryan Walters, joins the show to answer a few questions about the controversy of adding references to the Bible to Oklahoma’s U.S. history standards, and whether firing over 300 staffers at the Oklahoma Department of Education affected local students in any discernible way. Finally, we tackle the legacy of “mansplaining” and how it’s being used as a crutch for the Left as we prepare for both Harris’ first TV interview since she became the Democratic nominee and the first Harris-Trump debate on Sept. 10. Why is her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, required to chaperone the female vice president? Catch the live radio show and livestream weeknights at 7 p.m. EDT on The Daily Signal’s YouTube, X, or Facebook. The post WATCH: Kamala’s Desperation to Escape Biden appeared first on The Daily Signal.

DETROIT (Michigan News Source)—The Republican National Committee is raising alarms, accusing Detroit of failing to ensure a balanced hiring of Republican election inspectors. The RNC’s lawsuit claims that during the August primaries, Detroit’s Election Commission appointed a whopping 2,337 Democratic inspectors, while only assigning 310 Republicans. Election inspectors—also known as poll workers—are hired, trained, and paid to greet voters, check them in, assist them when needed and manage ballot counting, as well as identify and report issues that come up during the election process. They can also assist with absentee ballots. The RNC claims the disparity in Detroit flies in the face of Michigan’s election laws, which require nearly equal representation from both major political parties. Michigan election law states that the board of election commissioners “shall appoint an equal number, as nearly as possible, of election inspectors in each election precinct from each major political party” to help ensure election fairness and transparency. RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chair Lara Trump said in a statement, “Detroit’s failure to hire Republican poll workers is the kind of bad-faith Democrat interference that drives down faith in elections. The RNC is bringing suit to remedy this completely unacceptable breach of public trust, and our unprecedented election integrity campaign will continue to fight in Michigan and nationwide to protect the rights of every voter to have fair, accurate, secure, and transparent elections.” Lara Trump added in an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News, “We are fighting tooth and nail to make sure Donald Trump wins in Michigan. We believe if it’s a free, fair, and transparent election, he will.” Detroit’s Election Commission Under Fire The lawsuit against the city of Detroit’s Election Commission highlights that out of 675 Republican nominees, only 52 were selected as inspectors, leaving 200 precincts without a single Republican on duty, according to Fox News Digital. The RNC, along with Michigan GOP leaders, insists that Detroit’s actions erode public trust in election integrity and demand that the commission appoint an equal number of inspectors by Oct. 15. The RNC is demanding compliance with state law to ensure fair representation—and say officials have a duty to appoint an equal number of GOP and Democratic poll workers for the upcoming November election. A Recurring Battle This isn’t the RNC’s first rodeo. It previously filed a similar lawsuit against Flint, Michigan, which was dismissed by a judge. However, the stakes are higher this time, with the presidential election looming. The RNC argues that Detroit’s decision to hire significantly more Democratic inspectors is a deliberate attempt to sway the election outcome, leading to what they describe as “bad-faith Democrat interference.” As of now, Detroit’s officials, including City Clerk Janice Winfrey and Council President Mary Sheffield, have remained tight-lipped about the lawsuit, with the mayor’s office declining to comment on the pending litigation. The RNC, however, is far from silent, with Whatley and Lara Trump vowing to continue their “unprecedented election integrity campaign” to safeguard what they believe is every voter’s right to a fair and transparent election. With the November election on the horizon, and Michigan on the front lines of deciding the presidency, this legal battle is just one of many that could shape how the votes are counted—and who does the counting. Originally published by Michigan News Source The post Republican National Committee Takes Detroit to Court Over Election Inspector Disparity appeared first on The Daily Signal.