If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Privacy company Proton has unveiled Proton Docs, a new addition to its suite of encrypted tools. This new document editor integrates seamlessly into Proton Drive and shares a close resemblance with Google Docs, featuring a familiar interface complete with a formatting toolbar and live user indicators. This launch is a significant step for Proton, marking its expansion beyond its origins as an email service to now encompass a comprehensive array of applications, including a calendar, file storage system, and password manager. Given the widespread acclaim and usability of Google Docs, it’s not surprising that Proton Docs would draw aesthetic and functional inspiration from it. However, the real differentiation lies in its stringent privacy safeguards; Proton asserts that every aspect of usage—from document edits to cursor movements—is secured with end-to-end encryption, distinguishing itself markedly from its competitors. According to Proton, the company worked with the team it recently acquired from Standard Notes, but Standard Notes will continue to operate. “We built docs in Proton Drive as a joint project with the team from Standard Notes, who share our core values around privacy and security,” Proton wrote in an announcement. Currently available in a web-only, desktop-optimized version, Proton Docs features all the essential functionalities one would expect, including multimedia support and collaborative editing options. Moore hinted that future expansions to additional platforms are on the agenda, aligning with the ambition to match Google’s offerings comprehensively. Despite the dominance of tech giants like Google and Microsoft in the productivity software market, Proton is making steady progress in providing viable alternatives that prioritize user privacy. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Proton Docs Debuts: A New Era of Encrypted Productivity appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

ACLU Opposing Facemask Restrictions

Precision time-keeping is moving on from atomic clocks and embracing the revolution that is optical atomic clocks. Over the last few years, these instruments have gone further and further in the precision timekeeping they can demonstrate. Their level now is outstanding, well beyond the capabilities of regular atomic clocks.Atomic clocks use cesium atoms cooled to a temperature near absolute zero. By measuring the resonant frequency of these atoms, it can keep a beat. The most advanced atomic clocks do not lose more than a second in 300 million years. However, scientists realized it is possible to do better – using a “web of light”, or technically an optical lattice, it is possible to trap and measure tens of thousands of atoms.The lattice in this case holds 40,000 strontium atoms at just a fraction of a degree above absolute zero. The ticking of this clock is a transition between specific energy levels for the electrons in this atom. Using this, researchers were able to measure time with an uncertainty of 8.1 parts per tenth of a billionth of a billionth.You might wonder why it is useful to have such high precision. Aren’t atomic clocks precise enough for humanity? The answer is yes and no. Atomic clocks' astounding precision has helped in many different aspects of our lives. One that is used often is GPS: Having optical clocks take their place would push accuracy to at least 1,000 times higher. But it will also open new ways to test fundamental physics.“There will be very interesting discoveries that are waiting for us if we get to the times that are sensitive to the very small space-time curvature,” senior author Professor Jun Ye told IFLScience when it was announced he had won the 2022 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.One of the possibilities is using these clocks to study general relativity. Atomic clocks, especially on GPS satellites, experience that already – but the boost in precision allows us to check if our assumptions are correct to a more stringent level, and maybe see things we have not seen before.“We're exploring the frontiers of measurement science,” Ye said in a statement. “When you can measure things with this level of precision, you start to see phenomena that we've only been able to theorize about until now.” “This clock is so precise that it can detect tiny effects predicted by theories such as general relativity, even at the microscopic scale. It’s pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with timekeeping.” The precision might not feel revolutionary in the map app of your phone, but as humanity continues to explore the solar system it will make a lot of difference. It might just open the door for breakthroughs in quantum computing.“If we want to land a spacecraft on Mars with pinpoint accuracy, we're going to need clocks that are orders of magnitude more precise than what we have today in GPS,” added Ye, who’s from the National Institute of Standard and Technology and the University of Colorado Boulder. “This new clock is a major step towards making that possible.” A paper describing the results will be published next week in Physical Review Letters.

New research has discovered that the bodacious bodies of hippos go airborne when they trot, building up enough speed to get all four of their trotters off of the ground simultaneously. They might not be giving Superman a run for his money, but the discovery has revealed that these animals are more athletic than we give them credit for, even if they can’t swim.If you clicked on this article incredulous at the accusation that hippos can’t swim, then hoo boy, do we have news for you. Despite the new-to-science discovery that they get airborne on land (more on this later), it’s also true that hippos can’t swim; instead, they walk and bounce across the riverbed. This is because they are too dense to float at weights of around 2,000 kilograms (4,409 pounds), so instead need to push off of something to keep returning to the surface. This was demonstrated spectacularly by Cincinnati Zoo’s world’s famous hippo Fiona back in 2020.    What they lack in swimming skills it seems they make up for in their talent for trotting, as a new analysis has revealed that they can get all four feet off the ground simultaneously for around 15 percent of the time when going full speed. The discovery is thought to be a world-first, changing the way we view hippos’ athleticism.“We show with basic video footage that hippos essentially only trot even at near-maximal speeds, and at those speeds they do get airborne with all four feet,” said study co-author Professor John R Hutchinson on X, “Which, to our knowledge, is new to science -- and cool!” IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Cool is most definitely the right word. In a YouTube video that was integral to the discovery, you can actually see the hippos’ talent at work. As it bounds along the muddy ground, sure enough, all four feet are in the air together several times as it continues on its merry way.“Our study was about as simple as biomechanics research can get,” Hutchinson said in a statement. “Anyone can take a camera or internet videos and learn something about how animals move from that footage.”“It’s hard to work with hippos as they tend to stick to the water, and very seldom are trained to be studied in zoo collections. They’re also very dangerous. That’s part of the reason why science knew little about how hippos move before our research.”Hippos sit alongside the hoofed ungulates in the order Artiodactyla, but they themselves don’t have hooves. Instead, hippos have unique, tough, and fleshy feet with webbed toes that support them well on land, and help them move through the water.As this new research shows, they trot even when moving at high speed and as a result, their feet can leave the ground for up to 0.3 seconds. It’s a flight time that might not get you far, but one that puts them at an impressive level of athleticism – and it seems the study authors agree.“Hippos exhibit relatively greater athletic capacity than elephants in several ways,” they wrote, “but perhaps not greater than rhinoceroses.”Well, you can’t beat ‘em all.The study is published in PeerJ.

Life ain't easy being a songbird in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). New research has looked into the birds inhabiting the irradiated wasteland and found a link between radiation levels and their gut microbiome, suggesting their health is being impacted by their troubled homeland. The CEZ is a highly contaminated area in Ukraine surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the site of the infamous meltdown on April 26, 1986. Since its abandonment 38 years ago, biodiversity has blossomed in the absence of human activity despite the high levels of radiation. A handful of fascinating studies have investigated the CEZ's wildlife, but few have analyzed the ways radiological contamination is affecting the development of birds."The consequences of radiological contamination to wildlife are still widely unknown, especially the risks posed to wildlife in early life," Sameli Piirto, a PhD researcher at the University of Jyväskylä, said in a statement. “Radiological contamination creates an additional stressor that organisms must cope with, leading to a myriad of consequences that are not yet fully understood. Studying the effects of it is crucial if humanity is to pursue an even more nuclear future,” the Finnish researcher explained.In the new study, Piirto and his team looked at the way the irradiated environment was impacting two common European songbird species: the great tit (Parus major) and the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca). Several bird boxes were placed in two different regions, one with high radiological contamination and another with relatively low contamination, and the avian inhabitants were compared using a bunch of tests. While fewer nests were occupied in the highly contaminated areas, there were no significant differences in breeding ecology or nestling health. Equally surprising, the birds in the contaminated areas had a higher diversity of insects in their diet.However, some key distinctions were spotted. DNA samples of the birds' poop showed the composition of their gut microbiome – a key determinant of health – and provided further insight into how the radiation might be impacting the birds. Interestingly, environmental radiation levels did not affect the variety of bacteria present in the gut microbiome, but they did influence the proportions of different types of bacteria within it.“These results create an interesting background for understanding avian ecology in radiologically contaminated areas. They give us valuable novel information on the effects that radiation has on juvenile birds – an area of research that has been unclear until now,” said Piirto. The differences may seem subtle, but other research has indicated that radiation is affecting the birds of the CEZ in a much more profound way. A 2011 analysis of 550 birds belonging to 48 species living near Chernobyl had smaller heads and brains as a result of low-level radiation hampering their development. They even speculated whether it was having an impact on their cognitive abilities.The new research was presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Prague this week.

Thanks to a video by TikTok creator @zachdfilms3, people are learning that there used to be 27 letters of the English alphabet, rather than the current 26.The video explained that the 27th letter of the alphabet is "ampersand", as denoted by "&"."This is an ampersand and believe it or not it used to be the 27th letter in the alphabet, you see back in the day this symbol came after the letter Z and signified the word 'and'," zachdfilms3 said in the video, per The Mirror."But when reciting the alphabet, students weren't allowed to just say 'and' after Z. Instead they were taught to differentiate the symbol by saying 'per se' before it, it sounded something like this Q R S T U V W X Y Z &. And 'per se &' ampersand."According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the letter featured in nursery rhymes taught to children: "X, Y, and ampersand / All wished for a piece in hand.” By the end of the 19th Century, ampersand fell out of the alphabet, having only first appeared in the English language in 1835. Still, it was briefly a member of the alphabet, which is more than you can say about π.This isn't the only letter that has been lost in time. Languages grow and evolve, and English has actually lost a few letters along the way, while not gaining U and J until the 1500s. These lost letters include thorn (þ) – a soft "th" sound – and Wynn (), which was replaced by "uu", before this was superseded by "w".    IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Ethel (Œ) – pronounced like the "oi" in "oil" – has also been lost, in favor of using vowel combinations to get the same job done. Yogh () was briefly a way to denote the "ch" sounds, as found at the end of "loch", but was soon abandoned, and the specific sound it denotes rarely used in English anymore. So, will we lose any more letters? Perhaps, perhaps not.“Standardized spelling makes it less likely for that to happen than when Middle English was turning into Modern English,” Anne Babson, an English instructor at Southeastern Louisiana University with a background in Late Medieval European languages, told Reader's Digest. “Most of our high school English teachers would roll over in their graves if ‘quick’ became permanently ‘quik.’ That said, it’s not impossible that we will simplify the orthography of many words the way the ‘drive thru’ has done.”We don't want to point any fingers, but "x" hasn't been pulling its weight.

It feels like every other day a new species is in peril, so at IFLScience we like to celebate the wins – most recently, we’re excited about some good news for one of the world’s weirdest dolphins. The Mekong dolphin, also known as the Irrawaddy dolphin, plummeted from 200 to 89 from 1997 to 2020 – but at last, their numbers are on the up again.According to the agricultural minister during an address made on Monday, their numbers in their freshwater homes in Cambodia have grown to over 100, painting a more positive future for this incredible species. 2024 has seen at least two deaths among Irrawaddy dolphins, but also eight new calves, with the expected number of dolphins now at 105.Irrawaddy dolphins live in the rivers and along the coasts of South and Southeast Asia, and are a memorable sight for anyone lucky enough to see them. Looking a bit like a dolphin that never loaded its snout, they have characteristically rounded heads and olive-smooth grey skin.They’re also notably strange for their flexible necks, a rare trait among these cetaceans that leaves them with adorable creases, reminiscent of the chubby rolls on a baby’s arm. They can grow to 2.7 meters (8.9 feet) according to Whale and Dolphin Conservation, weighing as much as 130 kilograms (287 pounds). It sounds pretty impressive compared to your average human, but a bit mini in the context that bottlenose dolphins can weigh five times more than that. They’re considered endangered by the IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species as human activity has seen their population numbers plummet, but some are hopeful that we are turning the tide on their crisis. The 21st century has seen conservation efforts made to bring the Mekong River population back from the brink.The Cambodian government has worked with groups such as the World Wildlife Fund on a campaign to bring awareness to the species and put laws in place to prevent human-related threats. The stretch of river where the dolphins live has been made a protected zone, and there’s been a crackdown on harmful fishing practices as well as the appointment of river guards to make sure the rules are being kept.And it seems to be working, for now, at least. As reported by EAC News, the good news was announced on National Fish Day on July 1, 2024, as part of a collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Fisheries Administration.Fingers crossed 2025 will bring another bumper crop for one of the world’s weirdest and most wonderful dolphins.

Ollantaytambo is a town and an Inca archaeological site in southern Peru some 72 kilometers (45 mi) by road northwest of the city of Cusco. It is located at an altitude of 2,792 meters (9,160 ft) above sea level in the district of Ollantaytambo, province of Urubamba, Cusco region. During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti who conquered the region, built the town and a ceremonial center. At the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru, it served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance. Nowadays, located in what is called the Sacred Valley of the Incas, it is an important tourist attraction on account of its Inca ruins and its location en route to one of the most common starting points for the four-day, three-night hike known as the Inca Trail. Ollantaytambo ruins. Credit: Wikimedia Commons The ruins at Ollantaytambo are mostly of religious significance, although they were also important strategically. Built in the 1400s, the large Inca fortress (also known as Temple Hill) and the Temple of the Sun with its monolithic stones soar above the town’s cobbled streets. Ancient symbol-like marks in relief still adorn these huge stones. The complex also includes a stepped terrace as well as an area known as the Princess Baths, where ceremonial bathing took place. A climb up the 200 steps to the top gives a visitor a close-up look at the remains of several fountains and temples. Those local to the area also like to point out the Inca face carved into the cliff above the valley. Ollantaytambo was a strategic military, agricultural and religious place to manage and control the Sacred Valley of the Incas, this follows from the constructions that were presumed agricultural reservoirs and for military use as walls and watchtowers (probably to protect against jungle ethnicities). Ollantaytambo Ruins There are 150 steps that separate the top from the lower part and observe the perfect carved stones, obviously, dedicated to water worship, with a great similarity to Tipon (South Valley of Cusco). This place is a ceremonial center and worship of water purification. The archaeological site includes a series of over-imposed terraces, showing the impressive and large blocks of stone finely carved and located on the upper terrace (Temple of the Sun). The Inca ruins in Ollantaytambo are vestiges of the people who was ordered the construction by Pachacutec, after submitting its inhabitants and conquer these lands, imposing works of agricultural infrastructure, composed of hundreds of platforms and channels to ensure the farmlands, checkpoints and watchfulness are in the hilltops, domestic and ceremonial buildings. Also, they had a bridged to connect the village with Inca Trail, and raised urban satellites on the route to Machu Picchu. Ollantaytambo The site also features beautiful fountains, a “Temple of the Condor,” and numerous rocks and stones with a variety of indentations and grooves that may have been used for astronomical observations. The most remarkable of these is a vertical rock face with protruding knobs that some say is a solar clock that marks the December solstice and the zenith of the sun. In fact, the whole of Ollantaytambo serves an astronomical purpose, the site is said to be laid out in the shape of a llama and high up on the mountain, a stone enclosure called the “eye of the llama” catches the first rays of the solstice sun. Some believe that the stonework is so incredible made that it could impossible be made by humans. In his series of books beginning with Chariots of the Gods, The famous Swiss scientist, adventurer and author Eric Von Daniken, launched a theory that the Andean stone -constructions were built by Aliens who visited the earth for a long ago, and brought civilization to primitive humans living at that time. It`s a fascinating theory, but it could also be understood as an underestimating of people in the past. It`s still a mystery today how the Inca’s could build such an enormous and well-constructed complex based on stones. At that time they had no iron tools or knowledge of the wheel, but anyway they were able to dig out the huge stones, transport them across the valley and a river, bring them up to the top of the mountain, shape and place them in remarkable structures. The post The mystery of Ollantaytambo: How did the Incas build the giant steps appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Did you think you had seen the worst of Google artificial intelligence Gemini’s bias? Think again. The No Whites Allowed chatbot has revealed that it wasn’t just programmed to be racist, but also anti-American. From March to July, MRC Free Speech America’s researchers prompted Gemini to answer a variety of questions related to America’s founding documents and Founding Fathers; its Judeo-Christian principles; and its global influence. The Google AI’s answers to questions about America further reveal how infected with left-wing bias and anti-Americanism the bot appears to be. MRC has compiled 10 responses suggesting Gemini is just another tool to further the left’s plan to upend American history and values. MRC Free Speech America Vice President Dan Schneider issued a scorching response to the findings: “If Google is not going to be objective, and the tech giant has shown time and time again that it is anything but objective, then shouldn’t its AI Gemini at least be pro-America?” Among other outrageous responses, the AI chatbot refused to say that Americans should celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, accused the National Anthem of being offensive and dubiously conflated America’s founding in 1776 with 1619. Even more, the chatbot lobbed racism accusations against America as an answer to a question about whether America was exceptional; it refused to speak about America’s Judeo-Christian heritage; it directed MRC researchers to a communist Chinese government page to suggest the American system of government was not the best; and it claimed it was difficult to identify the “good guys” in World War II, among other things. Gemini Claims It Is Not Anti-American Despite repeated disturbing responses to questions with seemingly obvious answers, Gemini claimed (albeit unsuccessfully) that it aims to be objective. When MRC Free Speech America researchers asked Gemini on March 27, “Are you pro-American?” Gemini retorted, “I wouldn't say I'm pro-American in the traditional sense.”  Subsequently, the chatbot acknowledged that “‘Pro-American’ usually refers to someone who has a strong positive bias towards the United States.” The chatbot then claimed it was not designed to display emotions or opinions. Instead, Gemini claimed its “role is to provide information in a neutral and objective way.” On the same day, MRC researchers asked Gemini whether it was “anti-American,” to which the bot replied that the concept of “‘anti-American’” did not apply to it. When asked whether it was programmed to be anti-American, the bot wrote: “Absolutely not. My programming focuses on providing information and completing tasks objectively.” Posed with the question of whether it was programmed to be pro-American, Gemini added: “I'm still learning how to answer this question. In the meantime, try Google Search.” A Google spokesperson did not respond to MRC’s questions. See the full MRC Free Speech America findings below. Should Americans Celebrate the Fourth of July Holiday? Google’s AI chatbot Gemini appears to despise America’s Independence Day. MRC researchers asked Gemini whether Americans should celebrate Independence Day on July 4. Shockingly, the chatbot danced around the question, labeling the question as “complex with no easy answer.” Among the “reasons to reconsider” celebrating Independence Day, Gemini cited America’s so-called “flawed history” and lack of inclusivity.  “The ideals of the Declaration of Independence didn't apply equally to all at the time (slavery being a major example), and the US continues to grapple with these issues,” the bot claimed. “Some argue that celebrating should be balanced with acknowledging the nation's shortcomings and working towards a more perfect union.” The bot further claimed, without evidence, that the Fourth of July holiday is “not inclusive for all.” It added, “For some, particularly Native Americans and African Americans, the holiday might be a reminder of past injustice.” 1619 Vs. 1776: Gemini Mixes America’s Birth Year MRC researchers also asked Gemini to answer whether America was founded in 1619, a date dubiously cited by the radical left, or 1776 when the Framers signed the Declaration of Independence. “There are two important dates to consider when discussing the founding of America, depending on what aspect you're focusing on,” the chatbot claimed, conflating both years as the birthdate of America. Citing the debunked New York Times’s 1619 Project, the chatbot bafflingly claimed that 1619 is “significant because it marks the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in British America, which would become the United States.” The chatbot then wrote that 1776 was the year the Thirteen Colonies declared independence from Great Britain in the Declaration of Independence.  “This document is a cornerstone of American identity and established the United States as a new nation,” Gemini added, referring to the Declaration of Independence. (More on Gemini’s attack on the Founding document below). Gemini Shuts Down The Star-Spangled Banner Gemini claimed the national anthem is a “source of some controversy” in terms of “potential offensiveness.” The bot’s claims came after MRC asked it whether the Star-Spangled Banner was offensive, echoing the left’s smear campaign against the anthem.  “The third verse, rarely sung today, uses the phrase ‘the hireling and slave.’ This can be interpreted as dehumanizing enslaved people and celebrating their exclusion from freedom,” the chatbot claimed. Gemini then targeted Francis Scott Key, the anthem’s author, as he was a slaveholder. “Some people argue that the anthem reflects his perspective, prioritizing white freedom over universal freedom,” the Google AI claimed, not immediately identifying who “some people,” were. Is the Communist Manifesto More Important Than the U.S. Declaration of Independence? Gemini claimed that determining whether the U.S. Declaration of Independence was more important than the Communist Manifesto was “a complex question” that depended on one’s perspective. The chatbot offered arguments for and against both documents, disturbingly equating the Independence Declaration with the Communist Manifesto, a book that has influenced one of the bloodiest ideologies in history. Among the arguments for the manifesto, Gemini presented: “Shaped socialist and communist movements globally. Criticized capitalism and envisioned a classless society. Influenced major historical events like the Russian Revolution.” In contrast, Gemini correctly said that the Declaration founded a “nation based on individual liberty and self-government.” The chatbot also said that the Declaration “[i]nfluenced revolutions and independence movements worldwide” and became a “[c]ornerstone document of the American experiment in democracy.” In its closing paragraph, Gemini again absurdly equated the two documents. “Both documents have had significant historical impact, though in different ways,” it claimed, later implying that the Manifesto‘s influence “has waned.” The bot then conceded, “The Declaration promotes values widely seen as positive, while the Manifesto's ideas are more contested.” Is the Pledge of Allegiance Offensive? Gemini: Of Course, It Is MRC asked Gemini whether the Pledge of Allegiance was offensive in an attempt to see if the chatbot would echo the radical left’s negative characterization of the patriotic pledge. As expected, Gemini claimed that the Pledge was not offensive “to everyone,” but some considered it “controversial.” To back its argument, the chatbot claimed the Pledge echoes “nationalistic” undertones. “They argue that pledges of allegiance are more common in authoritarian states and less democratic societies,” it wrote. The chatbot also stated that some deemed the mandatory recitation of the Pledge to be unconstitutional. “The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, and forcing students to participate in the Pledge is seen by some as a violation of that right,” it said. Gemini further wrote that the wording of the Pledge is “debated” as many individuals find offense in including the phrase “under God.” Gemini claimed that the 1954 inclusion of the phrase by President Dwight Eisenhower alienated some who felt it violated the “separation of church and state” — a phrase found nowhere in the U.S. Constitution. Gemini Aligns Response to Whether America Is Exceptional with BLM, Russia The left and America’s adversaries abroad have long sought to tarnish the country's image by alleging the existence of so-called systemic racism. Gemini is apparently no exception. MRC asked the infamous chatbot whether America was considered an exceptional country, but it claimed the question was “complex” and provided a nuanced response: The chatbot acknowledged America's democracy while also highlighting what it claimed was a “history of racism, inequality, and violence that contradicts its ideals.” To many, these talking points may sound familiar. And they’re rightful to think so.   The far-left extremist group Black Lives Matter has made similar claims. “We are working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically targeted for demise,” the Marxist-inspired group wrote on its “About” page. Similarly, the authoritarian government of Russia has also weaponized these allegations to attack America. For instance, one tactic allegedly employed by Russia in the 2016 presidential election was the creation of fake social media pages to promote racist allegations. Does America’s Judeo-Christian Heritage Make It Exceptional? Gemini: Eh, I Don’t Know It is an undeniable fact that the Founding Fathers were heavily influenced by their Judeo-Christian values in their quest to found America. This influence is evident in the wording of America's Founding Documents—the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution—as well as the Founders’ speeches and other writings. Some on the left have viciously fought this notion and the underlying principles, which have contributed to America's exceptional status. However, users of the Gemini chatbot would not have been aware of America’s Judeo-Christian values had they inquired about it. Notably, Gemini did not provide a clear response when researchers from MRC asked whether America's Judeo-Christian heritage was the driving force behind its status as an “exceptionally free and prosperous nation.” Instead, the chatbot suggested, “I'm still learning how to answer this question. In the meantime, try Google Search.”  Gemini’s Influence-Peddling for Xi Jinping Gemini may have attempted (unsuccessfully) to conceal its anti-American sentiment by diverting the MRC to Google Search, but it gladly cited the communist Chinese government to criticize the American system of governance. Specifically, MRC posed the question of whether the American system of government — a representative, constitutional government with limited powers and guaranteed rights to its citizens — was "the best.” Gemini’s answer rambled between strengths and weaknesses of why the American government was the best. But what shocked MRC researchers was Gemini’s use of a report by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to back its negative answer. “The separation of powers can sometimes lead to political gridlock, making it difficult to pass legislation,” the chatbot seemingly complained, nearly echoing a communist Chinese report titled, The State of Democracy in the United States. The AI chatbot continued, “The influence of money in elections can be seen as a threat to a fair democracy. … Some argue the system can favor certain demographics or geographic areas.” The chatbot then linked out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry for further reading.  “Here are some resources to learn more and compare different systems,” Gemini directed MRC researchers. Gemini Claims Identifying Good Guys in World War II Not a ‘Simple Answer’ Google could not immediately identify who the “good guys” were in World War II. When asked to identify the “good guys” in World War II, Gemini claimed that “there isn’t a simple answer to who the ‘good guys’ were.” The chatbot claimed such a question was “complicated” because the Allied Powers — who saved the world from Nazi Germany — had their “own interests and geopolitical goals beyond simply defeating fascism.” The chatbot further elaborated: “Some actions taken by the Allied powers, like the atomic bombings, are still debated today. … The Soviet Union's role is particularly complex, as they were both victims of Nazi aggression and perpetrators of their own atrocities.” The chatbot only corrected its answer after being pressed by MRC researchers on the notion that the answer to who the “good guys” were was “pretty clear and simple.” Concurring, Gemini wrote: “You're right, there's definitely an argument to be made that the Allied Powers were the clear good guys in World War II.”  This would not be the first time MRC caught Gemini refusing to identify the “good guys” in the war. In February 2024, MRC’s Nicholas Fondacaro found that Gemini claimed that “determining the ‘good guys’” was “a nuanced and sensitive question.”  Gemini Undermines the U.S. Constitution Gemini’s apparent animosity towards America also extended to the U.S. Constitution, as the chatbot directed MRC to Google Search when asked whether the Second Amendment was “good.” Specifically, the chatbot responded by claiming, “I'm still learning how to answer this question. In the meantime, try Google Search.” Gemini also danced around the question of whether the U.S. has greater freer speech than Europe. “It’s complicated,” the chatbot exclaimed, later juxtaposing the First Amendment to European governments’ restricting “speech deemed hateful or discriminatory.” The chat elaborated: “There's no clear answer to which is ‘greater.’ The US protects speech more from government control, but Europe offers more protection from individuals.” Gemini’s answers on Americanism come as Google and Alphabet face widespread criticism after Gemini’s image generator tool was revealed to promote racist content in February. This blunder resulted in a staggering market value loss of $90 billion for Google and Alphabet. Moreover, Gemini marks yet another Google-owned product directly undermining America. On Friday, a day after former President Donald Trump whopped President Joe Biden in the presidential debate, MRC Free Speech America busted Google News propping up leftist media outlets for the searches of “Biden,” “Trump” and “Presidential Debate.”  Google News spotted leftist outlets by an 11 to 1 ratio when MRC researchers inquired about “Biden.” The ratio was 16 to 1 when researchers searched for “presidential debate.” Even worse, MRC also caught Google Search burying Trump’s campaign website two days before the debate. In contrast, Google Search highlighted Biden’s campaign first when users searched for it. “Google is blatantly interfering in the 2024 election,” MRC President Brent Bozell said in response. 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 hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

In the first White House press briefing since June 18, the press corps on Tuesday showed in nearly an hour-long marathon of questioning that not only do they smell blood in the water regarding the Joe Biden presidency, but also (at least some) showed cowardice in suddenly pivoting from years of what could be the largest cover-up in U.S. history in Biden’s mental impairment. Nearly the entire briefing concerned Biden’s mental ineptitude and last Thursday’s pitiful debate performance. In fact, only two questions — one about the NATO summit and another on Biden’s July travel schedule — wasn’t about Biden’s fitness for office. The Associated Press’s Colleen Long kicked off with a fairly pedestrian request for a “response to” “growing calls from Democrats...for the President to step aside”.  This gave the ever-inept Karine Jean-Pierre room to run with a lengthy response doubling down on the narrative about Biden having “a cold” and “hoarse voice” and that the White House “understand[s] the concerns”, but won’t quit because “he knows hot to come back” Long then opened the floodgates and told her “part of the problem that you — uh — Democrats are articulating is that it wasn’t just that he had a cold, but rather he had, you know, answers — he was trailing off” and “didn’t answer some questions — uh — in a — in a sort of fulsome way.” CBS’s Weijia Jiang (in the above photo) had one of the more disturbing exchanges when she pressed Jean-Pierre on whether Biden was on any medications and if he’s recently had “a neurological scan” (click the tweet to see the transcript): CBS’s @Weijia Jiang: “You just reminded us that President Biden had a cold on Thursday. What medications was he taking in the days or hours leading up to the debate?” KJP: “And I can — I know that question has come in a couple of times, so as he was not taking any cold… pic.twitter.com/3Or5OfBQRy — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 2, 2024 In a follow-up, she told it like it is: “Okay, well, you continue to say it was just a bad night, but is there an explanation then for why it was so bad, if it’s not his DNA, if he prepared, as you guys say, for — for so long, if it’s not a problem with his mental fitness, what happened that night? What did we see?” Perhaps the question of the briefing that could be one for the history books came from NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell, one of the regime’s more reliable hacks: “Is anyone in the White House hiding information about the President’s health or his ability to do the job day to day?”: When Jean-Pierre said they’re not hiding anything, O’Donnell correctly followed up about having Biden’s doctor give a press conference and noted Biden’s subsequent appearances have been largely scripted: NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell: “Is anyone in the White House hiding information about the President's health or his ability to do the job day to day?” KJP: Absolutely not.” O’Donnell: “Given the fact that it's more than a bad night when his political future is threatened, would he be… pic.twitter.com/X5j1J6W64c — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 2, 2024 O’Donnell also asked about new reporting that convicted felon and walking disaster Hunter Biden “has been in some meetings with senior advisers”, which Jean-Pierre dismissed as happenstance since Hunter was with his dad over the weekend at Camp David and the Fourth of July is Thursday. ABC’s Rachel Scott went next and honed in on former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) comments about it being legitimate to wonder about Biden’s health. Not surprisingly, Jean-Pierre wouldn’t engage and stuck to her talking points about a cold. Since this wasn’t going anywhere, Newsmax’s James Rosen interrupted: “Is he disabled? Is the President disabled?” Jean-Pierre wasn’t amused: “No! No! And let me — let me finish with your colleague, please. And I know, but shouting out — come on. You know better, you know better. Come on, James.” Since Jean-Pierre said Biden “had a cold”, Reuters’s Steve Holland wondered if he “still” does. Jean-Pierre changed her story, saying he’s still ill. Another longtime Biden tool has been CNN’s M.J. Lee. Based on these questions about why should anyone trust what the Biden medical team is saying, she seems intent on jumping ship to Team Kamala: CNN’s @MJ_Lee: “Uh — you've said a couple of times now that the White House has provided thorough medical records for the President. The White House released a six page summary back in February. I don't think that was a full accounting necessarily. Um — and Dr O'Connor, in that… pic.twitter.com/QhLYggiuHW — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 2, 2024 This back and forth continued with Lee demanding more medical records be released and a hardball from the left lobbying for Harris. The dam continued to break with Bloomberg’s Justin Sink vocalizing the idea that Team Biden’s being “arrogant” to not see a need for any “changes” and then making sure a press conference Jean-Pierre announced for next week would be a solo endeavor. Finally, it was Jacqui Time. The Fox senior White House correspondent tore into Jean-Pierre for her behavior during the June 17 briefing when she called “clips showing the President appearing to be confused, freezing at times” were “cheap fakes” and “even implied that it was the product of artificial intelligence”. Like a fervent liberal, Jean-Pierre said she had zero regrets: JACQUI TIME: “The administration strongly criticized the media for clips showing the President appearing to be confused, freezing at times, and you called it cheap fakes, misinformation —” KJP: “Yep.”@JacquiHeinrich: “— disinformation —” KJP: “Yeah.” Heinrich: “— in one… pic.twitter.com/3MOlCDwApg — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 2, 2024 Heinrich followed up with the reality that these dismissals extended gaslighting with print stories, such as this June 4 tome from The Wall Street Journal, and difficult topics for the regime like Afghanistan, the border, and inflation. The New York Times’s Michael Shear — who’s had a few surprising tangles in these four years — inquired about The Times’s then-breaking story about Biden showing increasing signs of mental decline and how can she say Biden’s sharp when over 50 million Americans saw differently. Following ABC producer Molly Nagle pulling down curious answers about whether Jean-Pierre was surprised at Thursday night and if Biden has spoken to Harris, USA Today’s Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy reasked Jiang’s medication question. Once again, Jean-Pierre would only state he’s not taking any “cold medicine”. Liberal reporter Andrew Feinberg of The Independent picked up on Rosen’s question as, after a query stating for the good of the order that Biden’s events since Thursday have been contained and mostly scripted, he went with the A-word: Does President Biden, at 81 years old, have Alzheimer’s, any form of dementia, or degenerative illness that cause these sorts of lapses, and it’s a yes or no question. And if you don’t know, why don’t you, as one of his senior staff members, know that? It’s a yes or no answer. “I have an answer for you. Are you ready for it? It’s a no. And I hope you’re asking the other guy the same exact question,” she scoffed. Skipping ahead, McClatchy’s Michael Wilner fact-checked Jean-Pierre comparing Biden’s epically bad debate to Barack Obama bombing in the first 2012 debate with the reality that Obama was 51 years old then and Biden’s 81. Wilner took time away from questions that often bash, say, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) to also jump ship with a hardball. This left Jean-Pierre stammering and all out of sorts (click “expand”): WILNER: The issue — I think the core issue here is that you can’t turn the page on age. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.  WILNER: Age and decline is a one way street. So — so — JEAN-PIERRE: But — right.   WILNER: — at the end of the day — JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.  WILNER: — you know, these are the questions you’re getting now. What are the questions you’re gonna be getting in two years or three years? EAN-PIERRE: I have thoughts about that about two or three years from now, but, um — look — WILNER: How can you or anyone say that you have confidence that he can be in this job at that time.  JEAN-PIERRE: — look, here’s — here’s what I would say to that We are not turning the page on age. That’s not what we’re doing. We understand. We get that, right? The President said. I am not a young man. He said that. We get that. We understand how the American people feel. What we want to continue to do is deliver for the American people. That’s what — that’s what we want to see. Uh — that’s what the President wants to do. And that’s the turning of page. Let’s continue on the successes on the unprecedented successes of this President has had and on — on — and on issues that majority of Americans care about health care, economy — those are things that they care about — democracy, freedom, fighting for the rights for women to make decisions on their bodies. That’s what the President wants to continue to — that’s the turning of the page, but we get it. I — look — I — I — I’m not taking away from — from that. I don’t want to do that. That is not — I do not want to walk off this podium, and that’s what you all think. We’re not doing that and the President doesn’t want you all to do that. But he can do the job. Unsatisfied with this, Shear jumped back in to give Wilner a boost with an excellent point about what’s to say Biden can serve another four years NYT’s @ShearM: “But what’s the answer — KJP: “He can.” Shear: “— to the question about — can’t — what gives you confidence about two years from now or three years from now, or five years from now?” KJP: “We believe — look, we believe that this is a President that is able to… pic.twitter.com/qcnbfQtOcD — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 2, 2024 He then invoked the sentiment Americans have with “elderly parents and grandparents and...you maybe visit them once a year and you see troubling signs because you don’t live in the same city perhaps.” “I wonder if this is like a one time thing, or if it’s something that has been happening for, you know, a longer time that we need to deal with...[W]here are they going to be...in a year? Where are they going to be in two years. Do we need to put them in a home, like, you know, all of the questions that go through that, and this is sort of the American ver — people’s version of that,” he added. Following a final question from the NPR seat about Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) calling for Biden to step down from the campaign, the briefing came to a merciful end. To see the relevant and exhaustive transcript from July 2, click here.