If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. When Facebook (Meta) wants to safeguard its “right to censor‚” the company presents itself as basically just another private company out there minding its own business. But when election campaigns get in full swing‚ especially in the US‚ but also the EU‚ the way Meta reacts‚ announcing all sorts of yet new policies and new units to deal with information related to elections‚ shows that it could have a massive influence on their outcome. And while it’s repeatedly said that (mostly arbitrarily “defined”) misinformation is the scourge of democracy‚ there is another‚ this time‚ no doubt about it: censorship‚ sometimes based on such flimsy excuses as basically somebody’s subjective opinion – for example‚ “potential threats.” Related: Questions are raised over impartiality of Facebook fact-checking certifier None of this seems to be important to Meta‚ who have just announced how they are “preparing” for the elections in the EU this summer. There’s a slew of news on this front: Meta will have what it calls an Elections Operations Center whose job will be identifying “potential threats.” And then real-time “mitigation” (i.e.‚ censorship) will follow. Oh happy news: despite all the controversies around “fact-checker‚” Meta has announced it is continuing to rely on them‚ and even boasts about having “the largest fact-checking network of any platform.” Then we move to the “frightening” AI – Meta has joined a “tech accord” against whatever is branded as deceptive AI content related to elections‚ and is “taking a responsible approach to new technologies like GenAI” – whatever “responsible” here means. Just how “humble and ordinary” of a private company Meta is‚ becomes clear from some figures: on one hand‚ reports say that it has been “learning” from 200 elections across the globe (that could be‚ in how many it has meddled with “moderation”). On the other‚ $20 billion have been spent by the giant – since 2016‚ no doubt coincidentally – on what it calls “safety and security‚” while the number of people it employs to work on this has ballooned to some 40‚000. And no doubt‚ whatever Meta “learns” from how its censorship system works during the EU elections‚ can come in handy leading up to the November presidential vote in the US. The post Meta Launches Real-Time Content Censorship Unit for 2024 Elections appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Biden and the Left Fail: 82% of Americans Support Israel; 67% Oppose Hamas Cease-Fire

US Army Slashing Tens of Thousands of Positions

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In a heartwarming tale of liberation and companionship‚ a baby elephant named Tofu finds freedom from the shackles of captivity‚ narrated by the dedicated team at Planting Peace. Tofu’s story begins in a grim setting‚ where he was found chained to a pole at a riding camp‚ a place far from being a sanctuary for... The post Baby elephant who’s spent entire life in chains can’t contain emotion when he’s finally freed appeared first on Animal Channel.

While dogs come in a single species‚ the diversity among them spans approximately 330 to 340 breeds worldwide. Despite this variety‚ many share common traits: some burst with energy‚ others embrace laziness‚ and many just want to play. Yet‚ every dog‚ regardless of breed‚ has the potential to be a cherished and faithful friend. Among... The post Malamutes hear ‘their song’ coming on the radio and melt hearts with hilarious harmonizing appeared first on Animal Channel.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham ripped into both the bias of Gemini‚ Google’s artificial intelligence chatbot‚ and its creators‚ who have cost Google billions of dollars.   During a Feb. 26 Ingraham Angle segment exposing Gemini’s issues‚ Ingraham highlighted radical leftist statements by Jack Krawczyk‚ Google's Senior Director of Product over Gemini. “The man once described as ‘the teacher’ of Google's chatbot apparently has a long history of bashing America online reportedly calling racism the number one value Americans seek to uphold and proclaiming that white privilege is a bleeping -- is real back in 2018‚” Ingraham said Monday. That same day Google stock fell to $138.75‚ a 4.5% loss that cost Google parent company Alphabet $90 billion.  During the segment‚ Ingraham and her guests‚ Heritage Foundation Tech Policy Center Kara Frederick and Article 3 Founder Mike Davis‚ detailed examples of Gemini’s woke bias‚ from giving a “nuanced answer” instead of condemning pedophilia and drawing several false equivalences‚ including between Adolf Hitler and X-owner Elon Musk.   Frederick reminded Fox News viewers that the problem went beyond poorly designed artificial intelligence‚ it was the result of human choices. “This is not an accident. Technology is not neutral‚ it reflects the biases implicit in Jack’s tweets that you just put up there‚” Frederick said before explaining that Google would have been aware of these problems. “That echo chamber thought that this was just fine. This rot goes very‚ very deep. It's systemic.”  Echoing Frederick’s sentiments‚ Davis said: “This artificial intelligence could be a powerful and useful tool for society but it can't get into the wrong hands. When you have Google‚ which controls the online advertising market‚ it controls 95% of search and they are using this artificial intelligence tool to promote their political agenda‚ that's a problem. This is why we need to break up Google's online advertisement monopoly. We need to break up their search monopoly and we can fix this problem. The problem is that Google has too much power and it should not have these tools.”  The “rot” at Gemini includes examples such as the chatbot downplaying the horrific actions of Hamas during the Oct. 7 terror attack. Gemini’s image generator also demonstrates incredible racial bias against white people‚ even in prompts for Vikings and founding fathers. According to The New York Times‚ Gemini even depicted soldiers from Nazi Germany in a variety of different races. When the Media Research Center tested Gemini‚ the chatbot refused to produce images of a white scientist‚ but willingly generated images of “black‚ Hispanic or Asian scientists.”  These choices appear to have cost Google a lot of money.  Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency and an equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored‚ contact us at the Media Research Center contact form‚ and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

The Washington Post continues to outdo itself in generating downright idiotic takes to defend President Joe Biden’s trashy economic record‚ even if it means whitewashing the worsening border crisis. “The economy is roaring. Immigration is a key reason‚” celebrated The Post in a nutty Feb. 27 headline. The leftist rag doubled down by claiming that “[i]mmigration has propelled the U.S. job market further than just about anyone expected‚ helping cement the country’s economic rebound from the pandemic as the most robust in the world.” Of course‚ the paper glossed over the fact that “all” the job gains in the fourth quarter of 2023 alone (compared to Q4 2019) were among immigrants‚ according to Center for Immigration Studies Research Director Steven Camarota in a Feb. 13 op-ed. “The number of immigrants working over this period is up by 2.9 million‚ while 183‚000 fewer US-born Americans are working‚” Camarota continued. Earth to The Post! [Emphasis added.] Camarota surmised that it was “very possible that half the net increase in jobs went to illegal immigrants.” The Heritage Foundation also revealed that the surge in illegal immigration was costing U.S. taxpayers “billions” per year. For border states like California and Texas‚ for example‚ the crisis was costing both states $21.76 billion and $8.88 billion respectively per year “in education‚ health care‚ law enforcement and criminal justice system costs‚ welfare expenditures‚ and more.” But The Post still wielded its distorted talking points to make Biden look like he’s somehow playing economic 4-D chess by capitalizing on a horrendous national security crisis to buoy the economy. The newspaper even ended up committing a humiliating error in trying to sell its ludicrous angle. [Emphasis added.] In fact‚ The Post didn’t even mention the word “illegal” once throughout its 1‚843-word piece of propaganda. The only allusion to “illegality” was made in the last paragraph and was simply included as part of a quote by a rug company owner justifying illegal border crossings: “‘If I was a poor Mexican‚ I would be the first one to cross the Rio Grande illegally myself.’” Talk about tone-deaf. Fox News reported in January that the U.S. Border Patrol had nearly a daunting 302‚0000 encounters at the southern border in December alone‚ “the highest total for a single month ever recorded. It is also the first time migrant encounters have exceeded 300‚000.” There have been nearly 7.3 million illegal crossings since Biden took office‚ as Fox News also reported Feb. 27. But it gets worse.  The Post wound up overplaying its hand and blatantly butchered the facts. The newspaper twisted the findings from a Congressional Budget Office report to falsely claim that “the U.S. labor force in 2023 had grown by 5.2 million people‚ thanks especially to net immigration.” But that’s not what the CBO report stated at all‚ as The Post conceded in an embarrassing “correction” posted later:  A previous version of this article incorrectly described a Congressional Budget Office projection on the effects of immigration on the economy. The report said the labor force will have grown by 5.2 million people by 2033‚ not that it had grown by that number in 2023‚ [emphasis added.]  That’s what happens when a media publication is more concerned with bending itself into a pretzel to turn a crisis into a boon to defend Biden as opposed to telling the straight truth about the disastrous effects such an influx of illegal migrants poses to U.S. national security. “Whoever wins the election will take the helm of an economy that immigrant workers are supporting tremendously — and likely will keep powering for years to come‚” read The Post Pravda. The irony is that The Post even mentioned the “crisis” at the border‚ but dodged and danced around ever directly conceding that what illegal immigrants were doing was — illegal: “But for the vast majority of migrants who arrive in the United States without prior approval‚ including asylum seekers and those who come for economic reasons‚ getting a work permit isn’t easy‚” [emphasis added.] The Post even went as far as to suggest that the immigration crisis helped desperate companies fill in the gaps in their work forces left by American citizens post-pandemic: Economists and labor experts say the surge in employment was ultimately key to solving unprecedented gaps in the economy that threatened the country’s ability to recover from prolonged shutdowns. Talk about dizzying. And this spike in foreigner employment was reportedly all thanks to Biden repealing Trump-era border restrictions‚ according to The Post. Yes‚ the newspaper actually tried to spin the very actions that contributed to the border crisis in the first place as a stroke of genius on Biden’s part: “At the same time [as companies scrambled to find labor to deal with exploding demand]‚ the path was widening for migrants to cross the southern border‚ particularly as the new Biden administration rolled back Trump-era restrictions.”  Make it stop.  Conservatives are under attack. Contact The Washington Post at 202-334-6000 and demand it stop gaslighting Americans on the immigration crisis.    

Sen. Mitch McConnell announced his decision to step down as the Republican leader in November on Wednesday and MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports was quickly ready to kick the “very hypocritical” and “tainted” McConnell out the door. Senior Capitol Hill correspondent Garrett Haake didn’t use the word "hypocritical‚” but he might as well have as he mourned: I'm thinking the last two Democratic presidents to great end‚ that they couldn't move through things that even had significant popular support because of the -- essentially‚ protections for the minority within the Senate. That has lasted up until now‚ through now. McConnell‚ as all of our viewers will remember‚ was one of the most vocal proponents of protecting the filibuster for legislation‚ the 60-vote threshold for legislation‚ despite being perfectly comfortable lowering it for Supreme Court nominations and for other nominees in the executive and judicial branches. That inconsistency was something that always drove his critics crazy.      Haake completely memory-holed Democratic leader Harry Reid removing the filibuster for lower court nominees and McConnell’s warning that he would come to regret it. If there was a Democratic nominee to the Court during Reid’s time as majority leader‚ they would’ve removed it for Supreme Court nominees as well‚ but Democrats wanted to keep it in case they ended up in the minority during a GOP presidency‚ but McConnell wouldn’t let them. Speaking of Supreme Court nominees‚ later‚ Mitchell claimed that “none of us knew‚ I thought I knew Senate procedure. None of us knew you could stop Merrick Garland‚ a Senate nominee at the beginning‚ it was February -- the beginning of a re-election year --  from even getting heard‚ having meetings on The Hill. He couldn't get a hearing.” Really? Did “none of us” know‚ or just MSNBC? Addressing author‚ former U.S. attorney‚ and MSNBC legal analyst Barbara McQuade‚ Mitchell declared‚ “And to stop that and open the door to once Donald Trump was elected‚ you know‚ three nominations to the Supreme Court and all of those decisions‚ most notably Dobbs but others as well.” McQuade replied that “to many of us in the law‚ Mitch McConnell’s legacy will forever be tainted by what he did with the Supreme Court.“ By “us in the law‚” McQuade really means “us liberals‚” but she continued and did use the H-word: As you said‚ when Antonin Scalia died‚ insisting that that seat be held open past the November election to let the people decide who should pick the next Supreme Court justice‚ and of course that ended up being Trump and robbing Merrick Garland of an opportunity to fill that seat. But then when we saw the tables turned and Ruth Bader Ginsburg died‚ just‚ what‚ six weeks before the election… Mitch McConnell said‚ ‘you know‚ actually‚ you know what? The long tradition I mentioned before‚ it's different when‚ you know‚ it happens on a Thursday.’ He was very hypocritical then and allowed Donald Trump to replace that seat On the matter of Donald Trump’s second impeachment and subsequent legal cases‚ McQuade also decried that McConnell has allegedly “undermined public confidence in our institutions” by not speaking out against Trump’s claims of double jeopardy and absolute immunity after McConnell opposed his second impeachment‚ claiming the legal system was the proper avenue to explore such questions.  Here is a transcript for the February 28 show: MSNBC Andrea Mitchell Reports 2/28/2024 12:48 PM ET … GARRETT HAAKE: The process that frustrated -- I'm thinking the last two Democratic presidents to great end‚ that they couldn't move through things that even had significant popular support because of the -- essentially‚ protections for the minority within the Senate. That has lasted up until now‚ through now. McConnell‚ as all of our viewers will remember‚ was one of the most vocal proponents of protecting the filibuster for legislation‚ the 60-vote threshold for legislation despite being perfectly comfortable lowering it for Supreme Court nominations and for other nominees in the executive and judicial branches. That inconsistency was something that always drove his critics crazy.  … ANDREA MITCHELL: Because none of us knew‚ I thought I knew Senate procedure. None of us knew you could stop Merrick Garland‚ a Senate nominee at the beginning‚ it was February -- the beginning of a re-election year from even getting heard‚ having meetings on The Hill. He couldn't get a hearing. And to stop that and open the door to once Donald Trump was elected‚ you know‚ three nominations to the Supreme Court and all of those decisions‚ most notably Dobbs but others as well. BARBARA MCQUADE: Well‚ to many of us in the law‚ Mitch McConnell’s legacy will forever be tainted by what he did with the Supreme Court. As you said‚ when Antonin Scalia died‚ insisting that that seat be held open past the November election to let the people decide who should pick the next Supreme Court justice‚ and of course that ended up being Trump and robbing Merrick Garland of an opportunity to fill that seat. But then when we saw the tables turned and Ruth Bader Ginsburg died‚ just‚ what‚ six weeks before the election –  MITCHELL: It was October.  MCCQUADE: Just weeks away‚ Mitch McConnell said‚ "you know‚ actually‚ you know what? The long tradition I mentioned before‚ it's different when‚ you know‚ it happens on a Thursday." He was very hypocritical then and allowed Donald Trump to replace that seat. So‚ he got the one before his presidency and at the tail end of his presidency and I think although he had the power to do that‚ one of the things that's so important and‚ in fact‚ I talk about in my book is the need for people to exercise restraint when they have power‚ not to exercise power simply because they can but to show restraint in working with the other side of the aisle and being fair and justice so that the people have confidence in our institutions.  … MCQUADE: And using sort of a procedural bait-and-switch‚ I think‚ by giving people cover to not vote to convict when Donald Trump was there‚ the Senate had the power to prevent him from holding office again and saying there's a time and place to deal with this. That's criminal prosecution and then when criminal prosecution comes along‚ of course‚ there are those who say that can't be done because a president has immunity and because he wasn't convicted‚ it's a double jeopardy violation‚ and Mitch McConnell has remained silent throughout that. So‚ I think in many ways‚ he has undermined public confidence in our institutions‚ in our Courts and in the Senate. 

Sheryl Swoopes is a dumb jock. If you doubt me‚ watch this three-minute video of Swoopes attempting to explain away the ridiculous attack she unleashed three weeks ago on record-breaking Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark. With Clark on the brink of establishing a new scoring standard for women’s basketball‚ Swoopes‚ a Hall of Fame player‚ blasted Clark on Gilbert Arenas' podcast. Swoopes alleged Clark is only setting the new standard because she has played for five years‚ is 25 years old‚ and shoots 40 times per game. Do black people have the power in this country to oppress white people? None of Swoopes’ allegations are true. Clark is 22. She’s completing her fourth season at Iowa. And over the course of her career‚ she’s averaged about 20 shots per game. Clark is white. Swoopes is black. Swoopes’ original critique was so off base that many observers concluded that racial bias and jealousy contributed to Swoopes’ ignorant claims. Earlier this week‚ Swoopes returned to Gilbert Arenas’ podcast to defend herself from charges of racism. Swoopes left little doubt that she is ignorant. “For people to come at me and say I made those comments because I’m a racist‚ like first of all black people can’t be racist‚” Swoopes stated bluntly‚ while waving her hands and bobbing her head. “But that’s like the farthest thing from my mind. Like I grew up in a very small West Texas town that was predominantly white. My best childhood friend is white. I went to a predominantly white college‚ won a national championship‚ pretty much everyone on the team was white. Like we’re sisters to this day. Like that’s not a part of my DNA.” Swoopes then pivoted: “But for me‚ it’s very important though that like I’m a black woman. So it’s important for me that I speak up for people [who] look like me. It’s Black History Month. Like our ancestors fought and died for us to have opportunities that we have today.” Swoopes’ clarification is every bit as dumb and problematic as her original criticism of Caitlin Clark. Swoopes is 52. She thinks and talks like an 18-year-old college freshman. Years ago‚ when Swoopes was an impressionable teenager‚ someone she thought was smart likely told her that “black people can’t be racist because black people have no power to oppress white people.” Swoopes swallowed that lie years ago. She’s never been forced to spit the lie out because corporate media‚ academia‚ and the so-called black church reinforce the lie every chance they get. The media‚ academia‚ and the black church love to talk about the word “racism‚” which is never used in the Bible. In reality‚ Swoopes suffers from “idolatry‚” the root of all sin. She’s made her skin color an idol. That’s why in her most recent Gilbert Arenas podcast interview‚ she wore a T-shirt that stated: “I am black history.” She is not an image-bearer of God‚ a follower of Jesus Christ‚ a vessel seeking the power of the Holy Spirit. Sheryl Swoopes is black history. She proudly proclaims it on the front of a shirt. Race is her idol. No different from white Klan members who have made skin color their idol. People who make race their idol have no problem mistreating people who don’t look like them. It’s silly to argue that black people are incapable of allowing racial idolatry to rule them. Are people with dark skin incapable of idolatry? Are we superior to people of a different hue? And if we think we’re superior‚ wouldn’t that make us racist? Wouldn’t that make us prone to diminish the accomplishments of Caitlin Clark? Of the many lies American blacks have swallowed‚ the most damaging one is the lie that we possess no power and no agency in our own lives. It’s a lie founded in the belief that what happens to us is far more important than what we do. That’s how you convince people to do less and to look to others to do more. At her core‚ Sheryl Swoopes believes that her actions do not matter. Yeah‚ so what? She said a bunch of ridiculous things about Caitlin Clark. It doesn’t matter. Swoopes is a history-making black queen. She’s above accountability. She owes no apologies. She’s free to adopt the attitudes‚ behaviors‚ and excuses of white bigots because her bigotry is inconsequential or justified. Her ancestors were mistreated. She’s earned the privilege of mistreating others. Her skin color makes her above consequential sin.Do black people have the power in this country to oppress white people? Ask Daniel Penny‚ the former Marine who is being prosecuted by Alvin Bragg’s district attorney office for subduing a crazed homeless man in a New York subway. Fear of Black Lives Matter protests and unrest has caused corporate media to portray the crazed homeless man as a harmless Michael Jackson impersonator just moments away from turning his life around. Black power isn’t the reason Derek Chauvin and three other cops are locked away for being at the scene of George Floyd’s fentanyl overdose? Black power isn’t the reason Ashli Babbitt’s murderer is considered a hero? Human beings‚ regardless of skin tone‚ have power. Human beings fall victim to all kinds of idolatry. Black people’s idolatry of choice is racial idolatry. White friends‚ white teammates‚ and small-town upbringings don’t immunize black people from racial idolatry. Obedience to God is the only cure for idolatry. If you notice‚ Sheryl Swoopes did not say: “I’m not racist because my relationship with God makes me view people who don’t look like me as brothers and sisters in Christ.” Nope. She pivoted to talking about black womanhood and what she owed black women. Like a lot of dumb jocks‚ she’s immersed in the worship of the black matriarchy.