Car insurance rates are going up — and your driving record has nothing to do with it. Why? It's not you — it's your car. We all know automakers have been collecting data from their cars for a long time. At first, the idea was to use it strictly to identify problems. Let's say they notice a consistent pattern of idling problems across a certain model — now they can issue a technical service bulletin or a recall and get it fixed. Fairly benign, right? Except that somewhere along the line they figured out they could make money from your data. And these days the losses they're taking on every electric vehicle they make means money is tighter than ever. It's a lot more effective than other cash grabs they've tried, such as charging subscription fees for amenities like heated seats and navigation (customers got peeved) and getting rid of AM radio (turns out drivers want their AM radio). The best part is, the customer doesn't even have to know about it.Who wants this data? The federal government, the police, and especially insurance companies. Here's an example. Let's say you work in a neighborhood with high crime rates. They see you're there every day, Monday through Friday, nine to five. From that they conclude that your vehicle is in greater danger of being damaged or stolen. Higher rates for you!"But I park in a parking garage!"They don't know that. This is all done by computer or AI.The computer also makes decisions based on your driving style. Maybe there was a squirrel on the road or there's a pothole you avoid every day. So you make a perfectly safe defensive maneuver. As far as the computer's concerned, you may as well have been eating a slice of pizza while taking a selfie. Only the inputs matter: The computer records this swerve without knowing why you did it. It adds up, and soon you're not quite the safe driver you thought you were.The computer knows how fast you drive, where you go, and more. You create that data, but it's not yours. It belongs to the car companies. And I've actually asked car manufacturers, "What are you doing with that data?" And they always say, "It's secure. We don't just post it somewhere.""No, but you're selling it to make up for your losses on the EVs nobody wants!" That's the bad news. Here's what you can do about it. 1. Shop around for insurance every six monthsNobody's idea of a good time, but it can save you money. You can compare rates online with sites like Get Jerry or Progressive's AutoQuote Explorer. 2. Bundle insuranceIf you've got renter's insurance, homeowner's insurance, or other vehicles, bring them all together under the same insurer — that can make a huge difference. 3. Pay your premium in advance Opting to pay your entire premium up front instead of spreading it out over six months can often save you a few bucks. 4. Increase your deductibleGot a $500 deductible? Raise it to $1000. There's obviously a downside to this: If you do have an accident, you'll be on the hook for $1000, not $500, out of pocket. But if you're willing to assume the risk, it's a good way to keep more money. 5. Go paperlessMany companies will offer you a 5-10% discount if you switch from paper to electronic billing.6. Get good gradesGot a student driver on your insurance? Some companies will let you save 10-25% if he or she is at least a B student. You just have to let them know. It could be well worth it, especially if you have multiple kids driving.7. Take a defensive-driving courseWe know that having a clean driving record keeps rates low. You can also be proactive about your skill behind the wheel by taking a defensive-driving course. AAA offers one, as does the National Safety Council and many private companies. Usually it's just a couple of hours, which are well spent if you can save on your insurance rate. 8. Improve your credit scoreHaving a higher credit rating can mean lower rates. Sites like Credit Karma and NerdWallet have tips on how you can do this. 9. Sign up for telematics, or usage-based insuranceTelematics insurance means you pay according to how many miles you drive. I don't recommend this. While you could save money if you drive less, this will also capture other data, which could raise your rates. Or you could try what a friend of mine did. He would drive his car down the street, park it, and then drive his wife's car, so it looked like he was barely driving his car at all. Did it work? I don't know — but it seems like a lot of effort to game the system. 10. Talk to your elected officials As I've told you in a previous article, there's a push to install AI cameras on roads to issue citations. Are you speeding? Are you wearing a seatbelt? Do you have a phone in your hand or on your lap? A computer, not a police officer will decide — so no chance to explain yourself. It's already passed as part of the $15.6 billion infrastructure bill — money going to towns, counties, and local municipalities around the country. So now is the time to talk to your elected officials on a local level and say, "I don't want this, and I don't want to give up my privacy." The more people speak up, the better.

In a bombshell report from the Daily Mail, it was just revealed that Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, impregnated his former nanny, Najen Naylor, while married to his ex-wife. Naylor also was a teacher at their children’s pricey Los Angeles private school, and she did not deny the story. Her only reaction was that she was “kind of freaked out.” Emhoff was married to his first wife for 16 years when they divorced. “We don’t know if she aborted the baby, which would be horrible, we don’t know if she kept the baby, and Doug Emhoff just abandoned her and didn’t recognize her as the daughter or son that he or she was, which would also be awful,” Liz Wheeler comments, disturbed. When this happened, the nanny reportedly quit the private school where she taught and fled to New York to get away from the scandal. “Where’s the mainstream media telling us what an awful pig this man is?” Wheeler asks. “I always wondered what kind of man would marry a gold digger like Harris, someone who was a home-wrecker, who dated Willie Brown when he was married in order to advance her own political career.” “Well, now we know. A man who would impregnate the nanny of his elementary school-aged child,” she continues, adding, “What a despicable man, what a degenerate of a man.” While the news is disturbing in itself, Wheeler’s biggest question is how it will impact the 2024 election. “The women of America will care if they hear about it. If the mainstream media is not successful in stifling this story, the women of America will care,” she says. Want more from Liz Wheeler?To enjoy more of Liz’s based commentary, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

The arrested 19-year-old Taylor Swift concert plotter was radicalized by the Islamic State, "thinks it is right to kill infidels," and confessed he wanted to "kill as many people as possible," the Associated Press reported, citing Austrian authorities.Swift's shows scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna were canceled Wednesday for safety reasons.'Authorities also found Islamic State group and al-Qaida material at the home of the second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian. He was employed a few days ago by a company providing services at the venue for the concerts, and was arrested by special police forces near the stadium.'Officials said the 19-year-old Austrian suspect began working on his terror plot in July and just a few weeks ago uploaded to the internet an oath of allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State group militia, the AP said.He was “clearly radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State and thinks it is right to kill infidels,” said Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, according to the outlet.The suspect "wanted to carry out an attack in the area outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using the knives or even using the explosive devices he had made," Haijawi-Pirchner added to the AP.Concert organizers told the outlet they were expecting up to 65,000 Swift fans inside the stadium at each show — and as many as 30,000 onlookers outside the stadium.The foiled attack was planned for Thursday or Friday, Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner, told the AP. The outlet added that neither the 19-year-old suspect nor a second suspect, a 17-year-old, appeared to have a ticket to any of Swift's shows.More from the AP:During a raid of the main suspect’s home in Ternitz, south of Vienna, investigators found chemical substances and technical devices that indicated “concrete preparatory acts,” said Franz Ruf, Director General for Public Security at the Ministry of the Interior. Authorities also found Islamic State group and al-Qaida material at the home of the second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian. He was employed a few days ago by a company providing services at the venue for the concerts, and was arrested by special police forces near the stadium.Karner said no other suspects are being sought, the outlet noted, although police interrogated a 15-year-old who had been in contact with both suspects.The AP said Swift and her team haven't publicly addressed the plot or canceled shows.The outlet in its story referenced the deadly July 29 mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed children's dance class in Southport, England, during which a 17-year-old male was accused of killing three and injuring numerous other victims. Swift at the time said she was ‘’completely in shock’’ over the attack, the AP reported.Officials initially said there was no evidence that terrorism was a motive in the Southport knife attack, which angered many who accused the government of covering up evidence. Police identified suspect Axel Rudakubana and charged him with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder. Officials identified him as being from Cardiff but also noted that his parents are Rwandan.Unrest and violence erupted the day after the stabbings and have spread across the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the violence and blamed "far-right thuggery." Radio host Glenn Beck, co-founder of Blaze Media, on Tuesday opined that "two-tier justice" — in which police more or less ignore Muslim immigrant crime but come down hard on non-Muslims — has been laid bare in the U.K. in the wake of the deadly knife attack.ISIS took credit for a 2017 bombing attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, that killed 22. Suicide bomber Salman Abedi set up a knapsack bomb in Manchester Arena at the end of Grande’s concert as thousands of young fans were leaving, the AP said, adding that more than 100 were injured and Abedi died in the explosion. An official inquiry concluded that Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, didn’t act fast enough on key intelligence and missed a chance to prevent the bombing, the AP added.Swift is expected to perform five concerts at London’s Wembley Stadium between Aug. 15 and 20 to close the European leg of her Eras Tour, the AP said.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

In Episode 358 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger visit Fairfield, Vermont, searching for the controversial birthplace of 21st U.S. President Chester A. Arthur. Today there are multiple historic markers and even an historic site, but the place and year of his birth is in debate. How did it happen? BECOME A LEGENDARY PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends CREDITS: Produced and hosted by: Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger Edited by: Ray Auger Theme Music by: John Judd SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST FOR FREE: Apple Podcasts/iTunes | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Podcasts | TuneIn | iHeartRadio JOIN OUR SUPER-SECRET: New England Legends Facebook Group

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Following a report that Apple was working on a major redesign for one of its M4 Macs, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman now says the M4 Mac mini is the chosen one. People familiar with the matter told the journalist that this device is "essentially an iPad Pro in a small box." According to Gurman, Apple has tested at least three Mac mini models with at least three USB-C ports on the back, an HDMI port, and a power cable. Just like the M2 version, Apple is also planning to introduce an M4 Pro version of this machine. Interestingly, the journalist says the base model will begin shipping from suppliers this month ahead of the release later this year. However, the high-end model won't be ready until October. The last time the Mac mini had a major design change was in 2010 when it became Apple's smallest desktop computer. That said, Gurman believes Apple will choose the approach of an Apple TV look, with the size around 1.4 inches high. The aluminum shell won't go away, although it's possible that Apple will announce that this computer is carbon-neutral, as it did with the Apple Watch Series 9 last year. So far, we only know the details about the M4 chip. According to Apple, the M4 processor has a powerful new CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores, with next-gen ML generators. It is up to 50% faster than M2. With a 10-core GPU, it offers Dynamic Caching and hardware ray tracing, with 4x faster performance than M2 iPad Pro. M4 can deliver the same performance as the M2 with just half the power. The Neural Engine comes with a 16-core design, with up to 38 trillion operations per second—60x faster than Apple’s first Neural Engine. Besides the new M4 Mac mini, Apple is expected to introduce the new MacBook Pro and an iMac later this year. Other Macs should become available in 2025. Below, you can learn when to expect new M4 Macs. Don't Miss: When will Apple release new M4 Macs? The post Leak reveals ultra-thin M4 Mac mini with M4 Pro option coming this year appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2024: Get $450+ free Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Today’s deals: $179 AirPods Pro 2, $40 foldable camera drone, $899 M3 MacBook Air, $16 wireless charger, more Today’s deals: $248 Sony XM5 earbuds, $180 Roomba, $13 Anker fast chargers, $19 Roku streamer, more