The Internal Revenue Service says it collected $482 million from wealthy tax cheats last year‚ in a continuing effort to step up their enforcement. The IRS released their year-end progress report this month‚ saying they will continue to audit large corporations‚ high-income individuals‚ and complex partnerships who are not paying their fair share of U.S. […] The post IRS Collected Half a Billion Dollars in Back Taxes From Delinquent Millionaires in 2023‚ Sentencing Some to Prison appeared first on Good News Network.

Imagine you’re sitting in your living room‚ enjoying a quiet moment. Suddenly‚ you hear the sound of scratching. You look down and there’s your rabbit‚ digging away with both paws at the floor with determination. It’s a common concern among bunny parents to understand why their furry friends exhibit such behavior. This isn’t just a... Why is My Rabbit Scratching the Floor?

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. As part of a move that‚ at least on the surface‚ is aimed at protecting the privacy and well-being of young adolescents‚ Florida is taking legislative steps towards restricting social media access for children under sixteen. The bill‚ advanced in the state legislature on Wednesday‚ mandates rigorous age verification and calls for existing accounts of underage users to be deleted while purging any stored personal information. We obtained a copy of the bill for you here. A bipartisan majority in the Florida house has ratified the bill with a vote of 106-13. It now awaits receipt by the Republican-majority senate. The legislation calls for age verification through an independent‚ third-party unrelated to the social media platform‚ ensuring that children under 16 can’t open new accounts. Drawn up to address platforms with potential “addictive‚ harmful‚ or deceptive design features‚” this legislation is aimed at deterring persistent or compulsive usage influenced by digital design. In support of the legislation‚ Republican state lawmaker and bill co-sponsor Fiona McFarland equated social media usage designed to trigger dopamine releases to a “digital fentanyl.” Florida’s move comes against the backdrop of growing concern over the impact of social media on kids’ mental health and well-being. Last year‚ US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a warning on the potential harms of social media for children and adolescents‚ calling for more research into the area. The implementation of online age verification systems‚ increasingly requiring to the rollout of digital IDs‚ has sparked a significant debate about the balance between internet safety and free speech. These systems are designed to verify the age of users‚ ostensibly to protect younger audiences from inappropriate content or to ensure compliance with legal age restrictions. However‚ they often necessitate the use of digital IDs‚ which can include personal information like name‚ age‚ and sometimes even location. This shift towards digital IDs for age verification purposes raises concerns about the erosion of online anonymity and the ability to speak under a pseudonym. Related: The 2024 Digital ID and Online Age Verification Agenda The post Florida Law Banning Children From Social Media and Pushing Digital ID and Online Identity Verification‚ Advances appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The NSA’s long history of often legally sketchy mass surveillance continues‚ despite some of the agency’s activities getting exposed more than a decade ago by whistleblower Edward Snowden. Now‚ the National Security Agency has had to reveal‚ in response to a senator’s questions‚ that it is‚ as one report put it‚ “sidestepping” obtaining warrants first before it buys people’s information‚ put on sale by data brokers. This came to light in an exchange of letters between Senator Ron Wyden and several top security officials. And this time – because of NSA’s own interest being at stake – he has been able to reveal the information he obtained. Wyden’s January 25 letter to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines contained a fairly straight-forward request: US intelligence agencies should only buy American’s data “that has been obtained in a lawful manner.” We obtained a copy of the letter for you here. With the implication that something entirely different is happening‚ the senator went on to explain what: if these agencies went to communications companies themselves for the data‚ that would require a court order. Instead‚ Wyden continued‚ they go the roundabout way to get information (like location data) taken from people’s phones – collected via apps‚ and finally ending up with commercial brokers‚ who sell it to the likes of the NSA. And‚ this particular agency is also buying “Americans’ domestic internet metadata.” In other words‚ a comprehensive‚ yet legally questionable mass surveillance scheme. Wyden “reinforced” his letter to Haines by attaching NSA Director General Paul Nakasone’s December response to one of his earlier queries – a back-and-forth that has been going on for almost three years‚ he says‚ and concerned other agencies as well and their practice of data acquisition. But now that he said he would block the Senate confirmation of Nakasone’s successor – the information he received finally “got cleared” for release and pretty quickly. Nakasone confirmed the practice‚ and then went on to justify it by saying it only pertains to “records” of online traffic‚ rather than “emails and documents.” He said what the NSA purchases is “netflow data” that comes from devices where “one or both” ends of the connection is in the US. And why? It is “critical‚” wrote Nakasone‚ in “protecting US defense contractors from cyber threats.” The post NSA Confirms Purchasing Data on American Citizens’ Internet Behavior‚ Circumventing the Need for Warrants appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

From Darkness to Light: Sunday Reflection

While this election season has been consumed by nasty media attacks on the Republican presidential candidates‚ 16 years ago the airwaves were dripping with positivity‚ as so-called reporters giddily celebrated the confluence of the ultra-liberal Kennedy family (a.k.a.‚ “Camelot”) and the hard-left Obama campaign. Just one week before the big Super Tuesday primaries (held on February 5 that year)‚ and only a couple of days after Obama trounced Hillary Clinton in the South Carolina primary‚ Senator Ted Kennedy‚ along with his son‚ Patrick‚ and JFK’s daughter‚ Caroline‚ endorsed Obama for the Democratic nomination. The New York Times helpfully donated its op-ed pages for Caroline Kennedy’s endorsement (headlined: “A President Like My Father”) on January 27. She wrote admiringly of Obama: “I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time‚ I believe I have found the man who could be that president.” The media‚ thrilled‚ justified their wall-to-wall coverage by suggesting vast swaths of the country (rather than liberals living in a tiny corridor of the Northeast) would be mesmerized by the obviously-choreographed campaign event. “It’s been 45 years since a Kennedy has been in the White House‚ and yet because of the American fascination with the family name‚ and the family business of politics‚ the Kennedy name still has the power to grab the attention of millions of Americans‚” NBC’s Brian Williams claimed on the January 28‚ 2008 Nightly News. “Of all the memorable images of this campaign‚ Barack Obama has never had a moment quite like this‚” NBC correspondent Lee Cowan cooed a few minutes later. “The endorsement brought the Kennedy mystique to this campaign‚ not in a whisper‚ but a roar.” “Today‚ the audacity of hope had its rendezvous with destiny‚” ABC’s David Wright cheered on World News. “The Kennedy clan anointed Barack Obama a son of Camelot.” That evening on Nightline‚ anchor Terry Moran teased: “Tonight on Nightline‚ new son of Camelot. Ted and Caroline Kennedy pass the torch to Barack Obama to carry the legacy of JFK....” Soon Wright was back with an even more fawning report: “No mere endorsement this‚ more like a political anointment from the Kennedys‚ merging ideals from two different eras....Obama is now an adopted son of Camelot. His candidacy blessed not just by the Lion of the Senate‚ patriarch of the clan‚ but by JFK’s daughter.” Over on MSNBC’s Hardball‚ host Chris Matthews was over the moon. “Today we got a glimpse of the early 1960s‚ when politics was alive‚” he crowed. “Not the gauzy images of Camelot‚ but the living spirit of the New Frontier.” A few minutes later‚ Matthews ludicrously exclaimed: “It was King Arthur coming back from the Crusades to endorse Robin Hood!” The next morning‚ CBS’s Harry Smith rivaled Matthews’s excitement‚ pronouncing Obama “the heir to Camelot.” “It feels like the ’60s are back‚” Smith beamed on the January 29 Early Show‚ before he weirdly cast a political endorsement as a secular sacrament: “In the civic religion that is Democratic politics‚ the most treasured covenant was passed to the young Senator from Illinois.” CBS’s giddy on-screen graphic: “The Kennedys Are B(ar)ack!” As Obama rode atop the media’s shoulders to win both the Democratic nomination and the presidency‚ the candidate’s sycophants continued their “Camelot” myth-making. When Obama clinched his party’s nomination in June‚ MSNBC’s Matthews told Politico’s Roger Simon it was a “magic moment for a lot of Americans‚ in fact‚ me included.” Over images of the Obama family celebrating‚ Matthews declared: “That picture is right out of Camelot‚ as far as I’m concerned.” On November 7‚ after Obama won the White House‚ CBS’s Smith reached again for the Kennedy comparisons: “Many Americans can’t help but draw similarities between him and the late President John F. Kennedy....The similarities are striking. JFK was 43 when he was inaugurated. Obama is just three years older‚ bringing a certain youthful vigor to the White House‚ including‚ young children....Kennedy had more than his share of charisma and Obama knows how to light up a room. But it’s their wives who might be the real superstars.” Smith’s co-host‚ Julie Chen‚ wondered: “Can the Obamas bring that ‘one brief shining moment‚’ that was known as Camelot‚ back to the White House?” The following August‚ after Ted Kennedy died‚ Chris Matthews declared Obama was a member of the family: “[Ted Kennedy] just wanted to bring back what Bobby and Jack had given us. He wanted to be his brother’s brother. And then he turned that torch over last year to Barack Obama‚” Matthews spun on NBC’s Today on August 26‚ 2009. “Barack is now the last brother.” And they say Trumpism is a cult. For more examples from our flashback series‚ which we call the NewsBusters Time Machine‚ go here.

A female snowboarder found herself trapped for 15 hours inside a ski gondola in the midst of freezing temperatures at a Lake Tahoe resort‚ according to the Associated Press. She kept warm by rubbing her hands and feet together.Monica Laso stepped into a gondola at Heavenly Ski Resort around 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. She planned to take the lift down the mountain because she was too tired to snowboard down‚ but the gondola stopped just minutes later‚ leaving her swinging in the sky.Though she yelled for help‚ no one on the ground could hear her. She did not have a cellphone‚ making it impossible to call someone for assistance‚ according to a report from KCRA. She went on to say "I screamed desperately until I lost my voice‚” Laso said in Spanish during an interview with the television station. She spent the remainder of the night rubbing her feet and hands together to keep warm‚ according to the report. The temperature in the area had dropped to 23 degrees that evening.Laso's friends soon reported her missing to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office on Thursday when she did not return from her outing on the mountain. The AP reported that she was not discovered until Friday morning when the gondola started back up again for the day.The ski resort has vowed to get to the bottom of how Laso got trapped overnight. The resort is located on the southeastern side of the lake‚ near the California-Nevada border.Tom Fortune‚ the resort's vice president and chief operating officer‚ said in a statement that "[t]he safety and wellbeing of our guests is our top priority at Heavenly Mountain Resort."Kim George‚ a battalion chief and spokesperson for South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue‚ said paramedics were dispatched to the resort around 8:30 a.m.‚ shortly after Laso was discovered by the resort.The report noted that Laso was responsive when she was found and refused to receive medical attention at a local hospital. George went on to say that she had never seen anything like this in her 23 years of service‚ adding "I'm very curious to hear the story."The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the gondola had been closed earlier this month for mechanical reasons. It is uncertain if a mechanical issue played a part in the incident.The sheriff's office did not initially return requests for comment‚ per the AP. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Aaron Keyak‚ the State Department's deputy special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism‚ suggested that anti-Semitism has spread throughout China since Hamas' surprise attack against the Jewish state on October 7‚ according to Fox News Digital. The comments were made last week when Keyak spoke at the U.S. Bar Association.Keyak said that "[t]here's been an increase in the People’s Republic of China’s state media and online discourse of antisemitic tropes that Jews control the United States through deep U.S.-Israel ties‚ as well as control over banks‚ the media‚ and that they have influence over government leaders.""Conjecture that Jews control the U.S. government and U.S. wealth is an antisemitic falsehood intended to degrade trust in the United States‚ our democratic institutions and‚ ultimately‚ democracy around the globe." The Hudson Institute published a report in November 2023 that laid out China's propensity for anti-Semitic rhetoric. The report mentioned that China's ideological roots are‚ in many ways‚ rooted in Marxist political thought. And Karl Marx's "first serious publications was his 1844 pamphlet 'On the Jewish Question‚' in which he argued that Jews constituted 'a problem' for Europe‚ the solution to which was for Europe to rid itself of what he termed the Jews’ real religion — the worship of money."The institute went on to say that "[w]hile most Western governments have condemned Hamas in the strongest possible terms‚ Beijing has refused to do so. Not only that‚ but it has also censored pro-Israel expression‚ both online and offline."Most of the hatred that has been expressed about Jews has been online‚ with Chinese "netizens" openly ridiculing the parents of Noa Argamani‚ who is a half-Chinese‚ Israeli-born captive who was kidnapped by Hamas. Though Argamani's mother has asked Beijing for help in rescuing her daughter‚ she has been mocked online and the victim of a string of profanities.Chinese internet users who spend a lot of time online have compared Israel's military operations in Gaza to the Holocaust‚ but this time the Jews are apparently playing the role of the Nazis‚ per Fox News Digital. While YouTube is not allowed in China‚ the massive Eastern country has its own version of video-sharing and social media platforms operated by TikTok owner ByteDance. And those platforms are reportedly filled to the brim with pro-Hitler videos‚ memes‚ and other pro-Nazi content.The Times of Israel reported last year about how Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List‚" a highly acclaimed film in China at one time‚ has now been "review-bombed" since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. However‚ one reviewer of the film in China asked‚ "Where is the Palestinian Schindler?"China has still not condemned the attack Hamas launched against the Jewish state.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!