New Jersey presented oral arguments on Wednesday in its lawsuit against New York over its $15-per-day congestion toll for Manhattan commuters. The complaint argues that the plan will place an economic strain on New Jersey residents and fail to reduce pollution‚ WABC-TV reported.According to the lawsuit‚ the Federal Highway Administration approved New York City';s toll but ";failed to adequately consider the environment impacts"; and ";ignored the significant financial burden being placed on New Jerseyans and New Jersey';s transportation system.";The complaint claims the federal government rushed through the approval without adequately reviewing the potential impacts. Randy Mastro‚ a lawyer representing New Jersey in the case‚ called it ";mind-boggling"; that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority concluded the congestion toll would have ";no significant impact"; on traffic‚ the economy‚ or air quality in nearby areas‚ the New York Post reported. Mastro claimed that the FHWA';s approval was ";predetermined.";Mastro questioned whether the review ";took a hard look into the adverse environmental impact"; on the ";entire region.";";They didn';t consider New Jersey adequately‚"; he stated.As part of New York City';s congestion toll plan‚ it set aside a $35 million mitigation commitment for the Bronx. However‚ it did not allocate any funds to New Jersey.";There has been a mitigation commitment and in a dollar amount to the Bronx. Isn';t that differentiated treatment‚ potentially rising to the level of arbitrariness?"; Judge Leo Gordon asked MTA and FHWA lawyers.Elizabeth Knauer‚ a lawyer representing the MTA‚ denied the claims of differentiated treatment.New Jersey officials hope the legal action will force the federal government to conduct a more thorough evaluation. Governor Phil Murphy (D) contended that New York City';s plan will only move pollution to surrounding areas.";You are not eliminating pollution; you are just displacing it from Manhattan to New Jersey‚"; Murphy stated Tuesday. ";And you';re charging our commuters an exorbitant fee on top of that.";Murphy has asserted that the city';s plan is a ";blatant cash-grab.";WABC reported that over 400‚000 New Jersey residents commute into Manhattan every day. The new toll‚ slated to take effect in June‚ will require New Jersey commuters to pay millions of dollars to the MTA.The lawsuit stated‚ ";The end result is that New Jersey will bear much of the burden of this congestion pricing scheme in terms of environmental‚ financial‚ and human impacts but receive none of its benefits.";The MTA passed the controversial congestion toll in an 11-1 vote last week. Under the plan‚ most passenger vehicles will be charged $15 per day to drive on 60th Street and below. Small trucks and charter buses will be charged $24 per day‚ and large trucks and tour buses will be charged $36 per day. Motorcyclists will receive a $7.50 toll per day. The cost will drop by 75% in the evening. Commuters using taxis and black car services must pay an additional $1.25 fare‚ while Uber and Lyft passengers pay an extra $2.50.New York City will use the state';s existing E-ZPass system to collect most tolls. Drivers without a pass will be charged at a higher rate. For example‚ instead of $15 per day‚ passenger vehicles without an E-ZPass will be charged $22.50 per day.Drivers making less than $50‚000 per year could be eligible to receive a discount. City officials anticipate the plan will reduce traffic by 17% and collect $1 billion annually. The funds gathered through the toll system will be used to improve public transportation.Currently‚ the city is facing six lawsuits over the congestion toll plan.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A hospital in Prague‚ the capital city of the Czech Republic‚ performed an abortion on the wrong woman and blamed the mix-up on a ";language barrier.";On March 25‚ an unnamed foreign woman who was four months pregnant walked into the Bulovka University Hospital in Prague to undergo what she thought would be a routine check-up. At the hospital at the same time was another pregnant foreign woman who went to the hospital seeking an abortion.As both women have been described as ";Asian‚"; staff at the hospital mixed up their cases. Suddenly‚ the happily pregnant woman seeking a routine examination was wheeled into an operating area‚ put under sedation‚ and subjected to a curettage‚ or surgical cleaning of the uterus. She later miscarried.Multiple nurses and doctors‚ including a gynecologist and anesthesiologist‚ all misidentified the patient‚ resulting in the unnecessary death of the woman';s unborn child. All personnel involved in the case have been suspended by the hospital‚ pending an investigation for gross negligence‚ while law enforcement is treating it as a case of possible criminal bodily harm.";If violations of mandatory working procedures are revealed as part of the ongoing internal investigation‚ specific individuals will be held personally responsible for it‚"; said Eva Stolejda Libigerova‚ a hospital spokesperson.The hospital has apologized to the woman and is willing to offer her compensation‚ said a spokesperson for the Czech Ministry of Health. ";The goal must be to do a root analysis‚ identify the causes‚ and set a process so that this never happens again‚"; added David Marx‚ chair of the Czech Society for Quality in Healthcare.Others‚ however‚ have implied that the woman who lost her child may be at least partially to blame‚ as hospital staff claimed a ";language barrier"; contributed to the confusion. Jan Prada‚ a gynecologist and vice chair of the Czech Medical Chamber‚ claimed‚ ";A Czech-speaking patient would probably actively resist the fact that she is going to undergo a procedure that she does not understand.";The Czech Republic has stricter laws regarding abortion than in some areas of the U.S. An abortion there can be performed for any reason up to 12 weeks and for medical reasons up to 24 weeks. The country permits abortion at any time only in cases of fetal anomaly.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

By now‚ its common knowledge that Hollywood is rotten to its core with all forms of debauchery and degeneracy.However‚ its likely even worse than you realize.If you';re not familiar with Quiet On Set‚ it';s a docu-series that a lot of people are talking about right now‚ says Lauren Chen.The series covers the toxicity of popular childrens shows from the late ';90s and early 2000s specifically‚ those headed by Nickelodeon';s Dan Schneider‚ who launched the careers of stars such as Drake Bell‚ Jamie Lynn Spears‚ Miranda Cosgrove‚ and Ariana Grande‚ among others.The show covers the unfair harassment and treatment of adult staffers and the sexual dog whistles sprinkled into these shows that ... were intended for children and were also acted out by child actors‚ says Lauren.However‚ she said‚ The most egregious allegations that the documentary presents surround the idea that at least some of the child stars that Nickelodeon was promoting and featuring on their shows were actually abused and groomed by the producers and the writers‚ who were supposed to be helping them and guiding them through their career.One of those unfortunate actors was Amanda Bynes‚ who has gone on to lead a very troubled and very turbulent adult life.While Bynes is not featured in the docu-series‚ there are nonetheless several disturbing incidents brought up‚ including a newly resurfaced clip of Dan Schneider in a hot tub with a young tween Amanda.But if the coverage of Amanda Bynes career is sad‚ what happened to Drake Bell is absolutely heartbreaking‚ says Lauren.Bell played a lead role on one of the networks most popular shows‚ Drake and Josh.The actor‚ who is interviewed in the series‚ reveals that he was sexually assaulted and groomed by one of the people working at Nickelodeon when he was 15 years old.Brian Peck‚ who Drake Bell talks about assaulting him‚ was actually convicted‚ so these aren';t just allegations‚ says Lauren. This is a sentence that was handed to someone.However‚ Peck was only sentenced to 16 months in prison‚ and whats worse is that several Hollywood actors came out in support of him during the trial period.Making matters worse‚ several of Pecks supporters continued to work on the set of Drake and Josh even after Peck was sent to jail.I thought I got rid of the cancer‚ said Bell. I had no idea that for four years I was working alongside people who had supported him.Just heinous stuff‚ sighs Lauren‚ adding that Bell‚ like Amanda Bynes‚ has gone on to do some terrible things himself‚ including continuing the cycle of abuse that eventually led to two years probation on child endangerment charges.Want more from Lauren Chen?To enjoy more of Laurens pro-liberty‚ pro-logic‚ and pro-market commentary on social and political issues‚ subscribe to BlazeTV the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

Elon Musk went viral last year with tweets suggesting that the future of social media is to pay for it‚ because otherwise‚ itll all just be bots. This problem of how to prove you';re human and not a bot is only getting worse. (@) (@) Musk is right: The bots are coming‚ and we do have to do something. But we have two more options besides the one he offers. Heres the expanded list of our choices for proving our humanity in the age of ubiquitous AI:Pay-to-play (i.e.‚ the Musk option)Web3s large selection of existing proof-of-human offeringsGovernment-issued digital IDIm guessing well end up with some combination of the above‚ but insofar as number 3 will be the most attractive option for many people‚ its yet another way in which AI is an inherently centralizing force. But as a decentralization maxi‚ the likelihood that well end up where the government can digitally unperson me with a mouse click is concerning. If this worries you as well‚ then read on.In this piece‚ Ill give a very brief introduction to option number 2 web3 proof-of-human services for the non-crypto-pilled. Yes‚ I know‚ I know nobody wants to read another piece about how web3 fixes this. But dont close that tab! Even if you hate crypto‚ its still worth acquainting yourself with just how much effort and money has gone into solving the precise problem Musk is worried about. Here are two relevant facts for the crypto-haters to consider before they bounce:Digital identity is a critical‚ well-established front in the centralization vs. decentralization war. So‚ if you care about this fight‚ then this issue matters.Recent advances in AI have fundamentally changed the digital ID terrain so that web 2.0 now has a problem that had previously been confined to web3 i.e.‚ how to do proof-of-human in a network where human nodes can be credibly impersonated at scale and at low marginal cost.Proof-of-human is an early‚ fundamental web3 problemOne of the core distinctions crypto has vs. the traditional web is ubiquitous pseudonymity. Crypto types are super into the whole pseudonymous online persona thing.Now‚ you may not care about pseudonymity‚ or you think its only for money launderers‚ dope peddlers‚ bootleggers‚ and prank callers. I get it‚ Boomer. But just bear with me for a moment because I promise Im not trying to pseud-pill you Im just trying to help you understand why proof-of-human is such a longstanding web3 concern.The de facto standard for identity on the current web (web2) is the email address plus password combination. To sign up for a new service‚ you usually supply these two items‚ and then you get a confirmation link in your email that you have to click to prove youre the rightful owner of that email address.The standard for identity on web3‚ in contrast‚ is the crypto address. This is a public address on a public blockchain often Ethereum that you have a private key for and can‚ therefore‚ prove ownership of.Web3 identities‚ then‚ have the following qualities:Trivial and cost-free for a single person to create and use in bulkImpossible to link to a single person‚ company‚ or other entityUsed for accounts on internet services that are web3-basedUsed for moving valuable assets aroundYou might say that in web3‚ every phone is a burner phone there is no other kind. This is because its really easy to create new crypto addresses and use them as identities. You can do this locally by just creating a new public/private key pair in the correct format‚ and if you want to send some asset to that address (coins‚ NFTs)‚ you can do that by interacting with the blockchain.Obviously‚ this is a pretty treacherous combination of qualities thats quite easy to abuse‚ even without any sort of advanced AI. If logging in to a web3-based service only requires a locally generated key pair‚ then a single‚ not very sophisticated person could spin up millions of these public/private key pairs on a laptop and use them to SPAM thousands of web3 applications with fake interactions using a few simple scripts. For instance‚ you could use this to manipulate DAO votes or abuse token-gated applications.The point: At the very beginning of web3s existence‚ the frictionless ease of essentially disposable bulk identity creation has meant that web3 services have had the very proof-of-human problems that are only now truly catching up to web2 in the AI era.The web3 solutionsIf you google web3 proof of humanity‚ youll get a ton of results. Everyone has ideas about how to do this‚ and many of the ideas are very good and practical.ProofOfHumanity.idBrightIDDuniterWorld IDUpalaKleros (sort of ... it has ID as a component)Democracy EarthHumanity DAOIn addition‚ there are some web3 projects Ive seen that have their own built-in solution for this that you use to access the service or community‚ and there are other web3 efforts where proof-of-human sort of happens as a side effect (POAP is a good example of the latter‚ and I think STEPN may be another in that proof-of-workout equals proof-of-humanity).If anything‚ web3s problem is that there are too many solutions for the PoH problem‚ and no one has settled on a standard. Youll notice in the above list that theres basically a marketplace for proof-of-human services that many web3 hustlers are hoping to dominate with their own solution.Heres a very brief list of some approaches:Scan your eyeball data into a creepy orb (i.e.‚ WorldCoin).Multiple humans meet in person and give each other NFTs that essentially say‚ I did an IRL thing with the person who controls this wallet.Users upload videos of themselves answering questions or doing some required task.Users take cognitive tests that are still too hard for AIs.Users either vouch for or challenge each others humanity.The platform analyzes your social graph on some network and uses that as proof.The platform looks at your wallet for NFT credentials that it recognizes as normally only given out to real humans for doing a thing in the real world e.g.‚ an on-chain certificate granted by an institution or program‚ or an earned community participation token or status badge from an established web3 community.None of these are scam-proof by themselves‚ so most PoH offerings will combine multiple approaches to give you some kind of score. But just to be clear on what this list is: These arent random ideas or shower thoughts that I or someone else thought might be kinda cool if only someone were to build it no‚ there are (or‚ in some cases‚ have been) actual shipping products built around these ideas and more‚ some of them with thousands of users. This stuff literally exists courtesy of the now-busted (but steadily reflating) crypto bubble‚ and actual communities are testing it.Again‚ the problem is the sheer variety of such PoH efforts and the lack of a clear standard or authority. If there were a kind of LinkedIn but for PoH (maybe LinkedIn itself could do this)‚ where if you worked at a job with colleagues‚ you got an on-chain badge that says‚ Jon Stokes definitely worked here doing this thing‚ that would probably dominate. But there is no such Schelling point yet.Well probably go with option 3I can already hear many of you asking‚ Couldnt we do all the web3 stuff youre describing with a government-issued digital identity? (I.e.‚ option number 3 on the list in the first section of this piece.)The answer is‚ Yes‚ obviously. And there are a number of country-level efforts to do exactly this‚ some of which involve the blockchain and some of which do not.As I said in the intro‚ the people who want the government to handle this for them will probably get their way‚ eventually. But it should be clear that it doesnt have to be this way.We have a multitude of options for proof-of-human that dont involve paying centralized service providers‚ whether private-sector platforms like X via subscription fees or governments via taxes. We should use them if we value our privacy and freedom.And if we do decide on pay-to-play‚ there are privacy-preserving options like Bitcoin (either L1 or lightning network) that could be used by social media to filter for bots without wrecking pseudonymity.

Most of the websites and online services you count on depend on cloud service providers for hosting‚ like the wildly popular Amazon Web Services. However‚ as the culture war has heated up‚ these services have become increasingly political. AWS effectively killed Parler on January 10‚ 2021‚ when it cut the right-leaning social networks hosting. For a website to exist‚ it needs to be hosted by a provider. This reality has meant websites with wrongthink can be kicked off the internet until they can find a company to host them.If we are to have any hope of countering this trend and returning to a truly neutral net‚ we need new companies to provide those basic services and challenge quasi-monopolies like Amazon. American Cloud is one such company that is taking on AWS head-on.When AWS shut down Parler‚ American Cloud CEO and co-founder Aron Wagner saw an opportunity to serve organizations that incumbent cloud providers rejected for philosophical reasons‚ like firearm companies‚ alternative health services‚ and certain online ministries. He believed that he could provide those services for a fraction of the cost.We';re passionate about providing reliable digital infrastructure. We';re trying to make that as easy as possible and as accessible as possible for any U.S.-based business‚ Wagner said.We need to be focused on that and making sure that its effectively a utility for a customer to be able to grow and scale their business‚ and not about virtue-signaling or answering DEI or ESG‚ Wagner added.I asked Wagner why he thinks so many companies have become increasingly political‚ even when it seems to threaten their core business. Wagner thinks its a combination of pressure from stockholders and other customers.After Parler got kicked out of AWS‚ some infrastructure providers were unwilling to service them‚ because they were worried about their customers backlashing against it. And so they felt handcuffed by who they were already providing service to‚ Wagner said.And how does American Cloud plan to avoid being stuck in a similar situation?We';re just very upfront about it in the beginning. As long as it';s legal commerce‚ we';re here to support it‚ even if we disagree with it‚ Wagner said.A highly prepared cloud providerBut how does American Cloud keep itself and its 72‚000-square-foot foot data center from being canceled by the services it relies upon?We own the security perimeter‚ we own the land‚ we own the building‚ we own all the gear inside of the building all the power‚ cooling‚ networking‚ and servers‚ Wagner said. Additionally‚ American Cloud has contracts with over a dozen Tier 1 network providers‚ so if one were to cut off the company‚ it has plenty of backup internet connections. And even if all of those cut ties‚ American Cloud owns dark fiber that it could use to create its own backbone.From an outside threat perspective‚ power utilities are probably a bigger threat than bandwidth providers‚ Wagner said. And even in that case‚ the company is prepared to run the data center entirely on diesel if it comes to it.If the utility provider were to cut off power to the data center‚ I think our country would be in a much worse position than we think it is today‚ Wagner said.Wagners background in the United States Army helped give him that preparedness mindset. He served as a Ranger in the 82nd Airborne‚ where he participated in Operation Inherent Resolve‚ fighting ISIS in Iraq. He had planned to transition into special forces‚ but he was prevented from doing so for medical reasons.I was honestly planning on being a lifer‚ Wagner said. It was an extremely rewarding experience‚ but it wasn';t my goal to be in what we';d call the Big Army.Near the end of his Army tenure‚ Wagner signed up for the DOD SkillBridge program‚ in which soldiers get to intern at a company for four months while still on active duty. He landed at a data center consultancy firm in Raleigh‚ North Carolina. I really fell in love with the physical side of digital infrastructure and the internet‚ Wagner said.American Cloud for allWagner emphasized that American Cloud isnt a purely ideological company. Unlike some others in this space‚ which compensate for mediocre pricing or a poor customer experience by targeting an underserved niche‚ American Cloud aims to offer better service at a better price point.Our target audience is really U.S.-based businesses‚ and it doesn';t have to only be industries that have been underserved by the other cloud providers‚ Wager said.Wagner said that businesses looking to transition from AWS to American Cloud can expect to cut their bill by about 25%‚ and AC has saved some customers 70%-80%.These are non-political‚ non-controversial companies; they';re just looking for better bang for their buck at the end of the day‚ Wagner said.I found it surprising that American Cloud doesnt yet accept cryptocurrency payments‚ but Wagner assured me that its coming later this year.So if your business needs cloud hosting or youd like to explore an alternative to AWS and other tech giants‚ check out American Cloud and see if its a good fit for you.

Buffalo Bills star wide receiver Stefon Diggs has been traded to the Houston Texans for a second-round pick‚ joining rookie sensation C.J. Stroud.This could be a win-win or a lose-lose‚ Steve Kim tells Jason Whitlock‚ who believes this move will make Diggs very happy.Its not about winning at this point‚ Whitlock says. Its not about stats. Hes made his money. Hes gotten the big contracts‚ hes good.However‚ while Diggs will be happy‚ Whitlock doesnt think hes right for Houston‚ which is in win-now mode.Stefon Diggs looks good on paper‚ but I actually think hell end up being the problem and could throw a banana peel for the Houston Texans who have made a lot of moves trying to win right now‚ he explains.Kim believes it will be a test at times of Stefon Diggs'; professionalism and maturity.I just know this‚ hes probably a lot happier for two reasons. Number one‚ he still gets to be with an elite A1 quarterback‚ and he doesnt have to do that in Buffalo‚ he explains.But he agrees that this might cause problems for Houston.These diva receivers have a way of disrupting chemistry‚ and sometimes‚ I hate to use this old cliche from a coach‚ its not about we‚ its about me‚ Kim says.To hear more‚ watch the clip below.Want more from Jason Whitlock?To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture‚ faith‚ sports‚ and comedy with Jason Whitlock‚ subscribe to BlazeTV the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

In Episode 343 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger sail the harbor of Rockport‚ Maine‚ to witness the birth of the donut. In 1847‚ a young sailor named Hanson Crockett Gregory‚ made an innovation in the oily-cake that changed Maine New England America the World the Time-Space Continuum. Every legend‚ every icon‚ starts somewhere. WARNING: This episode WILL make you hungry!BECOME A LEGENDARY PATRON:https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegendsCREDITS:Produced and hosted by: Jeff Belanger and Ray AugerEdited by: Ray AugerGuest Voice Talent: Marv AndersonTheme Music by: John JuddSUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST FOR FREE:Apple Podcasts/iTunes | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Podcasts | TuneIn | iHeartRadioJOIN OUR SUPER-SECRET:New England Legends Facebook Group

In an email to the local sheriff‚ Mayor Kelly Girtz said officials should focus on comfort and unity and avoid political messaging.

A Bridge Too Far: MTA Demands $750k From New York City Marathon for Lost Tolls

Developing: NATO Is Currently Discussing a Pathway for Ukrainian Membership