If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Elon Musk stopped just short of explicitly endorsing two New York state online child safety bills even though, for the proposals to work, platforms would have to implement age verification and digital ID for people to access online platforms. The X owner’s reaction to a post about Meta and Google reportedly spending more than a million as they lobby against the bills read, “In sharp contrast, X supports child safety bills.” It remains unclear whether Musk expressed his support for these particular bills – New York Senate Bill S7694 and Bill S3281 – or the legislative efforts in general to make the internet a safer place for minors. Another possibility is that he was not missing a chance to criticize the competition. Either way, there are two problems with such efforts that keep cropping up in various jurisdictions: very often, the proposed laws are far broader, but use the issue of protecting children as the main talking point to shut up any opposition. And, as in this case, they call for some form of age verification to be introduced, which is only doable by identifying everyone who visits sites or uses platforms, undermining online anonymity, and curbing free speech. A press source who criticized Google and Meta for their lobbying effort (while speaking on condition of anonymity) said the bills’ provisions are “reasonable;” at least, most of them. On the reasonable side is Bill S7694’s intention to, by amending general business law, make sure minors do not encounter “addictive” feeds on the social media they use. This would be achieved by showing chronological rather than algorithmically manipulated feeds to those established to be minors. Another provision is to limit the time and access these users can spend on the sites during the night, as a health benefit. Bill S3281 deals with child data privacy, seeking to ban the harvesting of this data (and subsequent targeted advertising), as well as requiring “data controllers to assess the impact of its products on children for review by the Bureau of Internet and Technology.” But the elephant in the room is – how are platforms supposed to know a user’s actual age? This is where age verification comes in: the bills speak about using “commercially reasonable methods” to make sure a user is not a minor, and age verification through digital ID is also demanded to achieve “verifiable parental consent.” If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Elon Musk Seemingly Supports NY Child Safety Bill for Digital ID and Limiting “Addictive” Feeds appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Trans Athlete Booed - Stop the Transanity

Will Portland Accept a Chance to Actually Enforce the Law?

A heartwarming video from MalaMala Game Reserve showcases a rare and captivating sight: a mother lioness teaching her four tiny cubs to climb a tree. Shared by Michael Moth, a guide at MalaMala, the footage captures a unique and touching moment in the animal kingdom. It shows the nurturing, parental side of the most famous... The post Dedicated lion mama melts hearts with her adorable ‘tree-climbing’ lessons with cubs appeared first on Animal Channel.

Donald Trump’s first election redrew the map of American politics; suddenly Pennsylvania and Michigan were in the Republican column for the first time since the 1980s. But they didn’t stay there: The Rust Belt states that made Trump president in 2016 sent Joe Biden to the White House in 2020. That second Trump election also redrew the map, this time forfeiting two Sun Belt states that had been Republican for decades, Arizona and Georgia, to the Democrats. Which map will Trump draw this time? Polls show him ahead in the Sun Belt and Rust Belt alike, and indications that Black and Hispanic voters are trending Trump’s way have Republicans giddy. Will this election upend political demographics the way the last two shook up electoral geography? The prospect is real — but Trump’s experience in 2020 contains a warning. He can’t afford to be complacent about the Rust Belt no matter how dazzling the Sun Belt and its demographics seem today. Yet it’s hard not to look on the bright side. Trump is up five points in Arizona according to a CBS News poll released Sunday. That fits with the six-point lead the latest New York Times/Siena poll found a week before. Even more encouraging, the same NYT/Siena survey showed Trump up 13 points over Biden in Nevada, a state Republicans haven’t won in a presidential contest since 2004. Georgia, too, is going red; no poll has shown a lead for the Democrat there since the Trump-Biden rematch got booked. After four dour years of continual crises abroad and inflation at home, does sunshine now remind voters of Trump? Two of Biden’s weaknesses are a special source of the Republican’s Sun Belt strength. First, the incumbent can’t evade the blame for the mess on the southern border and his administration’s inability, or brazen unwillingness, to control immigration. Arizona’s electorate is acutely conscious of the border situation, of course, but immigration is an urgent issue in Nevada and Georgia as well. Georgia even recently passed legislation to crack down on local officials who shirk their duty to enforce immigration law. Second, contrary to progressives’ expectations, the ethnic diversity of these Sun Belt states is starting to work to Trump’s advantage. Black and Latino voters are defecting from Biden in droves, according to repeated rounds of NYT/Siena polling, which most recently found Trump virtually even with the Democrat among Hispanics. Trump has a long way to go before he can equal Biden with Black voters, but for the incumbent to lose any support with a constituency that voted 92% for him in 2020 is a fire alarm. Biden’s worried enough that he’s made recent appearances before Black audiences — including a commencement address at the historically Black Morehouse College on Sunday — occasions to sell himself hard to voters he would normally count on. Even at Morehouse, the president is dogged by divisions his policies toward Israel cause in his own coalition. Before Biden spoke, the graduating class’s valedictorian, DeAngelo Fletcher, drew applause for demanding "an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip." When Biden took the stage, some of the class turned their backs or walked out. The crackup of the Democratic coalition doesn’t automatically put Trump back in the White House, however. If he sweeps Arizona, Nevada and Georgia, the Republican still won’t have the Electoral College votes he needs unless he flips at least one more state. The Rust Belt battlegrounds of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are his best prospects. In these states, the white vote will likely decide the outcome. Trump lost ground with whites nationwide in 2020, a fact that’s drawn less attention than Biden’s troubles with Blacks and Latinos. According to a June 2021 Pew analysis, in 2020 Biden drastically cut into Trump’s support among suburban white voters compared to 2016, narrowing the Republican’s lead with them from a commanding 16% margin down to just 4%. Even among whites without college degrees — a core component of Trump’s base — Biden made gains relative to Hillary Clinton’s performance in 2016, raising the Democrat share of non-college whites from 28% to 33%. Because white voters nationally are still a majority, these declines in his 2020 white support were fatal to Trump’s reelection, more than counterbalancing gains with Hispanics. And whites make up a larger majority in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin than they do in the country at large. Trump should do everything he can to win the Sun Belt, and Black and Hispanic voters, away from Biden. But his priority must be to win back the Rust Belt states and white voters he lost in 2020. The Rust Belt map Trump drew in 2016 is still the one that leads to victory. Daniel McCarthy is the editor of Modern Age: A Conservative Review. To read more by Daniel McCarthy, visit www.creators.com

During her Monday interview with International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan that first aired on CNN International and later on PBS’s Amanpour and Company, Christiane Amanpour opened up the floor to Khan to trash Republicans for their criticisms of him. Naturally, Khan portrayed himself as a man of deep principles fighting against GOP politicians who only care about appeasing their base, but the fact that the interview existed in the first place cast doubt on such assessments. The interview was Khan’s way of announcing he is seeking arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Amanpour mostly spent the interview asking him to explain himself. However, in one instance, Amanpour recalled: As we know, the United States is not a party to the ICC, nor is Israel. Recently, when word came out that this may be happening at some point, U.S. senators and U.S. congresspeople, mostly Republicans, wrote you a letter signed by Senator Tom Cotton, Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and others. This is the quote. ‘Target Israel and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States. You have been warned.’"     She then asked, “Is that a threat?” Sen. Lindsey Graham recalled that Khan told him that he was going to go to Israel to discuss the allegations with the Israeli government, but instead he showed up on CNN. Graham says he “was lied to.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is very much not a Republican, didn’t use the L-word, but might as well have, “The Prosecutor’s staff was supposed to land in Israel today to coordinate the visit. Israel was informed that they did not board their flight around the same time that the Prosecutor went on cable television to announce the charges. These and other circumstances call into question the legitimacy and credibility of this investigation.” Clearly, there is bipartisan consensus that Khan is “drunk with self-importance,” but nevertheless he replied, “I think that's the plain meaning of it in English. But you know, there's hotheads everywhere, and there's people that are mature statesmen and stateswomen and leaders. There are those that have fidelity to something greater than themselves, whether it's their constitutions, but ultimately, it's the rule of law.” He further cited working with the Biden Administration on “a range of situations, whether it's in Ukraine or Darfur, and I've said to distinguish members on the Hill and to the administration that Rome Statute values are quintessential American values. It's against bullying. It's against the untrammeled power against the most vulnerable. It's the rights, the dignity of the individual is the protection of babies. I mean, these are fundamental American values that should engender bipartisan support.” Who’s bullying who? The U.S. worked with Khan on Ukraine because it was invaded in an act of naked imperial aggression built around the premise that the Ukrainian state and separate identity were a mistake. Israel, on the other hand, didn’t just wake up one day and decide to invade Gaza. Khan knows this because he is also seeking warrants against Hamas leaders, he just doesn’t care. Khan wrapped up his answer by again portraying himself as justice incarnate, “This court is the legacy of Nuremberg. This court is a sad indictment of humanity. This court should be the triumph of law over power and brute force. Grab what you can. Take what you want. Do what you will. And we're going to simply be—we're not going to be dissuaded by threats or any other activities because, in the end, we have to fulfill our responsibilities as prosecutors, as the men and women of the office, as judges, as the registry, to something bigger than ourselves, which is the fidelity to justice.” Khan’s predecessor, Fatou Bensouda, also overstepped her authority by announcing investigations into U.S. troops in Afghanistan and afterwards landed a nice position as The Gambia’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom. What kind of future does Khan think he deserves for trying to appease the world’s Israel haters? Here is a transcript for the May 20 show: PBS Amanpour and Company 5/20/2024 CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: I'm going to read you some heavy criticism that you've received from the United States. As we know, the United States is not a party to the ICC, nor is Israel. Recently, when word came out that this may be happening at some point, U.S. senators and U.S. congresspeople, mostly Republicans, wrote you a letter signed by Senator Tom Cotton, Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and others. This is the quote. "Target Israel and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States. You have been warned." Is that a threat? KARIM KHAN: I think that's the plain meaning of it in English. But you know, there's hotheads everywhere, and there's people that are mature statesmen and stateswomen and leaders. There are those that have fidelity to something greater than themselves, whether it's their constitutions, but ultimately, it's the rule of law. The good news is, I think, for the last two and a half years, we've had very positive engagement with the Biden administration in the United States. We're working across a range of situations, whether it's in Ukraine or Darfur, and I've said to distinguish members on the Hill and to the administration that Rome Statute values are quintessential American values. It's against bullying. It's against the untrammeled power against the most vulnerable. It's the rights, the dignity of the individual is the protection of babies. I mean, these are fundamental American values that should engender bipartisan support. Now, of course, this situation, unfortunately lies on the San Andreas fault of international politics and strategic interests. And, of course, I've had some elected leaders speak to me and very -- you know, be very blunt. This court is built for Africa and for thugs like Putin, was what one senior leader told me. We don't view it like that. This court is the legacy of Nuremberg. This court is a sad indictment of humanity. This court should be the triumph of law over power and brute force. Grab what you can. Take what you want. Do what you will. And we're going to simply be -- we're not going to be dissuaded by threats or any other activities because, in the end, we have to fulfill our responsibilities as prosecutors, as the men and women of the office, as judges, as the registry, to something bigger than ourselves, which is the fidelity to justice. And we're not going to be swayed by the different types of threats, some of which are public and some maybe are not.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has an apparent tendency of ascribing race-based antipathies to her critics. Willis leaned once more into the trend when campaigning for re-election on "The Rachel Maddow Show" Monday, while also casting doubt on the legitimacy of her scrutineers. Willis questions elected officials' legitimacy The titular talking head of the MSNBC show cited a recent op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution penned by three Democratic lawmakers in Georgia, which suggested that the recent efforts to hold Willis accountable for alleged misconduct are instead an effort to "tarnish Willis' reputation, delegitimize the judicial process and the rule of law, and distract from the substantive facts of the case." The op-ed also called the allegations so far raised against Willis "dubious," despite even Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee acknowledging the Democratic prosecutor's "bad choices," her "tremendous lapse in judgment," her "legally improper" remarks, and her prosecutions' encumbrance "by an appearance of impropriety." Maddow said, "This strikes me very close to my heart because I feel like this is one of the first times I've seen people stand up for you on this point." Maddow then asked Willis whether she agreed with her fellow Democrats' assessment that she was a noble victim. "Well, as you know — let's start with the federal government and Jim Jordan. Jim Jordan has time after time after time attacked my office with no legitimate purpose," said Willis. "Anyone who knows Jim Jordan's history knows that he only has the purpose of trying to interfere in a criminal investigation." Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) launched a legitimate inquiry into the alleged collusion between Willis and the Jan. 6 Committee in December 2023. Willis, facing off Tuesday against fellow leftist Christian Wise Smith in the Democratic primary, told Maddow that she has complied with subpoenas from the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, even though she reportedly dragged her feet on producing requested documents regarding her office's use of federal funds in March, such that Jordan felt compelled to threaten her with contempt of Congress. Willis, whose supporters concern-mongered in the Journal-Constitution about delegitimizing efforts, said Jordan was "illegitimate in his position and it's disgusting." 'They are trying to attack me at every level.' "Now at the state level, they've decided to follow this clown's lead," continued Willis. "And they want to now try to interfere in an investigation and it's not legitimate either." Contrary to Willis' suggestion, the Georgia Senate Special Committee is also legitimate, having been approved by the democratically elected members of the Georgia state Senate in January and tasked with investigating Willis for possible misconduct. "They are trying to attack me at every level," said Willis, before launching into a brief campaign speech and preemptively belittling the Republican candidate for the DA's post, Courtney Kramer. Maddow thanked Willis for dealing with "slings and arrows." 'Racially charged' Extra to casting doubt on the legitimacy of official investigations, Willis insinuated criticism of her was racially motivated. "Georgia had never had a prosecutorial oversight committee," Willis told Rachel Maddow. "All of a sudden, 14 minorities were elected to office to serve as district attorney. And now all of a sudden they need an oversight committee to look after district attorneys because they want to tell us how to prosecute and who to prosecute and where we should put our resources, as opposed to allowing the voters that put us in these seats to make those determinations." 'But apparently we now need daddy to tell us how to do our job.' "Most of the population has elected these minority DAs to serve them and has trusted their judgment," continued Willis. "But apparently we now need daddy to tell us how to do our job." Willis made a similar claim earlier this month, telling reporters, "Isn't it interesting when we got a bunch of African American DAs, now we need a daddy to tell us what to do?" Willis' intimation that race played a factor in the formation of the oversight committee is hardly the first time she has projected racism where there was ostensibly none. Earlier this year, Steve Sadow, the lead lawyer for former President Donald Trump in his Georgia election interference case, pressed Willis' team after they failed to respond to his emails. Daysha Young, an executive district attorney in Fulton County, initially responded by writing that she and Willis "are both aware, especially as an African American woman some find it difficult to treat us respectfully." Sadow said Young's comments were "offensive, uncalled for and untrue." Willis weighed into the email chain saying, "In the legal community (and the world at large) some people will never be able to respect African Americans and/or women as their equal and counterpart." "Some are so used to doing it they are not even aware they are doing it while others are intentional in their continued disrespect," added Willis. Blaze News previously reported that in a Jan. 14 address to a congregation at Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Willis suggested that critiques of her leadership and hiring decisions were motivated not by concerns over fairness, lawfulness, or conflicts of interest but by hate — specifically, racial animus. "They call me the N-word more than they call me Fani," said Willis. "[God,] you did not tell me as a woman of color it would not matter what I did. My motive, my talent, my ability, and my character would be constantly attacked." According to Willis, those who criticized her appointing her lover as special prosecutor in the Trump case were "playing the race card." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley said that his home in Arizona was "swatted," a term used when armed police are falsely called to a person's residence in response to a violent threat or highly volatile situation.O'Malley, who is known to stream online while playing video games, was shirtless with a gaming controller in his hands when he noticed police sirens in his driveway."Went home, I'm like, 'You know what? I’m gonna stream today,'" O’Malley said on his podcast the "TimboSugar Show." "Streaming, about an hour and a half in I see a f***ing cop fly down my road," O'Malley recalled. The fighter said that he had a feeling of what was happening after having seen many other high-profile streaming personalities receive the same treatment from angry viewers."People find out where they're at and they call the cops, say something happened that obviously didn’t happen and then they’re f***ing getting swatted."'They said I killed my parents or something like that. They thought there was an active shooter inside.'"So, I peek out my head out the window to see if maybe it's something else. But then they’re on the intercom, and I see a bunch of cops, and they're like, 'Walk out with your hands up.' So I f***ing walk out, hands up. I was like, 'I'm just gonna listen. I could get shot.' I've got shotguns pointed at me, AR15s from like four different cops." he added. — (@) The UFC champion revealed that after being detained by police, he was notified that a 911 call had claimed that he had murdered both of his parents."They said I killed my parents or something like that. They thought there was an active shooter inside," O'Malley explained. He said he was asked repeatedly if anyone was inside the residence."They're like 'who's inside?!' I'm like no it was just game, 'who's inside?!' No one!" he told police. "Someone called the cops, said there's an active shooter, two dead people in the house or something."O'Malley then explained that the responding police destroyed his doorbell camera because they wouldn't want any active shooters in the home to know where they were situated. — (@) Despite being a well-known figure, O'Malley said he was detained for about 35-40 minutes in the back of a police car before other police officers arrived on-scene and recognized him.Once police recognized "the UFC champ," O'Malley said the situation "got a lot less intense."The fighter was told by police that law enforcement has not been able to locate or identify the prank caller.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

‘Catholic’ Gets WRECKED After Shaming Israeli Victims for Celebrating Life Near 'Concentration Camp’

Writer at 'The Atlantic' Wonders Why Biden Is Losing When the Economy Is Thriving and Twitter Claps Back