by Kit Knightly, Off Guardian: The interoperable app that they want “every citizen to use” is officially ready for use! The EU is rolling out its official age verification app according to the joint statement issued by EU President Ursula von der Leyen and Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen [emphasis added]: It is our duty to protect our […]

by Single Farmer, Survival Blog: (Continued from Part 5.) Separating the Important from the Trivial Things that usually do not matter much for most men as far as a potential wife: her height, her income, and specific traits such as hair or eye color. I have never heard a man talk about a woman’s height […]

In “10 Minutes + 2 Laps with…”, we take the same amount of time required to complete a Mission AFT SuperTwins Main Event (give or take a red flag) and use it to catch up with, and hopefully learn a little about, some of the more prominent figures on the Progressive American Flat Track scene. This week, we caught up with KICKER AFT Singles contender Justin Jones. AmericanFlatTrack.com: The last few seasons, you’ve juggled your schedule, bouncing back and forth between racing in Canada and the States. Is it fair to say that 2026 will be your most focused effort in Progressive American Flat Track in a long time? Justin Jones: 110%. Yeah, it’s been a long road to get to where I’m at now. I come from a family that doesn’t have much. So I’ve kind of always had to juggle schedules, fit things in where I could, and what not. And this year I’ve been given the tools to really do what I need to do. AFT: How did that come about? You’ve enjoyed a lot of success in Canada, but what changed to allow you to shift gears and do a full season here? JJ: I’ve built a pretty good relationship with Bob and Robbie Davis from the Fairway Chevy GMC Ford. My dad actually bought a truck from them last year for us to travel to the races in. We stayed in touch and became good friends. And this year, honestly coming into the CTR Winter Throwdown in January, I didn’t have much for plans. I was just going to do whatever races I could afford to hit. After I went to Throwdown (note: where Jones won the Open Expert Final), Robbie reached out to me and was wondering what I would need to make a full season effort this year. And we worked a deal out. The next thing you know, I’m focused on my racing, not so much what race I’m going to be able to hit. AFT: The deal also hooked you up with Jay Maloney and JMC Motorsports. Did you have any prior experience working with Jay? JJ: Jay is awesome. I had never worked with him up to this point. I did grow up racing him a little bit at Square Deal. We never really talked, but we knew who each other were. So Bob and Robbie kind of brought me and Jay together. Jay’s been very helpful, very knowledgeable. He’s definitely played a role in my success so far this year. And me and my dad, we build our own race engines. We’re doing all the prep work and stuff kind of tethering the bike to what I want. I feel like something I’ve struggled with in the past is people telling me what they think I need and not listening to what I feel I need. And this year I’ve been provided with what I feel I need. Mentally, it feels good because I know I’m on the best equipment I could possibly have. And I’ve just got to go out and ride it. AFT: Last year, you spent a fair amount of time struggling to come to grips on the KTM in Mission AFT SuperTwins. I imagine after that, you’re happy to be back on a 450 full time.   JJ: Yeah… Eric Hoyt with 1st Impressions gave me a great opportunity to come race the Twin. Unfortunately, me and the bike just did not gel. I still feel I could go out and perform on a Twin just as good as I do on a Single. But it’s just going to have to be the right bike.   Last year on that bike, I did zero testing. I just showed up and raced it. And I feel like that kind of played a lot into my struggles. I just never could get comfortable on it.   Meanwhile, I did a lot of outlaw racing on the 450 I had last season. So I was able to do that testing to get the bike to where I wanted it. In reality, the bike I’m racing this year, I basically have a year of development in it.   AFT: That’s shown in your results. You’ve come out of the gates with three strong finishes, including a runner-up at Senoia. After that, you made a remark where you said sometimes you feel like the “black sheep.” Can you explain what you meant by that comment?    JJ: There’s a lot of people that write me off because of my size, right? Like, it’s no secret I’m the bigger rider in the class. And a lot of people think that I don’t put the work in.   There are some people that take some of the younger generation in and train them to be the next prodigies. They look down on me because they’re in Florida training all winter, and here’s a guy who works at 9-to-5 during the week up in the New York snow and then comes out and beats those riders.   They don’t like that. And they think it’s wrong. But I feel I have the talent and the ability to do that. AFT: Your track record proves that. You’ve won in the class, you have multiple podiums to speed, and you show plenty of speed. I don’t think there’s any doubting your natural talent, it’s just a matter of being able to do it consistently. You mentioned in the team’s announcement press release that you did put in a lot of work on your fitness this offseason. Can you tell me what that involved, and how it’s paid off? JJ: I’ve definitely spent a lot more time in the gym this offseason than in past years. And a lot of it originated from an idol of mine growing up: Ron Hall. He is an ex-pro flat tracker and a really good motocrosser. And he was always super fit. We’d go to the same gym, and we kind of started talking. He kind of pushed me to put more effort into it and having him there definitely made it easier. I’ve got to thank him for that. He probably doesn’t realize just how much he did for me, but it was a lot. AFT: What’s the goal for this season?  JJ: It’s still early in the year, but I want to win races. Getting a second was awesome, but deep down, I was really not satisfied. In my eyes, first was right there. It was just a matter of starting on the second row versus the first row in the Main Event. I would have had as good of a shot as anyone if I was on the front row. So I think the goal is putting myself in a better position for the Mains and going for wins. And if there’s an opportunity to go for a championship, I’m definitely going for it. AFT: Beyond that, do you see this season as a potential springboard to allow you to take your racing career to another level? JJ: Absolutely. And I hope so. I feel like I have a lot left in the tank. And as it shows every year, I’m still getting better and faster year after year. I don’t see myself slowing down anytime soon. And, if the right opportunity with the right bike were to come along, I would like to jump back up to the SuperTwins class and give it another go. But I’m going to be a little more picky moving forward when it comes to its end. AFT: Okay, I’ve got two bonus questions. The first one is, can you name an interest or hobby of yours that is completely removed from racing, engines, or wheels?  JJ: Hunting. I like deer hunting. That’s probably the main one. And I definitely want to get out west and do some elk hunting. That’s on my bucket list. AFT: Last question. What would be your death row-style last meal?  Steak and potatoes. The post 10 Minutes + 2 Laps with Justin Jones appeared first on Bikernet.com - Online Biker Magazine.

Bike Week Was Wild!! Thank You! We met a ton of you out there and we appreciate every single one of you who stopped by, hung out, and supported us. Now we’re back at the shop and blowing out what’s left in store. Remaining Bike Week inventory is marked down and ready to move. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Swap Meet This Sunday We’re laying it all out – hidden gems, random parts, and solid deals. You never know what you’ll find. DON”T FORGET to tell ’em Bikernet.com sent ya !!! The post Swap Meet This Sunday + Bike Week Deals Still On appeared first on Bikernet.com - Online Biker Magazine.

Gavin Newsom wanted America to believe his memoir was a hit. He toured. He promoted. He hit the bestseller lists. The whole thing looked like a legitimate cultural moment for a man openly running for the White House. There was just one problem. The numbers were fake. Federal disclosure records have now revealed that Newsom’s own super PAC, the Campaign for Democracy Committee, spent $1.5 million to purchase roughly 67,000 copies of his memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry.” Total print sales for the book since its February 24 release? About 97,400 copies. Do the math. That means nearly two out of every three copies sold went to his own PAC, not to actual readers. Libs of TikTok put the numbers out there for everyone to see. BREAKING: Gavin Newsom’s PAC used $1.5 million to buy 67,000 copies of HIS OWN BOOK. Total book sales were around 97,400. His PAC’s purchase accounts for about two-thirds of all sold copies pic.twitter.com/mnBaHl7ZFf — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 17, 2026 The details are even more embarrassing than the headline. The PAC ran a promotion last November and January asking donors to contribute “ANY AMOUNT” and they would receive a copy of the book when it dropped. Federal filings show the PAC paid $1,561,875 to Porchlight Book Company to fulfill those orders, making it the committee’s largest expenditure in the first quarter of 2026. Strip out the PAC purchases and Newsom’s memoir sold approximately 30,000 copies over six weeks. For context, that is not bestseller territory. That is a mediocre launch for a sitting governor running for president. The New York Times reported on the discrepancy: Approximately 97,400 print copies of Mr. Newsom’s memoir have been sold since its publication on February 24, according to the book industry sales tracker Circana BookScan. Federal disclosures reveal that roughly 67,000 of those copies were purchased by his super PAC, the Campaign for Democracy Committee, which paid $1,561,875 to Porchlight Book Company. The New York Times marked the book with a dagger symbol on its bestseller list, which the paper uses “when it has reason to believe that sales of a book include a mix of organic and bulk sales.” That dagger symbol is essentially the Times admitting they know the bestseller status was manufactured. And they put it on the list anyway. The reaction online was exactly what you would expect. And now you know how crappy books become NYTimes bestsellers… https://t.co/3mW0Ws4yzF — John Λ Konrad V (@johnkonrad) April 17, 2026 Newsom’s team has tried to spin the numbers, claiming the promotion “generated net revenue” and “deepened supporter relationships.” That is one way to describe using donor money to buy your own book so you can call yourself a bestselling author. The Megyn Kelly Show laid out the implications: In March, Newsom’s team had claimed more than 91,000 copies had been purchased through “organic, in-person and online, non-bulk purchases.” That claim now appears to have been misleading at best. The PAC’s bulk purchase of 67,000 copies means the overwhelming majority of early sales were anything but organic. After the initial PAC-driven surge, subsequent weekly sales have been modest, with approximately 6,400 organic copies sold in the six weeks following the book’s launch. So Newsom’s team claimed 91,000 “organic” sales. The real number of organic copies sold? Around 6,400 in six weeks. That is not a rounding error. That is a fabrication. This is the man who wants to be President. A man who cannot even sell a book without rigging the system. If he will spend $1.5 million in donor money to fake a bestseller list, what would he do with actual power? California voters already know the answer to that question.Do you agree?

A group of conservative House Republicans just did something that rarely happens in Washington anymore: they said no. In the early hours of Friday morning, more than 20 Republican members voted to block two separate attempts to ram through a long-term reauthorization of FISA Section 702, the controversial surveillance program that allows the federal government to collect Americans’ communications without a warrant. The rebellion killed both proposals dead on the House floor, handing GOP leadership and the White House a rare defeat. The Freedom Caucus-led revolt centered on a simple demand: if the government wants to spy on American citizens, it needs to get a warrant first. That’s not a radical position. That’s the Fourth Amendment. Rep. Thomas Massie laid it all out after the late-night showdown: Last night between midnight and 2am, they tried to pass two bad versions of FISA… Both would have allowed Feds to unconstitutionally spy on Americans.We stopped both versions, but the fight isn’t over. Eventually, it was decided to give them two more weeks to fix FISA. https://t.co/VkckZwH5j4— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 17, 2026 The battle lines were clear. Speaker Mike Johnson and the White House wanted a clean 18-month extension with no changes. Privacy hawks in the party, led by Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris and members like Massie, Lauren Boebert, and Chip Roy, demanded amendments that would require a warrant before querying Americans’ data. Twenty Republicans voted against the 18-month extension in the procedural vote, tanking it 197-228. A second attempt also failed. The leadership simply didn’t have the votes. Massie revealed he had personally reviewed classified documents that shaped his opposition: I just viewed 2 Top Secret FISA docs.1) FISA Court opinion that raises serious concerns about FBI implementation of FISA 702.2) letter by Senator Wyden describing a secret government interpretation of FISA law.The Constitution requires I vote No on FISA 702 reauthorization.— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 16, 2026 Fox News reported on the scale of the conservative opposition: Speaker Mike Johnson faces conservative opposition over reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, set to expire April 20. Trump and Johnson support an 18-month clean extension, while conservatives demand privacy safeguards. Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris predicted the procedural vote would fail without additional privacy reforms. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna pledged to vote no unless the SAVE America Act was included. CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News: “There’s a lot at stake.” The intelligence community’s argument was straightforward: losing Section 702 during the ongoing Iran conflict would be a national security risk. Gen. Dan Caine warned it would “significantly impair” U.S. security capabilities. CNN detailed the aftermath: More than a dozen rank-and-file Republicans rejected the long-term reauthorization. Twenty Republicans later helped block the 18-month clean reauthorization. GOP privacy hawks demanded floor consideration for warrant-requirement amendments before querying Americans’ communications, demands leadership could not satisfy. Congress ultimately approved a 10-day short-term extension through April 30, 2026, after the long-term deal collapsed. President Trump was expected to sign the measure. So in the end, Congress kicked the can down the road. FISA gets a 10-day lifeline through April 30 while lawmakers try again to hash out a deal that actually includes privacy protections. The Freedom Caucus made their point loud and clear at 2 AM on a Friday morning: the Constitution doesn’t take a break just because it’s politically convenient.

The two surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr sing on ode to Liverpool called Home to Us