Establishmentarians in the West have long harped on the need to protect democracy. Notwithstanding their rhetorical support for a politically empowered citizenry‚ it appears there are forces‚ particularly in the intelligence community‚ that are unwilling to trust Americans to determine — on their own and in concert with one another — how best to wield their civic power. On Thursday‚ investigative journalist Matt Taibbi distilled the problem down for Congress thusly: "Take away the highfalutin talk about countering hate and reducing harm‚ and anti-disinformation is just a bluntly elitist gatekeeping exercise. If you prefer to think in progressive terms‚ it's class war." Taibbi further indicated that recent censorship efforts by the Biden administration and elements of the intelligence community have tended to "drift in one direction‚" amounting in some cases to what investigative journalist Michael Shellenberg also stressed was election interference. Government weaponization Since the first Twitter Files report last November‚ the Biden administration has been outed for assuming "a role similar to an Orwellian 'Ministry of Truth'" and for leaning on social media companies to both censor and cure narratives. There have‚ however‚ been recent indications that the depths of the government's weaponization have not yet been fully plumbed. Hours after highlighting efforts by the Biden administration to pressure Google to "crack down" on undesirable communications during the pandemic‚ the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government convened a hearing to better understand the lengths to which the government has gone to mold public opinion and suppress free speech. After Virgin Islands Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D) rushed out a comparison of former President Donald Trump to Nazis‚ the Weaponization Subcommittee heard testimony from Taibbi and Shellenberger‚ both of whom previously detailed the extent of the collusion between the American government and Twitter‚ and heard also from Rupa Subramanya‚ a Canada-based journalist. Olivia Troye‚ a former Homeland Security adviser and ardent critic of Trump‚ also spoke‚ dismissing and on at least one occasion defending censorship efforts‚ and serving ultimately as a sounding board for Democratic lawmakers' grievances against the Republican front-runner in the 2024 presidential election. Taibbi In his opening remarks‚ Taibbi noted that "there has been a dramatic shift in attitudes about speech in this country‚ and many politicians now clearly believe the bulk of Americans can't be trusted to digest information on their own." "This mindset imagines that if we see one clip from [Russian news]‚ we'll stop being patriots; that once exposed to hate speech‚ we'll become bigots ourselves automatically; that if we read even one Donald Trump tweet‚ we will become insurrectionists‚" said Taibbi. "Having come to this conclusion‚ the government agencies like the DHS and the FBI and the quasi-private agencies who do anti-disinformation work have taken upon themselves the paternalistic responsibility to sort out for us what is and is not safe‚" continued the journalist. "While they see great danger in allowing others to read controversial material‚ it's taken for granted that they themselves will be immune to the dangers of speech." Taibbi‚ who indicated he has voted Democrat all his life‚ underscored the need to defund projects like the government-linked Election Integrity Project "before it's too late." Subramanya Subramanya held up Canada as a case study in how bad censorship‚ government overreach‚ and leftist identity politics can go in the West‚ highlighting the northern nation's race-based punitive measures; online censorship efforts; de-banking of peaceful political dissenters; and selective application of speech controls‚ especially as it pertains to protesters. Subramanya indicated that what is taking place in Canada is "a gradual suffocation of free expression‚" stressing that while "draped in a cloak of niceness‚ inclusivity‚ and justice ... it is regressive‚ authoritarian‚ and illiberal." "I came here today not simply to warn you about what lies ahead‚ but to plead with you to do something about it‚" said the Canada-based journalist. "Now is not the time to be polite. Now is the time to defend‚ loudly‚ liberties and rights that have given us the greatest freedoms in human history." Subramanya later told Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) that it doesn't take long to lose free speech‚ suggesting it more or less happened in Canada in under ten years. Shellenberger In his opening remarks and answers‚ Shellenberger made repeated reference to the "CTI League files." Days ahead of the hearing‚ Shellenberger detailed damning findings from documents brought forward by a whistleblower concerning a so-called "anti-disinformation" group called the Cyber Threat Intelligence League "that officially began as the volunteer project of data scientists and defense and intelligence veterans but whose tactics over time appear to have been absorbed into multiple official projects‚ including those of the Department of Homeland Security." The whistleblower was allegedly recruited to participate in CTIL "through monthly cybersecurity meetings hosted by DHS." The documents appear to show that American‚ Israeli‚ and British intelligence contractors led by a former U.K. defense researcher‚ Sara-Jayne Terp‚ developed a sweeping censorship framework in 2019. Wired touted Terp in 2020 as a data scientist who "uses the tools of cybersecurity to track false claims like they're malware. Her goal: Stop dangerous lies from hacking our beliefs." Of course‚ "lies" might just amount to unfavorable truths or beliefs. "Beliefs can be hacked‚" Terp told the magazine. "The CTIL framework and the public-private model are the seeds of what both the U.S. and U.K. would put into place in 2020 and 2021‚ including masking censorship within cybersecurity institutions and counter-disinformation agendas; a heavy focus on stopping disfavored narratives‚ not just wrong facts; and pressuring social media platforms to take down information or take other actions to prevent content from going viral‚" Shellenberger noted further in his breakdown of the whistleblower's documents. According to the documents‚ this censorship cabal attempted to shape public opinion by discussing ways of promoting "counter-messaging"; co-opting hashtags to advance preferred narratives; actively suppressing undesired ideas and trends; astroturfing online; and infiltrating private groups. While not strictly governmental‚ Shellenberger noted that government employees were nevertheless "engaged members" of the cabal. Additionally‚ the whistleblower indicated that CTIL sought ultimately to become part of the federal government. It did not become its own agency‚ but it certainly collaborated with extant U.S. agencies. Shellenberger indicated during the hearing Thursday that government operatives who grew accustomed to "waging disinformation campaigns and psyops in foreign countries" have turned those tools against the American people. When confronted about directing these campaigns homeward‚ the journalist suggested the agencies responsible have refused accountability. For instance‚ Shellenberger noted that Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray "misled Congress" when claiming their agencies weren't involved in demanding censorship by social media platforms. Shellenberger recommended making Section 230 liability protections contingent on social media platforms allowing adult users "to moderate our own legal content through filters that we choose and whose algorithms are transparent to all of us" as well as prohibiting government officials from asking platforms to remove content. Should the Supreme Court ultimately determine in Missouri v. Biden that some government calls for censorship are permissible‚ the journalist urged Congress to require that such censorship requests are immediately reported publicly so that "such censorship demands occur in plain sight." Hearing on the Weaponization of the Federal Government youtu.be Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A principal at a high school in Florida has been reassigned‚ as have several other members of the administration and staff‚ after a male student allegedly played volleyball on the girls' team.Earlier this week‚ Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Peter Licata confirmed that the district had begun an investigation into whether a boy had been allowed to participate in girls' volleyball at Monarch High School in Pompano Beach‚ about 10 miles north of Fort Lauderdale. Allowing a boy to participate in girls' athletics would have violated Florida's Fairness in Women’s Sports Act‚ which states‚ "Athletic teams or sports designated for females‚ women‚ or girls may not be open to students of the male sex." Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the act into law more than two years ago.As part of its investigation‚ the district has since reassigned several Monarch staff and administrators: Principal James Cecil‚ Assistant Principal Kenneth May‚ athletic director Dione Hester‚ and volleyball coach and information management technician Jessica Norton. All four have since been placed at different "non-school sites‚" CNN reported."That’s not an indication of discipline‚" Licata said at a press conference on Tuesday. "It’s an indication that we want to make sure that when we investigate‚ it’s done properly and appropriately.""Nobody is guilty of anything at this point‚" he added. "That’s what an investigation is for."Temporary athletic coach Alex Burgess has also been suspended. Assistant Principal Moira Sweeting-Miller has been named Monarch's interim principal. Broward high school principal‚ staff reassigned amid investigation into transgender athlete youtu.be The allegations came to light last week when the district received a complaint that a male had been playing on the Monarch girls' volleyball team. The student's name has not been revealed‚ but WUWF‚ an NPR affiliate in northern Florida‚ provided some details about him. The student supposedly began acting and dressing as a girl at age 3‚ was diagnosed with gender dysphoria by 7‚ and began taking puberty blockers at 11‚ followed by estrogen at 13‚ the outlet reported.In 2021‚ the same year that the student turned 13‚ he and his parents filed a lawsuit to fight against the Fairness in Women's Sports Act. But just a few weeks ago‚ a federal judge upheld the law‚ claiming that "sex-based classifications are substantially related to the State's important interest in promoting women's athletics."Now‚ a spokesperson from the state's Department of Education is demanding "serious consequences" for those who allegedly permitted the boy to play on the girls' team. DOE communications director Cailey Myers told the media: "Under Governor DeSantis‚ boys will never be allowed to play girls’ sports. It’s that simple."So far‚ Monarch students have staged two walkouts to express support for the reassigned principal and the male volleyball player. Other leftist activist groups have also rallied to the cause and slammed the district for abiding by the law. "Transgender kids are kids; transgender girls are girls. Like all children‚ they deserve the opportunity to play sports with their friends and be a part of a team‚" read a statement from the Human Rights Coalition.Scott Galvin‚ the executive director of Safe Schools South Florida‚ even accused the district of "outing" a student who had not yet publicly identified as transgender. "It's horrendous‚ first on just a human level‚ that the school would out somebody on an issue like this that's obviously incredibly sensitive‚" Galvin said. "It's just dumbfounding‚ and the Broward County Schools should be ashamed of themselves."As the girls' volleyball season has since ended‚ there are no immediate concerns about whether the male student will continue playing. But Superintendent Licata insisted that "an extra level of investigation on making sure everyone is eligible" will be conducted going forward‚ CNN reported.For his part‚ athletic director Dione Hester has claimed ignorance. His representatives in the teachers' union have indicated that he was new to the school‚ did not understand the law‚ and "was just doing his job." The other reassigned staff members seemingly did not respond to CNN's request for comment.Spokesman John Sullivan did issue a statement on behalf of the Broward County school district: "Although we cannot comment further‚ we will continue to follow state law and will take appropriate action based on the outcome of the investigation. We are committed to providing all our students with a safe and inclusive learning environment."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A Texas man is facing serious criminal charges for allegedly having his property intentionally burned down after initially claiming to be the victim of a hate crime.In June‚ a rental property that 50-year-old Mario Roberson owned in Huntsville‚ Texas‚ burned to the ground. Three people were inside the residence at the time; two of them died‚ while another managed to escape‚ albeit with serious injuries. Roberson‚ a black man‚ alleged that his property was targeted because of his race."Racism‚ power hungriness‚ money has gotten us to this place‚" he told KTRK-TV at the time. "You fear for your life when things like this happen." 2 bodies found in Huntsville home that burned down 1 month after being painted with racial slurs www.youtube.com The fire happened about one month after another alleged incident of hate when Roberson claimed that someone sprayed racist graffiti on the property‚ a message that said‚ "We don't like your kind." Two weeks later‚ Roberson claimed that someone shot into a window at the home‚ telling police officers he believed it was a racially motivated act.On the back of all three incidents‚ CAIR-Houston and the ADL Southwest urged the FBI to investigate the house burning as a hate crime.But after an extensive investigation led by the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office‚ a grand jury returned on Monday an indictment against Roberson for first-degree arson.Prosecutors do not believe that Roberson himself set the fire‚ but they believe he played a significant role. The alleged motive? Police believe the house was intentionally burned to the ground because Roberson was trying to collect insurance money by fraudulent means."He was indicted on allegations he hired someone to set it on fire for insurance fraud purposes‚" said Lt. Charles Dougherty of the San Jacinto County Sheriff's Office.Important to this story is the fact that‚ about one month before the fire‚ "San Jacinto County rendered a decree of sale on the home for unpaid taxes‚" KTRK reported. Roberson reportedly owed tens of thousands of dollars in back taxes on the home. Roberson has not yet been arrested‚ but he has declared his innocence‚ according to KTRK. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

It’s never been easier to get yourself on a government watch list. According to recently released and heavily redacted search warrants‚ the Biden administration’s Department of Justice is making sure of that. The DOJ demanded information on “all users” who interacted with former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account leading up to the Capitol protest on January 6. The DOJ called on Twitter to provide the department with the “content of all tweets created‚ drafted‚ favorited/liked‚ or retweeted by” Trump’s account‚ including “deleted tweets.” A list of “all users” that Trump's account “followed‚ unfollowed‚ muted‚ unmuted‚ blocked‚ or unblocked” was also requested. In addition‚ the DOJ wanted a list of those who followed‚ unfollowed‚ muted‚ unmuted‚ blocked‚ or unblocked Trump as well. Sara Gonzales thinks it’s all absolutely insane‚ especially considering Trump was essentially a Twitter icon. “That’s everyone who’s ever been on Twitter‚” Gonzales says‚ in shock‚ while Stu Burguiere notes that they might as well just be asking for “all Twitter user information.” “It shows how deep they’ve gone on this. This is really their game plan‚ is to target everybody who opposes them‚ and this is I guess a good starting point‚” Stu says. However‚ many people who absolutely hated Trump — like those with cases of TDS — obsessively responded to the former president. “What about all those nice Democrats that have been calling him Hitler all these years?” Stu asks.“They now are on the government list as well.” Want more from "The News &; Why It Matters?"To enjoy more rundowns of the top stories of the day‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

The integration of artificial intelligence within the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” will likely bring about swift and significant changes to our social and cultural landscape‚ surpassing the speed and disruptive impact of the previous industrial revolution. Quite apart from sci-fi-inspired doomsday scenarios‚ the most immediate risk of AI threatens to upend how humans understand the world by changing how information is aggregated and disseminated by regulating and reprogramming the internet itself. The Biden administration has adopted a multi-pronged approach to reverse much of the deregulation of the internet that took place under President Trump and will shape AI policy for years to come. The administration in July successfully secured voluntary commitments from major Big Tech players including Amazon‚ Google‚ Meta‚ Microsoft‚ and OpenAI‚ aiming to tap into the immense potential of artificial intelligence. More recently‚ Joe Biden signed an executive order to establish new AI safety and security benchmarks. These standards are supposed to prioritize Americans’ privacy‚ support consumers and workers‚ encourage innovation and fair competition‚ strengthen America’s global leadership in the field‚ and‚ more ominously‚ “drive progress in terms of equity and civil rights.” Rather than only return results for you to parse‚ generative AI will present you with what it determines to be the best answer. Finally‚ the Federal Communications Commission earlier this month advanced its efforts to broaden supervision of the broadband industry. The commission‚ which is dominated by Biden appointees‚ approved comprehensive rules addressing “digital discrimination” in accord with the bipartisan infrastructure law of 2021. The law mandates that the FCC establish regulations preventing discrimination in internet access based on income‚ race‚ ethnicity‚ color‚ religion‚ or national origin. By now‚ it should be evident that “equity” resides at the core of the entire woke project. Much as the Civil Rights Act usurped the U.S. Constitution and forever altered the operations and decision-making of private companies‚ recent regulations and the collaboration between Big Tech and Big Government on artificial intelligence will change how we obtain information and the scope of information we can access. The fight against “algorithmic discrimination” fundamentally revolves around determining which interpretation of reality will be programmed and who does the programming. It's crucial to recognize that this undertaking will not be impartial. Artificial intelligence systems‚ such as ChatGPT and facial recognition software‚ learn from inputs‚ inheriting biases from the data they're trained on. According to ethical AI researchers‚ their mission is to strive to prevent these biases from causing harm to a wide range of people. But that will require limiting certain outputs. While the left has experienced great success in programming (brainwashing) America’s youth through our education system‚ regulating AI programming would allow the left to control the algorithmic means of information production. That would massively influence and‚ in certain respects‚ mandate what information Americans receive whenever interfacing with technology that integrates with AI. One example of this is through search and its increased use of generative AI in producing search results. Search engine algorithms have always been designed to favor more "popular" results and‚ in some cases‚ exclude “non-normative” fringe viewpoints. Before generative AI‚ you could type in a search query and proceed at your own pace down the rabbit hole‚ clicking on link after link or scrolling through page and page of search results if you weren’t satisfied with the “mainstream” narrative presented to you. But with AI‚ search is changing. Rather than only return results for you to parse‚ generative AI will present you with what it determines to be the best answer‚ at least according to the programmers and learning language models created by humans. As generative AI becomes more widely adopted‚ the majority of individuals will conclude their inquiries with whatever generative AI determines to be the best answer. After all‚ the responses provided by platforms such as Google‚ Alexa‚ Siri‚ Microsoft's CoPilot‚ or ChatGPT are often regarded as authoritative. This perception is not only due to the current influence these companies wield but also because of the convenience of receiving direct answers without the need to research further. For example‚ go to Google and query “What is a woman?” You will be greeted with the following generative AI results: A woman is an adult female human. The term "woman" can also refer to: A person assigned female sex at birth A person who defines herself as a woman A person who is capable of pregnancy and giving birth from puberty until menopause A person who has XX chromosomes A person who is a cisgender woman (or ciswoman) A person who is a transgender woman (or transwoman)The term "what is a woman" may also refer to: A 95-minute film released on June 1‚ 2022 by The Daily Wire A film directed by Justin Folk A film starring Matt Walsh‚ Stephen Hawking‚ and Michelle Forcier A film that includes attacks on trans people While Google’s generative AI tells us that a woman is an adult female human‚ it also explains to us that a woman is a person assigned a female sex at birth or anyone who defines themselves as a woman. This is programmed woke-speak. Are there opposing viewpoints on this issue? The reference to Matt Walsh’s documentary‚ "What Is a Woman?" characterizes it as “a film that includes attacks on trans people.” The concept of neutrality within a given political order and‚ in this case‚ AI is flawed because every decision or action taken by Big Tech or‚ by extension‚ a state is influenced by a particular moral understanding of what is best for society. As we’ve already seen within this framework‚ numerous public and private entities‚ alongside educational systems nationwide‚ have embraced policies that endorse deeply rooted ideological principles like critical race theory‚ gender ideology‚ "environmental‚ social‚ and governance‚" "diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion‚" and "social and emotional learning‚” with devastating effects on our society and culture. Now‚ these policies are poised to become programmed into the internet itself as they will be mandated by the government under a new digital civil rights regime. This regime will function as a form of informational affirmative action for the digital age‚ deciding what information gets included and what gets excluded. The regulation of online speech and the dissemination of information goes beyond private company policies; it is the deliberate coordination among Big Tech firms‚ governments‚ and non-governmental organizations that are increasingly forcing woke political ideology into the very code that undergirds the internet itself. The future is being programmed‚ and the revolution‚ far from being televised‚ will be algorithmically designed. As AI increasingly redefines our past‚ influences our present‚ and shapes our future‚ the crucial question arises: Who will hold the power to program the narratives that define our reality?

It's one cringe-inducing scene after another for Greg Focker‚ perfectly played by Ben Stiller in the 2000 comedy classic The post ‘Meet the Parents’ Prayer Scene: Day by Day… by Day… appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

Frostpunk 2 sits firmly in its place as one of our most anticipated upcoming releases. The snowy survival sim is the follow-up to one of Steam’s most beautifully punishing strategy games‚ which itself holds a very worthy 92% positive Steam rating to this day. Now‚ with a first glimpse at Frostpunk 2 gameplay‚ we can see just how dramatically the game’s scale has increased‚ and the team promises more “just around the corner.” Continue reading Frostpunk 2 ramps up the scale of one of PC’s harshest strategy games MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best city-building games‚ Best survival games‚ Upcoming PC games

Of all the games that I'm looking forward to next year - Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 specifically - one of the ones I'm the most excited about is Islands of Insight‚ published by the good people over at DBD creator‚ Behaviour Interactive. Championing cozy‚ multiplayer puzzling and absolutely spectacular visuals‚ Islands of Insight is officially dropping in 2024 - but sooner than you may think. Continue reading DBD dev’s stunning new puzzle game gets free demo ahead of launch MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best puzzle games‚ Best multiplayer games‚ Best open-world games

Solium Infernum is one of the coolest new strategy games we’ve seen in a long time. Part Civilization 6‚ part Diablo 4‚ and part Doom Eternal‚ it casts you as one of eight archfiends‚ vying for control of Hell after Lucifer himself has mysteriously disappeared. An ambitious remake of the underground‚ indie hit of the same name‚ Solium Infernum subverts the genre by giving you fewer choices‚ but with more significant and severe consequences. With asynchronous multiplayer‚ a heavy focus on double-dealing and paranoia‚ and a superb art style‚ Solium Infernum finally has a confirmed release date - and if you’re tired of waiting for Civilization 7‚ Solium is coming soon. Continue reading Forget Civilization 7‚ new strategy game set in Hell is coming soon MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best strategy games‚ Best RTS games‚ Best upcoming games

When is the Clockwork Revolution release date? Inspired by steampunk first-person RPGs such as BioShock Infinite‚ Clockwork Revolution is the latest game from InXile Entertainment‚ whose previous games include the Wasteland series. However‚ the big hook of this game is that your actions in the past affect the future - be that for the greater good or in unforeseen bad ways. It's a fascinating premise‚ but at this rate‚ it may take a while for Clockwork Revolution to come out. That said‚ there are plenty of RPG games out there worthy of your attention. Before you take your first steps in changing the city of Avalon‚ here's everything we currently know about the Clockwork Revolution release date‚ as well as all trailers and gameplay details revealed so far. Continue reading Clockwork Revolution release date estimate‚ trailers‚ and latest news