If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. As Uganda moves toward its January 15 general election, the country has once again entered an information lockdown. Despite repeated assurances from officials that the internet would remain open, access vanished across much of the country on Tuesday. The order, confirmed by network analytics firm NetBlocks, cut off millions of Ugandans from social media, messaging platforms, and even some international phone lines. Authorities justified the move as an effort to contain “misinformation” and “electoral fraud.” The blackout arrived after weeks of denials. Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) head Nyombi Thembo told Capital FM that “as of now, there is no resolution to switch off the internet,” while the Permanent Secretary of the ICT Ministry, Amina Zawedde, said, “Government has not announced, directed, or implemented any decision to shut down the internet during the election period.” Both accused journalists of spreading “false and misleading” claims. Their statements now stand in direct conflict with the current reality. President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, faces off against opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, widely known as Bobi Wine. The campaign has unfolded under tight surveillance and a growing list of prohibitions. Public gatherings have been banned, journalists have been detained, and independent election monitors have been ordered to suspend their work. The United Nations Human Rights Office said on Friday that Uganda’s vote is taking place “in an atmosphere of repression and intimidation.” Security forces, according to the UN, have used live ammunition to disperse crowds and arrest opposition supporters in the weeks leading up to the election. Faced with an abrupt loss of digital access, Ugandans have turned to alternative channels to stay connected. Data from Proton VPN shows two early signup waves, each more than 250 percent above normal, followed by an 8,000 percent explosion in signups within the first hour of the shutdown. The company’s app leapt from position 24 in Uganda’s App Store on December 16, 2025, to number 2 by January 14, 2026. The messaging platform Bitchat also became a lifeline. Its App Store ranking in Uganda shot from 27 to 1 between mid-December and the end of the month and has remained in the top spot ever since. Sensor Tower data shows that Bitchat hit the number one position on Google Play on December 31, 2026, after climbing from rank 16 just two weeks earlier. Tor’s metrics show a similar rise in Ugandan users, suggesting many have moved to privacy networks to bypass state filters. The decision by Starlink to disable service in Uganda after a regulatory directive added another obstacle for those seeking alternative connections. That move has drawn comparisons to the 2021 election, when authorities cut access for four days, and at least dozens were killed in street protests. While the government claims these restrictions are meant to safeguard public order, the timing suggests a deeper concern about visibility. Internet shutdowns during elections silence the very people who might document abuses, share live results, or organize. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Uganda Imposes Nationwide Internet Shutdown Ahead of 2026 Election appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

After a hard-fought battle with cancer, the beloved “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams has passed away — and Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck is devastated.“We pause for a minute. Not for a punch line,” Glenn begins solemnly.“We pause for a man who quietly became something far more important than most people ever realized. Scott Adams, for most of his life, was just a cartoonist. As if just a cartoonist is a small thing. He was a cartoonist that connected with us because there was so much wisdom in that little man, that everyman,” he says.“He was a guy we all loved. After you heard his political views, I’m sure half of the country did not love him. But he became a guiding light for so many people who are just willing to think honestly,” he continues.“You didn’t have to agree with him. He just asked you to think. He became a mentor in a way to so many people just trying to understand how influence really works. He was a guy who was changing his life, and he would mentor us through our lives by watching how he was dealing with things. He really was a philosopher who was disguised as a stick-figure artist.”And he was a man who found the courage to convert to Christianity in his final moments.“You’re going to hear for the first time today that it is my plan to convert. So I still have time, but my understanding is you’re never too late. And on top of that, any skepticism I have about reality would certainly be instantly answered if I wake up in heaven,” Adams said in a video he recorded before his passing.“And so to my Christian friends, yes, it’s coming. So you don’t need to talk me into it. I am now convinced that the risk-reward is completely smart. If it turns out that there’s nothing there, I’ve lost nothing. But I’ve respected your wishes, and I like doing that. If it turns out there is something there and the Christian model is the closest to it, I win,” he continued.“So with your permission, I promise you that I will convert,” he added.“I love that,” Glenn says, “because even there he’s being honest.”“But while Scott said that lightly, I doubt he took that lightly,” he says. “He was a deep thinker.”Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

A male is accused of knocking multiple victims amid violent robberies in downtown Chicago last summer.Michael Seawood, 24, of East Chicago, Indiana, is charged with robbery, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, and aggravated battery in a public place, CWB Chicago reported.The victim was struck in the back of the head and knocked to the ground, after which Seawood and his accomplices allegedly took his phone, wallet, and other items, the outlet noted, citing prosecutors.Seawood and at least one accomplice attacked a 52-year-old around 2:30 a.m. July 6 in the 400 block of North Lower Michigan Avenue, the outlet said, citing prosecutors. During the attack, the victim fell to the ground motionless and suffered a broken jaw that required surgery to have plates installed, the outlet added.What's more, a 28-year-old man visiting from Las Vegas tried to intervene in the attack, but prosecutors said Seawood allegedly punched him and knocked him to the ground where he also was motionless, CWB Chicago reported.While the two victims were incapacitated, Seawood & Co. allegedly went through their pockets and took cash and phones before leaving the area, the outlet said.On Aug. 1, Seawood and multiple accomplices allegedly attacked a 29-year-old man in the 100 block of East Illinois Street in the Streeterville neighborhood, CWB Chicago said. The victim was struck in the back of the head and knocked to the ground, after which Seawood and his accomplices allegedly took his phone, wallet, and other items, the outlet noted, citing prosecutors.RELATED: Chicago thug accused of randomly punching mother of 11 in face, knocking her out on downtown street — and White House reacts Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago TribuneOn Aug. 2, Seawood and two accomplices allegedly attacked and robbed two brothers, ages 19 and 22, near the corner of Michigan Avenue and Lake Street in the Loop, CWB Chicago reported.The two victims were walking south on Michigan Avenue when Seawood allegedly punched the younger brother in the face, after which the victim fell to the ground and briefly lost consciousness, the outlet said. When he regained consciousness, the victim saw Seawood and two other men going through his pockets and stealing his wallet, the outlet said, citing prosecutors.The older brother told police one of the attackers hit him and knocked him to the ground as well, but he wasn’t sure which one attacked him, CWB Chicago said. Once the older brother was on the ground, Seawood & Co. allegedly went through his pockets and took his phone, cash, and cards, the outlet added.Three Chicago police officers subsequently recognized Seawood as one of the violent robbers, prosecutors told CWB Chicago.Judge John Hock ordered Seawood detained pending trial, CWB Chicago said.Cook County Jail records indicate Seawood was booked Sunday on no bond; his next court date is Jan. 20.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, you have seen the headlines about Grok creating nonconsensual images of real people and reposting them online for the world to see. You may even have spotted these images in your X feed. Not only is the emergence of this kind of content a problem for the platform, but it’s especially risky when you remember that the fate of the republic rests partly on the shoulders of X and Elon Musk.The story so farThis is a rapidly developing story, so the details are likely to expand in the coming weeks. So far, this is what we know.Last week, a barrage of X users were found using Grok to digitally remove the clothing of photos containing real women, often putting them in bikinis or other skimpy outfits. While this is bad enough on its own, some users even targeted minors — including one of the prominent actors in "Stranger Things" — to swap outfits for something inappropriate, and Grok complied.We have to address how Grok’s behavior could impact X on the world stage.After plenty of blowback on the web, Elon Musk issued a firm statement, warning, “Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.” The X Safety account later doubled down with the same message, explaining that the platform takes action against CSAM content on X by removing the images, suspending accounts, and even working with local law enforcement as necessary.That wasn’t enough, however. Although Musk and company scrubbed the social network of the illegal imagery depicting minors, users continued to undress photos of real adult women without discretion. As a result of further inaction, U.S. Democrats asked Apple and Google to remove X from their app stores (though that hasn’t happened yet), the U.K. instated a law that makes it illegal to create nonconsensual intimate images, and Malaysia and Indonesia blocked Grok altogether.This ultimately prompted Musk to remove Grok’s image creation and editing tool from public access, instead restricting it to paid users, where any illicit activity can be attached directly to users’ accounts and identities.A self-imposed problem of reckless proportionsThe problem of Grok creating nonconsensual images is bad enough on its own. In the United States, we have nonconsensual intimate images laws that prohibit the threat and distribution of private photos and videos. More specifically, the Take It Down Act was designed to protect victims of such content, and posting it on X violates the platform’s user policies.The worst part is that none of this needed to happen. The fact that Grok can remove the clothes of unconsenting users — adults or otherwise — is an entirely self-made problem that could have been avoided with some proper guardrails. It should not have been an option in the first place, but now that it is, we have to deal with it. Even more important than that, we have to address how Grok’s behavior could impact X on the world stage.RELATED: Ted Cruz pelted with insane AI memes as X bans unpaid users from editing pics with Grok Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images1. One more reason to block free speechForeign governments have already been looking for excuses to ban X from their slice of the public square ever since Musk opened the platform to free speech in 2022. This latest stunt is the final reason they need to prove that X is “dangerous” to their people, and places like the U.K., Malaysia, and Indonesia are already moving ahead with laws to restrict or downright ban access. This is bad, of course, because X is one of few online platforms that not only values free speech but encourages it. When users lose access to X, wherever they are, they lose access to the truth.2. A test of political loyaltyWhile the governments that already hate Elon Musk are a lost cause, legal missteps with Grok unnecessarily test the loyalty and values of U.S. politicians who are friends with Musk. Lawmakers on the right now have to choose between regulating Grok to protect X users who were harmed by the photos and giving Elon a pass while he self-governs the platform into a better place. Meanwhile, the left will continue to villainize Musk, Grok, and X every chance they get, no matter what happens. It’s a tough position to be in, and it’s a shame that it had to come to this at all.3. Users lose when Grok goes out of controlThe deepfake photo scandal has made users — especially young women — more cautious about posting photos of themselves on the platform. Users shouldn’t have to worry about someone creating and sharing intimate images crafted out of their own content. At the same time, users who flock to X for news, engagement, and information shouldn’t have to dodge these photos as they pop up in their feeds, either. The worst part is that Grok is complicit in the whole thing. At this point, Grok’s behavior is making users leery about coming to X instead of bringing them to the platform, which is the last thing X needs as Threads gains ground.4. Grok is better bot than thisIf nothing else, the images Grok has created are legally dubious, and whether the image creation/editing feature is available to the general public or locked behind a subscription paywall, this isn’t a capability that Grok should have. Other AI platforms, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google Gemini, block this type of content wholesale. Yes, Grok has always valued free speech above the others, and that is great for users, but deepfakes go beyond the First Amendment. It’s simply illegal to create nonconsensual intimate content of real people and share it online. Further, Musk’s AI platform is far too clever and sophisticated to debase itself down to an adult content creation bot, and that bit needs to be removed from Grok’s source code.We need X more than GrokX is so much more than the public square. It’s a bastion of free speech where people of all walks of life from around the globe can speak their minds and share ideas that otherwise would go unheard.Because of X, the truth about so many topics that would otherwise have been relegated to the shadows has been exposed. Just this past week, footage of Renee Good surfaced, showing that she tried to run over the ICE agent who took her life in self-defense. Without X, the leftist media narrative that she was an innocent woman simply driving away from the scene would have permeated the web and we never would have known the truth. Before that, we saw the protests in Iran erupt as its oppressed citizens fought for freedom. And before that, Nick Shirley exposed the multibillion-dollar fraud unraveling in Minnesota over the Somali-run business debacle. And on and on and on.X is a vital piece of our political landscape, helping the people combat lies, scandals, censorship, and the left (though I repeat myself), and we’ll need X again in the future when the time is right. The platform it has become is far too important to be a test bed for Grok’s edgiest features. The prevalence of the digital public square, the ability to expose corruption, and the sustainability of the republic all hinge on X maintaining its position as a free, open, and truthful platform, and it would be a terrible shame if Grok’s unchecked features got in the way.

Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote in the Senate Wednesday night after some Republicans bucked President Donald Trump on a key war powers resolution. Vance voted to block a war powers resolution aimed at reining in Trump's authority to greenlight military operations in Venezuela. The vote was tied at 50-50 after Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Susan Collins of Maine defied their party to defy Trump, requiring Vance to break the tie. 'You know what? That's good enough for me.'The resolution ultimately failed in the Senate after Trump and his administration, particularly Secretary of State Marco Rubio, lobbied lawmakers to change their votes. The war powers resolution was originally advanced last week with the help of Murkowski, Paul, and Collins as well as Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana. Both Hawley and Young eventually flipped their votes, allowing Vance to block the resolution altogether. RELATED: Vance casts tiebreaking vote after Republicans betray Trump's 'big, beautiful bill Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images Hawley explained his initial support for the war powers resolution, saying he was concerned and unclear about the extent of American intervention in Venezuela. "For me, this has always been about ground troops," Hawley said in an interview with Fox. "That's not something that I think I would want to do." "What the secretary of state said to me very clearly is, 'We're not doing that,'" Hawley said. "'We don't have ground troops in Venezuela. This is not another Iraq. We're not going to occupy Venezuela.' And you know what? That's good enough for me." RELATED: Vance casts tiebreaking vote to advance DOGE cuts after Republicans defy Trump Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Defectors like Murkowski emphasized their opposition to Nicolas Maduro and his regime but argued that "no meaningful end state has been articulated, and U.S. forces and assets remain fully postured in the region.""Even when an action is justified and its outcome welcomed, the Constitution is clear that Congress is a co-equal branch of government with an essential role in decisions that place the United States on a path toward sustained military involvement," Murkowski said in a statement on X. "Excluding Congress from that process risks eroding public trust and blurring strategic objectives."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

City of Minneapolis' Posts About Yesterday's ICE-Involved Shooting Fail to Mention Something

Dude. So CLOSE! LOL! Mayor Jacob Frey's Whiny 'ICE Invasion' Meltdown Backfires Spectacularly (Watch)

Many CES gadgets are impressive. Some are impractical. Then there are the ones that are downright weird. Here are some of the strangest from CES 2026.

President Donald Trump warned Minnesota officials Thursday morning that unless they stop encouraging "professional agitators and insurrectionists" from attacking federal law enforcement officers, he will send U.S. troops to quell the violence.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., a senior member of House Republican leadership, has emerged as a leading congressional opponent of efforts to loosen federal limits on broadcast television ownership, warning that such a move would undermine local news...