The Case for Up-Funding the Police

An important principle of quantum physics could reveal whether dinosaurs had plastic surgery.

Sadly it’s not the secret behind King Julien’s excellent singing skills in Madagascar.

We said what we said.

It’s no secret that fake Republican Ana Navarro, co-host of ABC’s The View, counted herself as a close friend of President Biden; that’s in addition to her being a big supporter of Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). So it was striking during Monday’s show when Navarro seemed to pick sides and decided to press Pelosi on her role in forcing Biden out of the race behind the scenes, and about how Harris was quickly installed as the nominee. “There is a perception among some that there's a lot of hurt feelings because you played an outsized role in him stepping down which was a very selfless, but a very hard thing for him to do. I’ve heard that Jill Biden and her team, that there's people close to the Biden team that are upset at you,” Navarro prefaced, seemingly airing out the Democratic Party’s dirty laundry. Asking: “Have you spoken to him, and how do you respond to that?” Perhaps caught off guard by actually being called out, Pelosi appeared to say the quiet out loud, admitting that getting rid of Biden was a strategic decision make for political reasons: My point was we need a better campaign. As I said, a decision to win. I didn't see us on a path to victory. So, it wasn't about him not running. It's just, if this is the case, we have to run in a different way. The President made his decision, patriotic, selfless, the most consequential president of modern times. This has been a great president of the United States. Thank you for asking. The decision that he made was one that has, well, you see the result of it. It's going to preserve -- when we win, it's going to preserve his legacy!     In a follow up, Navarro confronted Pelosi about how nominating Harris was not an “open process”: Initially though, you wanted an open process. You don't want -- you didn't endorse Kamala. You wanted an open process, despite knowing her very well from San Francisco. Do you think now when you look back on it, that it was a mistake? Pelosi laughably insisted “It was an open progress [sic]” and that “Anybody could have gotten in” and made a run at the nomination, which was not true. “She got in, and she won, and a president of the United States had endorsed her who was very respected. So, that meant a lot, but people don't understand,” she declared. Further, Pelosi suggested that “Other people could have gotten in. [Harris] just locked up” because of how “Politically astute” she supposedly was. Showing tremendous cognitive dissonance about how the process was supposedly “open,” co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin each touted how Harris “got the delegates” and “worked the phones” (respectively). As the other faux conservative on the panel, Farah Griffin’s question wasn’t about anything impactful or substantive; like say the video of Pelosi on admitting she was responsible for the Capitol’s security on January 6. Instead, Farah Griffin teed up Pelosi to make a get-out-the-vote pitch: So madam speaker, there was obviously huge momentum for Kamala Harris going into the DNC and coming out of it, but the polls are in a dead heat. Statistically, this is the closest presidential race in a generation. How optimistic are you that she can win, and what do you think is going to happen in the House? Do you think Democrats can win back control? “We had made a decision to win, and so we'll make every decision in favor of winning,” Pelosi proclaimed. “The fact is though; Hakeem Jeffries must be the speaker of the House, he must have that gavel! He must have that gavel on January 6!” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View September 9, 2024 11:31:12 a.m. Eastern (…) ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: So madam speaker, there was obviously huge momentum for Kamala Harris going into the DNC and coming out of it, but the polls are in a dead heat. Statistically, this is the closest presidential race in a generation. How optimistic are you that she can win, and what do you think is going to happen in the House? Do you think Democrats can win back control? REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Well, thank you for that question. I didn't know if we could talk politics here, but – [Laughter] ANA NAVARRO: Have you watched our show? PELOSI: I meant that I couldn't. WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Probably not. She's been busy. PELOSI: We had made a decision to win, and so we'll make every decision in favor of winning. [Applause] And that means we have to mobilize and own the ground to get out the vote. So, all of you are enthusiastic about Kamala and Tim Walz, you must make calls, walk precincts and the rest of that. Secondly, mobilization. The message has to be bold and progressive, but not menacing. It has to be unifying. We have to use this election to unify America as Sara has said. [Applause] And third is the money and that comes in. The three "Ms." Mobilization, message, money. But, we also have to remind you all: No wasted time. Eight weeks from tomorrow is the day. No wasted time, no underutilized resources, and no regrets; the day after the election, we could have done this much more [gestures a small amount]. As far as the House is concerned – and I heard what you said earlier Alyssa about winning and then voting down the line Republican, and that's -- FARAH GRIFFIN: If they're good, non-election denying Republicans. PELOSI: There are a few who are. The fact is though; Hakeem Jeffries must be the speaker of the House, he must have that gavel! He must have that gavel on January 6! (…) 11:34:59 a.m. Eastern NAVARRO: You have a very long relationship, friendship with president Biden. You all have worked together for decades. PELOSI: Decades. NAVARRO: You’ve been personal friends. He awarded you the Medal of Freedom earlier this year. There is a perception among some that there's a lot of hurt feelings because you played an outsized role in him stepping down which was a very selfless, but a very hard thing for him to do. I’ve heard that Jill Biden and her team, that there's people close to the Biden team that are upset at you. Have you spoken to him, and how do you respond to that? PELOSI: No, but I -- my point was we need a better campaign. As I said, a decision to win. I didn't see us on a path to victory. So, it wasn't about him not running. It's just, if this is the case, we have to run in a different way. The President made his decision, patriotic, selfless, the most consequential president of modern times. This has been a great president of the United States. [Applause] Thank you for asking. The decision that he made was one that has, well, you see the result of it. It's going to preserve -- when we win, it's going to preserve his legacy! (…) 11:37:29 a.m. Eastern NAVARRO: Initially though, you wanted an open process. You don't want -- you didn't endorse Kamala. You wanted an open process, despite knowing her very well from San Francisco. Do you think now when you look back on it, that it was a mistake? PELOSI: It was an open progress [sic]. Anybody could have gotten in. She got in, and she won, and a president of the United States had endorsed her who was very respected. So, that meant a lot, but people don't understand. Other people could have gotten in. She just locked up. SUNNY HOSTIN: She got the delegates. PELOSI: Politically astute. As I said to you before. FARAH GRIFFIN: She worked the phones. PELOSI: So, I was one of the earlier endorsers of any of the leaders, right? Within 24 hours. NAVARRO: And yesterday you and a bunch of Italian-Americans did the paisans for Kamala. (…)

A video game that received a reported $1.4 million from the Norwegian government has immensely underperformed after gamers exposed the strange diversity-driven game mechanics.Dustborn, created by Red Thread Games, was published by the company Spotlight by Quantic Dream. Quantic Dream is a French subsidiary of NetEase, a Chinese technology company out of Hangzhou, China.Just two weeks into its release, Dustborn became a gigantic flop after gamers became aware of how much diversity, equity, and inclusion is jammed into the game.The story involves a female character who essentially uses left-wing ideology to defeat enemies across the "Divided States of America."'We have zero tolerance for hate speech, harassment, and threats of any kind.'An X post revealed at least four skills players can use in the game.This included "cancel," which is described as the following: "We've learned how to CANCEL someone.""CANCEL will allow us to isolate people from their friends and compatriots. In battle, this could be a useful tool against enemies.""Normalize" is also an option that allows users to "normalize negative emotion."Other skills include "bully" and "sow discord."Gameplay footage uploaded online showed off hilarious scenes that allow the user to get offended.In one scene, a police officer asks the main character about a "black kid" she knows and if he has any information. The player is immediately given the ability to use the "trigger" function, which results in her saying, "You are racist!" to the cop.In another portion of the game, the player is given no choice but to be cruel to a robot who is trying to give the main character a ride. A caption reads "that machine is not coming near us," as the character freaks out and says, "Don't touch me!"It should also be noted that the robot also has preferred pronouns.Unfortunately, these game mechanics weren't meant to be funny.'We have a point of view with this game.'Just days into its launch, Dustborn's engagement on gaming platform Steam has been abysmal. At the time of this publication, it had peaked at just 76 concurrent players.If this were an independent game, it would be one thing, but Dustborn received a reported 14 million kroner ($1.4 Million USD) from the Norwegian government/taxpayer and another €150,000 ($166,000 USD) from the European Union.According to game developer Mark Kern, the Norwegian Film Institute raised the money while the EU contributed through its Creative EU grant program.Gaming outlets have averaged a score of 68% in their reviews for Dustborn, while 374 user reviews on Metacritic have averaged an outstanding 1.1/10.The backlash caused Red Thread Games to state what it sees as disrespectful criticism."We expected Dustborn to spark conversation and debate, and looked forward to engaging with our players in a positive and constructive fashion," the developers wrote. "Unfortunately, that conversation has been drowned out by a tidal wave of hate and abuse.""We embrace discussion and debate. But we have zero tolerance for hate speech, harassment, and threats of any kind," the statement added.The developers then called for a world where everyone can feel "valued and empowered to share their stories." — (@) "The developers made it clear they were inspired to create the game based off the 2016 Presidential campaign," said John F. Trent, editor for culture site That Park Place. "They also attempted to normalize immoral and evil behavior through its game mechanics such as the ability to 'cancel' people.""It's a great thing that the game failed spectacularly and many gamers did not purchase it nor play it," Trent added.Brazilian website DEI Detected called the game an actual representation of DEI itself. The site pointed out the game's "forced diversity, virtue signaling" and a "(woke) political agenda."The outlet described Dustborn as having a "soy-filled" combat mechanic in which gamers fight with the power of words, based on the premise that words can hurt.Any discussion as to whether or not that game was politically motivated from a leftist stance can be put to rest simply by referring to Red Thread studio leader Ragnar Tørnquist. In 2020, Tørnquist told outlet VG247 the following:"We have a point of view with this game," Tørnquist said. "We're not stepping back and saying 'you figure it out'. We're actually saying, 'No, fascism is bad' — but we are also going to let our characters argue about it."The studio head added that the developers "believe in" a diverse cast and setting and that the clearest theme is unity in the face of oppression. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Law enforcement has intensified its manhunt for a suspect who went on a Saturday shooting spree on interstate 75 near London, Kentucky. The shooter fired an AR-15 from a cliff ledge on the side of the interstate about nine miles north of London — roughly 90 miles south of Lexington — around 5:30 p.m. The shooter struck 12 cars and wounded five people, including one who was shot in the face.'We’re not going to quit until we do lay hands on him.'“A couple of our deputies, because of the severity of the injuries, loaded the people up, the injured persons, and transported them to London Hospital,” said Laurel County Sheriff John Root. Deputy Gilbert Acciardo said Sunday that none of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries and all were in stable condition. Two additional people were injured in a car crash that occurred during the shooting, police said.Authorities immediately shut down I-75 in both directions because the shooter's location wasn't known. “We couldn’t risk somebody else being shot,” Root stated. I-75 reopened around 9:30 p.m. the same day.Police initially named 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch as a person of interest in the shooting but elevated him to a suspect Sunday afternoon. Investigators said they found an AR-15 rifle and Couch's car in the vicinity of the shooting. The decision to name Couch a suspect was based on evidence collected, the recovery of the weapon, Couch’s vehicle, and “some information” that Root could not share at the time. Couch served in the National Guard for four years in an engineer battalion, according to Laurel County Sheriff's Captain Richard Dalrymple.Couch has a “very minimal” criminal record in Kentucky, according to Jackie Steele, the commonwealth’s attorney for the 27th Judicial Circuit. Couch previously was charged with terroristic threatening, but the charge was dismissed earlier this year, Steele said. On Monday, Couch was charged with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of assault in an arrest warrant. Couch could face other, less serious charges, such as property damage and wanton endangerment.Couch — of Woodbine, Kentucky — is described as standing 5'10" and weighing 154 pounds. The sheriff's office said Couch is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. Dalrymple said at Sunday night’s news briefing that Couch purchased a gun and about 1,000 rounds of ammunition just hours before the shooting."He obtained a firearm at a local place here in London," Root said, adding that it was a legal purchase.'You need to lock your doors. If you have security cameras, make sure you’re constantly watching them; maybe keep your porch lights on. Have your cell phone and make sure your phones are charged upm because you never know when you might have to contact somebody or law enforcement.'Investigators searched Couch's house Sunday night, Dalrymple said.Kentucky State Police took over the search for Couch on Sunday night, while the Laurel County Sheriff's Office will handle the criminal investigation. The FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting with the investigation.Couch is believed to be in the the vast, densely wooded area near the shooting scene. Police are using helicopters, drones, K-9 teams, and ground crews to scour the area.Kentucky State Police spokesperson Scottie Pennington noted, “You can’t do it very fast because you don’t want to leave [any] rock unturned. You don’t know if he’s in that area. So you’ve gotta be very slow-paced at what you do.” Root declared, “We’re not going to quit until we do lay hands on him. This effort is not going to stop.”Police said it does not appear that the shooter was targeting specific people, but Acciardo said the attack did appear to be “a planned event.” Police have not released any information regarding a motive in the shooting.Pennington advised local residents, “You need to lock your doors. If you have security cameras, make sure you’re constantly watching them; maybe keep your porch lights on. Have your cell phone and make sure your phones are charged up, because you never know when you might have to contact somebody or law enforcement.”As the search for the I-75 shooter has entered its third day, authorities closed schools as a precaution. More than a dozen area school districts and several other private schools in Laurel, Jackson, and Clay Counties canceled classes Monday.Republican Kentucky Rep. Hal Rogers on Sunday released a statement about the shooting. “Our first responders have been working around the clock now for over 24 hours to locate the suspect accused of turning I-75 in Laurel County into a dangerous firing range on Saturday, injuring five people," Rogers began. "Thankfully, local police have confirmed that no further shots have been fired today and all the shooting victims are in stable condition."Rogers pointed out that semitruck drivers protected students pinned down in school buses on the highway. “I also want to applaud all the unsung heroes who aided victims before first responders arrived on the scene, the semitruck drivers who surrounded school buses to protect our students stuck on the interstate for hours, and those who have donated water and food to the central command post to support our brave first responders," Rogers stated. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. 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While they were started by Mojang with good intentions, Minecraft mob votes have recently become a cause of frustration and controversy. Sure, letting the community vote for a new addition to the sprawling sandbox game is great, but dangling two other mobs in front of them that would then never see the light of day stung a bit. Now, Mojang has seen the light, because alongside some major changes to how content is released in the future, it is scrapping mob votes for good. Continue reading Minecraft’s controversial mob votes are no more MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Minecraft seeds, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods

There’s nothing like the prospect of getting stuck into a colossal RPG. At the start of your journey you’ll face a huge amount of possibilities, from creating your character, your class, and determining exactly who you want to be. A good RPG never lets up from there with everything being a decision, making them one of the most intriguing genres to play. If you’re a fan then you’ll be interested in taking a peek at this new Fanatical bundle, where you can get Fallout 76, Kingdom Come Deliverance, Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous, and much more for much less. Continue reading Grab Fallout 76 and more for less in this huge Fanatical RPG bundle MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best games like Fallout, Fallout 5 release date, Best Fallout 4 mods

Mic. Freakin'. DROP: Sarah Huckabee Sanders FACT-NUKES Liz Cheney Calling Herself a 'Strong Conservative'