If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Brussels has criticized Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton for going rogue in his threats against Elon Musk, independently sending a contentious censorship threat letter to Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X. The letter threatened consequences if the platform allowed content that could “seriously harm” EU citizens. This correspondence, unveiled just hours before Musk was scheduled to host a significant interview with US presidential candidate Donald Trump on the same platform, was reportedly dispatched without the endorsement of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen or other commissioners. The Commission stated that both “the timing and the wording of the letter were neither coordinated or agreed with the president nor with the [commissioners].” Breton, acting without consultation, seems to embody the lone wolf approach within the pro-censorship EU framework, often adopting his own threatening distinctive strategies. As one EU official who preferred anonymity to the Financial Times expressed, “Thierry has his own mind and way of working and thinking.” This incident underscores the tension between regulatory enforcement and the autonomy of individual commissioners within the EU. The Commission is actively examining the role of X, previously known as Twitter, under the stringent parameters of the 2022 censorship law, the Digital Services Act. This act was specifically designed to curb speech on vast social media networks. The ongoing probe focuses on the propagation of illegal content and the manipulation of information on the platform, with the Commission noting, “The [investigation] on dissemination of illegal content and information manipulation is ongoing, we are looking into it, and of course, everything that happens on the platform feeds into this assessment.” Breton’s decision to issue the letter, which coincided with Musk’s interview with Trump, was described by aides as a calculated “trigger point.” As the designated overseer of the Digital Services Act’s enforcement, Breton felt compelled to remind Musk of this looming threat. He stressed the importance of such measures against “recent examples of public unrest brought about by the amplification of content that promotes hatred, disorder, incitement to violence, or certain instances of disinformation.” If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post EU Accuses Breton of Going Rogue With Overreaching Censorship Threats appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

A dog gets rushed to the vet after accidentally ingesting marijuana during a beach walk with owner on Saturday, July 27. The owner, Stephen Davidson, 59, said his eight-year-old West Highland terrier, named Oscar, started acting strangely after their usual beach walk in Sheerness, Kent, England. Davidson tells the New York Post that Oscar, who […]

On Monday (August 12), two people were struck by lightning in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona.In a statement released on Tuesday, the National Park Service (NPS) revealed that two female visitors, aged 22 and 23 and hailing from the Netherlands and Australia, had “sustained injuries” while standing near the rim of Horseshoe Bend. Both were flown to St. George Regional Hospital in Utah by Classic Air Medical helicopters, however, no update on their condition has been provided.The incident happened just before 4 pm during a severe storm, reports the Page Police Department.The area was temporarily evacuated so that two helicopters could land, and the victims were treated at the scene before being airlifted to hospital.Lightning strikes the United States about 25 million times a year, killing around 20 people and severely injuring hundreds more. With a peak temperature of 27,760°C (50,000°F) – that’s nearly five times hotter than the surface of the Sun – it is hardly surprising that lightning can cause so much damage to the human body. It is therefore imperative to take precautions when out and about during a storm.In Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which straddles Arizona and Utah, the NPS warns that thunderstorms “are most frequent and severe during the monsoon season, which is typically mid-June through September in Arizona and July through September in Utah”.As such, “visitors are advised to use caution while visiting exposed outdoor areas and be aware of changing weather conditions.”“If you hear thunder, you are at risk of getting struck by lightning and should immediately seek shelter in a vehicle or building.”

Vice President Kamala Harris is a mysterious public figure indeed. Despite hitting the campaign trail, she’s managed to stay virtually entirely on script — and never off the cuff. She's distanced herself from her past positions, sponsorships, and even her current agenda, but not personally, of course. Announcements of her shifts have come through anonymous aides and unsourced campaign statements. No comment, no interviews; she wouldn’t even sit down for Time’s servile profile. You might call it the “Wizard of Oz” campaign strategy. “Pay no attention to that woman behind the curtain! The great Her has spoken!” It’s not bad; brilliant in its simplicity. But with every passing day, the act grows a little more dangerous. You can play the great and powerful Oz for a good long while, but eventually, someone pulls back the curtain. Meanwhile, her scant and shallow policies have drawn polite applause from corporate media. It’s not cynical pandering or “flip-flopping” any more. When Harris does it, it’s “worth reflecting on [her] transformation,” as Playbook put it. But even Playbook is a little suspicious of the whole thing. After she copied her Republican opponent’s no-tax-on-tips idea, aping it so plainly that she announced it in the same city where he debuted the plan, our intrepid reporters admitted surprise that “she had endorsed any policy proposal at all.” The very next day, it was excitement again. Harris’ complete lack of a foreign policy is exciting to those tired of a field dominated by Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama’s people. There’s no actual sign that those same blob people won’t end up back in charge, but there’s something so invigorating about a blank canvas, isn’t there? Democrats are even telling reporters (on background, of course) that there’s no reason to muck up the "enthusiasm and energy” with policy, and they’re right. Democrats have nothing to gain and everything to lose by putting Harris on the stand. Remember the last time they tried to put Harris in the spotlight? Democrats and their media pals tried to make “Excuse me, I’m speaking” into the “Yas, queen!” of 2020, but it didn’t really take. If Harris were cool or smart — or good at her job or even remotely passable — she would have been a star of the administration. Instead, she was hidden away from the press, and there’s no intent to shift course now. The strategy worked for Joe Biden in 2020. But he had COVID to hide behind — and an incumbent weakened by his own COVID policies and consumed by his personal gripes and feuds. The unintended consequence of all that hiding, however, was declining public trust. When his actual abilities were finally revealed during the first re-election debate against former President Donald Trump, it all came tumbling down. The longer Harris waits before giving an interview, the closer the focus it will receive. Her virtually inevitable meaningless meanderings, nonsense slogans, and awkward cackles will be carefully scrutinized. In a normal campaign, these sorts of moments can blend into the noise and get lost in the news cycle. No such luck when simply speaking itself could generate a headline. You can play the great and powerful Oz for a good long while, but eventually, someone pulls back the curtain. Victor Davis Hanson at Blaze News: Tough on borders, soft on truth Blaze News: 50 years of fraudulent political journalism Blaze News: Dems say Project 2025 is extreme. Turns out that Americans are on board with its policy recommendations. The Spectator: Harris allies lean on influencers to post about campaign Sign up for Bedford’s newsletter Sign up to get Blaze Media senior politics editor Christopher Bedford's newsletter. The fire rises: The New York Times: Immigrants are becoming US citizens at fastest clip in years The Biden-Harris administration is naturalizing more citizens than the federal government has in a decade. That’s not a coincidence, of course, and it isn’t just about clearing up backlogs. There’s a political agenda here, and it culminates in November. Miriam Jordan reports: Naturalization applications typically spike upward in the approach to an election. “The surge in naturalization efficiency isn’t just about clearing backlogs; it’s potentially reshaping the electorate, merely months before a pivotal election," said Xiao Wang, chief executive of Boundless, a company that uses government data to analyze immigration trends and that offers services to immigrants who seek professional help in navigating the application process. "Every citizenship application could be a vote that decides Senate seats or even the presidency," Mr. Wang said. Politico: The nation’s best hackers found vulnerabilities in voting machines — but no time to fix them

What are the Stellaris console commands and cheats? As with all grand strategy games, the desire to have that perfect run is strong. While some of the best stories come from rolling with the punches, when you’re the hero of your own tale you sometimes want things to happen in a specific way. That’s where cheats come in. Stellaris has a console command feature that’s common with many strategy games where you can input commands to achieve instant results. Sometimes this can be literal cheating, like giving yourself more resources or just hand-waving away a pesky rival, but there are plenty of debug commands and options to create nice visuals, like by removing the UI. We’ve compiled a guide to the essential commands to give you a smooth game. Continue reading Stellaris console commands and cheats MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Stellaris review, Stellaris mods, Stellaris DLC guide

Starry Studio has finally given us a full breakdown of Once Human’s cosmetic refunds and account-wide purchase overhaul. Since launch, players have been calling on the team to improve the store because every purchase is locked to that individual character, not the overarching account that buys it. With a steady playerbase on Steam, Starry has been really good about listening to and taking action on feedback since Once Human’s launch, so it’s great to finally know exactly what’s going on with the account-wide cosmetics. Continue reading Once Human’s cosmetic overhaul refunds all your overspent Crystgin MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best sandbox games, Best open-world games, Best survival games

Who is in the Avowed cast list? Just like our favorite musicians or on-screen actors, we love to hear our favorite voice actors pop up in the latest releases. These people will keep you company throughout your journey, and that's especially the case with companion characters. When you build your party in Avowed, you have a choice between four companion characters, of which you can choose two. The Avowed voice actors are the only names to have been announced ahead of the Avowed release date so far. Since they accompany you through the adventure game, you should think carefully about who you pick. Here are the Avowed voice actors behind your new best friends. Continue reading Avowed voice actors and cast list MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Avowed release date, Best RPG games, Best story games

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