The Senate blocked President Joe Biden‘s renomination of the current chairwoman of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Lauren McFerran, with the help of two lawmakers who left the Democratic Party. Sens. Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) joined with Republicans in a 50-49 cloture vote, effectively stymying the bid to give McFerran a new five-year term. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) was the only lawmaker who did not vote. The setback for Biden means that Democrats were denied a majority at the five-member NLRB until at least 2026 with President-elect Donald Trump in office and Republicans retaking control of the Senate, according to POLITICO. Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee ranking member who has raised concerns about NLRB allegedly influencing union elections in favor of organizers, celebrated the vote against McFerran. “This NLRB seat should be filled by President Trump and the new incoming Senate. Not a historically unpopular president and a Senate Democrat Majority that has lost its mandate to govern,” Cassidy said. CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE He added: “I am glad the Senate rejected Democrats’ partisan attempt to deny President Trump the opportunity to choose his own nominees and enact a pro-America, pro-worker agenda with the mandate he has from the American people.” On X, HuffPost’s Igor Bobic shared that Manchin said his opposition to McFerran “is not a surprise to anyone,” pointing to a joint employer rule that he previously bemoaned for “saddling” franchisers with liability for franchise owners. C-SPAN’s Craig Caplan noted Sinema, who like Manchin is leaving the Senate in a couple weeks after not running for another term, returned Wednesday for floor votes for the first time since the upper chamber came back from its Thanksgiving break. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) had also filed cloture on a Republican NLRB pick, Joshua Ditelberg, but he reportedly shut down his own effort to move forward with the nomination after McFerran was blocked. “It is deeply disappointing, a direct attack on working people, and incredibly troubling that this highly qualified nominee — with a proven track record of protecting worker rights — did not have the votes,” Schumer lamented in a statement.

'Sensitive locations'

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The world witnessed the robbery

Introduction to FXiBot Avenix Fzco has developed FXiBot, a forex robot designed to operate on the MetaTrader 4 (MT4) trading terminal. This Expert Advisor (EA) operates specifically on the GBPUSD pair using the M30 timeframe. The forex robot utilizes data from 2016 to present, incorporating market cycles and conditions into its operational framework. The system […]

Big Tech is terrified that unfettered access to our children is close to an end. And when industry business models thrive on luring minors, they have every reason to be paranoid of the Kids Online Safety Act. That bill has been one of the most clamored-for pieces of legislation in the 118th Congress. Designed as a set of nonintrusive social networking protections for children, it has garnered the support of more than 240 organizations, a supermajority of the Senate, more than 30 state attorneys general, and, most recently, free speech champions Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr. As its list of allies grows, its provisions were sharpened to prevent government overreach and platform censorship, as well as to bolster parental tools and consent. The most recent changes were led by X, whose full endorsement speaks volumes for the integrity of these guardrails, because it would be one of the largest platforms under its authority. The following is a rundown of the most notable changes in the latest draft. While the bill always had a Rules of Construction stating that nothing in the Duty of Care provision shall be construed to require a covered platform to prevent a minor from searching for content or accessing information regarding the prevention of harms, skeptics remained wary of potential implications on free speech. They will be hard-pressed to argue that case now that the revised version added a provision forbidding government entities from enforcing the Duty of Care “based upon the viewpoint of users expressed by or through any speech, expression, or information protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.” Users and platforms alike should be pleased with its inclusion. The government’s proclivity to work hand-in-glove with Big Tech to censor COVID-19 content alarmed many when President Joe Biden’s press secretary famously said the White House was “in regular touch with social media platforms” regarding “misinformation.” Another First Amendment concern raised by some critics of the bill is that the Kids Online Safety Act would incentivize platforms to overcomply and mark conservative content as anxiety or depression-inducing. The bill’s authors addressed that by clarifying that platforms were to create design features that prevent depressive and anxiety disorders when such conditions are related to compulsive usage and the design feature—not the content—is a contributing factor. Just because a platform provides a means to convey speech, does not mean everything a company does is protected by the First Amendment. Take for example, design features like infinite scrolling, auto play, push alerts, and personalized recommendation systems. These features do not affect what a user may or may not post, but rather, they focus on keeping a user engaged and even addicted to the platform. In other words, they directly relate to compulsive usage. The revised Kids Online Safety Act draft incorporated many changes from the version that passed committee in the House, including no longer ceding authority to the controversial Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, eliminating the government study on social media harms, and tightening the size and scope of the Kids Online Safety Council with appointments to be selected by members from both chambers, both parties, and the administration.   The updated text expressly forbids platforms from conducting market or product-focused research on users it knows are children under 13. Remember, the platforms are not supposed to allow kids under 13 to have accounts, according to their terms of service and to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998. The revised Kids Online Safety Act requires platforms to obtain verifiable parental consent for research for kids older than 13. This robust measure provides parents with greater autonomy over how Big Tech companies may or may not use their children’s information.   It’s been 26 years since the United States has passed a law protecting children online. Since then, virtually every American has witnessed an epidemic of child exploitation and social media addiction among our youths, leading to adverse mental health outcomes, self-harm, and worse. Big Tech shoulders a significant portion of the blame. The Kids Online Safety Act is an opportunity to change that trajectory. The post The Kids Online Safety Act Prioritizes Kids and Free Speech appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Like clockwork, December brings the anticipation of Christmas, holiday gatherings with families and friends, and the release of your personalized Spotify Wrapped.  For you Pandora or Apple Music users out there, Spotify delivers a personalized “year in review” to each of its users in early December. Music lovers learn who their top artists were for the year, which songs they listened to most, and how their music preferences evolved over the year. Attend any Christmas party with those from Generation Z or Millennials and you are bound to hear at least one reference to “my Spotify Wrapped.”  Inspired by Spotify Wrapped, on this week’s edition of “Problematic Women,” we reveal what America’s Spotify Wrapped would be for 2024. First, we kick off the conversation with the top five political figures of the year, followed by the biggest cultural names, and the major events that drove the news cycle each quarter.  Watch the show above, or, if podcasts are not your cup of tea, read some of the highlights below.  If America Had a Political ‘Spotify Wrapped,’ Who Would Be on the List?  Joe Rogan Joe Rogan MC’s the UFC 300 ceremonial weigh-in at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 12, 2024. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) Through his podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Rogan gave nearly every major political player of the 2024 election a platform to share their ideas. Rogan’s interviews with Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and JD Vance earned millions of views and generated widespread conversation about the issues driving the election.  Democratic presidential candidates Kamala Harris’ campaign offered Rogan a one hour interview with Harris if he traveled to her. Rogan declined the offer, explaining he hoped Harris would come to his studio in Austin for the interview. Unfortunately, the American people never had the opportunity to see Harris appear on Rogan.  Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a campaign rally for Donald Trump in Warren, Michigan, Nov. 1. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) In August, Kennedy suspended his campaign for president and endorsed Trump. RFK has been credited with generating additional support for Trump in the 2024 election among independent voters who support Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.  Trump has tapped Kennedy to head the Department of Health and Human Services.   Joe Biden and Kamala Harris President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris walk onstage at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland, Aug. 15. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Biden and Harris made history during the 2024 presidential election. Biden’s decision to drop out of the race after receiving his party’s nomination was unprecedented. Likewise, Harris’ abridged (less than four months) campaign thrust her policies on the border, transgenderism, and abortion onto the front page of every news outlet across the nation.  Donald Trump and JD Vance  Donald Trump poses for photos with JD Vance before making remarks to a crowd in Asheboro, North Carolina, Aug. 21. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images) Like Biden and Harris, Trump and Vance need little explanation as to why they deserve a top position in “America Wrapped 2024.” This year, Trump became the second president in history, and the first Republican president, who will serve two non-consecutive terms. Trump and Vance also ran a campaign unlike any previously, appearing on multiple podcasts and utilizing the power of social media to generate support. And the image of a bloodied Trump, fist raised high, moments after a shooter tried to assassinate him will live in history as one of the most iconic political images of the decade.  Elon Musk Elon Musk speaks on stage at a Trump campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York, Oct. 27. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images) Musk upset the Republican and Democratic parties in 2024 in ways that have likely yet been fully realized. From his restoration of Twitter, now X, to a free speech platform to his endorsement of Trump, Musk has taken it upon himself to dismantle the “deep state” and put an end to the radical left’s war against common sense.  Musk should also receive credit, like Kennedy, for bringing unlikely voters to the political right. As the entrepreneur behind Tesla and SpaceX, Musk had a large public presence in the media long before he ever began actively speaking out on political matters. The billionaire’s foray into the political area no doubt influenced some of his loyal fans to consider their own political ideology.  For more of “America Wrapped,” watch “Problematic Women” above.  The post ‘America Wrapped’: Who Hit Top Political Chart of 2024 appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Wray Confirms: I'm Out By Inauguration Day

Another federal censorship agency bites the dust as the State Department dissolves its interagency censorship funding arm, the Global Engagement Center. The State Department is dismantling the Global Engagement Center (GEC) and reassigning its employees, according to a notice reportedly shared with Congress. GEC became infamous over the last couple of years for its efforts to crush free speech. Its  stated mission is to lead U.S. Federal Government efforts against “foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations.” But GEC has been exposed for weaponizing funding and tools against Americans’ free speech. The Washington Examiner investigative reporter Gabe Kaminsky posted on X Dec. 10, “Confirmed Congress received notice. ALSO Per NDAA 2025 agreement: No provision to extend the Global Engagement Center until 2031[.] GEC is the agency that—as I first reported at @dcexaminer—funded the Global Disinformation Index and had other 'censorship' ties @mtaibbi unearthed.” GEC thus received a funding snub in the NDAA for the coming year. Read the full blog on MRC Free Speech America’s site.