If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Sign Up To Keep Reading This post is for Reclaim The Net supporters. Gain access to the entire archive of features and supporters-only content. Help protect free speech, freedom from surveillance, and digital civil liberties. Join Already a supporter? Login here If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Military Surveillance Tech Prowls US Neighborhoods appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. YouTube has (“voluntarily” or otherwise) assumed the role of a private business entity that “supports elections.” Google’s video platform detailed in a blog post how this is supposed to play out, in this instance, in the EU. With the European Parliament (EP) election just around the corner, YouTube set out to present “an overview of our efforts to help people across Europe and beyond find helpful and authoritative election news and information.” The overview is the usual hodgepodge of reasonable concepts, such as promoting information on how to vote or register for voting, learning about election results, etc., that quickly morph into yet another battle in the “war on disinformation.” And what better way to “support” an election (and by extension, democracy) – than to engage in another round of mass censorship? /s But YouTube was happy to share that in 2023 alone, it removed 35,000 videos uploaded in the EU, having decided that this content violated the platform’s policies, including around what the blog post calls “certain types of elections misinformation” (raising the logical question if some types of “election misinformation” might be allowed). As for who is doing this work, YouTube suggests it is a well-oiled machine hard at it around the clock, and “at scale” – made up of “global teams of reviewers” and machine learning algorithms. The blog post first states that one of the goals of YouTube’s efforts is to help users “learn about the issues shaping the debate.” But then in the part of the article that goes into how the platform is “dealing with harmful content,” it at one point starts to look like the giant might be trying to shape that debate itself. “Our Intelligence Desk has also been working for months to get ahead of emerging issues and trends that could affect the EU elections, both on and off YouTube,” reads the post. In case somebody missed the point, YouTube reiterates it: “This helps our enforcement teams to address these potential trends before they become larger issues.” And while machine learning (aka, AI) is mentioned as a positive when it comes to powering YouTube’s ability to censor at scale, later on in the post the obligatory mention is made of AI as a tool potentially dangerous to elections and democracy. YouTube also states that coordinated influence campaigns are banned on the platform – and promises that this is true “regardless of the political viewpoints they support.” And when Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) decides it has spotted such a campaign, this information is shared with law enforcement, including EUROPOL. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post YouTube Removes 35,000 EU Videos for “Misinformation,” Enhances Content Censorship Ahead of 2024 Elections appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Teacher Who Focused on Reason Over Ideology Fired

Wyoming Sheriff Recruits Denver Cops after Mayor Slashes City Budget

The journey of rehabilitation for a rescued dog often holds a powerful story of transformation and resilience, as vividly illustrated by Mabel’s experience. When Mabel was first brought into the care of her foster mom, Angela, her level of stress and fear was evident. She was so overwhelmed by her new environment that her body... The post Terrified abused dog learns to stop flinching 1 year after being taken in by foster mom appeared first on Animal Channel.

A federal judge secured an “important victory” and denied the Biden censorship regime’s attempts to quash a free speech lawsuit. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, The Daily Wire and The Federalist are jointly suing the State Department for weaponizing foreign counter-propaganda efforts to censor Americans. The Biden administration filed a motion to dismiss the case or move it to a likely more sympathetic Washington, D.C. court. But U.S. District Judge for Texas’s Eastern District Jeremy Kernodle denied the request. He also granted the plaintiffs’ request for an “expedited discovery” as they seek to “to determine the full scope” of the Biden administration’s nefarious actions. The lawsuit centers on the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, which funded censorship projects like the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) and NewsGuard. Both projects blacklist media outlets–particularly right-leaning media–and use those blacklists to discourage potential advertisers from working with them. Similar: Not So Fast: Biden Signs NDAA Calling Out NewsGuard … Then Issues Disclaimer  Margot Cleveland, an attorney for the New Civil Liberties Alliance who is litigating the suit, noted in a statement just how nefarious the government’s actions truly are. “The State Department and its Global Engagement Center lost sight of the Constitution’s foundational principles, executing a secretive censorship scheme that funded, tested, and promoted technologies that demonetize American media outlets and silence the speech of ordinary Americans,” she said. Paxton also tore into the State Department for its “reprehensible attempt to censor the American press with funding intended to monitor foreign propaganda, aiming to repress viewpoints the federal government disagreed with.” He added that “[a]busing taxpayer money, Biden repurposed a government agency into a censorship apparatus. It must stop, and I am proud to lead the Nation’s fight to save the First Amendment.”  Both GDI and Newsguard have actively worked to dry up ad revenue streams for media plaintiffs The Daily Wire and The Federalist.  GDI listed both The Daily Wire and The Federalist in its list of the “riskiest sites” for advertisers to show their products on in an October 2022 report. NewsGuard has similarly worked to discredit the two media sites. The ratings firm gave The Daily Wire a rating of 49.5 out of 100, indicating that users and advertisers should “proceed with caution.” NewsGuard similarly gave The Federalist one of its lowest ratings coming in with a 12.5 out of 100 and a warning to “proceed with maximum caution.” This comes after the plaintiffs requested a preliminary injunction to halt GEC’s funding of NewsGuard and GDI during the course of the ongoing court proceedings. Late last year, MRC Free Speech America and the Free Speech Alliance also called for the two groups to be defunded through the National Defense Authorization Act. Related: MRC, Pro-Free Speech Allies Call on Congress to Block NewsGuard Funding in NDAA MRC Free Speech America Contributor Christian Baldwin contributed to this report. Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand government agencies and Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on so-called hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former attorney, returned to the witness stand on Tuesday in the New York criminal case against the former president.Cohen, the prosecution's key witness, despite his compromised credibility, offered no additional evidence against Trump during his direct examination on Monday and Tuesday.In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to making false statements to Congress, tax evasion, and campaign finance violations. He claimed he lied "out of loyalty and in order to protect [Trump]." ‘It wasn't a lie; it wasn't truthful.’"And my family — my wife, my daughter, my son — all said to me, 'Why are you holding on to this loyalty? What are you doing? We're supposed to be your first loyalty," Cohen testified. "I made a decision based again on the conversation I had with my family that I would not lie for President Trump anymore."He acknowledged that some of the charges he pleaded guilty to were unrelated to any alleged arrangements with Trump. "I was given 48 hours to accept their plea offer or they were going to file an 80-page indictment that included my wife, and I was going to protect my wife," Cohen stated, referring to the civil fraud trial in New York.Despite facing up to several decades in prison for the charges, Cohen was sentenced to just 36 months. He was released early due to COVID-19, he testified.Cohen claimed that he paid porn actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about an alleged affair she had with Trump. Cohen testified that his payment to Daniels was made "on behalf of Mr. Trump" and that the former president reimbursed him $420,000, paid out in $35,000 increments over a year.Cohen told jurors about the Federal Bureau of Investigation's April 2018 raid on his hotel room, condo, and office. According to Cohen, he was residing in a hotel at the time because his condo had flooded. When asked to describe the raid, he replied, "How to describe your life being turned upside down: concerned, despondent, angry."Cohen was the prosecution's final witness, according to live updates from the courthouse.Defense team begins cross-examinationOn Tuesday afternoon, Trump's attorneys began their cross-examination of the prosecution's key witness. Cohen admitted that the New York criminal case against Trump was "personally" important to him.He acknowledged that he has been instructed multiple times not to publicly discuss the case but has continued to do so. Cohen stated that during his twice-weekly podcast, Trump is "mentioned in every one." His TikTok account "does make money, but it's not significant," he testified. Trump's attorney, Todd Blanche, asked Cohen whether he was being truthful when he previously made comments about Trump wanting to "make the country great again."Cohen replied, "At that time, I was knee-deep into the cult of Donald Trump, yes. ... I was not lying, it's how I felt."He also admitted that he previously described Trump as "a man who cares deeply about his family" and is "kind, humble, and honest."Blanche pushed Cohen to confess that he lied to investigators involved in Robert Mueller's probe of Trump's alleged links to Russia. Cohen acknowledged that the information he provided was "not accurate.""It wasn't a lie; it wasn't truthful. If you want to call it a lie, we can call it a lie. I believe the information I gave them is inaccurate," he told Blanche."But you are not testifying it's a lie?" Blanche asked."Sure, I'll say it's a lie," Cohen conceded. When asked whether he would like to see Trump convicted, Cohen refused to provide a definitive "yes" or "no" response and repeatedly replied, "Sure."Blanche questioned Cohen about comments he made on social media on April 23, in which he called Trump a "dictator" who "belongs in a cage like a f***ing animal." Blanche also showed the T-shirt Cohen recently wore in one of his social media videos. The shirt included an illustration of Trump behind bars, and Cohen said he encouraged his show's viewers to purchase the shirt from his merchandise store. Cohen denied that he is "motivated by fame.""I don't think that's fair to say," he stated."Is it fair to say you're motivated by publicity?" Blanche asked."I don't know if that's fair to say. I'm motivated by many things," Cohen remarked. Cohen will return for cross-examination on Thursday.According to court transcripts, the defense is not yet certain whether Trump will testify.Anything else?Trump has maintained that no crime was committed. He pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges in the case and repeatedly denied Daniels' affair allegations."I paid a lawyer a certain amount of money. We marked it down as legal expenses. So, I had a legal expense, and I marked it down as a legal expense. I didn't mark it down as a construction of a wall, construction of a building. I didn't mark it down as electricity," Trump said."There's no crime," he continued. "I've been here for almost four weeks in an icebox, they call it the icebox, listening to a judge who is totally corrupt and conflicted."Acting Justice Juan Merchan again on Tuesday denied the defense team's request to appeal the gag order against Trump, which prevents him from speaking about anyone involved in the case. So far, Merchan has fined Trump $10,000 for 10 comments that allegedly violated the order.House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) visited the courthouse on Tuesday to show his support for Trump. Before attending the trial, he spoke to the media. He stated that Cohen was "clearly on a mission for personal revenge" and claimed that the case was "not about justice, it's about politics.""The crime they are accusing President Trump of is falsification of business records. But I think everybody knows he is not the bookkeeper for his company," Johnson said.North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (R), former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, and Florida Representatives Byron Donalds (R) and Cory Mills (R) also attended the trial on Tuesday."This trial is a joke. This thing is a farce," Donalds told reporters. "Where is the crime? There is no crime. The only crime that's happening here is this Democrat judge and the Democrat party prosecuting their political rival right in the middle of a presidential election." Rep. Byron Donalds: \u201cThis trial is a joke. This thing is a farce. The only crime that\u2019s happening here is this Democrat judge and the Democrat party prosecuting their political rival right in the middle of a presidential election.\u201d — (@) Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A man with a previous murder conviction was "erroneously" released into the U.S. after he crossed the border illegally, ICE has reportedly stated.The case relates to Efrain Vidales Vargas, a 49-year-old Colombian national who was convicted of aggravated homicide, aggravated theft, and possession of a weapon in connection with an incident that occurred in 2014. In September 2016, a Colombian court sentenced Vargas to 17 years in prison.'I cannot fathom for a million years why ICE would release somebody that had a warrant, or was a suspect, or anything in a heinous crime like a murder.'It seems that Vargas may have managed to escape from his detention facility in Colombia because last November, he reportedly crossed the U.S. border near Yuma, Arizona. He was then picked up by Border Patrol, who handed him over to ICE for further processing.According to Ali Bradley, a journalist who covers issues related to the southern border for NewsNation, ICE agents knew about Vargas' violent past while he was in custody. On December 11, an agent noted that Vargas had been convicted of murder and that he had committed other crimes as a juvenile, Bradley reported, citing sources. Nevertheless, Vargas was released into the U.S. two days later with a notice to appear because of a "national bed space shortage caused by southwest border surge," Bradley reported.On May 6, deportation officers with ERO Boston arrested Vargas near his residence in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. A tip from a Colombian Interpol official reportedly led to the arrest. Vargas, "an unlawfully present Colombian national who is wanted by Colombian authorities for a Homicide conviction," will hopefully soon be deported back to his home country, where he will "face criminal prosecution," ICE said in a statement shared by Bradley. ICE also acknowledged in the statement that Vargas was "erroneously" released into the U.S. last year. The statement hinted that overworked agents simply cannot handle such an insurgence of illegal immigrants."U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations employs a staff of around 4,000 deportation officers who manage a national non-detained docket of more than 7 million noncitizens – a number that increases every day," it said. — (@) Chris Clem, a retired Border Patrol chief for the Yuma sector, indicated to NewsNation that the bungling of Vargas' case is a "great[] betrayal to the American people." "I cannot fathom for a million years why ICE would release somebody that had a warrant, or was a suspect, or anything in a heinous crime like a murder," he added.A statement from ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons, however, claimed that his agency is committed to "public safety." "ERO Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by aggressively apprehending and removing the most egregious noncitizen offenders from our New England neighborhoods," the statement said.Without mentioning Vargas by name, Lyons added that the illegal alien would soon be back behind bars in Colombia, where he belongs. "This Colombian national is wanted in his home country for some very serious crimes," Lyons said. "He attempted to hide out in Massachusetts, and now he will have to answer for his actions."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Why do Catholics pray to Mary and the saints? What do Catholics believe about salvation? And is it anti-Semitic to say Jews killed Jesus? Trent Horn from Catholic Answers recently joined "Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey" to answer these and more questions in an episode about the longstanding disagreement between Protestant and Catholic beliefs. Catholics have many practices that Protestants find unbiblical: mainly, praying to Mary and the saints and the place of honor Mary has in the Catholic Church. Protestants maintain that praying to saints has no biblical basis, and since Jesus himself intercedes for Christians on earth, we have no need for the intercession of Mary or the saints, citing verses like 1 Timothy 2:5 and Hebrews 2:5 as evidence: "There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5) "He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them." (Hebrews 7:25) Protestants also believe that since the saints have died, they have no way of hearing our prayers, and trying to pray to them could be condemned as attempting to speak with the dead, as seen in Leviticus: "A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20:27) On the Catholic side, Catholics believe that saints are able to intercede on behalf of Christians on earth, since though physically dead, they are spiritually alive and more alive in Christ than Christians are on earth. Since they are spiritually alive, it is not necromancy — it is asking for the prayers of the members of the body of Christ in heaven. They believe the ability of the saints to hear prayers from Christians on earth is through the omnipotence of God. To support this, Catholics point to mentions of the prayers of the saints in Revelation: "The twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." (Rev. 5:8) "The smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God." (Rev. 8:4) Catholics also do not believe that Christ being the one mediator means Christians cannot ask for the intercessory prayers of Mary, the saints, and other Christians on earth. While Christ is the one mediator between God and man, and no one else can fill that role, Catholics believe that all Christians are called to be mediators between Christ and the world. On "Relatable," Trent Horn cited the earliest-known liturgical prayer not found in Scripture — the “Sub Tuum Praesidium” (meaning “Beneath Thy Protection”) — as evidence of the early church praying to and honoring Mary. This prayer was found on Greek papyrus around 300 A.D. and asks for the protection and intercession of Mary: “We turn to you for protection, Holy Mother of God. Listen to our prayers and help us in our needs. Save us from every danger, glorious and blessed Virgin.” Many Protestants do not believe that Mary has a place of honor, while Catholics maintain that Mary is the mother of God, the queen of heaven and earth, and deserving of a special type of reverence and love. Allie referenced Mark 3:31-35 as an example of her beliefs that Mary does not have a special place of honor: “And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, 'Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.' And he answered them, 'Who are my mother and my brothers?' And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.'” Trent then explained his view of these verses, “I think we can misread that, because ... one could take that so far as to say, 'Oh, you know, your mother doesn't really matter. You don't have to worry about your mother, what matters more are other believers.'" He continued, "But the Bible's also very clear you have special obligations to your parents ... what's going on here is Jesus is saying that to have a special relationship with him it is not necessary to be his biological kin.” The conversation also veered into intercessory prayer, the definition of prayer itself, Sola Scriptura, and salvation theology. This episode is jam-packed with theology and definitely not an episode you want to miss — whether Protestant, Catholic, or any other faith. Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

After analyzing over 9,000 recordings of sperm whale noises, researchers from Project CETI believe that they've discovered the "building blocks of whale language." The post Researchers Studying Sperm Whale Communication Discover That The Animals Have A Complex ‘Phonetic Alphabet’ appeared first on All That's Interesting.