If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Donald Trump, the incoming US president, has chosen Andrew Ferguson, a Federal Trade Commissioner, to lead the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The announcement, made Tuesday through Trump’s Truth Social platform, marks a strategic shift in the agency’s leadership, reflecting a clear commitment to combating censorship and promoting free speech. Ferguson’s leadership promises to align with a robust “America First” agenda that prioritizes innovation and individual liberties. Trump described Ferguson as “the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History” and praised his track record for challenging Big Tech’s efforts to stifle voices. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump declared. Ferguson, who served as Virginia’s solicitor general and once clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is outspoken about tackling online censorship, particularly targeting instances where social media platforms or advertisers suppress conservative perspectives. According to Ferguson, coordinated efforts to silence such viewpoints or remove advertising from platforms like Elon Musk’s X should be investigated as potential antitrust violations. He has stated, “We must vigorously enforce the antitrust laws against any platforms found to be unlawfully limiting Americans’ ability to exchange ideas freely and openly.” Lina Khan, who currently leads the FTC, has built a reputation as an aggressive enforcer of antitrust laws, frequently clashing with corporate America. Under her leadership, the agency has derailed mergers worth billions of dollars, earning sharp criticism from Wall Street and major industries alike. In collaboration with the Department of Justice’s antitrust division, Khan’s FTC has acted against numerous corporate deals, arguing that excessive consolidation stifles competition, inflates prices, and exploits workers. Beyond grocery chains, the FTC under Khan has targeted sectors as varied as Big Tech, pharmaceuticals, and even mattress manufacturing, positioning itself as a staunch defender of competitive markets. These actions have made Khan both a polarizing figure and a political flashpoint, with detractors labeling her approach overzealous while others commend her determination to rein in corporate power. Despite her impending departure, Khan’s legacy is influencing even those within Trump’s incoming administration. Some Republicans have embraced aspects of her aggressive antitrust stance. Vice President-elect JD Vance has been vocal in his nuanced view of Khan, stating earlier this year that she is “one of the few people in the Biden administration that I think is doing a pretty good job.” As Andrew Ferguson prepares to step into Khan’s role, he inherits an agency embroiled in high-stakes cases and ideological divides. Whether he continues, modifies, or outright abandons Khan’s unfinished battles will signal the future trajectory of antitrust enforcement. Under Ferguson’s leadership, the FTC could pivot from aggressive interventionism toward a framework that balances competition enforcement with a stronger emphasis on protecting free speech and innovation. It remains to be seen. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Trump’s FTC Shake-Up: Andrew Ferguson To Take the Helm with a Free Speech Agenda appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

ActBlue Is a Scam, and We Have the Receipts (Sort Of)

Kimmel: My Producers Are Really Horny Over a Back-Shooting Coward, or Something

The spacecraft will perform an important flyby of Earth on its way back to the asteroid belt and beyond.

Even "password123" would be better than this.

Impressive though this is, the reasons behind it are not good news.

CBS’s Stephen Colbert may fancy himself as a comedian, but basic journalistic standards such as accuracy still apply to him and his jokes. However, The Late Show host used his Tuesday show to spread fake news about Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth as Hegseth attempted to defend himself against a media that continues to spread disinformation about his views on women in the military. Colbert began his remarks by putting up a shirtless picture of Hegseth, “Yesterday was a big day for Trump Secretary of Defense nominee and gym teacher who shows up uninvited to the senior pool party, Pete Hegseth.”     Getting to the day’s news, Colbert continued, “Hegseth's nomination has been in trouble after accusations of sexual assault and public drunkenness. So, yesterday, he went up to Capitol Hill on a mission. As CNN described it, "Hegseth's focus intensifies on key women senators in weeks ahead." Speaking of women and keys and women, they're great things to put between your knuckles if you're approached by Pete Hegseth. Hegseth also did damage control last night on Hannity.” In a clip of that appearance, Hegseth accurately declared, “And I also want an opportunity here to clarify comments that have been misconstrued that I somehow don't support women in the military.” Colbert then reacted by teeing up a clip of Hegseth on The Shawn Ryan Show, “Yes, the media is so unfair. Let's hear the comments that have been so brutally twisted and misconstrued.” In that clip, Hegseth was shown saying, “I'm straight-up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.” Unfortunately, Colbert is not the first media personality to take this one part of a two-and-a-half-hour podcast appearance and strip it of its context. Also in that interview, Hegseth acknowledges how 360-degree battlefields, such as those that existed in Iraq and Afghanistan, blur the lines of what is and is not a combat job. He also made clear he has no problems with female combat pilots. Hegseth was simply talking about jobs where physical strength is the most important qualification and even then, he was willing to concede that if a woman meets the physical standards for a job, she should get it. He is simply against lowering standards in order to get a talking point about historic firsts or diversity. Colbert didn’t care about any of this context. Instead, he falsely quipped, “Okay, that sounds pretty construed. But in Pete's defense, that clip is from all the way back when Pete was—one month ago.”  Here is a transcript for the December 10 show: CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 12/10/2024 11:43 PM ET STEPHEN COLBERT: Yesterday was a big day for Trump Secretary of Defense nominee and gym teacher who shows up uninvited to the senior pool party, Pete Hegseth. Hegseth's nomination has been in trouble after accusations of sexual assault and public drunkenness. So, yesterday, he went up to Capitol Hill on a mission. As CNN described it, "Hegseth's focus intensifies on key women senators in weeks ahead." Speaking of women and keys and women, they're great things to put between your knuckles if you're approached by Pete Hegseth. Hegseth also did damage control last night on Hannity. PETE HEGSETH: And I also want an opportunity here to clarify comments that have been misconstrued that I somehow don't support women in the military. COLBERT: Yes, the media is so unfair. Let's hear the comments that have been so brutally twisted and misconstrued. HEGSETH: I'm straight-up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. COLBERT: Okay, that sounds pretty construed. But in Pete's defense, that clip is from all the way back when Pete was — one month ago. 

Police said murder suspect Luigi Mangione's fingerprints match those found at the scene of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's fatal shooting in New York City last Wednesday — and a notebook found on Mangione details plans for the shooting.CNN, citing two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter, reported that Mangione's fingerprints and those collected at the shooting scene are a positive match. CNN added that it's the first positive forensic match that investigators say directly ties Mangione to the crime scene. CNN added that it reached out to Mangione’s attorney for comment.A handcuffed Mangione struggled with police as he arrived at the Blair County Courthouse in Pennsylvania for his extradition hearing Tuesday. Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, Mangione shouted, 'It’s completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience!'The New York Times, citing two law enforcement officials, reported that Mangione was found with a notebook detailing plans for the shooting.“What do you do? You wack the CEO at the annual parasitic bean-counter convention. It’s targeted, precise, and doesn’t risk innocents,” read one of the passages in the notebook, officials told the Times.The Times added that CNN first reported the recovery of the notebook. CNN's report indicates investigators are examining the suspect’s writing in a spiral notebook that includes to-do lists to carry out a killing and notes justifying such plans, according to a law enforcement source briefed on the matter.Manhattan prosecutors late Monday filed murder and other charges against Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, the Associated Press reported, citing an online court docket. The New York Times, citing court records, reported that the initial murder charge is for second-degree murder. Photo by Altoona Police Department via Getty Images (left); Photo by PA Department of Corrections / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images (right)Mangione was captured Monday morning at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania — which is about two hours east of Pittsburgh — after a customer spotted him and notified an employee. Police soon arrived to question him. The Altoona McDonald's on East Plank Road where murder suspect Luigi Mangione was identified and arrested on Dec. 9, 2024.Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty ImagesPolice indicated in a criminal complaint that they recognized Mangione as soon as he pulled down his mask at their request in the restaurant. When they asked Mangione if he'd been in New York City recently, police said he was quiet but started shaking. Police in Altoona charged him with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery, and providing false identification to police, the AP said.Later Monday, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Mangione was believed to be “our person of interest."The Times said Mangione — who was denied bail — is fighting extradition to New York.A handcuffed Mangione struggled with police as he arrived at the Blair County Courthouse in Pennsylvania for his extradition hearing Tuesday. Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, Mangione shouted, “It’s completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience!” You can view video here of that outburst. Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images'Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming.'The AP — citing a law enforcement official unauthorized to discuss the investigation publicly and who spoke with the outlet on the condition of anonymity — said a three-page, handwritten document found in Mangione’s possession includes a line in which he claims to have acted alone.“To the feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone,” the document said, according to the official who spoke with the AP.The document also contains the following line, the AP reported: “I do apologize for any strife or traumas, but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming.”According to the Times, the 262-word "manifesto" also says that as UnitedHealthcare’s market capitalization has grown, American life expectancy has not — and it condemns companies that “continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it.”Mangione reportedly had back surgery last yearThe paper added that friends said Mangione lived with significant, sometimes debilitating, back pain, which prevented him from surfing and negatively affected his romantic life; he underwent surgery for it last year. The Times said R.J. Martin — a friend of Mangione who had lived with him in Honolulu — asked via text how his surgery went, and Mangione replied, “Long story,” and did not elaborate.“His spine was kind of misaligned,” Martin told the paper. “He said his lower vertebrae were almost like a half-inch off, and I think it pinched a nerve. Sometimes, he’d be doing well and other times not.”Anything else?Bullet casings found at the scene of Thompson's killing in front of a Manhattan Hilton hotel last Wednesday — which New York City police called a "brazen" and "premeditated, preplanned targeted attack" — apparently were inscribed with words referring to health insurance claim denial tactics.Just hours after the fatal shooting, Thompson's wife said her husband had been threatened. Paulette Thompson told NBC News in a phone call that "there had been some threats. Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

As excitement builds for MSI’s brand new Steam Deck rival, a new benchmark shows that it might just become one of the fastest handheld gaming PCs when it launches. According to MSI, the new MSI Claw 8 AI+ isn’t just beating the Steam Deck at its own game, but the company also claims it’s 20% faster than the Asus ROG Ally X. If that’s true, then the MSI Claw 8 AI+ may already be one of the best gaming handheld devices you can buy, even if it is only open for pre-orders. That would certainly be a win for MSI, which didn’t fare too well in the court of public opinion after the initial MSI Claw reviews following its first attempt to crack the market. MSI might feel thankful so far, however, as the early noise about this new handheld looks very positive indeed. Continue reading MSI says its new Claw 8 AI+ gaming handheld trounces the Asus ROG Ally X by 20% MORE FROM PCGAMESN: MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC review, MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X Trio review, Best gaming motherboard

In space, no one can hear you scream. Or scavenge for supplies. Or potter around in your ship looking for something worthwhile in an asteroid field. Astrometica gives the exploration of No Man's Sly a chilling edge, and it's available right now. Continue reading No Man’s Sky like survival game Astrometica launches to positive Steam response MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best space games, Best survival games, Best sandbox games