Free Republic

New Gallup data show that people are growing increasingly distrustful of major technology companies such as Meta, Apple, and Google, as well as a newer player in the surveillance industry, Flock Safety. Some people are even taking matters into their own hands by destroying the AI-powered surveillance cameras appearing in communities across the country. Flock Safety, a private surveillance technology company founded in 2017, has been earning a reputation as a herald of the much-feared Orwellian “surveillance state.” Although a private company, Flock’s business model operates by selling AI-powered camera and audio detection systems to local and state governments for...

An employee at a Colorado Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center allegedly shot a female protester Thursday night while trying to get to work. Brandon Booth, 42, an employee of the GEO Group, which operates the Aurora ICE Processing Center in Colorado, was waiting in his car on a nearby street with other workers as a demonstration blocked their access to the facility, according to police. Two female protesters reportedly instigated a verbal confrontation and took pictures of the detention center employees’ cars before walking away. Booth then allegedly fired a single shot towards the direction of the two...

President Donald Trump declared Americans love both kinds of football now. Trump celebrated the USA’s fresh crush on soccer and traded compliments with FIFA President Gianni Infantino during a glowing reception on Friday in New York City, in honor of the 2026 World Cup coming to a close. “This guy, he came to me with this crazy idea [to host the World Cup]. I said ‘Are you crazy? We’re not a soccer country!'” Trump said after taking the microphone. “It turned out we were a soccer country, and I think it’s going to remain [one]." His remark follows the World...

Days after Lithuania said its intelligence services had caught Russia preparing sabotage against the infrastructure that ties the Baltics to Europe, Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys drew a public line. If those plans are carried out, he said, Vilnius will not treat the results as accidents. “If there is damage, or if there are casualties, it will be treated as an act of aggression, with all the due consequences,” Mr. Budrys said in an interview with The Washington Times at the foreign ministry. That means, he added, “not only the country’s self-defense but the collective defense of the alliance.” The warning,...

Are you there, Claude? It’s me, Margaret. Artificial intelligence has fundamentally changed the way we get information. If you have questions about the factors that underlie a medical diagnosis or how best to invest your savings, asking an AI chatbot for guidance can give you quick, easy and often surprisingly accurate information in a conversational form. But people are also turning to AI to explore deeper questions than they might ask a physician, financial adviser or professor — questions that, for millennia, were the province of religion. Today, millions are seeking moral guidance from AI chatbots. It might seem reasonable...

Anyone notice Amazon delivery is getting unreliable lately? I mean the past two months or so? I just a run of bad luck for me?

A car ride would have only taken 16 minutes.(Singapore) What could have been a 16-minute car ride turned into a spontaneous 2.5-hour trek to Changi Airport for a group of three young women. The trio's journey was documented on TikTok by user Angie, and was posted on Thursday (July 16). Captioned "peak unemployment activity", the video has garnered over 180,000 views in one day. According to a Google Maps screenshot shared in the video, the three's journey from Tanah Merah would take two hours and seven minutes. They set off at 2.42am, hoping to make it in time for their...

Sweltering Iranians were warned by their rulers Friday to shut off their air conditioners during peak hours as the regime claimed the country’s power grid came under strain from US attacks. Tehran’s Ministry of Energy said in a statement that shutoffs were necessary “to help ensure a stable electricity supply in the southern provinces, which are currently facing extreme heat and attacks on electricity supply facilities.” The statement did not specify whether power plants, transmission lines or other equipment had been attacked. CENTCOM declined to say whether the US military hit Iranian power plants or other energy targets, but a...

A recent article from The Cut received a huge amount of attention: ‘It’s Hard to See My Parents Live So Lavishly While We’re Struggling’. The piece includes vignettes of Millenial hardship:…his dad, Steve, sold his company to a private equity firm about five years ago, which enabled him to retire comfortably in his mid-60s…Two years ago, Joe asked his dad for a loan. He wanted to start a lawn-care business and needed capital for commercial-grade equipment and a trailer, at least $15,000. He presented Steve with his business plan, which included a schedule to pay back the money. Still, Steve...

FIFA has no plans to move Sunday's World Cup final, even as dangerous smoke from Canadian wildfires leaves a haze over New York City, reports claim. Spain is due to face Argentina in a blockbuster final at MetLife Stadium and there have been warnings that the combination of heat and 'terrible' air quality constitutes a 'very dangerous and powerful one-two ​punch to the human body.' On Thursday, the air quality in New Jersey, site of the stadium, was rated 'unhealthy for sensitive groups' by several air-quality measurement platforms. According to Bloomberg, FIFA and Andrew Giuliani - who heads of the...

A top Missouri prosecutor was booted for having an affair with an illegal migrant her office was probing for sex assault — and because she slept with two other men in glaring conflicts of interest, too, court papers allege. Disgraced Ray County Prosecutor Camille Johnston was yanked from her position Thursday when a judge signed off on Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s petition laying out a slew of misconduct allegations against her during her three and a half years in office, Hanaway announced. Johnston — an elected official who took office Jan. 1, 2023 — compromised the integrity of her...

WASHINGTON — The highest-ranking woman in the House of Representatives is calling for a “bright-line rule” prohibiting lawmakers from having sexual relationships with congressional staff after The Post revealed Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) slept with at least two aides to Texas Democrats. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), chairwoman of the House Republican Caucus, told The Post that “Senator Gallego’s relationships fall short of the standard the public expects from elected officials.” “Congress should have a bright-line rule that Members should not have romantic or sexual relationships with congressional staff,” the No. 4 House Republican said. “Even if a relationship is consensual,...

A strong earthquake struck the southern Mexican Pacific coast on Friday, right on the border with Guatemala, and was felt from Mexico City to El Salvador. Authorities did not report any severe damage or casualties in either country. Two people were reported injured in southern Mexico. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3 with the epicenter 30 miles southwest of Aquiles Serdan, near the coast of Chiapas, and at a depth of 9 miles. It was preceded by a smaller quake with an epicenter a bit farther out in the ocean. There were...

My niece has been diagnosed with a form of throat cancer - stage 1 chemo scheduled, please pray for Gail and her brother and sister.

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — An attorney is accused of smuggling drugs into jail. He and three other suspects are facing charges. Investigators say the drugs were soaked into papers the attorney delivered to his client. On Instagram, attorney Joseph Anfield-El markets himself as a champion and friend to his clients, but investigators say he wasn’t just representing his clients at the jail. “He didn’t respect this facility, and in my mind he didn’t service the clients. Yeah, he serviced them, but not the way he should’ve been servicing them with legal services,” said Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens.

Democrats are on the receiving end of a viral punchline after the restaurant chain Olive Garden shared the rules of its ‘Never-Ending Pasta Pass.’ The pass allows customers unlimited meals, but only if the passholder presents a valid photo ID that matches the name printed on the pass when ordering. They shared on X, “No. The Never-Ending Pasta Pass is only for use by the Passholder whose name is printed on the Pass. Passes are personalized and non-transferable.” “Passholders must present a valid photo I.D. along with the Pass at the time of ordering.” Conservatives were quick to mock Democrats...

Former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima, who ran for governor as a Democrat and then as an independent, is endorsing Republican Gregg Hull. Miyagishima ended his bid for New Mexico governor after weighing a Supreme Court appeal to stay on the ballot. Miyagishima said on Friday he decided not to pursue an appeal to the Supreme Court over his ballot status. “I have known Mayor Hull for almost 12 years. He is intelligent, hardworking, and a man of integrity. His record reflects his dedication to the people of both Rio Rancho and New Mexico,” Miyagishima said. “My goal is to...

More than $107 million in opioid settlement money sent to local governments from 2023 to 2025 went unspent. New Mexico State Auditor Joseph Maestas said his office’s report shows counties and cities had not used most of the money from lawsuits against drug companies, distributors and pharmacies over their alleged role in the opioid epidemic. The report analyzed spending from Fiscal Year 2023 through 2025. Fiscal year 2026 is currently underway. “This is New Mexico’s opportunity to begin addressing it (opioid crisis) across the entire state and at this point we’re not doing the best job and we need to...

In this previous blog post, I posted a news article about how liberals in Hamtramck, Michigan celebrated the election of the city’s Muslim-majority city council, but were later shocked and surprised when that same Muslim-majority city council banned the pride flag. Well now I’ve got a new incident which is just as good at showing off liberals’ ignorance and stupidity about how Muslim-majority institutions treat LGBTQ people.An LGBTQ cruise ship tried to dock in two different Muslim-majority countries – first Egypt, and then Turkey – and got rejected by both countries.What kind of ignorance and stupidity would they have to...

Over 30 years later, Dean Cain still believes that Superman's values epitomize the American experience. As the star of the hit ABC series "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," Cain brought the superhero to life for millions of Americans. But he almost ended up in Hollywood by accident. He originally planned to play professional football and was signed by the Buffalo Bills in 1988, but a devastating knee injury ended his NFL career before the regular season. Over the past decade, Cain has emerged as an outspoken conservative, and has not shied away from criticizing Hollywood and going...