Free Republic

Chaos in California: Hundreds of gas stations have shuttered statewide overnight amid skyrocketing operating costs, chronic supply shortages, and relentless regulatory pressures—forcing long lines, rationing fears, and a statewide fuel panic that has drivers scrambling and businesses grinding to a halt. Governor Gavin Newsom is reportedly losing control as the crisis spirals, with independents and major chains alike pulling out rather than face unviable margins in the high-tax, high-regulation environment. This video delivers Kevin O'Leary's no-mercy breakdown: this isn't random bad luck—it's a textbook case of policy suicide, where punishing energy infrastructure and chasing green mandates has backfired spectacularly, torching...

A simple software setup has become another checkpoint in Microsoft’s expanding web of identity and control.Microsoft’s removal of phone activation for Windows and Office is another signal that the company is locking users into a fully connected, account-bound environment where privacy and ownership steadily fade.In the past, activating Windows could be done privately without linking the computer to any online profile. Users could install the system, call an automated number, and receive a confirmation code. No internet, no account, no tracking.That layer of independence is gone. Today, activation demands a Microsoft account and an active connection to the company’s servers.The...

U.S. — Experts are now recommending parents limit their children to just four hours of brain-rotting slop each day to better prepare them for the future. Pediatricians are encouraging parents to limit the time their kids spend staring blankly at putrid, worthless garbage on a tablet or phone screen. "Children are our future, and our future is looking very dim," said Dr. Heinlen Reynolds of the AAP. "That's why it's imperative you cut out the brain rot they consume by at least half. Limit it to 3 or 4 hours, tops. But don't worry, no one expects you to...

Artificial intelligence is being used to steal voices, faces, and reputations. Victor Davis Hanson knows this firsthand. Hanson explains the growing problem of AI-generated deepfake videos that falsely use his image, voice, and setting to promote ideas he has never expressed and often strongly disagrees with.

Kapwing reports up to 33% of YouTube feeds are low-quality AI content. Spain and South Korea top in subscribers and views, sparking global concern.Once a fringe term, "AI slop" has become part of the global vocabulary. In 2025, both The Economist and Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary highlighted the phrase as shorthand for the surge of low-quality, auto-generated content flooding the internet — from shallow articles and spammy videos to algorithmic filler produced at scale. That growing frustration has data to back it up.A new report by Kapwing suggests that between 21% and 33% of YouTube feeds, as of October 2025, may...

you have clued me in for sure!! what are the top 10 nations where these vids come from.....this flood since 2024....i see many of these click baity yt channels were born 2024 2025 ______________________ Yeah, the flood of AI-narrated, faceless "dark history"/horror/clickbait channels (the ones with dramatic scripts, AI voices, static AI images + Ken Burns zooms) exploded in 2024–2025, and it's a global phenomenon driven by how dirt-cheap it is to produce. There's no official YouTube stats breakdown by country for these specifically (they don't label "AI slop" channels), but from discussions on Reddit, articles on content farms, and...

The Hidden Cost of Convenience: What We Lose When Technology Becomes Our ServantFor most of human history, progress meant learning more. Each new tool expanded capability, extended reach, and added to the skills a person needed to function in the world. But our relationship with technology has changed. Increasingly, progress means we know less while outsourcing more.Artificial intelligence pushes this shift further than any tool before it, and the coming wave of humanoid AI robots will accelerate it. These machines won’t simply take over hard labor—they’ll take over the small daily tasks and judgments that once formed the foundation of...

Cooking Robots and the Loss of Human Skill Original Question In view of centuries of history of technological development in which increasing power and convenience of gadgetry have prompted the unintended consequence of the atrophy of first-person practice of human skills with self-reliance, what is the likelihood that the proliferation of cooking robots will result in people forgetting how to cook and feed themselves in the event of a technological contraction? Short Answer The risk is real but uneven. Widespread cooking robots would almost certainly erode everyday cooking skills in some parts of the population, especially among those who fully...

🏛️ Why Politicians Don’t Want to Solve Problems Here’s a theory I’ve been thinking about — and the more I look at the world, the more it seems to hold up: Politicians don’t actually want to solve problems. Because there’s more money, power, and influence to be gained in keeping those problems alive — especially in times of chaos and fear. Let me explain. ________________________________________ 💰 Crisis Means Cash Every time a major problem surfaces — whether it’s war, climate change, crime, or public health — billions of dollars get thrown at it. Committees are formed. Programs are launched. Studies...

Wow I wasn't aware George was a spokesman for Comply™

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed three bills Tuesday to crack down on the use of artificial intelligence to create false images or videos in political ads ahead of the 2024 election. A new law, set to take effect immediately, makes it illegal to create and publish deepfakes related to elections 120 days before Election Day and 60 days thereafter. It also allows courts to stop distribution of the materials and impose civil penalties. “Safeguarding the integrity of elections is essential to democracy, and it’s critical that we ensure AI is not deployed to undermine the public’s...