Free Republic

OpenAI and Google, having long trained their ravenous bots on the work of newsrooms like this one, now want to throw out long established copyright law by arguing, we kid you not, that the only way for the United States to defeat the Chinese Communist Party is for those tech giants to steal the content created with the sweat equity of America’s human journalists. “With a Chinese Communist Party determined to overtake us by 2030,” OpenAI wrote last week to the federal Office of Science and Technology Policy, “the Trump administration’s new action plan can ensure that American-led A.I. built...

On Friday, SpaceX's Crew-10 mission launched to help bring back the two astronauts stranded at the International Space Station. Astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Suni Williams were supposed to just be at the ISS for eight days, but they've been stuck there since June 2024. A SpaceX Dragon capsule, riding atop one of the company's Falcon 9 rockets, is carrying the four Crew-10 astronauts - NASA's Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov - to orbit.They are going to replace SpaceX's Crew-9, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut...

lon Musk revealed that the cyberattack which took down his social media app X on Monday seemingly originated in Ukraine. His bombshell revelation came during an interview with Fox Business Network on Monday afternoon following repeated glitches with his site, which has been down for much of the day. 'Well, we don't we're not sure exactly what happened, but there was a massive cyber attack to try to bring down the X system with IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area,' Musk said in the interview. Musk confirmed earlier in the day that X has been targeted by a 'massive...

YouTube, once a haven for video enthusiasts, has become a platform overrun with advertisements. It’s not uncommon for users to encounter multiple ads before, during, and after their desired video content. This begs the question: what’s driving the proliferation of ads on YouTube? YouTube’s primary revenue stream is through its Partner Program, which allows content creators to monetize their videos through advertisements. The platform takes a 45% cut of the ad revenue, while the creator receives 55%. This model has proven to be incredibly lucrative, with top YouTubers earning millions of dollars annually. However, this revenue-sharing model has created an...

McDonald’s is the latest fast food restaurant to use artificial intelligence to step up its game. The fast food giant is overhauling all 43,000 restaurants with an AI makeover in an attempt to cut wait times and make a better experience for both customers and employees. Upgrades will start with internet-connected kitchen equipment, AI-enabled drive-throughs and AI-powered tools for managers to help make sure that orders are accurate and so restaurants can predict equipment issues before they shut down. To accomplish this mission, the company tapped Google Cloud in late 2023 to implement more computing power in restaurants, allowing them...

An Ontario man who called a trio of ‘drag queen story hour’ performers “groomers” has been ordered to pay them $380,000 in restitution, in a landmark decision that will shape anti-LGBTQ speech in Canada for years to come. Three years ago, Brian Webster, who ran a Facebook page in Thunder Bay, Ontario, saw an article in the CBC about an upcoming ‘drag queen story hour.’ Commenting on a story, Webster wrote: TAXPAYER FUNDED CBC REPORTER JON THOMPSON HAS AN AGENDA TO PROMOTE. ASK YOURSELF WHY THESE PEOPLE NEED TO PERFORM FOR CHILDREN? GROOMERS. That’s the agenda. Just look at the...

I'm going to be talking about 0:04 Trump the media coverage of him and in 0:06 particular a decision that was made 0:09 Friday 5:00 p.m. by the National 0:10 Institutes of Health to cap the indirect 0:14 payments to Universities at 15% 15 cents 0:17 on the dollar for NIH Awards this has 0:19 created a load of controversy among 0:22 academic researchers we're going to 0:23 unpack that and we're really going to 0:24 get into the details of how universities 0:26 run

While public discourse is consumed by a deluge of executive orders and scandalous exposés of waste and corruption, the Trump administration, with Elon Musk’s United States DOGE Service (USDS) at the helm, is quietly executing a radical AI-driven overhaul of federal operations.The recently established USDS, whose goal is to “[modernize] Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity,” has instead handed Musk and his allies unprecedented control over federal technology strategy — with little scrutiny and even less accountability.What was pitched as a reasonable efficiency initiative is rapidly escalating into a full-scale AI revolution, one that raises serious...

Delaware is facing a further exodus of tech companies amid reports that Meta and Dropbox are moving out of the state. Newsweek has contacted Meta and Dropbox for comment via email. Why It Matters Delaware has long been considered a business-friendly state due to its corporate tax advantages, and is home to multiple large companies. However, backlash against the First State has intensified after Delaware Judge Kathaleen McCormick ruled that Tesla CEO Elon Musk's record-breaking $56 billion compensation package was excessive. Musk, who has become increasingly influential in both the political and corporate world, urged companies to pull out of...

Canadian TikTok users are claiming the app is also down for them as the U.S. ban takes effect, with dozens of annoyed Canadian users flocking to X to vent their frustrations. On Saturday night, the popular social media app was removed from American app stores, with access blocked for American users as a warning message reading, "A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now," with two options at the bottom prompting users to "Learn more" or "Close app." The message also shouted out President-elect Donald Trump, with developers writing,...

Intel's (INTC) fall from grace seemed to happen all at once. Shares of the once iconic chipmaker plummeted 60% in 2024. The company posted the biggest loss in its 56-year history in its latest quarterly earnings report. Its market cap has dropped 80% since 2000 — when it was one of the most valuable companies in the world. Company insiders and industry analysts tell Yahoo Finance that Intel's dramatic crash is the result of a slow deterioration spanning more than two decades. “They had a God complex; they were super arrogant,” a former high-level executive who worked at Intel for...

Here’s a quick note to send out to you that are about to cast your vote today. BRING YOUR OWN PEN. Why? In 2020 they were handing out markers to voters. This bleeds through the ballots and messes with the machines ability to read the ballots properly as there will be numerous dots all over it. Well, reports are coming in from all over the country that they’re doing that again. Some say that it’s not a problem because the ballot will then go to adjudication. But who can trust that? Also, make sure your ballot doesn’t have a DOT...

A tiny town in North Carolina that’s just been devastated by hurricane Helene could end up severely disrupting the global supply chain for microchips and solar panels. Nestled in the Appalachian mountains, the community of Spruce Pine, population 2,194, is known for its hiking, local artists and as America’s sole source of high-purity quartz. Helene dumped more than 2 feet of rain on the town, destroying roads, shops and cutting power and water. But its reach will likely be felt far beyond the small community.

In March, a Wharton professor who studies artificial intelligence and start-ups claimed on X, “The modern economy rests on a single road in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. The road runs to the two mines that are the sole supplier of the quartz required to make the crucibles needed to refine silicon wafers.” Ethan Mollick noted at the time, “There are no alternative sources known” if supply disruptions were seen in Spruce Pines.

Tesla CEO compared incoming Recall feature to an episode of Black MirrorNew Recall feature will be coming to Copilot+ PCs from JuneIt takes screenshots of everything you do on-screenSnapshots are analysed by AI on-device so they can be searchedElon Musk has announced plans to disable the feature on his PCPrivacy campaigners have also flagged concernsUK privacy watchdog has launched an investigation into RecallElon Musk has criticised a controversial new AI feature coming to Windows 11 devices this summer. Known as Recall, it takes screenshots of everything on-screen so you can scroll back in time and resume work on anything from...

The CEO and founder of the encrypted social media app, Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested on August 24 at Le Bourget airport near Paris as he was departing his private jet.Durov's arrest has triggered a heated debate with most influencers seeing it as an onslaught on free speech. A hashtag #FreeDurov popped up on X. Former US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tweeted: "France just arrested Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of the encrypted and uncensored Telegram platform. The need to protect free speech has never been more urgent."Naomi Seibt, a German conservative political activist, dubbed anti-Greta by the...

Rumble CEO Chris Pavolvski announced on Sunday that he has escaped France and departed communist Europe. Pavlovski, who runs one of the largest social media companies in the world in Rumble, has always vowed to make his platform an oasis for free speech unlike the far-left tyrants at Google-YouTube who allow leftists to spew unlimited amount of lies but will not allow conservative voices a voice on the platform without restrictions. Pavlovski wrote on X: Chris Pavlovski: I’m a little late to this, but for good reason — I’ve just safely departed from Europe. France has threatened Rumble, and now...

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France on Saturday after his private jet landed at Le Bourget Airport, French media reported.Durov was arrested under a warrant related to “various violations of his encrypted messaging service,” according to a report by Le Monde. The 39-year-old, who became a French citizen in 2021, is expected to be brought to court on Sunday.French authorities are accusing Durov of a “lack of moderation” involving Telegram. The messaging app is reportedly under attack in Europe for the “viral circulation of false information.”“Telegram has shielded itself from state moderation rules, at a time...

A judge on Monday ruled that Google’s ubiquitous search engine has been illegally exploiting its dominance to squash competition and stifle innovation in a seismic decision that could shake up the internet and hobble one of the world’s best-known companies. The highly anticipated decision issued by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta comes nearly a year after the start of a trial pitting the U.S. Justice Department against Google in the country’s biggest antitrust showdown in a quarter century. After reviewing reams of evidence that included testimony from top executives at Google, Microsoft and Apple during last year’s 10-week trial, Mehta...

On July 6, due to an ongoing electric power issue, Amtrak canceled service between Boston and New York City for the remainder of the day. Amtrak is communicating directly with impacted customers about this service interruption and offering options for rebooking their travel plans. Amtrak apologizes for any inconvenience caused by the disruption. Our crews are working hard to correct the issues.