Free Republic

Tax bods characterize it more as a brainstorming session, says Elon's unit wasn't involvedCongressional Democrats are again demanding answers from a federal agency over whether DOGE's latest tech makeover could put taxpayer data at risk. The latest please-explain-this-DOGE-activity letter letter [PDF] landed yesterday on the desk of the Internal Revenue Service's acting inspector general, Heather Hill. It is from Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA), the ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and perennial DOGE gadfly. This time, Connolly is demanding answers about a 30-day "hackathon" reportedly launched last month by DOGE staffers embedded at the IRS, in...

If you have an ounce of historical awareness (and basic empathy), the name “Guantánamo Bay” triggers images of torture and pain. It’s a site where the deprivation of the powers that be has been on full display. But what if Guantánamo wasn’t such a downer? What if it became a “prosperous charter city”? That’s the proposal coming from the most recent group of libertarian tech weirdos trying to rebrand Guantanamo with the help of a little modern-day slave labor. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has been courted by several groups proposing “charter”, “startup”, or “freedom” cities in the United...

An Oregon bill that would require big tech companies including Google and Meta to pay money to local newsrooms and journalists is steadily advancing despite protests from tech industry groups. The latest version of Senate Bill 686 would require companies of Google’s magnitude to pay at least $104 million annually to Oregon newsrooms and journalism programs. Companies of Meta’s scope would pay at least $18 million. Alternatively, companies could choose to undergo an arbitration process to determine a different payment amount. Lawmakers from both parties and numerous Oregon publishers have said the bill would be a financial lifeline for newsrooms...

... They're masking IPs, exporting laptop farms to America so they can connect into those machines and appear to be working from the USA, and they are using AI – but there's a question during job interviews that never fails to catch them out and forces them to drop out of the recruitment process. "My favorite interview question, because we've interviewed quite a few of these folks, is something to the effect of 'How fat is Kim Jong Un?' They terminate the call instantly, because it's not worth it to say something negative about that," he told a panel session...

This week, Silicon Valley heavyweights mingled with top Trump administration officials at a conference at the Ritz-Carlton in Miami. The event was hosted by the Rockbridge Network, a secretive yet increasingly powerful organization at the center of business, technology, and Republican politics. Those in attendance included venture capitalists Chamath Palihapitiya and Keith Rabois, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and real estate developer-turned-United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. The Rockbridge Network was founded in 2019 by now-Vice President J.D. Vance and financier Chris...

The entire staff of the Defense Digital Service (DDS), the Pentagon’s decade-old technology development office, is leaving by the start of May, with nearly all individuals resigning, a current member of the office confirmed to The Hill on Tuesday. The mass exodus, first reported by Politico, means the service will effectively shutter in less than a month. Of the 14 members of the office, a dozen including Director Jennifer Hay have requested the Trump administration’s deferred resignation option and plan to leave by May 1. Two other staffers are also leaving in that time frame. “Although DDS was excited to...

On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Ingraham Angle,” White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz stated that it is odd that Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who has “gone to just all kinds of lengths to lie and smear the president of the United States, and he’s the one that, somehow, gets on somebody’s contact and then gets sucked into this group.” He also stated that Goldberg wasn’t on his phone, “a staffer wasn’t responsible. And, look, I take full responsibility.” Waltz also said that Goldberg’s contact “looked like someone else. Now, whether he did it deliberately or it...

The European Parliament has, once again, found itself at the heart of a corruption scandal, this time involving the Chinese tech giant Huawei. Police raids have been carried out across Belgium and Portugal amid suspicions of bribery, forgery, money laundering, and organized criminal activity. The European Parliament’s latest corruption scandal unfolds even as the previous one—the so-called ‘Qatargate’ affair—remains under investigation and litigation, further deepening preexisting concerns about foreign influence in EU institutions. The Qatargate scandal, which surfaced more than two years ago, involves allegations that Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), lobbyists, and their families accepted substantial sums of...

For almost a year I have been emphasizing the fact that the DemoKKKrats have two major internal civil wars, neither of which they could win without massive electoral damage to the party. Civil War #1 was the Pale/Hamas vs. Jewish/Israel civil war. The DemoKKKrats cannot come down too hard on the Hamas Murder Pirates without losing---as they did in Michigan in November---their Muslim support. Trump didn't have to do anything except promise some generic version of peace. He did not overtly side with Israel, even though that is in fact where his support lies. DemoKKKrats unfortunately for us cannot alienate...

Users beware: This ransomware poses a threat to precious data. The FBI has issued a warning regarding malicious malware that demands a ransom from victims in order to release their data. Dubbed “Medusa,” the “ransomware-as-a-service” has affected more than 300 known people “from a variety of critical infrastructure sectors” since it was first discovered in 2021, according to a recent advisory penned by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center. In order to protect themselves, people can follow the agencies’ tips and tricks for securing accounts and personal...

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has pushed for a massive upgrade of the Federal Aviation Administration, claiming their computer system still uses 'floppy discs.' As the nation is reeling from recent plane crashes, Duffy sounded the alarm on the antiquated FAA claiming there are systems in the network 'that are run on floppy discs.' 'The systems that we use are so old. I need the Congress to move faster with us. We can't wait four years, six years, 10 years. We have to do it right now,' Duffy told CBS News. Donald Trump's Administration has set its sights on replacing the...

Thank you for the kind introduction. I want to start by thanking President Macron for hosting the event and of course, for the lovely dinner last night. During the dinner, President Macron looked at me and asked if I would like to speak, and I said, "Mr. President, I'm here for the good company and free wine, but I have to earn my keep today." I, of course, want to thank Prime Minister Modi for being here and for co-hosting the summit, and all of you for participating. I'm not here this morning to talk about AI safety, which was...

Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson 🚨BREAKING: The Biden administration’s CBP One app, which facilitated the transportation of over 1 million illegal immigrants on domestic flights, has been officially shut down. 12:25 PM · Jan 20, 2025

Unfair. Astonishing. Un-American. That is how tech entrepreneur Jeff Atwood sees the staggering wealth inequality in the U.S. today. In response, he and his family have pledged to give away half their wealth within five years, starting with $1 million gifts to eight nonprofits this month. His warning about the dangers of growing inequity was echoed by outgoing President Joe Biden in his final primetime speech Wednesday. “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get...

Former Trump White House advisor turned MAGA-world podcaster, Steve Bannon, remained unconvinced on Monday that Mark Zuckerberg’s latest moves at Meta mean the CEO has actually bought into any of President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda or the MAGA movement. Zuckerberg raised eyebrows and grabbed headlines last week when he announced that Meta would do away with its fact-checking and phase in a “more comprehensive community note system” – as Elon Musk’s X has done. Zuckerberg also said Meta would move its “trust and safety and content moderation teams out of California, and our US-based content review is going to be based...

US President-elect Donald Trump has invited world leaders to his inauguration breaking with traditional US foreign policy where it is not customary for world leaders to attend the US President’s formal ascension ceremony to the Oval Office. Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping who is not attending but is likely to send a highly placed envoy which could either be Han Zheng, vice president and foreign minister Wang Yi. It is yet to be confirmed who shall attend. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be representing the Indian government. The Trump-Vance inaugural committee, which is organizing the swearing-in ceremony for...

In a stunning reversal, the tech industry—once the unstoppable engine of modern innovation—has laid off over 124,000 workers in 2024 alone. What’s driving this wave of layoffs, and what does it mean for the future of work in one of the world’s most dynamic sectors? The Layoff Landscape In August 2024, Intel sent shockwaves through the market by announcing a 15% reduction in its global workforce—roughly 15,000 jobs. Just days later, Cisco Systems announced plans to lay off 7% of its employees, marking its second round of job cuts this year as the company shifts focus to rapidly growing areas...

The first successful demonstration of quantum teleportation over a fiber optic cable has been achieved, according to groundbreaking new research. The breakthrough, made by engineers at Northwestern University and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), presents new potentials in the realm of quantum communication by allowing it to be combined with existing cables used for providing Internet. This innovative approach reduces the requirement for additional infrastructure needed for quantum computing or quantum sensing technologies. Previously thought to be impossible, the Northwestern team responsible for the breakthrough says their work showcases the next stage in leveraging a single fiber...

CIA Whistleblower Comes Forward.. Former Intelligence Officer Claims Career Ending Injuries Caused By Foreign Directed Energy Weapon Leaked Defense Department Letter Acknowledges Injuries and Experiences “Are Real” “It’s a Cover Up...It Should Be Terrifying for All Americans.” Government Gaslighting 1:25 Foreign Adversary Likely Behind National Security Officials’ Havana Syndrome Injuries 2:40 High Powered Microwave System Weapon 3:37 Under Attack In Africa 4:01 Multiple Weapons Suspected 4:54 Crippling Cognitive + Neurological Symptoms Reported 5:43 CIA Director Privately Blames Russia 6:20 2023 Intelligence Report Betrayal 7:07 Government Gaslighting 8:11 $100K Medical Debt: Labor Dept. Labels Traumatic Brain Injury “Work Injury” 8:50 Cancer,...

Feb 04, 2015 About 500 IT jobs are cut at utility through layoffs and voluntary departures Information technology workers at Southern California Edison (SCE) are being laid off and replaced by workers from India. Some employees are training their H-1B visa holding replacements, and many have already lost their jobs. The employees are upset and say they can’t understand how H-1B guest workers can be used to replace them. The IT organization’s “transition effort” is expected to result in about 400 layoffs, with “another 100 or so employees leaving voluntarily,” SCE said in a statement. The “transition,” which began in...