Author: nick

[ad_1] Automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) are among the fastest-growing forms of mass surveillance, logging over 20 billion license plate scans per month. This technology, which can track and locate vehicles and their drivers in near real time, is increasingly used by law enforcement to help investigate crimes without first obtaining a warrant. But without proper oversight, privacy experts warn such a trove of personal data is ripe for abuse.  Take the case of Lamar Roman, a 28-year-old married sheriff’s deputy living in South Florida, who couldn’t resist the temptation to use these powerful surveillance tools for his own personal…

[ad_1] Tom Blanton and two of his images. Collage: James Bovard. One of America’s most talented antiwar artists and political satirists passed away last week. Tom Blanton did one of the best daily roundups of government oppression and outrages stories on the Internet.  His Project for a New American Revolution was an inspiration for me and thousands of other folks over the years.  Tom was also one of the best and funniest headline writers I knew. He was principled, courageous, and talented as the day is long.  He was 68 years old and a lifetime resident of Richmond, Virginia. His…

[ad_1] TAC Correspondent Harrison Berger and Associate Editor Joseph Addington speak with Nate Soares, president of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute and co-author of If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies with Eliezer Yudkowsky. Soares argues that the leading AI companies are on track to build machines smarter than any human across all mental tasks, and that goal, if achieved, likely ends humanity. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] In the days before the much-ballyhooed celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary, Gallup dropped what passes for a bombshell from its polling operation. “American Pride Falls to 25-Year Record Low,” reads the headline on Megan Brenan’s summary of recent polling, which asked a representative group of Americans the following question: “How proud are you to be an American—extremely proud, very proud, moderately proud, only a little proud, or not at all proud?” In a column I wrote last week about the apparent decline of American patriotism, I noted that much of the press coverage focused on the low rates of…

[ad_1] More than one out of every $10 in federal food stamp payments was made in error last year—and states with high fraud rates will soon be paying a hefty price. The latest figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) show that payments made through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps, were rife with waste once again in 2025. Though the figures vary widely from state to state, the USDA calculates that 10.62 percent of all food stamp payments were made in error—a slight decrease from the 10.93 percent error rate recorded in 2024.…

[ad_1] A U.N. commission has called on Israeli authorities to free Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, provide him with medical care and free all other arbitrarily detained Palestinian medical personnel, Jessica Corbett reports. U.N. headquarters in New York. (LPulecio-WMF/ Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY 4.0) By Jessica CorbettCommon Dreams Just over 1,000 days into Israeli forces’ genocidal violence against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, a United Nations commission has forcefully denounced Israel’s treatment of health workers from the besieged territory and specifically demanded “the immediate, unconditional, and safe release” of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya. Israel has detained Abu Safiya without charge since capturing…

[ad_1] The Federal Reserve announced Thursday the leaders of its five new monetary policy taskforces, drawing from academics, businesspeople, and former central bankers.  Subscribe Today Get daily emails in your inbox Notable leaders of the task forces include Marc Andreessen, the AI investor and cofounder of investment firm Andreessen-Horowitz, and Charles Jones of Stanford University, who recently joined a research company founded by the AI firm Anthropic––both of whom will serve as leaders on the productivity and jobs task force.  Other business leaders named in the announcement include Doug McMillon, former CEO of Walmart, on the data task…

[ad_1] The Smithsonian Has Failed in Its Mission [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] The big debate raging among Democrats this year is whether the renewed energy being exhibited by the progressive wing of the party reflects an ideological development or something else. Unsurprisingly, there are many voices suggesting a long-awaited “pivot to the left” by Democrats is finally underway, as Ben Davis, a Democratic Socialist who worked on the data team for the Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign, wrote in The Guardian: Read Full Article ⟶ [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Carlos Martinez, Orinoco Tribune. Marking milestones in the histories of China and the United States. This week offers a chance to examine two very different visions of the international order. This week features two anniversaries that, taken together, tell much of the story of our age. On July 1, the Communist Party of China marked 105 years since its founding. On July 4, the United States celebrates 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. The two milestones invite a comparison: what have these two political projects contributed to the world? War and peace The US was born in a revolution…