Author: HP McLovincraft

Seeker of rabbit holes. Pessimist. Libertine. Contrarian. Your huckleberry. Possibly true tales of sanity-blasting horror also known as abject reality. Prepare yourself. Veteran of a thousand psychic wars. I have seen the fnords. Deplatformed on Tumblr and Twitter.

‘I wouldn’t let my kids near that’: OpenAI chief prohibits his children from specific type of social media

Leading artificial intelligence executive Sam Altman warned that he would not let his own children use short-form content because of its effects on young minds.

The OpenAI CEO said short-form video is “dangerous” and he does not want his kids watching it during an on-stage interview at Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference in San Francisco on Tuesday. Altman made the remarks after being asked what AI companies should learn from social media’s toll on young people — the issue at the center of Meta’s roughly $17.1 billion settlement on Aug. 26 with states that accused the company of addicting teens to its apps.

“I think we’re going to stay in an extremely human- centric world no matter how good [AI] technology gets, and I think one of the things I didn’t like about social media is, I think, it pushed us a little bit more away,” Altman told Salesforce CEO and chairman Marc Benioff at the conference.

Social media has not been “only positive” for society, especially when looking at the effects on young people, the OpenAI CEO said. He argued that social media companies shouldn’t shoulder the blame for all of society’s problems, but he would have managed the companies differently.

“I happen to like short for video … but I wouldn’t let my kids near that stuff,” Altman said at the conference. “I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect kids to be able to resist that dopamine thing or know that they even should.”

“I don’t think short-form video is inherently evil, but I do think it’s dangerous,” he added.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

“Some degree of accidents are unavoidable with new technology across the industry,” Altman said.

However, the industry can build AI safely if it keeps safety ahead of new capabilities and learns from incidents similarly to the aviation industry, he explained.

The CEO agreed with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s call to pace AI development on Monday

One plan to curb these negative social media effects was revealed on Monday.

The European Commission is preparing to introduce the EU Kids Act, which would set age-based limits on children’s social media use. Politico reported. Under this proposal, children would be restricted from creating social media accounts until age 15.

OpenAI discontinued its own Tiktok-style app, Sora, in April 2026, Axios reported. The platform allowed users to share short AI-generated videos and launched in September 2025.

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Democrat Roy Cooper Was Sued for Defamation and Forced to Apologize in First Statewide Campaign

North Carolina Democrat U.S. Senate candidate and former Gov. Roy Cooper was forced to pay $75,000 and issue a formal apology to a Republican opponent in his first statewide campaign to settle a defamation lawsuit.

After serving 14 years in the North Carolina General Assembly, Cooper set his sights on becoming the state’s Attorney General in 2000. With the race considered to be close, Cooper’s campaign — led by the same consultant in this year’s race, Morgan Jackson — decided it needed to “hit Boyce and hit him soon.”

Not only that, Cooper personally made the false claims in the attack worse and said so himself in a deposition. From a Charlotte Observer report:

Cooper said in the deposition that he scratched out “demanding $1,200 an hour” and wrote in “charged $28,000 per hour.” The ad told voters that a judge said the fee “shocked the conscience.” The hourly fee, the ad went on to explain, was more than a police officer earned in a year. The commercial was broadcast across the state in the days leading up to the election. Boyce’s campaign urged Cooper to stop running the ad; it didn’t. Boyce lost the race, winning 46 percent of the votes to Cooper’s 51 percent.

According to Cooper’s deposition, it was he who took a draft campaign ad accusing Republican opponent Dan Boyce of “demanding $1,200 an hour,” scratched it out, and replaced it with the explosive claim that Boyce had “charged $28,000 per hour.”

The ad wasn’t true, and Cooper knew it.

The case referenced in the defamatory ad had been handled by Boyce’s father, Gene Boyce. The elder Boyce was never paid $28,000 an hour. The figure came from a judge’s calculation and he had been awarded a fraction of it. The underlying lawsuit had actually resulted in more than $1 billion being returned to North Carolina taxpayers.

Cooper fought the lawsuit against him and the case spent more than a decade in both state and federal courts. Not wanting to take accountability for his own actions, Cooper unsuccessfully asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene on his behalf. But as the case finally approached a public trial in 2014, Cooper caved.

In the settlement, Cooper paid $75,000, mediator fees, and delivered a written apology to the Boyces.


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California high school grads score 4.0 GPAs but can’t do basic math, professors say

California high school students are scoring more straight A’s than ever – but it’s not necessarily because they’re getting smarter, according to data and education experts. 

The number of college applicants reporting flawless GPAs of 4.0 or higher has doubled over the past decade even as state testing shows a post-pandemic plunge in reading and math comprehension — revealing a grade-inflation crisis that’s sending students who can’t even do fractions into top universities.

Over the past decade, the number of students applying to the University of California system with straight A’s skyrocketed from 52,989 in 2015 to 103,138 for the class of 2025, with a notable jump during the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022, according to UC data reviewed by The Post.

It’s part of a dangerous slide in grading standards as teachers are backhandedly encouraged to hand out inflated marks, according to critics like Glenn Sacks, who teaches social studies in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

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‘Coercion’: Ballot harvesting concerns in nursing homes spur new push to protect vulnerable seniors

As the Trump administration seeks to crack down on potential voter fraud in nursing homes, an election watchdog group is providing additional information to long-term care facilities, citing several past criminal cases involving political operatives and staff who took advantage of vulnerable elderly residents.

A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services memo from late July cited two major cases in recent years, one out of Texas and another out of Wisconsin, involving elderly people being exploited in long-term care facilities for collecting votes.

The memo says facilities have a “responsibility to preserve residents’ rights to vote and to promote participation in the democratic process.” But says, “this activity should not violate federal or state voting laws.” And that staff “cannot engage in inappropriate coercion or other violations of residents’ rights.”

“Residents who require assistance to vote should have the option of receiving assistance from the person of their choosing and should be offered the option of receiving assistance from their authorized representative,” the CMS memo says.

The Election Integrity Network released a toolkit for instructing senior facilities on how to comply with the CMS guidance.

Among other things, the toolkit suggests facilities or caregivers avoid assumptions and ensure a resident expresses interest in voting; refer that interest promptly to a designated voting coordinator; and protect the resident’s choice and ensure there is no pressure to vote for or against a candidate.

Magan McCreary previously worked at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in Texas, Connecticut, and Rhode Island before becoming an executive assistant at the Election Integrity Network. She was surprised at what she saw.

“I’ve seen coercion from state volunteers saying ‘this is how I would vote.’ I didn’t stay at a facility after I saw social workers filling out ballots,” McCreary told the Daily Signal. “There is a lack of education about the vulnerability, and too many see it as less of a civic duty and more of something to cross off the activity box. There is a breakdown in the training.”

Concerns about election integrity, voter intimidation or undue influence in nursing homes long predate the Trump administration.

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“You Don’t Know What You’re Talking About! Get Away From Me!” – Nancy Pelosi Loses it on Reporter Asking About Her January 6 Lies

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lost it on a Lindell TV Reporter on Wednesday, shouting, “Get away from me,” when pressed on her security failures and lies about January 6. 

The House Oversight Committee released footage in 2024 that shows Nancy Pelosi taking responsibility for the January 6, 2021, protests and rioting at the US Capitol.

“I take responsibility for not having them just prepare for more,” Pelosi said, admitting that she was responsible for not having more National Guard present during January 6.

LindellTV’s Allison Steinberg asked Pelosi two years after the video was published: “You admitted on January 6 when your daughter was filming you that you were responsible for security failures. Will you admit that now? Why are you denying that, Congresswoman Pelosi? You also blamed former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund for his role in it when you denied the National Guard, I think it was 71 times. Your sergeant-at-arms denied the National Guard 71 times. Why is that? If this was a so-called insurrection, why did you refuse the National Guard? Please answer to the American people. They would like to know.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about! Get away from me!” Pelosi snapped as she got into her vehicle.

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Calif.: Feds raid L.A. nonprofit figures in sweep over multi-million dollar homeless fraud scheme

In a dramatic sweep on Wednesday, federal agents reportedly dismantled a multi-million-dollar corruption network embedded within Los Angeles’ homelessness services sector.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) tactical units in Kevlar vests, armed with rifles and bullhorns, descended on multiple South Los Angeles residences to arrest figures accused of skimming taxpayer funds meant to shelter the city’s homeless residents.

The operation targeted figures linked to contracts administered by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), revealing a deep web of kickbacks, “ghost” participants and lavish personal spending — funded by public aid.

Among those taken into custody during the morning raids was 48-year-old Lakiya Malone, an employee at Special Service for Groups (SSG), a nonprofit operating under LAHSA-funded programs.

Federal prosecutors say that Malone accepted over $180,000 in bribes and kickbacks to approve priority referrals and fabricate ghost participants — which are individuals who never actually received or resided in subsidized housing — to funnel millions in public funds into corrupt hands.

Malone was escorted out of her Westmont residence in handcuffs as First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli and other law enforcement officers oversaw the arrest.

Simultaneously, federal agents also swarmed the Baldwin Hills residence of 46-year-old Michael Young, founder of the nonprofit Home At Last. Federal prosecutors charged Young with wire fraud, alleging that he misappropriated more than $7.5 million in public homelessness funds using a network of shell companies and fraudulent billing practices.

Rather than providing shelter, Young purportedly funneled the public cash into commercial real estate, a bingo hall, private vacations and over $1 million to build and operate a restaurant and nightclub called Six Seven Five Lounge in Inglewood.

The sweeps are tied to an expansive, ongoing federal probe into Southern California homeless service providers, which previously ensnared Alexander Soofer, the former executive director of the nonprofit Abundant Blessings.

Soofer, who was charged with orchestrating a $23 million fraud scheme to buy a $7 million Westwood home and finance luxury travel, agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud and money laundering while admitting to his role in paying kickbacks to Malone.

Meanwhile, authorities are also searching for a third defendant in the new indictment, Donye Mitchell, 55, who faces federal charges for allegedly fraudulent grant applications exceeding $1.2 million.

Federal officials noted that the exploitation of homeless aid exemplifies a major breach of public trust, promising further action as investigations into L.A.’s homeless aid system continue.


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BUSTED: ‘Blue-Collar Independent’ Senate Candidate Endorsed by Democrats Caught on Hot Mic Revealing Exactly What He Thinks About Rural Trump Voters

A so-called ‘blue-collar independent’ pushed by Democrats as their candidate in a key Senate race has unwittingly exposed his true feelings about GOP voters in leaked audio.

On Wednesday, the Republican National Committee shared leaked audio of Nebraska’s Dan Osborn, who is now running just behind with GOP incumbent Pete Ricketts in the polls, making some really sick remarks about salt-of-the-earth Americans who loyally support the Commander-in-Chief.

Osborn promotes his background as an industrial mechanic, Navy veteran, and union leader to fool Nebraskans into believing that he is one of them. He previously attempted the same trick two years ago and came up just over six points short against Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE).

Like last time, Democrats are not running a candidate in the Nebraska Senate race.

But notice how elitist and disgusting Osborn’s language is in the video. These are his true colors.

“Billy Bob is f**king Red Cloud, Nebraska, who lives next to the f**king Trump store as you pull into town and is waving the Trump flag. All he knows is that he is on the winning team,” Osborn says.

“It really is that simple, it is. And Trump…That’s why he’s been so effective,” he continues. “He’s been so effective at taking Billy Bob and his wife, Mary Jane, or Mary Jo, and telling them, ‘Look, we’re winning. You’re on the winning team.’

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‘A long history of scandal’: Soros DA Larry Krasner referred by judge for criminal investigation

Billionaire influencer George Soros long has funded the political campaigns of leftist prosecutors, and in turn they’ve used their offices to pursue an agenda of leniency for criminals.

Now one is facing trouble for doing just that.

A report at the Federalist explains that Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and a top deputy, Matthew Stielger, have been referred for criminal investigation by a federal judge.

He’s suspected of “false statements, false declarations made under oath, perjury, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy.”

Explained the report, “It’s familiar stuff. Krasner, a spectacularly woke prosecutor who won the office with lavish backing from George Soros, has a long history of scandal and crisis, and has been accused of misleading courts in several high-profile cases.”

The report said the present problem “involves an effort by a convicted murderer, Dennis Johnson, to be freed from prison, turning to the federal courts with a repeated request for a writ of habeas corpus after state courts denied his several petitions for release.”

When the court asked Krasner’s office to respond to Johnson’s petitions, “Without investigation, Krasner’s office conceded Johnson’s questionable claims about the supposedly flawed murder conviction, telling the court that prosecutors ‘did not oppose the granting of relief,’ according to the memorandum.”

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AI Data Center Boom Fueling ‘Tidal Wave’ of New PFAS Production

The “AI revolution” is driving a “tidal wave” of new PFAS production to meet the demands of rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and the data centers needed to power it, The Guardian reported.

Exploding demand for lithium-ion batteries is also driving up demand for the chemicals, according to a new report by chemical industry watchdog ChemSec.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals” because they never degrade, have been linked to illnesses including cancer, thyroid disease and inflammatory bowel disease. They’ve also been linked to developmental issues in children.

In the last two years, new regulations have placed restrictions on some PFAS chemicals in drinking water and food packaging in the U.S. and Europe. And winning lawsuits have compelled some PFAS producers to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to settle health claims against DuPont and other companies.

Yet, ChemSec’s survey of the 10 largest PFAS manufacturers found that rather than being deterred by new regulations and the growing body of evidence of PFAS-related health problems, most producers are set to expand production in the coming years.

“PFAS manufacturers all over the world are explicitly framing their investments around ‘the AI revolution’ and microchip fabrication,” ChemSec reported.

PFAS are used at multiple points in the infrastructure underlying AI. They play a key role in semiconductor manufacturing, and they are a major component of cooling systems that remove the enormous amounts of heat generated by data centers.

That demand is fueling new investment in PFAS production even as governments struggle with widespread contamination from decades of previous use, and manufacturers face billions of dollars in liabilities.

ChemSec warns the increased demand driving production expansion signals that “the only effective method to end this toxic pollution crisis is to implement universal bans with strictly time-limited derogations to enable certain sectors to adjust.”

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Texas Gets Tough: Gov. Abbott Orders Crackdown on AI Data Centers that Skip Mandated Water Surveys

Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has directed the Texas Water Development Board to penalize data centers that fail to report their water usage, after state records showed most facilities have ignored the mandatory survey for years.

The Texas Tribune reports that the directive follows a rough stretch of compliance numbers: less than 30 percent of data centers responded to the state’s water usage survey last year, and response rates dipped as low as 28 percent over the past three years. Abbott wants an update from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) on compliance and enforcement by the middle of October.

“Data centers must share the duty to protect Texas water,” Abbott said. “The Texas Water Code requires a complete and accurate water use survey. I direct the Texas Water Development Board to use its enforcement authority to penalize past failures and to impose legal consequences for any future failure to comply.”

Since 2020, the TWDB has surveyed data centers and other industrial facilities every year, asking for monthly water use figures. State law requires facilities to respond or face a Class C misdemeanor, but the agency says it can’t actually prosecute anyone. It’s a non-regulatory body. That job falls to local officials, including district attorneys and law enforcement, agency officials said. TWDB staff told the Texas Tribune in July that they don’t even track how many fines, if any, have been issued.

The board said it would “compel all water users” to comply, and defended the need for detailed data: “TWDB is charged with developing a state water plan that meets the needs of Texans and cannot perform that task if it is denied detailed information on existing and anticipated water consumption.”

The survey goes out by mail to roughly 4,700 municipal water systems and 3,200 industrial facilities, including data centers that use more than 10 million gallons a year, a threshold the agency considers “a significant industrial user.” It asks for annual water volume, whether a facility buys or self-supplies its water, the water source, and whether the facility generates its own power on site. It does not ask about cooling technology, which has historically been the largest source of water use at these facilities.

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