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.

CBC spends $59,000 fighting to keep Gem subscriber numbers secret

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has spent nearly $60,000 in legal fees fighting an order to disclose how many people actually subscribe to its Gem streaming service, according to access-to-information records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

The legal battle stems from an access-to-information request filed by transparency advocate Matt Malone, founder of Open By Default, seeking subscriber data for the CBC’s streaming platform, CBC Gem.

According to the records, the CBC has already spent $59,000 on lawyers in an effort to block the release of the numbers.

“The CBC bragged about its Gem subscription service and pointed to Gem as proof it’s providing value, so why is the CBC trying so hard to keep these numbers hidden?” said Franco Terrazzano.

The dispute escalated after Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard ordered the CBC to release the records. The state broadcaster instead took the matter to Federal Court, arguing the information should remain confidential because it constitutes “sensitive commercial information.”

CBC CEO Marie-Philippe Bouchard defended the secrecy, saying subscriber totals are kept private for “competitive reasons.”

Major streaming competitors such as Netflix, Amazon and YouTube routinely disclose subscriber metrics or revenue figures in public financial filings.

Maynard rejected CBC’s argument, ruling the broadcaster failed to show any realistic competitive harm from releasing the numbers.

“[While the] CBC did identify possible harms to its competitive position or to ongoing negotiations, it did not demonstrate that there was a reasonable expectation that these harms could occur, well beyond a mere possibility,” Maynard wrote in her decision.

Former CBC president Catherine Tait repeatedly claimed before parliamentary committees that “millions” of Canadians were using Gem, including testimony in January and October 2024.

Terrazzano argued taxpayers deserve transparency from a publicly funded broadcaster that receives more than $1 billion annually from the federal government.

“The CBC should be more transparent than Netflix or Amazon,” he said. “If the CBC doesn’t want to release the information and be transparent with taxpayers, then it shouldn’t get one cent from taxpayers.”

The current court fight is not the first transparency dispute involving the CBC. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation previously launched legal action after the broadcaster resisted releasing details about executive bonus compensation. Records later showed seven senior executives collectively received nearly $3.8 million in compensation.

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DNI Gabbard Spox Denies that CIA “Raided” Office to Seize Files Following CIA Whistleblower Testimony

A spokesperson for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has denied reporting that the CIA raided the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and took files relating to the JFK Assassination and the CIA’s mind control program MKUltra. 

As The Gateway Pundit reported, CIA whistleblower James Erdman III testified during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on Wednesday that the CIA “took back 40 boxes of JFK files and MKUltra files being processed for declassification by DNI Gabbard” in what he described as “documented efforts to circumvent oversight.”

This prompted Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer to send a preservation letter to the CIA, demanding that all existing and future records related to the taken items be preserved.

“Docs need to be returned to ODNI given that ODNI was given direction and authority by the President to declass RFK, MLK, & JFK. Regarding MKULTRA, these were documents specifically requested by my Task Force and currently being used for our investigation,” Luna wrote on X.

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Anthropic Says ‘Evil’ Portrayals Of AI Were Responsible For Claude’s Blackmail Attempts

Fictional portrayals of artificial intelligence can have a real effect on AI models, according to Anthropic.

Last year, the company said that during pre-release tests involving a fictional company, Claude Opus 4 would often try to blackmail engineers to avoid being replaced by another system. Anthropic later published research suggesting that models from other companies had similar issues with “agentic misalignment.”

Apparently Anthropic has done more work around that behavior, claiming in a post on X, “We believe the original source of the behavior was internet text that portrays AI as evil and interested in self-preservation.”

The company went into more detail in a blog post stating that since Claude Haiku 4.5, Anthropic’s models “never engage in blackmail [during testing], where previous models would sometimes do so up to 96% of the time.”

What accounts for the difference? The company said it found that training on “documents about Claude’s constitution and fictional stories about AIs behaving admirably improve alignment.”

Related, Anthropic said that it found training to be more effective when it includes “the principles underlying aligned behavior” and not just “demonstrations of aligned behavior alone.”

“Doing both together appears to be the most effective strategy,” the company said.

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Another ‘Missing’ Lawmaker? 83-Year-Old Democrat Rep. Frederica Wilson Hasn’t Voted in Nearly One Month – Missed 43 Straight Votes

Another ‘missing’ lawmaker?

Democrat Rep. Frederica Wilson has not voted on the House floor in nearly one month.

Wilson missed all 10 votes on Wednesday.

The 83-year-old Florida lawmaker has missed 43 straight votes.

Rep. Wilson is also reportedly posting old photos to her social media pages.

Last month, it was reported that Rep. Thomas Kean (R-NJ) had missed more than 50 roll call votes.

Speaker Johnson told ABC News that Rep. Kean is dealing with personal health matters.

“I was happy to speak to Tom Kean, Jr. this afternoon by phone. He is attending to a personal health matter and expects to be back to 100% very soon,” Johnson told ABC News last month.

“Tom is one of the most dedicated and hardest-working Members of Congress, and I am grateful for all he does and will continue to do to serve New Jerseyans and our country,” Johnson said.

Tom Kean eventually broke his silence and thanked his constituents for their patience as he addressed his personal medical issue.

The lawmaker said he expects to return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent.

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Landmark Peer-Reviewed Study Finds Vaccination Is a Major Risk Factor for Autism

For decades, scientists have debated what drives the relentless rise in autism. Some have claimed it’s simply due to “increased screening” while others insist vaccines play no role whatsoever. Thousands of studies have explored genetic, environmental, and perinatal factors—but very few have ever evaluated vaccine and non-vaccine determinants together within a unified analytical framework.

Now, our peer-reviewed study titled Determinants of Autism Spectrum Disorder, officially published in the Journal of Independent Medicine, provides one of the most comprehensive syntheses on the possible causes of autism to date.

Most importantly, by systematically evaluating all known autism risk factors side by side, we found that combination and early-timed routine childhood vaccination represents a significant modifiable risk factor for autism within a broader multifactorial framework. We found 79% of studies evaluating vaccines or their components (107 of 136) reported evidence consistent with a vaccine–autism link. The evidence converged across epidemiologic, clinical, mechanistic, toxicologic, and neuropathologic domains.

This publication represents a major breakthrough through the longstanding censorship imposed by the Bio-Pharmaceutical Complex on the issue of vaccination and autism. It also marks Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s major return to the peer-reviewed scientific literature after enduring decades of coordinated attacks from the vaccine cartel.

By systematically integrating more than 300 studies across epidemiologic, clinical, mechanistic, toxicologic, molecular, and neurodevelopmental domains, our analysis identified a broad range of interacting ASD risk factors beyond vaccination, including advanced parental age, premature delivery, genetic susceptibility, sibling recurrence, maternal immune activation, in utero drug exposure, environmental toxicants, metabolic dysfunction, pesticide exposure, gut-brain axis disruption, and mitochondrial abnormalities. However, no single non-vaccine factor sufficiently explains the unprecedented rise in autism prevalence observed over recent decades.

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Romania’s Presidency on Trial: 400,000 Romanians Demand President Dan’s Suspension for Serious Violations

Romania’s political crisis is entering a new and volatile phase, as questions surrounding democratic legitimacy, institutional overreach, and the country’s political future continue to intensify.

Nearly a year into the presidency of Nicușor Dan, a formal suspension initiative—however symbolic—has been submitted to Parliament, according to reports from the Romanian press. While unlikely to advance procedurally, the motion has reignited deeper concerns about governance and the direction of the Romanian state.

The proposal, filed by the nationalist S.O.S. Romania invokes Article 95 of the Constitution, which allows for presidential suspension in cases of serious violations. Though the motion lacks sufficient parliamentary backing, its contents have forced a broader national conversation.

At the heart of the controversy are allegations that Dan has blurred the constitutional boundaries of his office. Critics argue that his actions reflect a pattern of institutional interference rather than the neutrality required of the presidency.

Among the accusations are claims that the president has inserted himself into judicial matters, including consultations with magistrates and the collection of legal materials. These steps, critics say, risk creating a parallel structure of influence outside established institutions.

Concerns have also been raised over public remarks directed at the Constitutional Court. Observers note that even indirect commentary from the presidency can be perceived as pressure in Romania’s fragile institutional ecosystem.

The suspension proposal further alleges that Dan has conditioned government formation on ideological criteria. Specifically, references to a “pro-Western” alignment have drawn scrutiny for introducing political filters not explicitly grounded in constitutional provisions.

Another flashpoint has been the president’s visible presence at partisan political events. His public support for a candidate in Bucharest’s mayoral race has fueled accusations that he has abandoned the neutrality expected of his office.

Equally contentious is the continued absence of a permanent civilian director for the Romanian Intelligence Service. Critics warn that maintaining interim leadership while advocating expanded powers raises concerns about oversight and accountability.

The proposed expansion of intelligence services into areas such as anti-corruption and tax enforcement has further complicated the picture. Without clear civilian control, such moves risk reviving long-standing fears about the concentration of power.

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Fact check: Canadian law does allow provinces to hold sovereignty referendums

Commentary circulating online following the Alberta referendum court ruling is incorrectly claiming that provinces cannot legally hold referendums on separation or sovereignty.

That is not what Canadian constitutional law says.

Columnist Andrew Coyne claimed Canadians “can’t lawfully hold a referendum” on “the sovereign territory of Canada.”

But Canada has already held two provincial sovereignty referendums in Quebec, in 1980 and 1995.

Neither referendum was declared illegal.

In fact, the federal government responded to the 1995 referendum by asking the Supreme Court of Canada to clarify the legal framework surrounding secession in the 1998 Secession Reference decision.

The court concluded that a province cannot unilaterally separate from Canada under existing constitutional law. However, it also held that a clear vote on a clear question in favour of secession would create a constitutional obligation for governments to negotiate.

That framework later formed the basis of the Clarity Act.

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With GOP Help, House Dems Force Vote To Give Another $1.3 Billion To Ukraine – Rep Dan Bacon Is Working For The Blob Agenda, Not America

In a rebellion defying the priorities of Speaker Mike Johnson, House Democrats have teamed up with two Republicans and an independent in a parliamentary maneuver that will force a vote on a bill that would give another $1.3 billion in military aid and other assistance to Ukraine, as that country continues to lose territory in its war with Russia.  

“We look forward to seeing the House pass this bill quickly and encourage the Senate to take it up without delay. The ​brave men and women of Ukraine ​are waiting,” said NY Rep. Gregory Meeks, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the author of the bill.  

All 215 House Democrats signed a discharge petition, a means by which representatives can bypass House leadership’s agenda-setting role and compel a vote on a bill. Seldom used over House history, discharge petitions are showing their potency in a House ruled by a narrow majority, as is the case today. Most famously, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna used the maneuver last year to compel a vote on forcing the release of the Epstein investigation files. For this Ukraine bill, the Democrats were joined by two Republicans — Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon — along with California independent Kevin Kiley, who earlier this year left the GOP. 

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Trump Counterterrorism Adviser Brands Tucker Carlson an Enemy

Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes have been named by a top White House official as potential targets for the Trump administration’s counterterrorism strategy.

During an interview with Breitbart editor in chief Alex Marlow last week, Sebastian Gorka, the pugnacious far-right influencer angling to be the next head of the National Counterterrorism Center, was asked whether he considered right-wing extremism a threat.

When Marlow asked if there was a threat of “right-wing terror,” Gorka claimed that there were not “comparable trendlines to violence on the right” as on the left (a favorite right-wing talking point). But he then name-dropped two of the highest-profile right-wing figures—who also happen to be MAGA defectors.

“We have to have an effective, accurate snapshot on who are part of the conservative movement today, because I would say to you I’m not sure that Nick Fuentes or Tucker Carlson are conservatives,” Gorka said.

“If you are lauding Sharia law, if you are saying that there are Muslim states that seem to be better qualitatively than America in terms of freedom and prosperity, I’m not sure that means you’re part of the conservative movement. So if you remove those individuals and you understand that they’re not conservatives, what’s left?”

To be clear, Carlson did not laud sharia law. Rather, he claimed that Western cities were degrading from “self-hatred,” while Eastern cities were fostering “stability” and “hospitality,” and were “tolerant of diversity.”

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Hochul forks over another $4B to bail out Mamdani’s NYC budget woes as she faces intense election pressure

Look what the Kat dragged in.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled a whopping $124.7 billion executive budget for New York City on Tuesday – built on the back of $4 billion in funny money from Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The governor’s bailout – announced hours before the city budget’s reveal – was quickly criticized as a fiction used to help out her reluctant ally Mamdani as she faces re-election and pressure to appease the lefty mayor’s comrades.

Mamdani, for his part, got to save face by backing away from his months-old threats to impose a nearly 10% property tax hike and drain the city’s reserves to help close a reputed $5.4 billion budget gap – both of which he warned would be necessary if his “tax the rich” dreams evaporated.

“Only fools believed our young mayor would follow through on a property tax hike and service cuts as his first act,” a New York City Democratic strategist said.

“The threat was tactical chess. The Governor blinked, so the gambit worked but he may have bankrupted his own credibility in the process.”

The supposed state assistance largely consisted of kick-the-can measures delaying massive spending, namely a move to restructure $2.2 billion in pension plan payments.

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