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The New York Times Is Trying To Rebrand Venezuela’s New Dictator as a Serious Thinker

The New York Times has depicted Nicolás Maduro’s successor—Venezuelan dictator Delcy Rodríguez—as a pragmatic technocrat, a market-friendly reformer, and a “cosmopolitan” who helped to stabilize the Venezuelan economy. The Times claims that Hugo Chávez’s socialist revolution has evolved into a “brutal capitalism” under Rodríguez’s purview. “A relative moderate,” Times reporter Anatoly Kurmanaev wrote, “Ms. Rodríguez is the architect of a market-friendly overhaul that has stabilized the Venezuelan economy after a prolonged collapse.”

In a series of articles bylined or co-authored by Kurmanaev and Simón Romero, Rodríguez is credited with heading “a market-friendly overhaul which had provided a semblance of economic stability.” One article states that “hyperinflation was halted and economic growth returned” under her watch. The Times’ reporter Pranav Baskar has underscored Rodríguez’s credentials and style, writing that she presents “herself as a cosmopolitan technocrat in a militaristic and male-dominated government.” Romero and Kurmanaev have contrasted her “technocratic, numbers-heavy communication” approach with Maduro’s “folksy style.”

The article that provoked the most outrage in Venezuela’s expat community was published last September and bylined by Times reporter Julie Turkewitz, who was granted “a rare visa for foreign journalists” and traveled to Caracas for an interview with Rodríguez. The resulting article featured a portrait of the now-dictator, stylishly dressed, looking introspective and calm, as she peered through a window, casting a gentle glow on her face.

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EU Targets X (Again) in Grok AI Probe

European regulators have launched a new investigation into Elon Musk’s X, focusing on alleged failures to control sexually explicit imagery generated by the company’s AI chatbot, Grok.

The case is being pursued under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a law that grants the European Commission expansive powers to police digital platforms for potential “harms.”

In a statement, the Commission said, “The new investigation will assess whether the company properly assessed and mitigated risks associated with the deployment of Grok’s functionalities into X in the EU.”

The agency added that the review includes “risks related to the dissemination of illegal content in the EU, such as manipulated sexually explicit images, including content that may amount to child sexual abuse material.” Officials stated that these threats “seem to have materialized, exposing citizens in the EU to serious harm.”

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Chicago Teacher Placed on Leave Over Facebook Post Expressing Support for ICE

A Chicago-area elementary school teacher has been placed on administrative leave after daring to express support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on his personal Facebook account.

According to Fox News, the teacher, who worked at Gary Elementary School in West Chicago, posted a simple message last week: “GO ICE.”

That was enough to trigger a full-scale meltdown from activists in the heavily Hispanic community, who immediately launched a coordinated campaign to have the teacher fired.

A flyer circulated online alongside a Change.org petition demanding the teacher’s termination and urging parents to keep their children home from school in protest.

One user wrote:

“To be clear — I will be keeping my kids home in solidarity with families in our community and across the country who are living in fear because of ICE, and as a clear message to [redacted] that what he posted is not acceptable to me. This is not about forcing the district to act prematurely or bypass due process—which could invite costly federal litigation or a national spotlight that brings ICE back to terrorize our community.

I do believe [redacted] needs to fully feel how hurtful and alienating his words were. An empty school makes it unmistakable that his views do not align with this community. Ideally, that discomfort will lead him to choose employment elsewhere—without the district being pressured to violate due process or risk inviting additional danger into our community. He must be held accountable for the harm caused, even as we allow proper process to run its course. I trust the district to handle this responsibly and with care.”

Fox News Digital reported it could not independently locate the Facebook post, and the teacher’s account appears to have been deleted.

In an email to parents obtained by Fox News Digital, West Chicago Elementary School District 33 Superintendent Kristina Davis revealed that the teacher initially submitted a resignation on Friday, then withdrew it before the school board could act, allowing him to report to work on Monday.

“The district has obtained legal counsel to conduct an investigation beginning on Monday,” Davis wrote.

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Britain To Roll Out Facial Recognition in Police Overhaul

Britain’s policing system, we are told, is broken. And on Monday, the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, announced that the fix would arrive in the form of algorithms, facial recognition vans, and a large check made out to the future.

The government plans to spend £140m ($191M) on artificial intelligence and related technology, with the promise that it will free up six million police hours a year, the equivalent of 3,000 officers.

It is being billed as the biggest overhaul of policing in England and Wales in 200 years, aimed at dragging a creaking system into the modern world.

The ambition is serious. The implications are too.

The plan is for AI software that will analyze CCTV, doorbell, and mobile phone footage, detect deepfakes, carry out digital forensics, and handle administrative tasks such as form filling, redaction, and transcription. Mahmood’s argument is that criminals are getting smarter, while parts of the police service are stuck with tools that belong to another era.

She put it plainly: “Criminals are operating in increasingly sophisticated ways. However, some police forces are still fighting crime with analogue methods.”

And she promised results: “We will roll out state-of-the-art tech to get more officers on the streets and put rapists and murderers behind bars.”

There is logic here. Few people would argue that trained officers should be buried in paperwork. Technology can help with that. The concern is what else comes with it.

Live facial recognition is being expanded aggressively. The number of police vans equipped with the technology will increase fivefold, from ten to fifty, operating across the country. These systems scan faces in public spaces and compare them to watch lists of wanted individuals.

This is a form of mass surveillance and when automated systems get things wrong, the consequences fall on real people.

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Meta, TikTok, YouTube Face Trial Over Youth Addiction Claims

Three of the world’s biggest tech companies face a landmark trial in Los Angeles starting this week over claims that their platforms — Meta’s Instagram, ByteDance’s TikTok and Google’s YouTube — deliberately addict and harm children.

Jury selection starts this week in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. It’s the first time the companies will argue their case before a jury, and the outcome could have profound effects on their businesses and how they will handle children using their platforms.

The selection process is expected to take at least a few days, with 75 potential jurors questioned each day through at least Thursday. A fourth company named in the lawsuit, Snapchat parent company Snap Inc., settled the case last week for an undisclosed sum.

At the core of the case is a 19-year-old identified only by the initials “KGM,” whose case could determine how thousands of other, similar lawsuits against social media companies will play out.

She and two other plaintiffs have been selected for bellwether trials — essentially test cases for both sides to see how their arguments play out before a jury and what damages, if any, may be awarded, said Clay Calvert, a nonresident senior fellow of technology policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

KGM claims that her use of social media from an early age addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts. Importantly, the lawsuit claims that this was done through deliberate design choices made by companies that sought to make their platforms more addictive to children to boost profits.

This argument, if successful, could sidestep the companies’ First Amendment shield and Section 230, which protects tech companies from liability for material posted on their platforms.

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Kash Patel Announces Investigation Into MN Anti-ICE Operations: They ‘Should Be Worried’

Benny Johnson described what he characterized as breaking news involving a federal investigation into Signal chat groups during an exchange with Kash Patel.

Johnson said, “Okay, so this is breaking news. So you are you in the FBI and perhaps other intelligence agencies are fully aware of this coordinated effort to attack federal law enforcement, to impede them and potentially insurrect And so there is now an open investigation into these into these chats and into this coordinated network.”

Johnson continued by describing the reactions of individuals involved in the chats, stating, “Some of them are fleeing. Some of them are very scared. Now you can see their chats. They’re very, very worried now that they have been exposed.”

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Gretchen Whitmer Defends Abortion: Killing Babies for Profit is “Just Good Economics”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer defended the killing of unborn babies in abortions Wednesday during her State of the State address, claiming pro-abortion laws are “just good economics.”

Whitmer, a pro-abortion Democrat, was re-elected to office in November along with a new Democrat-controlled state legislature. Together, they have promised to repeal a 1931 state abortion ban and ensure that abortion on demand remains legal in Michigan for years to come.

Speaking at the state Capitol in Lansing, Whitmer made the argument that killing unborn babies in abortions is good for the economy, according to a video of her speech from The Recount.

Portraying abortion as a “freedom” and a “right,” she said: “Protecting these freedoms is the right thing to do, and it’s just good economics. States with extreme laws are losing talent and investment, because you know what? Bigotry is bad for business.”

The Democrat governor promoted killing unborn babies even while promising to work for a “brighter future” for all Michigan residents, State of Reform reports.

“I can’t wait to share my vision for our state as we move towards our bright future, and lay out my plans to lower costs, bring supply chains and manufacturing home to Michigan, and ensure Michiganders have unparalleled economic opportunity and personal freedom,” she said ahead of her speech.

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Private Jet That Crashed in Maine Was Registered to Anti-ICE Lawyers Spending Millions to Elect Democrats in Texas

The private jet that crashed during takeoff from Bangor International Airport in Maine on Sunday evening is registered to prominent anti-ICE lawyers who were spending tens of millions of dollars to elect Democrats in the upcoming Texas primaries.

The crash resulted in seven fatalities and one serious injury.

The jet was registered to Arnold & Itkin Trial Lawyers, known for its aggressive litigation and leftist political activism, including substantial financial support for Democrat causes, particularly those opposing strict immigration enforcement and Republican policies in Texas.

The victims’ names have not been released at this time, but early reports indicate that people associated with the firm were on board.

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How the US Regime Subsidizes Immigration—both Legal and Illegal

In recent months, stories from both the legacy media and the independent media have continued to pile up on how undocumented foreign nationals—also known as “migrants” and “illegal aliens”—are able to take advantage of a vast network of taxpayer funded benefits in daycare, medical care, housing, and more. 

For example, both the New York Post and Denver Post report that these foreign nationals have “overwhelmed” the Denver Health hospital system in Denver, and that the situation is “unsustainable.” Meanwhile, public schools report classrooms are filling up quickly with the children of these foreign nationals. Denver is hardly alone. The New York Post notes that both the City of New York and the state government have expanded local welfare programs, including pre-paid credit cards, to further ensure that migrants continue to receive cash and resources from American taxpayers. This is in addition to the approximately 66,000 foreign nationals who are housed in hotels and shelters, care of both New York and federal taxpayers. USAToday reports that colleges “across the country” are receiving millions in taxpayer money to offer housing to migrants at no charge. Chicago’s mayor is bragging he’s giving away $17 million in taxpayer-funded giveaways to “asylum seekers” who are presently living off the sweat of the taxpayers in government shelters. This, of course, is just a downpayment on many more planned giveaways. 

Just how much in taxpayers’ resources is going to foreign nationals? It’s difficult to estimate for a number of reasons. The spending is done through numerous different government agencies at various levels of government. Moreover, much of the money if filtered through non-profits (i.e., “NGOs”) that are labeled “charities” but are simply adjuncts of the regime. 

Once we add up $1 billion here and $77 million there, after a while we’re talking about real money, and one thing becomes abundantly clear: the regime and its partners are subsidizing the influx of foreign nationals who are promised a variety of both cash and in-kind benefits. It must also be noted that, contrary to certain myths, the largesse is not reserved for only the so-called “illegal aliens.” Legal immigrants can take advantage of the generous and well-funded American welfare state even more readily than can the undocumented migrants.

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Trump admin refers Minnesota case to DOJ over transgender athletes in girls’ sports

The Trump administration on Monday moved toward stripping federal funding from Minnesota by referring its investigation into alleged Title IX violations involving transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports to the Department of Justice for enforcement.

The civil rights offices at the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services said the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League have refused to comply with Title IX requirements by “allowing men to compete in women’s sports and occupy women’s intimate facilities.”

“Despite repeated opportunities to comply with Title IX, Minnesota has chosen defiance — continuing to jeopardize the safety of women and girls, deny them fair competition, and erode their right to equal access in educational programs and activities,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.

McMahon also linked the referral to broader criticism of state leadership. “As Minnesota reels from a massive fraud scandal exposing Gov. Tim Walz’s dereliction of duty, today’s referral to DOJ underscores the state’s ongoing failure to safeguard its citizens and uphold the rule of law,” she said.

A joint federal investigation concluded in September that both the state education department and the high school sports league violated Title IX’s ban on sex discrimination by permitting males to compete in multiple female sports programs and use female-only locker rooms and facilities. Investigators offered Minnesota a proposed resolution agreement that would have allowed the state to voluntarily resolve the findings.

The Education Department said Minnesota indicated in December that it would neither accept the agreement nor negotiate its terms. Since then, federal officials say the state has taken no action to address the violations.

“Minnesota is violating Title IX, and we will not look the other way,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. “When states allow males to compete in girls’ sports, they deny young women and girls the protections the law guarantees.”

The referral follows a February executive order signed by President Donald Trump directing federal agencies to enforce Title IX protections based on biological sex. The order authorizes agencies to review and, if necessary, withhold federal funding from schools and programs found to be out of compliance.

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