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NIRVANA DROID: Humanoid Robot Gabi ‘Converts’ to Buddhism and Becomes a Monk

In Korea, an android is on a spiritual quest.

While technology is usually thought of as the polar opposite of ancient religious practices and beliefs, in Korea, these two worlds seem to be colliding.

In the Jogye Temple in Seoul, a group of monks from Korea’s largest Buddhist sect sat across from a cyborg postulant awaiting the ceremony that would make him a monk.

The Korea Times reported:

“Clad in humble black shoes and the Buddhist order’s ceremonial gray and brown robe, the 1.3-meter-tall robot stood in front of Buddhist monks and nuns as it pledged to commit itself to Buddhism in the ceremony held Wednesday, ahead of Buddha’s Birthday later this month.

The robot folded its hands together and bowed to the monks officiating the ceremony, as one of the monks carefully hung a 108-bead rosary and attached a sticker instead of the original ritual where one has to slightly burn his arms near an incense stick.”

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The FCC Wants Your ID Before You Get a Phone Number

The era of the anonymous phone number could be ending. On April 30, the Federal Communications Commission unanimously approved a proposal requiring telecom providers to verify customers’ identities before activating service.

Government-issued ID, physical address, legal name, and existing phone numbers would all be included. The stated goal is stopping robocalls. The result would be an identity-verification regime covering one of the last semi-anonymous communication tools available to ordinary Americans.

The proposal applies to nearly every voice provider in the country, from traditional carriers and mobile operators to VoIP services. The FCC is seeking public comment on specifics, but the direction is clear.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr framed it around negligent carriers. “As we have continued to investigate the problem of illegal robocalls over the last year, it has become clear that some originating providers are not doing enough to vet their customers, allowing bad actors to infiltrate our U.S. phone networks,” he said. Some providers, he added, “do the bare minimum (or worse) and have become complicit in illegal robocalling schemes.”

That language targets telecom companies and the surveillance targets everyone else.

The framework borrows from banking’s anti-money-laundering rules. The FCC is also asking whether carriers should retain identity documentation for at least four years after a customer leaves and whether they should check customers against law enforcement watchlists. Penalties would shift to a per-call basis, meaning fines of $1,000 to $15,000 for every illegal call a poorly verified customer places.

The real privacy stakes sit in the proposal’s section on prepaid service. Right now, you can pay cash for a prepaid phone and SIM card without showing identification. Journalists use prepaid phones to protect sources, domestic violence survivors use them to avoid being traced, and whistleblowers, activists, or anyone with a reason to separate phone activity from legal identity relies on this.

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Gov. Whitmer-Appointed Judge Forces Michigan SOS Jocelyn Benson to Stop Hiding Critical Voting Data from the Public

In yet another major victory for election integrity warriors and government transparency, the Michigan Court of Claims just slammed the brakes on the Michigan Bureau of Elections’ blatant attempt to hide how voters actually cast their ballots.

In an Opinion and Order Granting Summary Disposition to Plaintiff, Court of Claims Judge Christopher P. Yates ruled in favor of longtime election integrity advocate Phani Mantravadi, Founder of Check My Vote,  in his Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Michigan Bureau of Elections.

The fight was over the Bureau’s sudden decision in March 2024 to begin redacting the all-important “Voting Type” column from the Qualified Voter File (QVF). This column shows whether each voter cast their ballot on Election Day (ED), Early In-Person (EV), or by Absentee ballot (A).

For years, this critical information was publicly available. Then, under Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the Bureau quietly started stripping it out — claiming it was necessary to protect the “secret ballot.”

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Israel Says Preparing For Escalation With Iran, Didn’t Know Deal Was Close: ‘Series Of Targets Ready’

Wednesday saw yet another early morning Axios ‘scoop’ that within hours of being issued proved premature and too out front, given talk of Iran and the US being ‘close’ to a deal was quickly denied by Tehran and even President Trump quickly acknowledged it’s “too soon” to plan peace talks with Iran.

But the headline of “US and Iran closing in on one-page memo to end war” was enough to raise alarm bells in Israel, which has insisted that the conflict must end with a nuclear-free Iran.

“Israel was unaware that US President Donald Trump was close to reaching an agreement with Iran to end the fighting and open the Strait of Hormuz,” an Israeli official told Army Radio soon after the optimistic peace deal headlines went international.

“We were preparing for an escalation,” the official said. Indeed the last couple weeks of stalled Pakistan-mediated talks have seen several reports out of Israel saying the Netanyahu government is waiting for the ‘green light’ from Washington to renew the aerial bombing campaign, which took place over prior 38 days as part of Operation Epic Fury.

But as of Tuesday Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Epic Fury was ending, and that Project Freedom – to open the Strait of Hormuz – is the new focus. But even after that President Trump in the evening announced a ‘pause’ to allow negotiations to proceed.

So there has been much confusion and contradictory signaling out of Washington to say the least. Tehran has meanwhile made clear its “finger is on the trigger” – but Israel is also saying the same thing.

For example, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Wednesday made it known that military has a “series of targets” ready to strike in Iran at the moment the war resumes.

“Cooperation with the United States military and coordination continue at all times, and we are monitoring the situation,” he stated during a visit to southern Lebanon, where Israel ground forces are occupying territory.

“In Iran, we have a further series of targets ready for attack. We are on high alert to return to an intense and broad campaign that will allow us to deepen our achievements and further weaken the Iranian regime,” Zamir said further.

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HERE IT IS: Democrat Katie Porter Says the Quiet Part Out Loud About Illegal Aliens During California Governor Primary Debate 

California Democrat gubernatorial candidate and former Democrat Rep. Katie Porter said the quiet part out loud during Tuesday night’s primary debate.

Katie Porter admitted that illegal aliens are taking over California and she said that she supports healthcare for illegals.

This woman is dangerous – literally (just ask her ex-husband and staffers).

“Illegal aliens are one of the only ways California has been growing in recent years,” Katie Porter said.

Katie Porter routinely abuses her staffers.

Politico previously released a shocking video of Katie Porter berating one of her staffers during a call with the Biden Administration.

The abusive outburst happened in July 2021 while then-Democrat Rep. Katie Porter spoke with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in an online exchange.

Porter lashed out at a masked staffer who could be seen in the background.

“Get out of my f*cking shot!” Porter shouted as the staffer tried to correct something she said about electric vehicles.

“You also were in my shot before that. Stay out of my shot,” Porter said as she pounded her fists on a table.

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Minnesota Democrats BLOCK Fraud Committee Subpoena into Somali Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Involvement with $250M COVID Fund Scam

Minnesota Democrats on the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee have officially blocked a subpoena targeting Rep. Ilhan Omar over her alleged connections to the state’s massive $250 million Feeding Our Future COVID-19 relief fraud scandal.

The funds were intended to feed low-income children during the pandemic, but were widely abused in scams largely linked to the Somali community.

The development unfolded Tuesday during the committee’s final meeting of the session.

Republicans pushed for the subpoena after Omar completely ignored a May 5 deadline to turn over documents and communications, including any links between her office and a convicted ringleader in the fraud scheme.

The vote fell short at 5-3, failing to reach the required two-thirds majority needed to issue the subpoena.

Democrats on the panel voted against it, effectively protecting the congresswoman.

Prosecutors say the taxpayer money given to Feeding Our Future was instead used for luxury cars, jewelry, and other personal enrichment.

Dozens have been charged, with many of them part of Minnesota’s large Somali community. Investigators specifically want Omar’s records regarding her interactions with key figures in the case.

Omar has not responded to the committee’s requests.

Republican Committee Chair Rep. Kristin Robbins stated that the failed vote will not end the push for answers and that more options remain on the table.

“We have reached out to Representative Ilhan Omar on multiple occasions, inviting her to testify and inviting and requesting documents,” Robbins told Fox News ahead of the vote. “We have endeavored in multiple ways to get access to [information] because, as everyone knows, Representative Omar had had some role, whether inadvertent or not. She passed the MEALS Act in March of 2020, and that took the guardrails off the federal school nutrition program, which created the conditions for [fraud].”

“I do think the subpoena is important. This is one of dozens, if not hundreds of things we are investigating. We have had hundreds of whistleblower reports. They continue to come in weekly,” Robbins added. “Even though the committee will no longer have official hearings we will continue to investigate these whistleblower reports and webs of fraud.”

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Israel strikes Beirut for first time in almost a month; Netanyahu, Katz say target was Radwan Force chief

Israel carries out its first strike in Beirut since before the ceasefire in Lebanon entered into effect on April 16, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz saying it targeted the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.

“The IDF has just struck in Beirut the commander of the Radwan Force in the Hezbollah terror organization to eliminate him,” the joint statement says.

Netanyahu and Katz say Radwan Force operatives “were responsible for firing [rockets] at Israeli communities and harming IDF soldiers.”

“No terrorist has immunity, Israel’s long arm will reach every enemy and murderer. We promised to bring security to the residents of the north. This is how we act, and this is how we will continue to act,” they add.

The IDF has yet to issue a comment on the rare strike in the Lebanese capital, the first in almost a month, with the last having been on April 8. Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire on April 16.

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ABC Reporter Fabricated Trump Call, Made Himself The Focus After Assassination Attempt

President Trump has slammed ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl for what he calls outright dishonest reporting after Karl inserted himself into the story of the latest assassination attempt on the president.

Karl appeared on ABC’s This Week shortly afterward and claimed Trump had reached out to him personally. “My phone rang shortly after 7 a.m., my landline, George actually. A number that few people call and it was President Trump calling,” Karl told host George Stephanopoulos.

Karl further claimed that Trump “said at first he was calling to see if I was okay with what happened last night. ‘Are you OK?’ And then he reiterated many of the things he said in his press conference last night emphasizing the unity that he felt in that moment that he felt at the dinner before the shooting and certainly after with people who reached out to him… And he was quite firm about this: That dinner must be rescheduled.”

This week, Trump responded directly on Truth Social, blasting the claim as pure fabrication designed to center Karl rather than the president who had just survived another attempt on his life.

“Jonathan Karl, of ABC Fake News, made a statement that I called him early in the morning, the day after the assassination attempt, to ask whether or not HE was OK. No, this was a hit on ME, not HIM, and I didn’t make such a call, why would I do that?” Trump remarked.

The president added, “He called me, but I didn’t take his call — He just confirmed that to me when he called again. I would say that’s very dishonest reporting. He’s trying to make himself look important but, I’m not surprised, because it comes from ABC Fake News!”

This appears to be somewhat deranged behavior from a legacy media figure desperate to remain relevant. Instead of focusing on the security failures, the gunman’s motives, or the president’s resolve, Karl turned the story into a narcissistic fantasy about himself – the brave reporter Trump supposedly felt compelled to check on at 7 a.m. the morning after an attack aimed squarely at the commander-in-chief.

This latest episode fits a long pattern of tension between Trump and ABC News. Readers will recall our earlier coverage of Trump calling out Karl and other ABC figures for biased and obnoxious questioning.

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Democrat Rep. Pramila Jayapal Admits to Working with Foreign Countries to Aid Cuba in Defiance of President Trump.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) is proudly admitting to working with foreign countries to aid Cuba in defiance of President Trump’s policies.

In April,  Jayapal and Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) spent five days in Cuba. During the congressional delegation visit, the two met with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, and members of the Cuban Parliament.

She recently shared, “In January, Trump issued an executive order threatening tariffs on any country supplying fuel to Cuba. This was this January, just a few months ago.”

“And oil shipments from Venezuela, that’s where Cuba had been getting its oil, were halted after the US operations to kidnap Nicolás Maduro. Since January, only one Russian tanker of oil has made it to Cuba. In fact, it landed just a couple of days before I landed.”

“And one tanker has enough oil basically for 10 to 14 days of Cuba’s oil needs. So it’s a very limited amount of time. Now, Russia has said they’re going to send another tanker.”

“I was in conversations with the ambassadors from Mexico and some other places, and I know other countries in Latin America are trying to figure out how to get oil there. But it is a crisis beyond imagination.”

“Just this past Friday, on May 1st, Trump signed a broad executive order that widens sanctions and allows for new penalties similar to what we have for Iran and Russia against foreign banks and firms that are dealing with Cuba.”

“And it also reinforces the ban on U.S. tourism. I have called these sanctions an economic bombing of the infrastructure of Cuba. It is illegal. It is against the war.”

“We’ve been talking about this in Iran, obviously, to bomb the infrastructure of any country. That is against international law. This is essentially doing the same thing. It is bombing the infrastructure of Cuba with economic sanctions that essentially ensure that the infrastructure collapses.”

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Amid Energy Crisis, Norway Reopens North Sea Gas Fields, Will Sell Output to ‘Net-Zero’ Britain That Refuses to Explore Its Own

Reactivation project will help power millions of homes.

While the United Kingdom continues to be fixated in their ‘net-zero’ lunacy, Norway is set to revive three gas fields in the North Sea.

Norwegians go ‘drill, baby, drill’, reopening the fields for the first time in three decades, as Norway tries to meet growing export demand from Germany and the UK.

Norway is reopening gas fields in the North Sea after almost 30 years.

The Norwegian’s will be selling us this gas.

We could drill for gas, in the same sea.

Is this the smart approach? pic.twitter.com/tYWTA3AU6w

— Looking for Growth (@lfg_uk) May 6, 2026

The Telegraph reported:

“Steinar Våge, the European president of ConocoPhillips, the hydrocarbon company behind the reactivation, said the three fields would produce about 19 billion cubic meters of gas. That is equivalent to powering up to three million homes in the UK.

‘By utilizing existing infrastructure, we can produce substantial resources at low cost, and strengthen gas exports to Europe’, he said.”

“Norway’s push to ramp up oil and gas exploration represents a marked difference to what is happening in the UK, where about 180 of its 280 fields are set to close by 2030. In the last 12 months, Britain spent £20bn buying oil and gas from Norway and that reliance is only set to grow further.”

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