The use of the phrase “Chinese Communists” is just fearmongering tailored to the ignorant maga base. It would have been sufficient to just assert that the pope was an agent of the Chinese, but the addition of the word “communists” emphasizes the perception of evil amongst far-right chuds.

$3.3 million is nothing compared to the profits they reaped by running the scam. This was a gift by the Trump administration.

She’s smiling because she knows she can afford to buy a house and later chastise her children for being lazy, avocado toast eating renters lacking bootstraps.

It’s not an entirely analog experience, though; a Slate smartphone app can manage settings, change drive mode, and provide range and charging info. But only when connected locally to the car—there’s no embedded modem, so forget about remote access. And the company says that while it may use data from the app to improve its products, it won’t sell that data.

“We pinky swear that we will not sell any of the massive trove of data we’re collecting on you and your driving, especially not to insurance companies.”

This would be an awesome deal and I would buy one, but… 1) There is no way it will actually be $25K. Low price points are always announced and never met; and 2) This vehicle will be full of spyware collecting all your data to be sold. Yes, Tesla does it to, but I’m not buying a Tesla either.

Notwithstanding your dipshit teenager neighbor, the song is witty and has a good beat.

The lawsuit faulted Jacksonville Beach Police for hiring and putting O’Connell on a sensitive case despite his own legal history.

“O’Connell is an officer with a documented history of volatility and poor judgment, having previously been terminated from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office for threatening to ‘blow up’ the agency, later reinstated, then arrested for domestic battery before resigning under the weight of those charges,” the lawsuit said. “Jacksonville Beach PD hired him anyway, assigned him as lead investigator on a sensitive child-luring case, and later promoted him to corporal after his investigation resulted in the wrongful arrest and prosecution of an innocent man.”

So, a shit cop who has no business having a badge and a gun does a shit job. Who’d have figured? In my opinion, all settlements of claims against improper policing should come from police retirement funds, not public funds. Put the liability on those capable of making the changes necessary to correct the situation.

Was his name Waldo?

Nuclear weapons were the holy grail of warfare, a game changer. AI is viewed by some as a similarly revolutionary, powerful tool.

Donald Trump has threatened tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% on 60 trading partners including the UK, the EU and Australia over alleged forced labour failures, in the latest attempt to revive his signature trade policy.

The EU immediately hit back, saying it expected the US to respect the tariff deal it entered into last July and arguing that stealth tariffs breached the spirit of that agreement."

This is just one more reason why the U.S. has zero credibility. Who would bother entering into a trade agreement when the other side won’t honor it?

Just to be clear, it’s Commander Data, not Commander Data.

The exodus from the dollar is already well underway. There is a reason gold has been on an epic bull run, as central banks have largely been the driver. Gold holdings now exceed U.S. bond holdings by foreign central banks. Moreover, the U.S. insolvency is already barrelling down the tracks at us. I think there is a high probability that the shit hits the fan in the fall. We’re living in interesting times…

I guarantee 100% that Trump & Co. will do everything within their power, including things that are illegal, to lower rates. While Trump appointees are only 3 of 7 Fed governors while Powell remains as a governor, I believe Powell is holding that position to try to negotiate an exit that doesn’t leave him facing retribution, and that he’ll step away from this train wreck when he has sufficient confidence this is the case. However, if he doesn’t strike a deal, Trump will absolutely fire him, or worse, fire up his brownshirts with some stochastic terrorism.

That is a different wharrgarbl meme than I’m used to seeing…

It’s a valuable part of the education…

My bicycle is my most used form of transportation. I bike around 5K miles per year, more than I drive. If If it’s too far, my next choice is my motorcycle. If it’s really far, there is inclement weather, or I need to haul a significant amount of stuff, it’s my car.

The risk of becoming a meat crayon on the pavement is very real, but fortunately for me childhood trauma has given me an enormous appetite for risk and I feel most alive sitting atop an engine with wheels hurling down the highway with the risk of death or dismemberment lurking in my subconscious.

100%

This is just one more instance where riding a motorcycle is nice. See also, parking.

Just think about how they will manipulate the public as their AI influencer bots become more realistic. It’s a limitless propaganda army. The people around you shape your views and habits, and Meta is making every effort possible to control public discourse. This will not end well.