Pope Francis criticized the weapons and contraceptive industries on Friday, accusing them of destroying or preventing life during a speech at a conference addressing the demographic crisis affecting Italy and Europe. Europe’s fertility rate has remained around 1.5 births per woman for the past decade, below the 2.1 rate needed to maintain population levels. Italy is particularly impacted, with births dropping to a record low in 2023, marking the 15th consecutive annual decline despite government efforts to reverse the trend. “There is a fact that a demographics scholar told me. Right now the investments that give the most revenue are…
Author: Louis Cromwell
As summer approaches, Joe Biden’s top advisers are keenly aware of the potential ghosts of the 1968 DNC in Chicago. However, they face two pressing modern-day challenges: determining how far to go in replicating their virtual 2020 convention to mitigate disruptions, and navigating the dynamics with the city’s rookie mayor, who openly sympathizes with protesters. Some in Biden’s circle are aggressively pushing for a hybrid convention production, combining in-person speeches from the president, party leaders, and rising stars with pre-recorded testimonials and videos from across the country. The goal is to maximize viewership on television and online while minimizing live…
Behind bars, Sam Bankman-Fried has found a new form of currency: bags of rice. The former FTX founder, awaiting transfer to a federal prison to serve a 25-year sentence after being convicted of wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy charges, is currently held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. In his first jailhouse interview with Puck News, the 32-year-old stated that rice “has become one of the currencies of the realm inside MDC.” He joked that “the arbitrage opportunities (on rice) in jail were better than anything he experienced trading crypto.” As a renowned vegan, Bankman-Fried revealed that his…
The United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is currently evaluating a new generation of robotic “dogs” developed by Ghost Robotics for potential military applications. These quadrupedal unmanned ground vehicles (Q-UGVs) are being tested for a range of missions, including reconnaissance and surveillance roles. However, MARSOC is also examining the possibility of integrating these robotic platforms with weapon systems from defense technology company Onyx Industries to enable remote engagement and fire support capabilities. According to reports, MARSOC presently has two armed Q-UGVs undergoing field testing and evaluation. The weapon systems integrated onto these robotic dogs are based on Onyx’s…
Former President Donald J. Trump revealed on Friday that his youngest son, Barron, now 18, is one of his close political advisers. However, later that day, it emerged that Barron would not be participating as a delegate from Florida at this summer’s Republican National Convention. In a radio interview, Trump spoke fondly of Barron, describing him as “tall” and “good-looking,” as well as being “a great student” who is interested in politics. Trump recounted instances where Barron has offered advice, saying “He’ll tell me sometimes, ‘Dad, this is what you have to do.'” Trump also mentioned that Barron, currently a…
On Friday, a federal appeals panel of three judges upheld the conviction of former presidential aide Stephen K. Bannon for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House committee investigating January 6th. Bannon had been found guilty of ignoring the subpoena but appealed, arguing he received poor legal advice. Bannon’s refusal to testify before the committee and testify against President Trump has fueled debates around the extent of Congress’s subpoena power and the potential consequences for those who resist such demands. While Bannon’s lawyers contended the subpoena was invalid, the federal court ruled otherwise, signaling the judiciary’s stance on…
A fierce battle is brewing in the affluent island town of Palm Beach between mega-wealthy developers and longtime residents over contentious plans to demolish aging properties like the Ambassador Hotel to make way for ultra-luxury condominium towers. In 2022, developers Cain International and OKO Group paid a staggering $147 million to acquire the dated Ambassador Hotel and a neighboring apartment building with the explicit intent of razing the hotel for an opulent new residential development. Their grandiose vision calls for “the most ultra-luxury multifamily project” Palm Beach has ever witnessed – a sprawling complex of multiple buildings up to five…
The Saudi government has authorized the use of lethal force to clear land for a futuristic desert city project spearheaded by Western companies, disclosed an ex-intelligence officer to the BBC. Colonel Rabih Alenezi, formerly with Saudi intelligence, disclosed that he was instructed to forcibly remove villagers from a tribe in Saudi Arabia to make room for The Line, a component of the Neom eco-project. Shockingly, one villager was fatally shot for protesting against the eviction. Both the Saudi government and Neom management declined to comment on the matter. Neom, a $500 billion eco-region initiative, is a critical component of Saudi…
In a recent blog post, Neuralink, the brain-computer interface company founded by Elon Musk, revealed challenges encountered during its first human trial involving patient Noland Arbaugh. The implant, designed to facilitate direct communication between the brain and computers, experienced issues that led to the loss of data due to some threads becoming dislodged from Arbaugh’s brain. While Neuralink did not disclose the specific reasons behind this occurrence, it addressed the problem after being questioned by The Wall Street Journal. One potential factor explored by Neuralink was the presence of trapped air inside Arbaugh’s skull post-surgery, a condition known as pneumocephalus.…
New data released on Thursday reveals that approximately one in 37 homes in the United States are now considered seriously underwater, with a significant concentration in southern states. According to the first-quarter 2024 US Home Equity & Underwater Report from ATTOM, a real estate data firm, 2.7% of homes nationally have loan balances exceeding 25% of their market value. This marks a slight uptick from the previous quarter’s 2.6%. However, despite this increase, the current rate remains lower than pre-pandemic levels, when it was more than double. Mortgages typically become seriously underwater when homeowners either overpay for a property or…