SCOTUS Declines to Hear Challenge to Maryland Ban on Semi-Automatic Weapons

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SCOTUS Declines to Hear Challenge to Maryland Ban on Semi-Automatic Weapons

(Headline USA) The Supreme Court on Monday declined, for now, to hear a challenge to a Maryland law banning certain semi-automatic firearms commonly referred to by those on the Left as “assault weapons.”

The court did not elaborate on the denial, as is typical.

It would have been unusual for the justices to take up a case at this point, since a lower court is still weighing it. The Supreme Court is also considering an appeal over a similar law in Illinois. It did not act Monday on that case, which could be another avenue to take up the issue.

The Maryland plaintiffs, including gun rights groups, argued that semi-automatic weapons like the AR-15 are among the most popular firearms in the country and banning them runs afoul of the Second Amendment, especially after a landmark Supreme Court decision expanding gun rights in 2022. That ruling changed the test for evaluating whether gun laws are constitutional and has upended gun laws around the country.

Maryland’s attorney general pointed to mass shootings carried out using the weapons. The state argued they can be banned because they are “highly dangerous, military-style” weapons.

The law has a history before the Supreme Court: The justices declined to hear another challenge in 2017, before the solidification of its current conservative majority. Five years later, though, the high court’s current roster of justices ordered lower courts to take another look at the measure after handing down the 2022 ruling.

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals is still weighing the case, and Maryland argued the lower court should be able to issue a decision before an potential Supreme Court action. The plaintiffs, though, said the appeals court has taken too long, including an unusual move removing it from a three-judge panel and instead putting the case before the full circuit court.

Maryland passed the sweeping gun-control measure after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre that killed 20 children and six adults in Connecticut in 2012. It bans dozens of firearms commonly known as assault weapons and puts a 10-round limit on gun magazines.

Ten states and the District of Columbia now have laws often called “assault weapons bans,” according to the far-left gun-control group Brady, which tracks the legislation.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Microsoft Will Use AI Copilot to Track and ‘Recall’ Everything Windows Users Do

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Microsoft Will Use AI Copilot to Track and ‘Recall’ Everything Windows Users Do

(Headline USA) Microsoft wants laptop users to get so comfortable with its artificial intelligence chatbot that it will remember everything you’re doing on your computer and help figure out what you want to do next.

The software giant on Monday revealed an upgraded version of Copilot, its AI assistant, as it confronts heightened competition from Big Tech rivals in pitching generative AI technology that can compose documents, make images and serve as a lifelike personal assistant at work or home.

The announcements ahead of Microsoft’s annual Build developer conference in Seattle centered on imbuing AI features into a product where Microsoft already has the eyes of millions of consumers: the Windows operating system for personal computers.

The new features will include Windows Recall, enabling the AI assistant to “access virtually what you have seen or done on your PC in a way that feels like having photographic memory.”

Microsoft promises to protect users’ privacy by giving them the option to filter out what they don’t want tracked.

The conference follows big AI announcements last week from rival Google, as well as Microsoft’s close business partner OpenAI, which built the AI large language models on which Microsoft’s Copilot is based.

Google rolled out a retooled search engine that periodically puts AI-generated summaries over website links at the top of the results page; while also showing off a still-in-development AI assistant Astra that will be able to “see” and converse about things shown through a smartphone’s camera lens.

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI unveiled a new version of its chatbot last week, demonstrating an AI voice assistant with human characteristics that can banter about what someone’s wearing and even attempt to assess a person’s emotions.

The voice sounded so much like Scarlett Johansson playing an AI character in the sci-fi movie Her that OpenAI dropped the voice from its collection Monday.

OpenAI also rolled out a new desktop version of ChatGPT designed for Apple’s Mac computers.

Next up is Apple’s own annual developers conference in June. Apple CEO Tim Cook signaled at the company’s annual shareholder meeting in February that it has been making big investments in generative AI.

Some of Microsoft’s announcements Monday appeared designed to blunt whatever Apple has in store.

The newly AI-enhanced Windows PCs will start rolling out on June 18 on computers made by Microsoft partners Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung, as well as on Microsoft’s Surface line of devices. But they’ll be reserved for premium models starting at $999.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Rudy Giuliani Indicted at His 80th Birthday Party

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Rudy Giuliani Indicted at His 80th Birthday Party

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Rudy Giuliani‘s 80th birthday was interrupted by two officials with the Arizona attorney general’s office who served notice of his indictment in the Arizona “fake electors” case, accusing him and others of trying to overturn the 2020 election result.  

“The mayor was completely unfazed and even laughed as he was handed the papers and drove away. Guests were visibly angry as they shouted at the individuals who served the former mayor,” an outraged attendee, according to the Daily Mail.

Other attendees were left in tears, thinking that it was an effort to humiliate and intimidate Giuliani and his friends.

Earlier Giuliani taunted the corrupt officials from the party by saying that they were running out of time to serve him in the case.

The news source reported that the prosecutors had been trying for weeks to deliver official notice that Giuliani has to appear in court on May 21, 2024.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes reported on May 17, 2024, that Giuliani was served.

“The final defendant was served moments ago. @RudyGiuliani nobody is above the law,” she wrote.

Caroline Wren, a top GOP consultant who hosted the birthday party at her home in Palm Beach, Fla., talked about what happened.

“It’s a shame that while the Arizona southern border is wide open and crime is reaching an all-time high, the Arizona secretary of state’s office thought it was a good use of resources to send agents across the country to serve an indictment to a man who was celebrating his 80th birthday amongst friends and family and has spent his entire life dedicated to law and order,” she wrote.

Wren then continued by saying that Americans now see how authoritarian the Left has become.

“This is what the Left does to people they fear. They fear Rudy Giuliani because he’s one of the greatest prosecutors in American history and one of the strongest voices in the America First movement – so of course they must try to silence, indict and humiliate him – but luckily the American people can see right through this outrageous lawfare,” she added.

DOJ Charges Man for Using AI to Generate Child Porn

Ken Silva
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DOJ Charges Man for Using AI to Generate Child Porn

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) In one of the first cases of its kind, the Justice Department has filed criminal charges against a Wisconsin man who allegedly used artificial intelligence to create thousands of realistic images of child pornography.

“Technology may change, but our commitment to protecting children will not,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said when announcing the charges on Monday.

According to the DOJ, Steven Anderegg, 42, of Holmen, used a text-to-image generative artificial intelligence, or GenAI, model called Stable Diffusion to create thousands of realistic images of prepubescent minors.

“Many of these images depicted nude or partially clothed minors lasciviously displaying or touching their genitals or engaging in sexual intercourse with men,” the DOJ said in its press release.

“Evidence recovered from Anderegg’s electronic devices revealed that he generated these images using specific, sexually explicit text prompts related to minors, which he then stored on his computer.”

Additionally, Anderegg allegedly communicated with a 15-year-old boy and described how he used Stable Diffusion to convert his text prompts into child porn, the DOJ said Monday. Much of Anderegg’s criminal activity allegedly took place on Instagram, which the Wall Street Journal revealed last year has a widespread pedophile network operating in plain sight.

Anderegg has no convictions on his record.

However, a detention memorandum the DOJ filed Monday states that he was previously investigated for child pornography.

“This was not the first time that the defendant’s internet account had been flagged during a child-exploitation investigation. Roughly four years prior, law enforcement had observed that someone using the internet at his home was requesting to download multiple files of known child sexual abuse material over an online peer-to-peer network,” prosecutors said.

“Law enforcement searched the defendant’s home in furtherance of this investigation in 2020, during which the defendant admitted to using and deleting the specific peer-to-peer program and often resetting his internet modem,” they said.

“No charges have been brought in connection with this prior investigation.”

Anderegg was reportedly arrested by state police in March for two counts of “exposing a child to harmful material” and an additional charge of “sexual contact with a child under age 13.” Forbes reported at the time that he pled not guilty.

Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.

Cohen Admits to Stealing from Trump Org. as Media Presses Merchan to Dismiss Case

Luis Cornelio
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Cohen Admits to Stealing from Trump Org. as Media Presses Merchan to Dismiss Case

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Disgraced former Trump attorney Michael Cohen confessed on Monday to stealing thousands of dollars from the Trump Organization.  

His admission came during his testimony in the criminal trial concerning former President Donald Trump’s alleged involvement in falsifying business records.

During questioning by Trump’s defense attorney Todd Blanche, Cohen acknowledged the theft with a simple, “Yes, sir.” 

According to Fox News, the confession arose from Cohen’s payment from the Trump Organization in 2016.  

Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg allegedly paid Cohen $420,000, purportedly as reimbursements for payments made by Cohen to former porn star Stormy Daniels.

Cohen previously admitted that these payments were inflated to offset tax liability, including a $50,000 reimbursement to tech company Red Finch. However, reports suggest that Cohen only paid Red Finch $20,000, pocketing the remaining $30,000. 

Blanche questioned Cohen’s deception regarding the amount needed for Red Finch, to which Cohen admitted. 

Notably, despite the discrepancy, the Trump Organization paid the full amount and was still reimbursed for the purported $50,000. 

During Monday’s proceedings, Blanche inquired if Cohen had repaid the Trump Organization for the embezzled funds. 

“No sir,” Cohen replied, as reported by Fox. 

Cohen attempted to excuse the payments because he was “angry” that his bonus had been slashed. 

Cohen attempted to justify his actions by expressing dissatisfaction with his reduced bonus, stating, “To have my bonus cut by 2/3 was very upsetting to say the least.” 

NYC Mayor, Police Shut Down Hamas Rioters’ Crocodile Tears over Harsh Treatment

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NYC Mayor, Police Shut Down Hamas Rioters’ Crocodile Tears over Harsh Treatment

(Headline USA) New York City Mayor Eric Adams defended the police department’s response to a pro-Hamas street riot in Brooklyn over the weekend, calling video of officers repeatedly punching men lying prone on the ground an “isolated incident.”

“Look at that entire incident,” Adams said on the Mornings on 1 program on the local cable news channel NY1.

He complained that protesters who marched through Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge section on Saturday had blocked traffic, spit at officers and, in once instance, climbed on top of a moving city bus.

“I take my hat off to the Police Department, how they handled an unruly group of people,” Adams said.

“People want to take that one isolated incident that we’re investigating,” he continued. “They need to look at the totality of what happened in that bedroom community.”

Footage shot by bystanders and independent journalists shows police officers intercepting a march in the street, shoving participants toward the sidewalk, and then grabbing some people in the crowd and dragging them down to the asphalt.

Officers can be seen repeatedly punching at least three protesters, in separate incidents, as they lay pinned on the ground.

A video shot by videographer Peter Hambrecht and posted on X shows an officer in a white shirt punching a protester while holding his throat. Hambrecht said the arrests took place after police told the crowd to disperse.

“They were aware they might get arrested, but many times people use that to justify the beating which is obviously ridiculous,” Hambrecht told the Associated Press in a text message.

Independent journalist Katie Smith separately recorded video of an officer unleashing a volley of punches on a man pinned to the ground, hitting him at least five times with a closed fist.

At least 41 people were arrested, police said.

The NYPD later released its own video showing misbehavior by protesters, including people throwing empty water bottles at officers, splashing them with liquids and lighting flares and smoke bombs.

It also showed one protester sitting on the roof of a moving transit bus waving a Palestinian flag.

“We will not accept the narrative that persons arrested were victims, nor are we going to allow illegal behavior,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said in a statement on X.

The NYPD agreed to change the way it handles public protests last summer after it had to pay out at least $35 million to settle claims of police misconduct during the large protests against racial injustice after the 2020 murder of George Floyd.

The legal settlement required the department to reduce the number of officers it sent to most protests.

It also required police to allow most demonstrations to take place on public streets, even if they temporarily block traffic, as long as they are nonviolent and don’t involve a threat of major property damage.

Police can still step in under the settlement to redirect protest marches to prevent them from blocking access to bridges and tunnels, or places like hospitals and police precincts. But the written agreement says “the fact that some individuals in a crowd have engaged in unlawful conduct does not by itself provide grounds” to end demonstrations and order a crowd to disperse.

The City Council member who represents Bay Ridge, Justin Brannan, said the demonstration broken up by police was one held annually in the neighborhood to protest the displacement of Palestinian people following the establishment of Israel in 1948.

“Bay Ridge is home to the largest Palestinian community in NYC,” Brannan wrote on X. “There has been a Nakba Day demonstration here every year for the past decade without incident. I saw no evidence of actions by protestors today that warranted such an aggressive response from NYPD.”

“Nakba” is an anti-Semitic slur referring to the founding of the Jewish state in 1948 that roughly translates to “catastrophe.”

New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman criticized the arrests and called them an escalation of police tactics against demonstrators.

“The aggressive escalation by the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group yesterday in Bay Ridge was a violation of New Yorkers’ right to speak out and risks chilling political expression,” Lieberman said, naming the NYPD unit that is often called to protests.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Whitmer Claims She Wants to Talk to Her Kidnap Plotters

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Whitmer Claims She Wants to Talk to Her Kidnap Plotters

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer reportedly said last week that she would like to talk to men who conspired to kidnap her in 2020—a case that’s widely documented to have been fomented by FBI agents and their undercover informants.

“I really would,” Whitmer told Michigan Advance on Friday. “I would like to do that because I know that they are human beings who something’s not working for them in their lives and I’m curious, you know, what really is happening to see if there’s something I could do that would be helpful.”

Whitmer apparently didn’t mention that her own government transferred some of the inmates to out-of-state prisons—where, along with being less accessible to the governor, they can’t regularly communicate with their attorneys or access a Michigan law library for their pending appeals.

She also didn’t mention that the federal inmates were transferred to the notorious Florence supermax in Colorado, where they’re confined to one phone call a month.

Family members of the convicted Whitmer plot inmates accused the governor of insincerity in a rebuttal to her recent remarks.

According to journalist Christina Urso, who’s working on a documentary on the kidnap case, the mother of Barry Croft accused Whitmer of blowing hot air during a major election season.

“I think she’s trying to pander to her base, a lot of Dems are jumping ship,” she said.

The father of Paul Bellar said if Whitmer wants to talk to the actual plotters, she’d call up the FBI, Justice Department, Michigan state police and her own attorney general.

There’s a chance Whitmer might be able to talk to some of the convicted men if they return to Michigan for a retrial. Croft and federal co-defendant Adam Fox had their appeal hearings earlier this month, and the appeals justices expressed concern about the FBI’s conduct during the 2020 investigation.

“The government informants pounding on them. Surely that’s relevant?” one of the justices asked the prosecution at one point, referencing FBI informants who pressured the defendants to move forward with a plot against Whitmer. For example, FBI informant Steve Robeson said in August 2020: “If we don’t talk about actually doing what the fuck we need to be doing, I’m done with meetings.”

Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.

Stefanik Calls to Wipe Hamas ‘Off the Face of the Earth’ at Israeli Legislature

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Stefanik Calls to Wipe Hamas ‘Off the Face of the Earth’ at Israeli Legislature

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., forcefully called for the eradication of Hamas during a historic address before the Israeli Knesset. 

Speaking on Sunday, Stefanik expressed strong solidarity with Israel as its military defends the nation and attempts to rescue hostages taken by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. 

“For all of you, total victory needs no explanation,” Stefanik said, “but total victory is something too many others throughout the free world fail to understand. Total victory starts—but only starts—with wiping those responsible for October 7th off the face of the earth.” 

She added, “There can be no retrievable dignity for Hamas and its backers.” 

During the address, Stefanik emphasized the atrocities committed by Hamas and affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself. 

“When they chose rape, the torture of civilians, and the mutilation of infants as weapons of terrorism, they left no alternative to this just war,” she continued. 

The Republican lawmaker also highlighted Iran’s involvement as an ally of Hamas in the conflict. 

“When the genocidal zealots running Iran lobbed missiles at this very city, they removed any doubt as to their hideous intentions,” Stefanik said. “Chants of ‘Death to America’ are not hollow slogans. They are a promise that what happened here on October 7th could happen in the United States—unless Hamas and its Jihadist accomplices are eliminated.” 

Stefanik’s strong statements come as President Joe Biden and some far-left Democrats appear to shift their stance on Israel following the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, which is governed by Hamas and where the hostages are being held. 

Senate Report: High-End European Autos Made w/ Parts from Chinese Slave Labor

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Senate Report: High-End European Autos Made w/ Parts from Chinese Slave Labor

(Headline USA) BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen have bought parts made by a Chinese company sanctioned under a 2021 law for using forced labor, a Senate inquiry found, prompting lawmakers to call for stricter enforcement.

The automakers responded to the Senate report, released Monday, by saying they have taken action to bring their cars into compliance with the law.

The investigation, carried out by the Senate Finance Committee over the past two years, discovered that BMW imported to the U.S. at least 8,000 MINI vehicles containing parts produced by JWD after the Chinese supplier was sanctioned in December for its links to China’s labor program in the far western region of Xinjiang.

The Senate report said that Jaguar Land Rover imported replacement parts that included components made by JWD even after the automaker was informed of the presence of the problematic product in its supply chain.

Volkswagen, however, disclosed to the U.S. border authorities that a shipment of its vehicles contained parts made by JWD, according to the report.

The components were sourced via two contractors: California-based Bourns Inc. and Michigan-based Lear Corp., the latter of which is a direct supplier for BMW and Jaguar Land Rover, according to the report.

“Automakers are sticking their heads in the sand and then swearing they cannot find any forced labor in their supply chains,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who chairs the committee. “Automakers’ self-policing is clearly not doing the job.”

Jaguar Land Rover said in a statement that the subcomponent mentioned in the report “was used in a prior generation of technology and is not in current JLR vehicles for sale.”

The company also said that once it was notified that the Chinese manufacturer was on the sanctions list, it immediately stopped shipment of the affected parts and all existing inventory containing the component was “quarantined for destruction.”

BMW Group said it “has taken steps to halt the importation of affected products and will be conducting a service action with customer and dealer notification for affected motor vehicles.”

Both automakers said they take protection of human rights and prohibitions against forced labor seriously.

U.S. lawmakers in 2021 passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, banning the entry of products made with forced labor in Xinjiang, where the Uyghurs, a Muslim ethnic group, have been persecuted for their religious and cultural beliefs.

The U.S. government has described this persecution as an act of genocide. Beijing strongly objects to this characterization, saying its efforts are aimed at countering terrorism.

In Xinjiang, China also runs employment programs that it says boost job skills and connect the local workforce with better-paying jobs in other parts of the country, but human rights advocates say participation in those programs can be involuntary.

In the United States, lawmakers have demanded that the 2021 law be strictly enforced and have criticized the automakers for not adequately scrutinizing their supply chains to ensure compliance with the law.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

New Bill Seeks to Preserve Trump-Era Military Surplus Program for Police

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New Bill Seeks to Preserve Trump-Era Military Surplus Program for Police

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A GOP lawmaker is leading efforts to block President Joe Biden from hindering a Trump-era program that transfers surplus military equipment to state and local police departments. 

Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., announced the Protect Our Police Act, which aims to stop Biden from imposing any restrictions on the 1033 Program. This program allows police departments to acquire military surplus equipment.

In a press statement, Good highlighted that the bill is being introduced with National Police Week, which runs from May 12 to May 18. 

“State and local law enforcement should have access to life-saving military equipment, particularly tools that can be used in response to terrorist attacks, search-and-rescue operations, and natural disasters,” Good stated.

“My legislation will ensure that the brave men and women selflessly serving in law enforcement have the ability to purchase equipment that helps keep our communities safe,” he added. 

The 1033 Program was first expanded by former President Donald Trump through Executive Order 13809, which reversed restrictions placed by the Obama administration. 

The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Andy Harris, R-Md., and Barry Moore, R-Ala. 

Moreover, several organizations back the bill, including the Virginia Fraternal Order of Police, the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police and Foundation, Inc., the Virginia Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and The Police Officers’ Defense Coalition, Inc. 

Good cited a 2017 study published in the American Economic Journal, which found that “10 percent increase in the total value of military aid leads to a decrease of 5.9 crimes per 100,000 population.” 

The study also revealed that an estimated transfer of $5,800 worth of military equipment could result in an annual savings of $112,000. 

“This reduces the burden on the American taxpayer and makes the transfer of military surplus equipment to civilian law enforcement an effective tool in crime-reduction,” Good’s press release wrote. 

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