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Weeks after its international launch, Worldcoin is drawing the attention of privacy regulators around the world, with the Kenya’s government going so far as to shut down the service indefinitely.

The international ID startup, backed by big names in Silicon Valley, is now having to defend itself in investigations over whether the biometric data that the company is collecting is truly secure.

Here’s what to know about Worldcoin and the concerns its raising:

Worldcoin is the creation of Sam Altman, best known as the CEO of OpenAI, the company that has gained widespread recognition with its artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT.

The goal of Worldcoin and the company backing it, Tools for Humanity, is to give people a form of identification that could never be stolen or duplicated. Worldcoin creates a “World ID” by scanning someone’s eyeballs through “orbs” — a device that captures an image of their irises, the colored parts of the eyes.

One possible use for such an ID would be online services, where oftentimes people are having to remember multiple passwords and usernames for various websites they have signed up for.

The security of those sites can be flawed, however, and there have been numerous security breaches where usernames and passwords have been stolen. Instead of using old technology like passwords, a person could just sign up using their World ID.

Read more at: apnews.com

Over 100 Christians were burned alive after a fire broke out during a Christian wedding ceremony in Iraq on Oct. 3, 2023; another 150 attendees were seriously injured. Nearly 60 of those killed in the inferno were directly related to the bride and groom.

To quote from one report:

Tragedy struck the Assyrian Christian town of Hamdaniya in Nineveh province … during a joyous wedding when scenes of celebration and laughter soon derailed into a hellish nightmare when the banquet hall caught on fire. At least a hundred died and over 150 were also injured.

The town of Hamdaniya, it is worth recalling:

…is one of Iraq’s only Christian-majority districts, located in the Nineveh Plains near Mosul, a historic Assyrian region. Like many Christian towns in the Nineveh Plains, it was taken over by Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists during their brazen sweep of northern Iraq, where they declared a so-called “caliphate” and inflicted grave atrocities on minority groups, including Christians.

In a press conference held on the same day of the tragedy, the Iraqi government announced that its investigation had “conclusively concluded” that the fire was “accidental” and “not intentional at all.”

Minutes later, the Syriac Church slammed the announcement: “We reject it [the results], we don’t accept it,” said the Archbishop of Mosul Benedictus Younan Hanno, adding that “political conspiracies” might be afoot.

The archbishop especially rejected the idea that the fire was caused by fireworks: “there are tens of videos,” he said, “showing that they were not the reason.”

The archbishop is voicing the opinion of most Iraqi Christians. After also categorically rejecting the fireworks claim, the groom of the wedding, Rivan, 27, strongly implied arson:

We demand the rights of those whose blood was spilt. Why did their blood have to be spilled? We demand their rights and we demand the perpetrator of this action, him and all who are behind him. We demand an international investigation, not a local or federal investigation.

It is worth noting that this scenario — a fire claims Christian lives only for Muslim authorities to say it was “accidental”—has played out many times in the Middle East. Take Egypt, for example, where the region’s largest Christian minority resides.

Most recently, on Mar. 29, 2023, a massive fire broke out and completely consumed an ancient church in Assyut. Even before a proper inspection could be carried out, the fire was immediately blamed on a “leaky gas bottle.”

The most tragic of all examples, however, occurred on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022, when the Church of Abu Seifein in Cairo caught fire during morning mass. At least 41 Christians — 18 of whom were children — were killed in the flames. As usual, minutes after it broke out, officials immediately attributed the fire to faulty wires, etc. Arson was, without any real investigation, ruled out.

Indeed, in just that same month of August 2022 alone, a total of 10 other Coptic churches “caught fire” in Egypt.

There appears to be no shortage of examples. On Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, a fire broke out in and “devoured” a church in the Giza Governorate. It was blamed on a small candle left on a votary stand. However, images from surveillance cameras clearly show that “the candle ignited suddenly and in an unusual way.”

It should also be noted that sometimes after officials conclude that a church fire was due to some accident, it comes out that arson was indeed the true cause — not that the authorities will admit it. On Aug. 16, 2022, the Church of Saint Mary the Egyptian in Alexandria caught fire. Although it too was instantly attributed to “natural causes,” at least one eyewitness saw someone on the balcony of a residential building adjacent to the church hurl some combustible substance onto the church, starting the fire.

Considering the severe persecution of Christians in nations such as Egypt and Iraq and the willful targeting of their churches — hundreds of Coptic and Assyrian churches have been torched in recent years — it is, of course, difficult to automatically rule out terrorism or arson in all of these “accidental” fires.

Read more at: pjmedia.com

Government documents pointing to construction at a classified U.S. base offer rare hints about a little noted U.S. military presence near Gaza.

TWO MONTHS BEFORE Hamas attacked Israel, the Pentagon awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to build U.S. troop facilities for a secret base it maintains deep within Israel’s Negev desert, just 20 miles from Gaza. Code-named “Site 512,” the longstanding U.S. base is a radar facility that monitors the skies for missile attacks on Israel.

On October 7, however, when thousands of Hamas rockets were launched, Site 512 saw nothing — because it is focused on Iran, more than 700 miles away.

The U.S. Army is quietly moving ahead with construction at Site 512, a classified base perched atop Mt. Har Qeren in the Negev, to include what government records describe as a “life support facility”: military speak for barracks-like structures for personnel.

Though President Joe Biden and the White House insist that there are no plans to send U.S. troops to Israel amid its war on Hamas, a secret U.S. military presence in Israel already exists. And the government contracts and budget documents show it is evidently growing.

The $35.8 million U.S. troop facility, not publicly announced or previously reported, was obliquely referenced in an August 2 contract announcement by the Pentagon. Though the Defense Department has taken pains to obscure the site’s true nature — describing it in other records merely as a “classified worldwide” project — budget documents reviewed by The Intercept reveal that it is part of Site 512. (The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)

“Sometimes something is treated as an official secret not in the hope that an adversary would never find out about it but rather [because] the U.S. government, for diplomatic or political reasons, does not want to officially acknowledge it,” Paul Pillar, a former chief analyst at the CIA’s counterterrorism center who said he had no specific knowledge of the base, told The Intercept. “In this case, perhaps the base will be used to support operations elsewhere in the Middle East in which any acknowledgment that they were staged from Israel, or involved any cooperation with Israel, would be inconvenient and likely to elicit more negative reactions than the operations otherwise would elicit.”

Rare acknowledgment of the U.S. military presence in Israel came in 2017, when the two countries inaugurated a military site that the U.S. government-funded Voice of America deemed “the first American military base on Israeli soil.” Israeli Air Force’s Brig. Gen. Tzvika Haimovitch called it “historic.” He said, “We established an American base in the State of Israel, in the Israel Defense Forces, for the first time.”

Read more at: theintercept.com

On Wednesday, after three weeks of dysfunction following the ouster of former-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana was elected as the 56th Speaker of the House. Johnson’s elevation to the office caps a frenetic period in which Republicans considered multiple candidates before coalescing around the four-term congressman. Although Johnson’s unexpected rise to the speakership was welcomed by conservatives, the Left has predictably been apoplectic in denouncing Speaker Johnson’s long-standing social conservative views.

Although progressives routinely castigate those who hold convictions rooted in a biblical worldview, the sharp criticism directed toward the new speaker for his Christian faith is nonetheless revealing.

For example, some House Democrats took exception to the portion of Johnson’s speech on Wednesday in which the new speaker referenced God. “Welcome to the Republican Era of not even pretending they aren’t forcing their religion on Congress and the American people. This is a slippery, dangerous slope to theocracy,” warned Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.). Another Democrat, Jamie Raskin, tweeted, “Speaker Mike Johnson? Anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ, anti-gun safety, anti-democracy. This is what theocracy looks like.”

Although allegations of Republicans wanting to install a theocracy are not new, the dire warnings of Huffman and Raskin, and the parroting of these claims by some in the media, reveal remarkable ignorance of basic Christian beliefs. Significantly, Johnson has said nothing about theocracy or forcing his religious beliefs on anyone. Rather, the new speaker simply articulated the commonplace Christian perspective that God providentially raises up leaders.

In his speech, Johnson stated, “I don’t believe there are any coincidences in a matter like this. I believe that Scripture, the Bible is very clear that God is the One that raises up those in authority. He raised up each of you, all of us. And I believe that God has ordained and allowed each one of us to be brought here for this specific moment and this time.”

Far from advocating for a theocratic takeover of the House of Representatives, Johnson’s comments merely reflect well-known biblical passages such as Daniel 2:21 which states, “He changes times and season; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” and Psalm 22:28 where it says, “For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.”

Other passages that affirm God’s role in raising up civil leaders include Isaiah 40:22-23, which says, “It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.” Likewise, Proverbs 21:1 teaches “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.”

To put it simply, Johnson’s understanding that “God is the One that raises up those in authority” is a widely-held Christian belief that has been taught for centuries. The fact that articulating this basic conviction triggered ominous warnings of an impending theocracy demonstrates the ever-widening gulf between those with a biblical worldview and those without one.

Second, Johnson’s elevation to the speakership prompted scores of opposition researchers to investigate the congressman’s past writings and speeches for potentially damaging material. Johnson’s past comments on same-sex marriage, abortion, and homosexuality were immediately targeted. For example, within hours of Johnson’s election, CNN investigative reporters Andrew Kaczynski and Allison Gordon published a piece provocatively titled: “New speaker of the House Mike Johnson once wrote in support of the criminalization of gay sex.” According to the reporters, Johnson once supported an amendment to Louisiana’s constitution that defined marriage between a man and a woman.

Read more at: harbingersdaily.com

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pounded terrorist targets inside northern Gaza hard on Friday night with missiles, artillery fire, and a much larger insertion of ground forces into the area than the forces that temporarily entered in recent nights in limited raids.

“We have not seen anything like this over the past 21 days,” Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst said. “We understand Israeli forces are entering the Gaza Strip in what is being described as an expanded raid. The artillery units along the border are also very active tonight.”

As Yingst spoke in multiple videos posted to his X account, multiple explosions could be heard in the background, including munitions that were hitting targets and the sound of large artillery pieces being fired.

“In recent hours we have increased the attacks in Gaza,” the IDF said in a statement. “The Air Force widely attacks underground targets and terrorist infrastructure, very significantly. In continuation of the offensive activity we carried out in the last few days, the ground forces are expanding the ground activity this evening.”

The Times of Israel identified a video from a local publication that showed the intensity of the airstrikes being carried out inside Gaza.

U.S. and Israeli officials reportedly told ABC News that even though there has been markedly increased military operations on Friday night, this is not the major ground offensive that Israel is expected to launch inside Gaza.

Read more at: dailywire.com

Technology company International Business Machines (IBM) sponsors at least two discriminatory paid internship opportunities, one that bars white and Asian applicants, and another that is only for women, with an exception for men who identify as women.

The two paid internships are held in conjunction with the American Physical Society (APS), a nonprofit organization that says it is “working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy, and international activities.”

“Applicants must be female, including all students who present or identify as women and/or trans women,” the eligibility requirements for the “Internship for Undergraduate Women” reads.

A description of the “Internship for Underrepresented Minorities” asserts that “applicants must be underrepresented minorities” before listing off the approved racial backgrounds of “African American, Hispanic, or Indigenous.”

David Bernstein, a professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia School of Law, told The Daily Wire that these internship programs “clearly violate Title VII,” as the statute “does not allow for race or sex-based preferences for employment except perhaps as part of bona fide affirmative action programs initiated to redress past discriminatory policies.”

“Even in such cases, companies may not have a 100% quota based on race or sex for specific positions, including internships,” Bernstein clarified.

The application site goes on to explain that there is “no citizenship requirement” and that “any student who identifies as a woman and an underrepresented minority is eligible to apply to both internships.”

The internship is intended to “encourage women and underrepresented minorities to pursue graduate studies in science and engineering.” Those selected for the program will work with an IBM mentor at one of the company’s offices.

IBM did not respond to a media inquiry from The Daily Wire.

Discriminatory programs are becoming commonplace in corporate America, especially in the tech industry. Apple will host entrepreneur training programs that are only open to companies with leaders who are women or who are not white or Asian, an investigation from The Daily Wire previously revealed.

Apple’s program similarly gave a nod to men who identify as women, with a disclaimer that reads, “Apple believes that gender expression is a fundamental right. We welcome all women to apply to this program.”

Tech giant Oracle similarly hosted an internship and scholarship program that barred white and Asian students from applying on the basis of their race, The Daily Wire also uncovered. Meanwhile, Microsoft put a cap on the number of white and Asian applicants who could apply for a prestigious fellowship.

But it isn’t only the tech industry that has instituted racially discriminatory requirements for internship and development opportunities. The Daily Wire revealed that NASCAR’s “Diversity Internship” required applicants to be a member of a non-white racial group, a requirement that a lawyer dubbed “blatantly illegal.”

Read more at: dailywire.com

Students at Princeton University, often considered the most prestigious university in the nation, chanted “Long live the Intifada,” a call for murdering Jews.

The First Intifada started in 1987 and lasted nearly six years. According to the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, during the Second Intifada, which began in 2000, 887 of the 1,137 Israelis murdered in attacks from September 2000 — 2005 were civilians.

Just between May 2001 and May 2002 there were the following massacres: five Israelis murdered by a suicide bomber at the HaSharon Mall in May 2001; 21 Israelis murdered by a suicide bomber at the Dolphinarium Discotheque in June 2001; 15 Israelis murdered by a suicide bomber at Sbarro’s Pizza in August 2001, including six children and a 31-year-old woman who was the only child of her parents and was five months pregnant; 11 Israelis murdered in a bus bombing on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem on December 1, 2001; 15 more Israelis murdered the very next day in a Haifa suicide bombing; 11 more Israelis murdered in a bus attack 10 days later in Immanuel; six Israelis murdered in an attack at a bas-mitzvah in January 2002; 11 more Jews killed in an attack on a yeshiva in March 2002, including a five-month-old child; 11 Jews murdered in a bombing at Café Moment in March 2002; 30 Israelis killed as they celebrated Passover in Netanya on March 27, 2002; 16 Israelis murdered in a suicide bombing four days later at the Matzah restaurant; and 16 Israelis murdered in Rishon LeZion in May 2002.

At MIT, another highly prestigious university, students at a campus protest chanted “One Solution, Intifada, Revolution” at a rally.

Read more at: dailywire.com

Hollywood personal security companies said that requests from Jewish stars and those in the entertainment industry have definitely increased following the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,400 Israelis.

New York City and L.A.-based Global Threat Solutions CEO Kenneth D. Bombace told the Hollywood Reporter that they have “had a sharp increase in requests from our Jewish clients. They’re afraid they could be a target.”

He noted that his company provides real-time “geofencing” data that alerts clients “to an assault, to shootings, even hostile social media posts” in the area. Bombace — whose list of clients includes stars and billionaires — said “We provide detailed reporting on protests that could potentially turn violent — and where they are in relation to where our clients’ offices are.”

A recent report from the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism showed that in the two weeks since the Hamas attacks, a total of 193 antisemitic incidents have occurred in the U.S., 77 of which were directly linked to what is happening in Gaza.

The man suspected of gunning down people in the shootings in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday night faces eight counts of murder but remains at large, police said Thursday morning. Authorities identified eight victims and are working to identify 10 more people who were killed.

Robert Card was initially referred to by police as a “person of interest” as they began a manhunt for the 40-year-old trained firearms expert, who they said was “armed and dangerous.” During a press conference Thursday morning, police named Card as the suspect in the shootings.

Maine Democratic Governor Janet Mills said that at least 18 people have been confirmed dead after the shootings when Card allegedly fired upon groups of people in two different locations. Police responded to reports of a shooting at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley 10 minutes away. Eight victims were found dead at the bar and grille, and another seven were found dead at the bowling alley. Another three people were pronounced dead at area hospitals.

Card, who has served in the Army Reserves since 2002, was committed to a mental health facility for two weeks over the summer, according to law enforcement who said that the suspect “recently reported mental health issues to include hearing voices and threats to shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco, ME.”

Read more at: dailywire.com

We sure have been experiencing a lot of “coincidences” lately, haven’t we?  On Friday, Israeli forces conducted their first localized raids inside Gaza.  Then on Saturday, the path of a spectacular “ring of fire” solar eclipse marched across the continental United States.  Is it just a coincidence that this eclipse has happened just as the Great Middle East War is commencing?  Throughout human history, eclipses have often coincided with tragic events and major historical turning points.  For example, earlier today I came across an article that took a look back at “the World War I eclipse”…

Such was the case a century ago this week on August 21st, 1914 when a total solar eclipse crossed over Eastern Europe shortly after the outbreak of World War I.

Known as the “War to End All Wars,”—which, of course, it didn’t—World War I would introduce humanity to the horrors of modern warfare, including the introduction of armored tanks, aerial bombing and poison gas.

So is the “ring of fire eclipse” that we just witnessed related to the war in the Middle East?

I don’t know, but it sure was spectacular…

First came the darkening skies, then the crescent-shaped shadows on the ground, and finally an eruption of cheers by crowds that gathered Saturday along the narrow path of a rare “ring of fire” eclipse of the sun.

It was a spectacular show for millions of people across the Americas as the moon moved into place and blocked out all but a brilliant circle of the sun’s outer edge.

It could be seen throughout much of the continental United States, and the direct path of this eclipse crossed over the states of Oregon, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas…

A partial solar eclipse was visible, weather permitting, from much of the Americas, with the 125-mile path of annularity crossing parts of Oregon, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas, before moving on to Mexico and southern countries, ending in Brazil.

Photojournalist Patrick Fallon captured this stunning view of the “ring of fire” effect of the annular solar eclipse while documenting the view from Albuquerque, New Mexico, which NASA used as one of its base of operations for its eclipse livestream.

This “ring of fire eclipse” was the second in a series of three eclipses that will combine to form a giant Aleph over America.

The Aleph will finally be completed by the Great American Eclipse on April 8th, 2024 and I will have much more to say about this in my upcoming book.

In this article, I want to focus on the events that are currently transpiring in the Middle East.

Read more at: endoftheamericandream.com