Author: Mandy Matthews

About 50 members of a community outside Chile’s capital spent Saturday powering an entirely human-operated chatbot that answered questions and made silly pictures on command. A small group of roughly 50 people gathered on a Saturday outside Chile’s capital to try something deliberately old-school and playful: a chatbot run entirely by humans. Instead of AI models running responses, real people handled prompts, answered questions, and generated whimsical images on request. The experiment felt like a social hack—part performance, part workshop, and entirely hands-on. The setup was simple and a little chaotic in a good way: volunteers took turns monitoring the…

Montgomery County police said Friday that they identified the culprit in a 2025 swatting incident, but cannot charge her since she is too young. The identified case involves a 2025 swatting event that prompted a large police response and raised alarms about prank calls escalating into dangerous situations. Officials confirmed their investigation located a suspect but noted age-related legal limits prevent filing criminal charges at this time. The statement underlines a tension between technical capability to trace incidents and legal thresholds for prosecution. Swatting sends emergency resources racing to a scene under false pretenses, often endangering officers and the public.…

The Senate cleared five full funding bills and a two-week continuing resolution for DHS, but the deadline to finish appropriations slipped by and six spending measures remain unresolved, leaving lawmakers scrambling to sort out funding and priorities before September. The deadline to pass the six remaining spending bills to keep the federal government funded through September came and went last night, and the job remains unfinished. The Senate did pass five full funding bills and a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for two weeks while lawmakers negotiate a short-term deal. That limited CR kicks…

The Supreme Court will meet behind closed doors on Feb. 20 to consider President Trump’s petition asking the justices to overturn a 2023 federal jury verdict out of New York that ordered him to pay $5 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for an alleged mid-1990s sexual assault and for defaming her when he denied the claim during his first presidency. The case lands at the court amid intense public attention and fierce disagreement over how it was handled at trial. Trump is asking the justices to throw out the verdict, arguing the proceedings were legally flawed and unfair. Carroll…

Minneapolis is facing the fallout from a fatal shooting that has sparked a public clash between Melania Trump and Whoopi Goldberg, touching off debates about protests, official accounts, and the need for clear answers. The city is raw after a deadly encounter that left a protester dead and a deep divide in public reaction. First Lady Melania Trump made a rare TV appearance, calling for calm and peaceful protest. That statement collided with a sharply different tone from television host Whoopi Goldberg, and the result has been more heat than light. Melania told viewers, “I know my husband, the president,…

Tesla’s annual profit plunged to its lowest level since the pandemic five years ago, as it lost the title of the world’s biggest electric vehicle maker to a Chinese rival and boycotts hammered parts of its business. Investors and industry watchers are parsing what that drop means for the company and the broader EV market, where competition is suddenly sharper and margins are under pressure. The shift reflects more than a single quarter; it points to a changing landscape driven by aggressive pricing, expanding production from overseas makers, and shifting consumer sentiment. For a company that set the pace in…

A federal judge paused a new Homeland Security practice that detained refugees undergoing case reviews, noting many of the migrants had “followed the rules” and raising questions about how enforcement and due process should work together. The court’s order stopped a policy that led to arrests and short-term detentions of refugees while their immigration claims were reexamined. Officials argued the moves were part of a broader push to enforce immigration laws, but the judge flagged procedural and legal problems. The ruling forced DHS to step back and rethink how it balances enforcement with legal protections. The decision highlights a clash…

A man was tackled after he sprayed an unknown substance at Rep. Ilhan Omar during a Minneapolis town hall, creating a chaotic scene and raising immediate questions about security, accountability, and public safety. Man tackled to ground after spraying unknown substance on Rep. Ilhan Omar at town hall in Minneapolis. The incident unfolded quickly and left people scrambling for answers while local law enforcement and staff moved to secure the area. Videos and eyewitness accounts painted a raw picture of a crowded civic event turning dangerous in seconds. That single line captures the core fact everyone is talking about. The…

Immigration officers put their lives on the line to defend America’s sovereignty. If immigration officers are willing to risk their lives to protect America’s sovereignty, the least Republicans can do is stand firmly behind them. They should reject the left’s dishonest information war and back the men and women enforcing our laws.

Law enforcement must be seen as neutral and competent, or it loses the public’s consent to operate. This piece examines how political hesitation corrodes policing, erodes trust, and leaves communities more vulnerable. It argues for clear standards, accountability, and a focus on public safety over political signaling. Law enforcement loses legitimacy the moment officials indicate they’re unwilling to engage in it because of political opposition — even when that opposition is fatalistic. When leaders publicly retreat, officers and citizens both see a gap between law on the books and law in practice. That gap invites disorder, breeds cynicism, and makes reasonable…