“When losses happen, somebody’s got to pay for it.”

Called Freedom Fuel Network, the enterprise encompasses dozens of gas stations throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, USA Today reported, although it isn’t exactly clear which locations are open for business. Plastered in American flag decals and “Freedom Fuel” branding, the gas stations seem to be selling unleaded gasoline for the fixed-price of $3.47 per gallon, about 32 cents cheaper than the current average price in the US.

According to GasBuddy, nearby prices range from $3.85 to as much as $4.49 — no doubt reflecting the slower drip of oil from the president’s costly war on Iran, which burst back into active fighting this week.

As head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy Patrick De Haan told the Philadelphia Inquirer, the current price of crude oil means there’s no way Freedom Fuel’s $3.47 price point can turn a profit.

“Stations selling at this price, it’s not sustainable,” De Haan explained. “Generally, when losses happen, somebody’s got to pay for it.”

De Haan raises an obvious question: who is paying for it? If the stations are losing money on every gallon, somebody has to make up the difference somewhere — whether out of Trump’s pocket, that of a friendly donor, or the taxpayer’s. And if it’s a private company taking the hit, how long until they stop subsidizing Pennsylvania drivers?

Already, the stunt seems to be distorting local markets. As of Wednesday, a nearby Sam’s Club in Dresher dropped its price to match the $3.47 figure — surely good news for anybody buying gas in South Eastern Pennsylvania, but as always, the devil is in the details.

Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman made the eyebrow-raising statement on NewsNation after being bluntly asked if he believes McConnell, 84, is dead.

“You know, just the things that I’ve heard and seen from some friends is that he’s obviously not doing well, but don’t know if he’s alive or has passed away,” Stutzman said.

Stutzman, who represents northeast Indiana, slammed the secrecy surrounding McConnell’s three-week hospitalization. He demanded answers from the McConnell team, which is led by his longtime, camera-shy aide, Terry Carmack, who is set to earn more than $226,000 this year.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/10021205

Łukasz Olejnik, an independent consultant and researcher at the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, told Poland's PAP news agency that such platforms are attractive to intelligence services because they give access to personal information, location data, private conversations and emotional vulnerabilities.

The warning comes as Ukraine has reported Russian attempts to use dating platforms to gather intelligence and recruit people for sabotage.

...

"Statistically speaking, it must have happened," he said.

...

Dating apps can be used in so-called honey trap operations, in which a romantic or sexual relationship is used to manipulate a target.

Olejnik said users often share photographs, location, lifestyle details, emotional needs and opinions themselves.

"The quasi-intimate context of the conversation can only lower vigilance," he said.

Information gathered in this way can help identify a person’s home, workplace, military unit or public institution, Olejnik added. It may also be used to pressure or blackmail a target.

Ukraine's defense ministry warned in February about fake profiles of women and people posing as law enforcement officers.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said false accounts on dating platforms had been used to collect personal data and force victims into sabotage. Such pressure could include threats to reveal sensitive information.

...

In January, Ukraine detained a 22-year-old man suspected of trying to set fire to a post office after being recruited by Russian actors through a dating app. He was allegedly ordered to livestream the attack.

Germany has raised similar concerns. In 2023, its Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) said Russian agents had used the Tinder dating app to identify members of the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces, and treat them as potential sources of information.

...

Researchers have also identified similar tactics in Chinese information operations. The NewsGuard service reported in June that 294 coordinated Threads accounts posed as attractive Asian women seeking Taiwanese men.

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Archived

via bluesky

Two panel image. Line art side view of a woman looking at her phone. Second panel shows same woman looking up in exasperation while holding her phone.

Text above reads: ‘Are you busy?’ Me: ‘No’ Incoming video call

Post by sciamano240
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Sauce: Genshin Impact

Gartner projects global data center electricity use hitting 565 TWh in 2026 and topping 1,200 TWh by 2030.

This comes a month after YouTube Premium's price hike and the increase in adverts for free users.

You might want to switch browsers or use uBlock Origin.

I took this photo during a private visit of El Alcazar in Sevilla, by night. That's why there are no one in the photo. Amazing ambiance

Just a matter of time.

President Donald Trump’s income from his South Florida holdings have soared since he returned to the White House, a Miami Herald review of his latest financial disclosure shows.

The four properties — Mar-a-Lago resort, the Trump National Hotel in Doral and his golf clubs in Jupiter and West Palm Beach — brought him roughly $265 million last year. That figure is a little more than a tenth of the president’s total income of more than $2 billion in 2025, the first year of his second term.

S2E09: The Weeping Somnambulist.

also i am learning a new keyboard app teehee