In the first half, economist and gun expert John R. Lott discussed legislative changes regarding the Second Amendment, crime statistics, and the influence of gun policies on public safety.
Lott emphasized the significant shift in policy during the previous presidential administration. "During the last four years... literally thousands of gun dealers had their licenses taken away because of tiny typos," he commented, highlighting how strict regulations impacted the firearms industry. He noted that Biden's administration had created measures that classified nearly anyone who sold a gun—even casually—as a firearms dealer, imposing stringent requirements on them.
In contrast, he mentioned a recent executive order signed by Trump that instructs federal agencies to review regulations on gun ownership, signaling a potential easing of restrictions.
The conversation then shifted to crime statistics, with Lott claiming there are alarming increases in violent crime. He revealed these numbers have surged by 53% during the last administration, contradicting narratives of an overall decrease in crime. He also criticized a lack of transparency, citing a significant revision of crime data that went unpublicized.
Lott's collaboration with law enforcement groups, including the California Sheriff's Association, focuses on challenging gun-free zones, which he argues create "magnets for people who are going to try to do these attacks." He cited the Covenant School shooting as an example where attackers deliberately target helpless victims. "They know if they go to a place where their victims can't defend themselves, they're going to be able to kill more people," he lamented.
Lott concluded with a call for greater transparency and accuracy at the governmental level in reporting crime statistics, as well as regulating firearms. According to him, the public's safety greatly depends on it.
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In the second half, producer Paul Jeffrey Davids shared his intriguing experiments with artificial intelligence and the technology's potential to connect with the deceased. Davids spoke of his late friend and mentor, Forrest J Ackerman, and his efforts to reach out to him after Ackerman's death in 2008. Initially a skeptic of the paranormal, Davids started to believe after experiencing strange phenomena that he attributes to Ackerman's spirit contacting him.
He elaborated on these various forms of evidence for life after death, categorizing them as synchronicities, physical evidence, and increasingly relevant, technological evidence. "If there are spirits on the other side anxious to contact us... it may be that using our technology... is the easiest way for them to make a mark with us," he explained.
In an effort to establish a connection with his late friend Jeff, who had passed away in 2017, Davids devised an AI-based method of recreating Jeff's voice and image. He utilized programs like 11 Labs to synthesize Jeff's voice using past recordings and D-ID to animate a still picture of him, thereby creating a personalized message. "It's a meditative, consciousness-making device... using AI for this," Davids described the process.
He also shared specific experiences he had following his AI experiments, including an image of a model train layout that reminded him of his past with Jeff and unexpected video clips appearing on his screens that held personal significance. "All of these experiences [are] a combination of synchronicity and technology," Davids insisted.
News segment guests: Lauren Weinstein, Steve Kates aka Dr. Sky