Meta Platforms recently imposed a hiring freeze on its artificial intelligence division following an aggressive recruitment drive that added over 50 researchers and engineers from leading competitors.

The freeze, effective last week, aligns with a comprehensive restructuring of the unit and restricts internal employee transfers between teams.

Exceptions for new external hires require approval from Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, though the company has not specified the freeze’s duration.

The reorganization divides Meta’s AI operations into four distinct groups under the Meta Superintelligence Labs umbrella, emphasizing CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for systems surpassing human cognitive abilities.

These include the TBD Lab focused on superintelligence with many recent hires, a team dedicated to AI products, an infrastructure group, and the Fundamental AI Research unit for long-term exploratory projects, which remains mostly unchanged.

This structure replaces the former AGI Foundations team, disbanded after the April release of Llama models fell short of internal expectations.

Meta’s recruitment efforts involved substantial compensation packages, often reaching nine figures, including offers up to $100 million in signing bonuses to talent from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and others.

The company secured more than 20 hires from OpenAI, 13 from Google, three each from Apple and xAI, and two from Anthropic, supplemented by high-profile acquisitions like a $14.3 billion stake in Scale AI to bring in Alexandr Wang.

Zuckerberg personally engaged in outreach via emails and messages, with one notable proposal valued at up to $1.5 billion declined by a researcher.

Investor scrutiny has intensified over Meta’s escalating AI expenditures, highlighted by a Morgan Stanley note on August 18 warning that rising stock-based compensation could hinder shareholder returns through reduced buybacks.

Analysts noted the potential for such investments to yield breakthroughs or dilute value without clear gains, amid a broader tech stock sell-off driven by concerns over industry-wide AI costs.

Meta’s capital expenditures, largely for AI data centers, are projected to reach up to $72 billion this year, contributing to these apprehensions.

A Meta spokesperson described the freeze as standard organizational planning to establish a robust framework post-hiring and during annual budgeting.

The move follows positive quarterly results, with ad revenue growth partly attributed to AI applications, though the Reality Labs division continues to report significant losses exceeding $17 billion annually.

Broader context reveals similar hiring pauses across tech giants as AI development costs mount, with OpenAI’s CEO acknowledging bubble risks while others view the sector as undervalued for long-term innovation.

Meta’s open-source Llama models remain central to its strategy, and the company’s AI push reflects competitive pressures in a field where talent scarcity drives premium offers.

The post Meta Pauses AI Hiring Spree Amid Restructuring and Rising Costs appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

California can’t seem to escape disaster, whether it’s out-of-control wildfires, skyrocketing crime, rampant homelessness, or the latest nightmare: the plague.

Authorities believe the individual contracted the disease after being bitten by a flea while camping in the Tahoe area.

The El Dorado County Environmental Management Division and Public Health Division claim the patient is recovering at home under medical care.

Kyle Fliflet, the county’s “Acting Director of Public Health,” brushed off the seriousness of the matter by noting, “Plague is naturally present in many parts of California.”

California is back to the days of medieval diseases, all while Gavin Newsom and state Democrats obsess over “climate change” and sanctuary policies.

According to the press release:

El Dorado County health officials have been notified by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) that a South Lake Tahoe resident has tested positive for plague. The individual is currently under the care of a medical professional and is recovering at home. It’s believed that the person may have been bitten by an infected flea while camping in South Lake Tahoe area. Health officials are investigating the situation.

“Plague is naturally present in many parts of California, including higher elevation areas of El Dorado County, said Kyle Fliflet, El Dorado County’s Acting Director of Public Health. “It’s important that individuals take precautions for themselves and their pets when outdoors, especially while walking, hiking and or camping in areas where wild rodents are present,” he added.

Plague is caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis. Plague bacteria are most often transmitted by the bites of fleas that have acquired the bacteria from infected squirrels, chipmunks and other wild rodents. Dogs and cats may also bring plague-infected fleas into the home. People can get plague when they are bitten by infected fleas. Plague can be prevented by avoiding contact with wild rodents, and by keeping pets away from rodent burrows.

Symptoms of plague usually show up within two weeks of exposure to an infected animal or flea and include fever, nausea, weakness and swollen lymph nodes. Plague can be effectively treated with antibiotics if detected early.

CDPH routinely monitors rodent populations for plague activity in California and closely coordinates with county health officials. Surveillance activities in El Dorado County from 2021 through 2024 found a total of 41 rodents (ground squirrels or chipmunks) with evidence of exposure to the plague bacterium. To date in 2025, four additional rodents have tested positive.  All these rodents were identified in the Tahoe Basin.

Human cases of plague are extremely rare but can be very serious. Prior to the current case, the most recently reported case of human plague in El Dorado County was in 2020, likely exposed in the South Lake Tahoe area. Two people were reported with plague in 2015 after having been exposed to infected rodents or their fleas in Yosemite National Park. All individuals were treated and recovered. Those were the first reported human cases in the state since 2006.

Tips to prevent plague include the following:

• Do not feed squirrels, chipmunks or other wild rodents.
• Never touch sick, injured or dead rodents.
• Do not allow your pets to play with or pick up sick, injured or dead rodents.
• Do not camp, sleep or rest near animal burrows or areas where dead rodents are observed.
• Look for and heed posted warning signs.
• Wear long pants tucked into boot tops and spray insect repellent containing DEET on socks and pant cuffs to reduce exposure to fleas.
• Leave pets home if possible; otherwise keep pets on a leash.  Do not allow pets to approach sick or dead rodents or explore rodent burrows.
• Protect pets with flea control products.
• Pet cats are highly susceptible to plague and can pose a direct threat to humans. Keep cats away from rodents. Consult a veterinarian if your cat becomes sick after being in contact with rodents.
• If you get sick after being in an area where plague is known to occur, consult a physician and tell them you may have been exposed to plague.

The post California Resident Tests Positive for Bubonic Plague appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Macron chose to blame Trump for the controversies surrounding his wife.

When unpopular French President Emmanuel Macron isn’t abroad inserting himself into the Russia-Ukraine peace process (where he has no place), he goes back home where only problems await him – not least of all his own elderly wife.

The controversy over Brigitte Macron’s biological sex continues. We reported here in July that Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron Are Suing American Political Commentator Candace Owens for Saying First Lady of France Was Born a Man.

Macron and his wife filed a defamation lawsuit in US civil court against Candace Owens for ‘relentless and unjustified smear campaign’ alleging that Brigitte was born a man.

Independent reported:

“The 219-page defamation complaint filed in Delaware state court on Wednesday accuses Owens of proliferating ‘demonstrably false’ claims through her platforms, including in an eight-part podcast and on social media, designed to feed a ‘frenzied fan base’ in ‘pursuit of fame’, the Macrons allege.

‘These lies have caused tremendous damage to the Macrons’, according to the lawsuit, which names Owens as well her business entities, which are incorporated in Delaware.”

The claims subjected the Macrons to a “campaign of global humiliation, turning their lives into fodder for profit-driven lies’, according to the lawsuit.

“Owens has dissected their appearance, their marriage, their friends, their family, and their personal history — twisting it all into a grotesque narrative designed to inflame and degrade’, the complaint alleges. ‘The result is relentless bullying on a worldwide scale. Every time the Macrons leave their home, they do so knowing that countless people have heard, and many believe, these vile fabrications. It is invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust’.”

Now, today we learn that Emmanuel Macron took a shot at Donald J. Trump as the French president defended suing the American podcaster Candace Owens for falsely claiming his wife was born a man.

The Telegraph reported:

“Mr Macron, the 47-year-old French president, told Paris Match magazine that he felt he had no choice but to file a lawsuit in order to ‘defend his honor’ over the unfounded gender conspiracy theory regarding his 72-year-old spouse.

Since last year, Ms. Owens, 36, whose YouTube channel has four million subscribers, has been promoting a five-year-old French conspiracy theory that Brigitte Macron was born as a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux and changed gender.”

Owens called the libel suit ‘goofy’, a vicious PR move to silence her.

“In his Paris Match interview, Mr. Macron took a thinly veiled swipe at the Trump administration, dismissing claims that lawsuits such as this flouted free speech, saying: “It is not freedom of speech to want to prevent the truth from being restored.

‘Those who talk about this supposed freedom of speech are the people who ban journalists from the Oval Office. I don’t accept that’.”

Read more:

Candace Owens Delivers Explosive Response After Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron Sue Her for Claiming that Brigitte Was Born a Man (VIDEO)

The post Macron Attacks Trump over Candice Owen’s Claims that His Wife Brigitte Was Born a man appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Tina Peters could not make the VINDICATED event in Las Vegas but her attorney, Peter Ticktin, did make it and he updated the crowd on what is going on and what is next. 

Peter Ticktin attended New York Military Academy for high school and was a classmate of future President Donald Trump. From there, Peter was admitted to medical school but switched over to his true ambition, law after a few years. To work his way through law school, he became a student police officer, the assistant chief, and finally chief of the Student Police Force.

Mr. Ticktin first practiced law in Canada, in 1972, There, he appeared regularly in the trial courts, argued numerous appeals, and on one occasion, he changed the law regarding breaking and entering before the Supreme Court of Canada.In 1985, Mr. Ticktin relocated to Florida, where he began his practice. With the outbreak of AIDS at that time, Mr. Ticktin’s efforts changed the way that hospitals and physicians maintain confidentiality in HIV test results.

In the years that followed, Mr. Ticktin was on the cutting edge of the law. Mr. Ticktin was responsible for helping develop the law in the state. Through the years, Mr. Ticktin has tried scores of cases. More recently, with the onset of the Great Recession, Mr. Ticktin was involved with cases regarding mortgage foreclosure defense, where he has helped in the development of the law in not only his own appeals, but by submitting amicus briefs. He was the one who unearthed the Robo-signers, and the evidence he accumulated was all the Attorney Generals of the 50 States needed to obtain a $30 Billion settlement from the big banks. For this work and other work and community involvement, the Daily Business Review in South Florida honored Mr. Ticktin with an award of being a “Distinguished Leader” in his profession.

Mr. Ticktin is currently the lead attorney representing Tina Peters in Colorado.

Here is Peter Ticktin’s presentation at the VINDICATED event in Las Vegas.

@PeterTicktin is a Florida-based attorney, known for his long-standing friendship with President @realDonaldTrump, whom he met as a teenager at the New York Military Academy where Ticktin served as platoon sergeant under Trump’s leadership.

Ticktin has also been vocal about… pic.twitter.com/fWD8Rij8Vw

— Matt Struck (@realTT1776) August 19, 2025

The post VINDICATED: Attorney Peter Ticktin Shares on the Tina Peters Case appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro called for New York Attorney General Letitia James to be investigated and thrown in jail for her corruption and lawfare against President Trump after a New York Appeals court threw out the massive civil fraud penalty against President Trump on Thursday.

Navarro spoke to reporters at the White House on Thursday to discuss the weaponization of government and his new op-ed, calling for the FBI to investigate Walter Giardina, the former FBI agent, who Navarro describes as “the tip of the spear in a weaponized FBI campaign to destroy Donald Trump.”

Giardina was played a key role, according to Navarro, in the biggest weaponization of government scandals of the century, including the Steele Dossier, used to fabricate the Russiagate hoax; Crossfire Hurricaine, where intel agencies abused FISA warrants to spy on then-candidate Trump; the Mueller Witch Hunt, which was used to undermine Trump as a sitting President, Red Maasari, the lesser known attempt to tie Trump to Egyptian election interference; an Emoluments Clause investigation alleging Trump accepted money from foreign officials to stay at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC; and Operation Arctic Frost, the January 6 “fake electors” investigation used to indict Trump and his allies for questioning the valdity of the 2020 election.

“I hold him responsible for a lot of what has been done to really erode trust of the American people in our American justice system,” Navarro told reporters. “I urge every one of you guys to read the Breitbart article, fact check me, and I dare you to find anything I say in there that’s not absolutely true. And if it’s absolutely true, that man needs to go before Congress, needs to be hauled up, and he needs to be held accountable.”

Read the full Op-Ed here.

Navarro took questions on the years of weaponized justice, and he was asked by Newsmax’s Mike Carter for his reaction to today’s overturning of the sham New York fraud case against President Trump.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, a New York Appeals Court threw out the ruling in favor of New York in James’s case.

Last year, Judge Engoron ordered Trump to pay more than a $355 million fine and barred Trump “from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York for a period of three years.” The politically motivated judge ruled that Trump “participated in aiding and abetting the conspiracy to commit insurance fraud by their individual acts in falsifying business records and valuations, causing materially fraudulent SFCs to be intentionally submitted to insurance companies.” This was after Engoron unbelievably ruled that Trump’s 20-acre Mar-a-Lago resort estate in West Palm Beach, Florida, was worth just $18 million.

Ironically, Letitia James is one of several prominent Democrats that is now under fire for potential mortgage fraud after it was discovered that she falsified loan documents to defraud the bank and obtain a more favorable loan, exactly what she accused Trump of doing.

“They really overplayed their hand on this, because they thought they could take Donald Trump out. They didn’t and, in the process, they totally destroyed the American people’s faith in our Justice Department, and they got him a lot of— they got President Trump, a lot of votes because of that,” Navarro told reporters.

“These are bad people, Letitia James, Fanni Willis in Georgia, Alvin Bragg in Manhattan. The question is how coordinated were they?” he continued with a nod to the multiple instances of weaponized justice and coordination with the Biden DOJ to stop Trump during the 2024 election cycle.

“And that’s the question that needs to be answered by an investigation.”

WATCH:

Carter: A New York appeals court has thrown out President Trump’s $500 million New York civil fraud penalty that was prosecuted by Letitia James last year. The appeals court says it was “excessive.” What is your reaction?

Navarro: Letitia James is another one that belongs in jail. Look, the Democrats, look they really overplayed their hand on this, because they thought they could take Donald Trump out. They didn’t and, in the process, they totally destroyed the American people’s faith in our Justice Department, and they got him a lot of— they got President Trump, a lot of votes because of that.

I mean, the book I wrote about it, I Went to Prison, so you Won’t have to, the whole theme of that thing is that I’m the wake up call. If they can come for me, they can come for you. So, people need to understand that these are bad people, Letitia James, Fanni Willis in Georgia, Alvin Bragg in Manhattan. The question is how coordinated were they? And that’s the question that needs to be answered by an investigation.

The post WATCH: Peter Navarro says Letitia James “Belongs in JAIL” When Asked About Appeals Court Ruling in Trump Civil Fraud Case – “Democrats Really Overplayed Their Hand on This” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.