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CNN —Three US senators are pressing Facebook-parent Meta, Google-parent Alphabet and Twitter about whether their layoffs may have hindered the companies’ ability to fight the spread of misinformation ahead of the 2024 elections. “This is particularly troubling given the emerging use of artificial intelligence to mislead voters,” wrote Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Democratic Sen. Peter Welch and Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, according to a copy of the letter reviewed by CNN. Since purchasing Twitter in October, Elon Musk has slashed headcount by more than 80%, in some cases eliminating entire teams. Meta has previously said it would eliminate about 21,000 jobs over two rounds of layoffs, hitting across teams devoted to policy, user experience and well-being, among others. Tuesday’s letter asked Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino how each company is preparing for the 2024 elections and for mis- and disinformation surrounding the campaigns.
Persons: , Minnesota Democratic Sen, Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Democratic Sen, Peter Welch, Illinois Democratic Sen, Dick Durbin, Elon Musk, headwinds, Peers, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Linda Yaccarino, Ron DeSantis Organizations: CNN, Google, Minnesota Democratic, Vermont Democratic, Illinois Democratic, Twitter, Meta, Microsoft, YouTube, Florida Gov Locations: Vermont, Florida
Washington CNN —Daniel Ellsberg, a former military analyst and anti-war activist whose disclosure of the so-called Pentagon Papers revealed systemic US government deception about the Vietnam War, has died, his family announced in a statement. As part of his work with RAND, Ellsberg had access to classified documents that demonstrated how the US government had systemically lied to the public about the war, and Ellsberg felt compelled to reveal the information. In a letter to his friends that he shared on social media in March, Ellsberg reflected on his decision to leak the Pentagon Papers. “It was a fate I would gladly have accepted if it meant hastening the end of the Vietnam War, unlikely as that seemed (and was). “No organization really wants to show how the sausage is made or legislation is made, and they prefer to be the only voice on policy to the public,” Ellsberg told NPR.
Persons: Washington CNN — Daniel Ellsberg, Ellsberg, , , ” Ellsberg, “ Daniel, systemically, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Robert McNamara, Lyndon B, John F, Ngo Dinh Diem –, Nixon, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, “ It’s, Chelsea Manning, Roe, Wade, Patricia, Robert, Mary, Michael Organizations: Washington CNN, New York Times, Press Foundation, RAND Corporation, RAND, The New York Times, Times, Washington Post, Pentagon, Committee, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Harvard University, Marine Corps, Harvard, International Security Affairs, State Department, White House, WikiLeaks, NPR Locations: Vietnam, Kensington , California, Chicago, Detroit, United Kingdom, Amherst, Iraq
Much of the existing legislation addressing TikTok at the federal and state level has focused on bans of the app. Wednesday’s legislation, known as the Protecting Americans’ Data From Foreign Surveillance Act, does not identify TikTok by name. TikTok has faced criticism from US officials who say the company’s links to China pose a national security risk. Congress has made several attempts in recent months to address data transfers to foreign adversaries. In February, House lawmakers advanced a bill that would all but require the Biden administration to ban TikTok over national security concerns about the app.
Persons: Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Wyoming Republican Sen, Cynthia Lummis, , ” Wyden, Wyden, TikTok, ByteDance, Biden, Justin Sherman, ” Sherman, Rhode Island Democratic Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Sheldon Whitehouse , Tennessee Republican Sen, Bill Hagerty, New Mexico Democratic Sen, Martin Heinrich, Florida Republican Sen, Marco Rubio, Warren Davidson, Anna Eshoo Organizations: CNN, Oregon Democratic, Wyoming Republican, ByteDance, Commerce Department, Oracle, Texas, Commerce, Duke University’s Sanford School of Public, Rhode, Rhode Island Democratic, Sheldon Whitehouse , Tennessee Republican, New Mexico Democratic, Florida Republican, Ohio Republican, California Democratic Locations: China, United States, Russia, Rhode Island, Sheldon Whitehouse , Tennessee, New Mexico, Florida
A bipartisan bill reintroduced this week would regulate how companies including TikTok share US data. TikTok has faced increased scrutiny around its ties to China, as well as calls for a US sale or ban. TikTok may have a path forward in the US without a sale or ban. TikTok has faced increased scrutiny from US lawmakers around its ties to China, where its parent company, ByteDance, is based. At the core of the issue are concerns that TikTok's Beijing-based parent company could be compelled to give the Chinese Community Party access to US user data.
Persons: TikTok, Sen, Ron Wyden, Cynthia Lummis, Biden, ByteDance, walling, It's, Wyden Organizations: Republican, CNN, Street, Foreign Investment, Congress, Wall, Chinese Community Party, CCP, Oracle Locations: China, Oregon, Wyoming, Montana, TikTok, Beijing, Texas, Russia
Marc Andreessen writes that AI can "make everything we care about better" in a new blog post. He believes AI companies should be able to build fast and aggressively without regulation. The current AI wave wouldn't be complete without a pithy missive from famed venture-capitalist and entrepreneur Marc Andressen. To help avert those risks, Altman recommended to lawmakers that a new agency should be created to police AI projects, particularly ones that operate at higher levels of capabilities. He also says his firm is eager to fund AI startup founders.
Persons: Marc Andreessen, Marc Andressen, Andreessen Horowitz, he's, Andreessen, Sam Altman, Altman, Andreeseen, Catalyst, Nat Friedman Organizations: OpenAI Locations: China, Coactive, London
Saudi Arabia said it is cutting oil production to stabilize oil markets. The move is likely to irk Joe Biden, who has clashed with the Saudis on oil production. The Saudis have previously worked with Russia to cut production, thus boosting prices. Saudi Arabia is the world's biggest oil producer and most influential member of the group, so has significant power over global oil markets. The production cut will likely be among the issues discussed when US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visits Saudi Arabia next week.
Persons: irk Joe Biden, , Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman al, Saud, Prince Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia's, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Alexander Novak, Biden, State Anthony Blinken Organizations: Saudis, Service, Privacy Policy, Reuters, Brent, White, State, New York Times, Kremlin Locations: Saudi Arabia, Russia, Privacy Policy Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Vienna, Austria, Russian, Riyadh, Ukraine, Opec, India
The lawmakers asked Musk and Yaccarino to respond to a series of questions about Twitter’s FTC obligations and whether the layoffs and resignations have hindered its ability to comply. Elon Musk under TwitterSince purchasing Twitter, Musk has said he’s laid off more than 6,000 employees, or roughly 80% of the company’s pre-acquisition headcount. Twitter is already under investigation by the FTC for possible breaches of its consent orders. But as both the FTC and now the senators have indicated, Twitter’s behavior under Musk is also covered by the consent agreements. House Republicans have alleged that the FTC probe is intended to “harass” Musk and represents an example of the “weaponization” of the US government.
Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Ella Irwin, Twitter’s, “ Mr, , Massachusetts Democratic Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Elizabeth Warren ; Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Ed Markey, Hawaii Democratic Sen, Mazie, Twitter didn’t, Twitter, he’s, Peiter “ Mudge ” Zatko, Zatko Organizations: Washington CNN —, Twitter, Federal Trade Commission, CNN, Massachusetts Democratic, Elizabeth Warren ; Oregon Democratic, Hawaii Democratic, FTC, Washington Post, House Republicans Locations: Elizabeth Warren ; Oregon
Oppenheimer’s list of books included works by Plato, mathematician Bernhard Riemann and scientist Michael Faraday, and the “Bhagavad-Gita,” with which he has famously long been associated. What happens when the inner workings and potential reach of scientific inventions are unknown, even to the human beings who create them? Still, Pride is also a time to revel in culture’s power to transform, sustain and bring joy to LGBTQ communities. But Medvedev knows that above all else he needs Putin to think of him as unequivocally loyal and useful. What it will do is help 40 million borrowers who, like me, were drowning in debt and need immediate relief.
Persons: Robert Oppenheimer, ” Oppenheimer, Plato, Bernhard Riemann, Michael Faraday, William Shakespeare’s “, ” Charles Baudelaire’s “, Fleurs, Mal ”, Eliot’s, Oppenheimer, ” Matthew Zapruder, , William Carlos Williams, Nick Anderson, ChatGPT, Stuart Russell, Jessica Chia, Bethany Cianciolo, Russell, isn’t, ” Russell, , Clay Jones, Joe Biden, John Avlon, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Joel Pett, Poppy Harlow, James Comey, Donald Trump, Republicans ’, MAGA, Julian Zelizer, Zelizer, Trump, Kayleigh McEnany, Rob Finnerty, Matt Wolking, Cupp, McEnany, that’s, Kayleigh, Pride Luciano, Sereno, Luciano Vecchio, It’s, ” Vecchio, “ Sereno, Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, Russia’s, Frida Ghitis, Medvedev, Putin, ” Medvedev “, Michael Bociurkiw, Biden, Sophia A, Nelson ., Nelson, it’s, , Brandon Bell, Jill Filipovic —, , Filipovic, we’ve, ” Don’t, Keith Magee, Kara Alaimo, James Moore, Texas GOP Tess Taylor, Lala Tanmoy Das, Alex Soros, Scottie Pippen can’t, Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Nathaniel S, Butler, NBAE, Michael Jordan, ” Pippen, Charles Barkley, Phil Jackson —, Will Leitch, ” Leitch, Pippen, Leitch, There’s Organizations: CNN, Manhattan, American, Committee, Tribune, Agency, Biden, Republicans, Trump, GOP, Luciano Vecchio Pride, United, AFP, Russia’s Security, Republican, Texas GOP, Philadelphia 76ers, Getty, NBA Locations: Berkeley, Iowa, revel, it’s, Argentina, United Russia, United Kingdom, Russia, Houston City, America, European, Texas
CNN —The world awoke Wednesday morning to the latest threat from Russia’s former president and prime minister Dmitry Medvedev. He’s like the fictional figure who appears out of nowhere, stares ahead with a blank face and slowly runs his finger across his throat: a none-too-subtle message from the boss. Or is he speaking for the Russian president? Shortly before he died, he had called Russia’s war against Ukraine “a fascist invasion.” The cause of death remains unexplained. With the war in Ukraine – a pivotal moment in Russia’s history – Putin remains at the center of the mafia-like government he has built.
Persons: Frida Ghitis, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, James, , , Venance, Putin, Xi Jinping, , ” Medvedev, Sen, Lindsey Graham of, Vladimir Putin toasts, Sergei Surovikin, Kirill Kuryavtsev, Pyotr Kucherenko, Ukraine “, Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Kara, Navalny, embarrassingly, Putin’s, couldn’t, Ukraine – Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Twitter, Russia’s Security, Russia, Foreign, Getty, London, Telegram, Kremlin, Ukraine, Facebook, Navalny’s, Corruption Foundation, YouTube Locations: United Kingdom, Moscow, Ukraine, , Russia, Russian, London, France, AFP, Crimea, Poland, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Syria, Cuba, Kara, West, Italy
Elizabeth Holmes reported to a Texas prison Tuesday to begin serving her sentence of more than 11 years. The Theranos founder was convicted on four counts of fraud and conspiracy last year. Eight years after infamous blood-testing startup Theranos began to implode, its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, is now in prison. On Tuesday afternoon, Holmes reported to a minimum-security women's prison in Bryan, Texas, about 100 miles from Houston, where she grew up, to begin serving her sentence of 11.25 years, with an additional three years of supervised release. Balwani reported to a California prison in April to begin his nearly 13-year sentence.
Live updates: Russia's war in ukraine
  + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Heather Chen | Andrew Raine | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +5 min
The move is in response to the "regularly anti-Russian sanctions" imposed by the US administration, according to a statement from Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday. Hours earlier, at the Group of Seven summit, the Biden administration unveiled new sanctions targeting Moscow for its war in Ukraine. An adviser to the mayor of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine claims the explosions took place at a base for Moscow's forces. US diplomatic appointment: US President Joe Biden formally nominated James O'Brien to serve as the top State Department official for European affairs — a key role for guiding Washington's response to Russia's war in Ukraine. NATO developments: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told CNN he is still not prepared to support Sweden's NATO membership, repeating his claim that Stockholm has allowed terrorist organizations to harbor in the country.
CNN —Former United States President Barack Obama, late night television host Stephen Colbert, and CNN’s Erin Burnett are some of the “500 Americans” Russia has banned from entering the country. The list includes Obama, former US Ambassador Jon Huntsman, several US senators and the next expected chairman of the joint chiefs Charles Q. The rambling list of names also includes American late night TV hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Colbert, and Seth Meyers. Friday’s list also includes CNN Anchor Erin Burnett and is an update of a previously published longer list of sanctioned individuals that includes CNN’s Chief International Security Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh, CNN contributors Bianna Golodryga and Timothy Naftali. While the list was labelled, “500 Americans,” Paton Walsh is a British citizen.
A proposed class-action lawsuit claims that DoorDash charges iPhone users more than Android owners. Building this trust is essential, and it's why the majority of delivery orders on our platform are placed by return customers. According to the lawsuit, "DoorDash charges the expanded range fee on iPhone users more often than Android users and charges iPhone users more for 'delivering' (likely because studies reveal iPhone users earn more)." Ross Hecox, Reid Hecox, US District Court for the District of MarylandIn other cases, iPhone users were charged a slightly higher delivery fee, according to the lawsuit. Others balked at the suit's claim that iPhone users were in a higher-income bracket and thus being charged higher fees.
Joseph DePaolo, the former CEO of Signature Bank, received about $8.6 million. Becker said his cash and stock bonuses were “predetermined” and that he wasn’t aware of when they would be paid out. “If you’d bought those hedges [against Treasuries purchased by the bank], that would have cut into your profits, wouldn’t it? “And when the banks blow up, Mr. Becker and Mr. Shay get to keep all the money. And that is just plain wrong.”ChatGPT goes to WashingtonOpenAI CEO Sam Altman also made his way to the Senate on Tuesday.
A Georgia woman pled guilty to threatening to bomb a local Democratic party building. Jessica Higginbotham planned to bomb the Athens Democratic Senatorial Committee Campaign building during the 2022 elections. When FBI agents confronted her about it, she vomited and lied at first, according to the DOJ. Local police and the FBI sprung into action after being alerted about the text, prosecutors said. "When she saw the agents approach her, she vomited," prosecutors said in a press release, adding that she first denied sending the message, but later admitted to it.
"That combination of overclassification and then too many people having clearances has led us to this problem," Warner told a news conference. He said more than 4 million people in the United States now have security clearance. Attorney General Merrick Garland has also appointed special counsels to investigate the handling of classified records by Republican former President Donald Trump and the handling of classified records from his time as vice president by current Democratic President Joe Biden. The path forward for the bills was not immediately clear but the senators said they hoped the recent attention on the clearance issue would help. "This is a piece of legislation that can become law and it is desperately needed for that to happen," Moran said.
Companies Tesla Inc FollowWASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - A group of seven U.S. senators on Monday questioned Tesla Inc's (TSLA.O) use of forced arbitration clauses in employee and consumer contracts, arguing that they prevent bringing discrimination claims and consumer safety complaints to court. Tesla has said it does not tolerate workplace discrimination and takes worker complaints seriously. The senators cited an ongoing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation into reports of “phantom braking" in Tesla vehicles. The senators sought answers to detailed questions by June 8 about Tesla's use of forced arbitration. The senators said arbitration clauses may keep"potential safety flaws from the public eye and limited regulatory authorities’ ability to protect Tesla customers and employees and hold Tesla publicly accountable."
And Ecuadorian authorities have struggled to tackle this public security crisis “efficiently because it is mired in (a) political crisis,” González says. Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso is at the center of this storm, and his popularity has tanked amid widespread discontent with spiraling crime rates. Before President Guillermo Lasso took office, Ecuador had already become a key transit hub for cocaine due to its location between Peru and Colombia. Lasso told Ecuador’s legislative commission investigating him that he had not evaded taxes and that his tax trajectory was legally supported. Members of unions and civil society groups march on International Workers' Day to demand that Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso, who is facing an impeachment process, leave office on May 1, 2023.
Pornhub blocks access in Utah over age verification law
  + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +4 min
CNN —Some of the internet’s biggest adult websites, including Pornhub, are now blocking access to Utah users over a new age verification law that takes effect on Wednesday. Pornhub and other adult sites controlled by its parent, MindGeek, began blocking visitors with Utah-based IP addresses this week. Pornhub, which says it receives 130 million visitors a day, is still available in Louisiana despite the age verification law. But it is unclear whether that system is currently equipped to perform online age verification. MindGeek also owns a separate age verification company known as AgeID, which is currently in use in Germany, though it does not currently operate in the United States.
Editor’s Note: Casey Michel is the director of the Human Rights Foundation’s Combating Kleptocracy Program. While the West must continue to call for the release of those two high-profile political prisoners, it should not overlook Kara-Murza. US lawmakers in the US Congress have issued a range of congressional resolutions and individual statements highlighting Kara-Murza’s plight. The disjointed Western response to Kara-Murza’s plight only works to Russia’s advantage. It’s long past time to create a coordinating body to ensure that Western sanctions packages are aligned and airtight.
US Senators to introduce bill on Supreme Court conduct - WSJ
  + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
April 26 (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators will introduce a bipartisan bill on Wednesday requiring the Supreme Court to create a code of conduct for its justices following recent media questions concerning the full disclosure of some financial activities, the Wall Street Journal reported. The bill being introduced by Angus King and Lisa Murkowski, called the Supreme Court Code of Conduct Act, would require the court to name an official in charge of reviewing any possible violations of the code or federal laws by Supreme Court justices, the newspaper said. The bill also states that the Supreme Court marshal, in consultation with the court and the appointed official, could commission federal personnel or businesses to assist with investigations into possible misconduct by the justices or their staff, the newspaper added. Among recent media questions about full disclosure of financial activity by Supreme Court justices were some raised by news outlet ProPublica detailing relations between Justice Clarence Thomas and Dallas businessman Harlan Crow, including luxury travel paid for by Crow. In a statement to ProPublica, Crow said he had "never sought to influence Justice Thomas on any legal or political issue."
The proposed legislation by a bipartisan group of US senators aims to address what policymakers, mental health advocates and critics of tech platforms say is a mental health crisis fueled by social media. “Social media companies have stumbled onto a stubborn, devastating fact,” Schatz said. But it would represent a potentially vast expansion of the government’s role in regulating websites where age verification is a requirement. Tech companies could still develop their own in-house age verification technology or hire third party companies to perform the verification, lawmakers said. Violations of the proposed law could mean millions of dollars in Federal Trade Commission fines for social media companies.
While in Israel, DeSantis will also keynote an event hosted by The Jerusalem Post and the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem. The trip will spotlight DeSantis’ foreign policy credentials as he inches toward a White House bid. DeSantis’ predecessor, now-US Sen. Rick Scott, embarked on more than a dozen trade missions during his tenure as governor. Eleven Florida Republicans have endorsed Trump over DeSantis so far – including seven last week. State lawmakers have also balked at a provision in DeSantis’ immigration package that would eliminate in-state tuition for undocumented residents.
Growing Republican support for Donald Trump's re-election won't be enough, Chris Sununu said. On NBC, the New Hampshire governor said Trump is a "four-time loser" who has cost the GOP seats in Congress. "Donald Trump is a loser," Gov. Donald Trump is a loser. So, Donald Trump is positioning himself to be a four-time loser in 2024."
Hong Kong/New York CNN —Temu and Shein are taking off in the United States, topping app stores and creating a frenzy with consumers. Shein was started in China, while Temu was launched by a Chinese company that now bills itself as a multinational firm. Both firms have enjoyed major success in the United States, noted Nicholas Kaufman, a policy analyst for the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Topping the chartsTemu and Shein have taken the world’s largest retail market — the United States — by storm. It has quickly become the most downloaded app in the United States, and continues to expand its user base.
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