DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Still-stunned Democrats begin to squint toward their future
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-10 | by ( Edward-Isaac Dovere | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

CNN —Pick one word to describe Republicans and Donald Trump, the focus group moderator asked, and one word to describe Democrats and Kamala Harris. “Donald Trump is a uniquely more popular figure, but what is it about him that makes him that way? Former President Donald Trump gestures during a campaign rally in Waco, Texas, on March 25, 2023. But what Democrats face is much deeper than the usual finger-pointing by a losing campaign or speculation about the next set of presidential primary candidates. It goes beyond easy comments about talking more to the working class when Democrats lost ground among nearly every demographic in the presidential race.

Persons: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, “, ”, hadn’t, Harris, Joe Biden, she’d “, what’s, Hillary Clinton, JB Pritzker, “ Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Obama, Leah Millis, Vermont Sen, Bernie Sanders, David Plouffe, Biden, Jen O’Malley Dillon, Stephanie Cutter, ’ ”, Pat Ryan, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Republican she’d, “ It’s, ” Gluesenkamp Perez, ” Harris, Hannah McKay, weren’t, Joe Rogan, Rogan, Trump, Sanders, – Pritzker, Tim Walz, Gavin Newsom, Hakeem Jeffries, Angie Craig, we’ve, Craig, She’s, ’ ” Craig, Gluesenkamp Perez, Joe Morelle, Josh Shapiro’s, Chris Deluzio, Democratic Sen, Bob Casey, ” Deluzio, David Goldman, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, hasn’t, George W, Bush’s, Levi Strauss, Daniel Lurie, London Breed, Harris ’, Oprah Winfrey, Ryan Organizations: CNN, Trump, Democratic, Gov, Biden, Lone Star, Electoral, Reuters, New York Democrat, Republican, Howard University, Tuesday, Trumpism, California Gov, Minnesota, Twin, Democrats, New York Rep, Pennsylvania Gov, Pennsylvania, London, Democratic Party Locations: Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Lone Star State, Washington, ”, Texas, Waco , Texas, Vermont, Hudson Valley, “, Wilmington , Delaware, America, Minnesota, Twin Cities, Pittsburgh, Dearborn , Michigan, Grant Park, New York

☆ House Freedom Caucus chair suggests North Carolina Legislature could assign electors before votes are tallied
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Curt Devine | Lauren Fox | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“With North Carolina, I mean, it’s legitimate. And despite concerns that hurricane damage could suppress turnout in Western North Carolina, state data suggests that voters have not been widely disenfranchised. And on Wednesday, the day before Raiklin’s presentation, USPS put out a statement stating that all North Carolina processing facilities and most retail locations are open. North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry told reporters Friday, “It makes no sense whatsoever to prejudge the election outcome and that is a misinformed view of what is happening on the ground in North Carolina. Bless his heart.”And National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson, who is also from North Carolina said candidates should focus on turning out the vote.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Andy Harris, ” Harris, Ivan Raiklin, Raiklin, Harris ’, ” Raiklin, Harris, I’ve, “ What’s, ”, Karen Brinson Bell, Patrick McHenry, Richard Hudson, “, Andy, Let’s, ” Hudson, Kamala Harris, Joe Morelle, …, Mike Pence Organizations: CNN, Caucus, Trump, North, Republican, North Carolina Rep, Administration, “ Extreme Republican, Capitol Locations: North Carolina, Western North Carolina, Hurricane, Maryland, America, North, New York

☆ The IOC says the Olympic Games has reached gender parity, but historic gender inequality still lingers
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Katrina Adams was honored as the IOC’s Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion for 2023. ‘Only just now getting here’Getting closer to this landmark of gender equality is “incredibly important,” Olympic weightlifter Jourdan Delacruz told CNN. “Just seeing all the love pour into women’s sport, it just opens up all these avenues. “If you don’t have female decision makers in the room that understand female athletes, it’s very hard to make decisions,” she said. And we know that without conscious, intentional action, to move towards gender equality, we consistently see regression.”

Persons: Alice Milliat, Pierre de Coubertin, ” Michele Donnelly, “, it’s, Emily Sonnett, Jordan Larson, Caitlin Clark, Simone Biles, Nelly Korda, Katrina Adams, Paul Zimmer, ”, ‘, Jourdan Delacruz, ” Nicole LaVoi, “ There’s, Morelle McCane, Adams, Adriana Díaz, Brian Afanador, Hannah McKay, Clarisse Agbegnenou, Astrid Guyart, Hillary Heron, Yareimi Vazquez, Aitana Vazquez, Maja Hitij, … you’re, …, Mechelle Lewis Freeman –, –, Freeman, Jill Biden, Mechelle Lewis Freeman, George Walker IV, Vicky Huyton, “ We’ve, ” Huyton, Tara Davis, Woodall, Lauren Fleshman, Nike, Davis, Sounkamba Sylla, Amélie, Castéra, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, ” Donnelly, we’ve Organizations: CNN, International Olympic Committee, Olympic Games, IOC, Brock University, CNN Sport, sport’s, United States Tennis Association, ITF, Olympics, Central Press, Hulton, Paris, Tucker Center for Research, Girls, Team Puerto Rico, Olympic Broadcasting Services, Tokyo, French Olympic, Athletes, Paris Olympic, don’t, Nike Locations: Paris, USA, Czechoslovakian, Sport, Tokyo, French, Panamanian, American

☆ Biden blasts ‘elites’ urging him to exit race in surprise interview
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

President Joe Biden arrives to speak to supporters and volunteers during a campaign stop at a Biden-Harris campaign election office in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on July 7, 2024. President Joe Biden defended his place at the top of the Democratic ticket Monday in a surprise television interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," after more lawmakers and donors came forward over the weekend with concerns about his reelection bid. "I'm getting so frustrated by the elites in the party" calling on him to step down, the president fumed. Biden insisted to hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski that the concerns of his wealthy backers would not dictate his political future. "I want their support, but that's not the reason I'm running," Biden said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Harris, I'm, Biden, Donald Trump, fumed, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, that's, Hakeem Jeffries, Adam Smith, Jerry Nadler, Mark Takano, Joe Morelle, Angie Craig, Nancy Pelosi, Jim Clyburn, Chuck Schumer, George Stephanopoulos, Sen, Chris Murphy, Conn Organizations: Biden, Democratic, Democrats, NBC News, N.Y, Trump, ABC News, NATO, Democratic Party Locations: Harrisburg , Pennsylvania, New York, Calif, Washington, D, Ukraine

☆ Biden and congressional Democrats are headed toward an all-out war
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats increasingly appear to be on a collision course. Reporters are going to be asking any Democratic lawmaker in sight whether they believe Biden should remain their party's nominee against former President Donald Trump. As of Monday morning, five House Democrats have publicly called for Biden to step aside, while two have pointedly said that he can't win. AdvertisementAll of this makes the week ahead extremely important for Biden and the Democratic Party. The worst possible outcome for Biden is that a public consensus emerges among congressional Democrats that he must go, and that party leaders follow suit by issuing calls for him to drop out.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump, Jerry Nadler, Mark Takano, Adam Smith of, Joe Morelle, New York —, Sen, Mark Warner of, —, he's, ABC's George Stephanopoulos, Ritchie Torres, Biden's, Torres Organizations: Service, Democrats, Capitol, Business, Democratic, Washington Post, Biden, Democratic Party, ABC, House Democrats Locations: York, California, Adam Smith of Washington, New York, Mark Warner of Virginia

“I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump,” Biden wrote in the letter, obtained by CNN. Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us,” Biden concluded. More than a handful of top House Democrats told Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday that Biden needs to step aside amid concerns about down-ballot Democratic races. Biden offered a confusing response to a question about his letter to Hill Democrats calling for unity and lambasted Trump for being on the golf course after the debate. Biden team hosting another top donor callAlso on Monday, the Biden campaign is hosting a donor call with its national finance committee, a source familiar with the call said, another sign of outreach.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, ” Biden, Biden, ”, Hakeem Jeffries, Trump, — Joe, I’ve, hasn’t, who’ve, “ I’m, I’m, Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, James Clyburn —, Schumer, Clyburn, Pelosi, Jerry Nadler, Adam Smith, Mark Takano, Joe Morelle —, Sen, Mark Warner, Warner, Jen O’Malley Dillon, Wes Moore, O’Malley Dillon, Moore, “, ” Moore, we’re Organizations: Washington CNN, Capitol, CNN, Democratic Convention, Trump, House, Hill Democrats, Capitol Hill, Democratic, Democrats, Biden, ABC News, Judiciary, Armed Services, Veterans Affairs, Administration, Virginia Democrat, Warner, Maryland Gov, White Locations: “, Washington

The House Democrats who said Biden should drop out of the 2024 race were Reps. Adam Smith of Washington, Jerry Nadler of New York, Mark Takano of California and Joe Morelle of New York. Some House Democrats in battleground districts are weighing whether to distance themselves from Biden. "President Biden is a good man & I appreciate his lifetime of service," she wrote in a post to X. During the interview, Biden dismissed the calls for him to step aside and said only the "Lord Almighty" could get him to reconsider his presidential bid. "Look, I mean, if the Lord Almighty came down and said, 'Joe, get out of the race,' I'll get out of the race," Biden said during the interview.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Adam Smith of, Jerry Nadler, Mark Takano, Joe Morelle, Smith, Nadler, Takano, Morelle, Hakeem Jeffries, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Trump, Susan Wild, Angie Craig, Maxine Waters, Barbara Lee, Frederica Wilson, Wilson, he's, George Stephanopoulos, Almighty, Joe, Almighty's Organizations: WASHINGTON —, Congress, Democrats, NBC News, Armed Services, Veterans ' Affairs Committee, House Administration Committee, House Democratic, Biden, Congressional, Caucus, NBC, California Democratic, Trump, Rep, ABC News, Capitol Locations: Adam Smith of Washington, York, California, New York, Congress, House, D, Pennsylvania

CNN —More than a handful of House Democratic ranking members told House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a Sunday call that President Joe Biden needs to step aside from the 2024 campaign, according to sources familiar with the call. Democratic Reps. Maxine Waters and Bobby Scott spoke in support of Biden, according to one of the sources. “It was pretty brutal,” a senior Democratic aide told CNN, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation among House leaders. One senior House Democrat said they have been on calls and group chats with dozens of their colleagues where the consensus is that Biden needs to step aside. One of the members told CNN they anticipate that is the day when the dam will break.

Persons: Hakeem Jeffries, Joe Biden, Jeffries, Biden, Mark Takano, Adam Smith, Jim Himes, Joe Morelle, Jerry Nadler, Susan Wild, Lloyd Doggett, Seth Moulton, Raúl Grijalva, Angie Craig, Mike Quigley, Maxine Waters, Bobby Scott, Kamala Harris, ”, — Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Democrat, House Democrat, Democratic Party Locations: Washington, “, Pennsylvania

☆ Deepfake porn is a huge problem — here are some of the tools that could help stop it
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"The overall percentage is now lower, but the overall volume of deepfake content which is pornographic has exploded," Ajder said. Deepfake porn of pop superstar Taylor Swift has raised awareness of the issue. Criminal deterrentsThis has had an effect on legislation in the UK, where the Online Safety Act has made it illegal to distribute deepfake porn — but not to create it. AdvertisementThough hard to prosecute, criminalizing deepfake porn is still an important deterrent, in his view. In India, a deepfake porn scandal involving Bollywood actresses spurred the government to fasttrack legislation and pressure the big tech companies to prevent AI-generated content from being spread online.

Persons: —, Trace, Henry Ajder, Midjourney, Ajder, Taylor Swift, Bauer, Griffin, Elon Musk, Biden, ChatGPT, they're, it's, Ben Zhao, Joe Biden, Joe Morelle, deepfakes, criminalizing Organizations: Service, BBC News, Google, Meta, Coalition, telltale, University of Chicago, NPR, Anadolu, Getty, Associated Press, Federal Communications Commission Locations: Deepfakes, British, New York, New Hampshire, India

☆ A company lost $25 million after an employee was tricked by deepfakes of his coworkers on a video call: police
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Scammers made off with about $25 million after they used deepfake technology to trick an employee at the Hong Kong branch of a multinational company, local media reported on Sunday, citing the city's police. The employee then had a video call with the company's CFO and other company employees — all of which turned out to be deepfakes. Based on instructions they got during that call, the employee transferred HK$200 million, or $25.6 million, to various Hong Kong bank accounts across 15 transfers, according to the SCMP. AdvertisementThe Hong Kong police did not name the company or employees involved. The employee who was scammed did not interact with the deepfakes during the video conference, according to the media outlet.

Persons: Scammers, scammers, scammed, Taylor Swift, Joseph Morelle Organizations: South China Morning Post, HK, Hong Kong, Democratic Locations: Hong Kong, South China

☆ SAG-AFTRA slammed explicit AI images of Taylor Swift — but it agreed to some concerning AI terms following last year's Hollywood strike
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewThe SAG-AFTRA actors' union has issued a statement addressing the explicit AI-generated images of Taylor Swift that went viral this week. The actors' union condemned the deepfake images, calling them "upsetting, harmful, and deeply concerning." But some actors are still concerned over the new AI terms, particularly over the "vague" consent exemptions, Mashable reported. "The most serious issue of them all is the inclusion in the agreement of "Synthetic Performers," or "AI Objects," resembling humans.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Joe Morelle's, Taylor, Jay L, Justine Bateman Organizations: Service, Business, SAG, Los Angeles Times, Getty, Alliance, Television Producers, Mashable, Employers

☆ Fake explicit Taylor Swift photos have politicians sounding off. But will AI laws actually change?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sexually explicit AI-created images of Taylor Swift went viral on X this week. Posting on X on Thursday, he wrote: "The spread of AI-generated explicit images of Taylor Swift is appalling — and sadly, it's happening to women everywhere, every day." The spread of AI-generated explicit images of Taylor Swift is appalling—and sadly, it's happening to women everywhere, every day. What’s happened to Taylor Swift is nothing new. (The Daily Mail has reported that her team is considering legal action against the site that created the AI-generated images.)

Persons: Taylor Swift, It's, —, Swift, Joe Biden, Joseph Morelle, Morelle, Joe Morelle, Tom Kean Jr, Yvette D, Clarke, — Yvette D Organizations: Service, NFL, NBC News, New Hampshire, Democratic, Committee, Republican, Business, Daily Mail Locations: @RepYvetteClarke

NEW YORK (AP) — Pornographic deepfake images of Taylor Swift are circulating online, making the singer the most famous victim of a scourge that tech platforms and anti-abuse groups have struggled to fix. Sexually explicit and abusive fake images of Swift began circulating widely this week on the social media platform X. The deepfake-detecting group Reality Defender said it tracked a deluge of nonconsensual pornographic material depicting Swift, particularly on X. Some images also made their way to Meta-owned Facebook and other social media platforms. “The images may be fake, but their impacts are very real," Morelle said in a statement.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Swift, ”, Mason Allen, Brittany Spanos, Spanos, Douglas Baldridge, Gwyneth Paltrow’s, X, Elon Musk, “, Meta, Swift didn’t, Allen, OpenAI's DALL, OpenAI, Satya Nadella, Lester Holt, ” Nadella, Midjourney, who've, Yvette D, Clarke, New York who's, ” Clarke, Joe Morelle, Morelle Organizations: Twitter, DeepTrace, Hollywood, South, Rolling Stone, New York University, DJ, Associated Press, Elon, Microsoft, NBC Nightly, U.S, U.S . Rep, New, New York Democrat Locations: Meta, New York

☆ New A.I. working group aims to shape policy for key Democratic bloc
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Emily Wilkins | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Democrats on Capitol Hill are forming a new working group on artificial intelligence and prioritizing how to prevent deepfakes from wreaking havoc on personal lives, national security and the upcoming 2024 elections. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., will chair the new AI working group in the New Democrat Coalition, a 97-member bloc of House members that typically avoid the spotlight but wield significant influence over policy within the caucus. "There's real concern about the potential for AI generated disinformation, real concern about misuse of advanced AI models," Kilmer told CNBC. Another concerning aspect for many lawmakers is what AI generated images could mean in the world of campaign ads. Ron DeSantis recently used AI in an ad to replicate former president Donald Trump's voice "reading" a post that Trump had written on social media.

Persons: Derek Kilmer, Kilmer, Joe Morelle, Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump's, Trump, Joe Biden, Democratic Minnesota Sen, Amy Klobuchar, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democrats, Capitol, New Democrat Coalition, House, CNBC, Homeland Security Department, New Dems, Florida Republican Gov, Republican National Committee, Senate, Democratic Minnesota, Dems Locations: Taiwan, China

☆ Kevin McCarthy lashed out at reporters when asked why he hasn't punished George Santos
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He was being questioned about why he continues to back Rep. George Santos. "What happens in the Intel Committee, [with the] secrets that are going on in the world other members of Congress don't know," McCarthy said. McCarthy is under increasing pressure to take action against Santos as calls grow for the New York congressman to resign. "We urge you to act swiftly to prevent George Santos from abusing his position and endangering our nation," the two New York congressmen said. They wrote: "It is clear that Congressman George Santos has violated the public's trust on various occasions and his unfettered access to our nation's secrets presents a significant risk to the national security of this country."

☆ Democrats urge House Speaker McCarthy to deny GOP Rep. George Santos access to classified info
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Two congressional Democrats asked House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday to restrict Republican Rep. George Santos' access to classified information, arguing the scandal-plagued freshman lawmaker "cannot be trusted" with confidential materials. "It is clear that Congressman George Santos has violated the public's trust on various occasions," Reps. Joseph Morelle and Gregory Meeks, both from Santos' own state of New York, said in a letter to McCarthy. "His unfettered access to our nation's secrets presents a significant risk to the national security of this country," the Democrats wrote. "We urge you to act swiftly to prevent George Santos from abusing his position and endangering our nation." Santos' "untrustworthiness could warrant the Intelligence Community to slow down or limit certain classified information it shares with Congress," they told McCarthy.

Search resuls for: "Morelle"

16 mentions found