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☆ With the rise of AI, social media platforms could face perfect storm of misinformation in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Experts, and even some executives overseeing AI companies, say these tools risk spreading false information to mislead voters, including ahead of the 2024 US election. But they now face a perfect storm of factors that could make it harder than ever to keep up with the next wave of election misinformation. Experts worry that the proliferation of generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, could make it easier for bad actors to create election misinformation. OpenAI, the maker of the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, issued a stark warning about the risk of AI-generated misinformation in a recent research paper. The platforms largely use a mix of human and automated review to identify misinformation and manipulated media.

Persons: Ron DeSantis ’, Donald Trump, Anthony Fauci, Trump, “, ”, “ We’ve, I’m, David Evan Harris, Bhaskar Chakravorti, it’s, Harris, Margaret Mitchell, Andrew Angelov, incentivized, Mitchell, OpenAI, chatbot ChatGPT, Joe Biden’s, Ivy Choi, Meta, Twitter, Elon Musk Organizations: New, New York CNN, Twitter, Florida Gov, ”, University of Washington, Center, Social, of Technology Institute, Facebook, CNN, The Fletcher School, Tufts University, Google, Pentagon, Republican National Committee, RNC, Democratic, Federal, Commission, YouTube, “, Meta Locations: New York, meddle, United States, Washington

☆ Uncensored Chatbots Provoke a Fracas Over Free Speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Stuart A. Thompson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Several uncensored and loosely moderated chatbots have sprung to life in recent months under names like GPT4All and FreedomGPT. Many were created for little or no money by independent programmers or teams of volunteers, who successfully replicated the methods first described by A.I. Most groups work from existing language models, only adding extra instructions to tweak how the technology responds to prompts. The uncensored chatbots offer tantalizing new possibilities. Independent A.I.

Persons: A.I, ”, Oren Etzioni, “ They’re Organizations: Big Tech, A.I, University of Washington, Allen Institute for A.I

NEW DELHI, June 20 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for the U.S. on Tuesday on a state visit that has been projected as a milestone in ties between the two countries that would deepen and diversify their partnership. Modi has been to the U.S. five times since becoming prime minister in 2014 but the June 21-24 trip will be his first with the full diplomatic status of an official state visit. Washington sees India as a vital partner in its efforts to push back against China's expanding influence worldwide. Modi's visit comes amid differences in the positions of Washington and New Delhi over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The world has full confidence that India’s top-most priority is peace," he said in the interview published on Tuesday.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Joe Biden's, Elon Musk, Tesla, Vinay Kwatra, Twitter's, Jack Dorsey, Lavanya Ahire, YP Rajesh, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Indian, U.S, Reuters, Twitter, Wall Street, Wall Street Journal, Security Council, YP, Thomson Locations: DELHI, U.S, Washington and New Delhi, India, Washington, United States, New Delhi, Ukraine, Moscow, United Nations, BENGALURU

☆ Forget about the AI apocalypse. The real dangers are already here
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Left to right: Microsoft's CTO Kevin Scott, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis. Joy Malone/David Ryder/Bloomberg/Joel Saget/AFP/Getty ImagesSome AI industry experts say that focusing attention on far-off scenarios may distract from the more immediate harms that a new generation of powerful AI tools can cause to people and communities, including spreading misinformation, perpetuating biases and enabling discrimination in various services. “Motives seemed to be mixed,” Gary Marcus, an AI researcher and New York University professor emeritus who testified before lawmakers alongside Altman last month, told CNN. In his testimony before Congress, Altman also said the potential for AI to be used to manipulate voters and target disinformation were among “my areas of greatest concern.”Even in more ordinary use cases, however, there are concerns. Influencing regulatorsRegulators may be the real intended audience for the tech industry’s doomsday messaging.

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, Demis Hassabis, Kevin Scott, Elon Musk, Joy Malone, David Ryder, Joel Saget, ” Gary Marcus, ”, Marcus, Gary Marcus, Eric Lee, Emily Bender, Bender, ” Bender, ’, we’re Organizations: CNN, Google, Microsoft, Bloomberg, Getty, New York University, OpenAI, University of Washington, Laboratory, Washington Locations: Valley, AFP, Washington , DC, Congress

The legislation, modeled off of California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard, aims to reduce carbon intensity from the on-road transportation sector in New York by 20% by 2031. If passed, it would be the second-largest clean fuel standard in the United States, surpassed only by California's. The New York Senate passed the Clean Fuel Standard on Thursday, the first time it had done so despite similar legislation being produced in prior sessions. California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard led to a boom in investments in fuels made from non-petroleum feedstocks. Canada has also implemented a Clean Fuel Standard which is set to take effect later this year.

Persons: Deborah Glick, Laura Sanicola, Nick Zieminski Organizations: U.S ., New York Senate, decarbonizing, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S . East Coast, United States, York, West Coast, Washington and Oregon, Canada

☆ Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Are Getting Banned in Parts of the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Outsized pollution and noise from devices like gas-powered leaf blowers are driving the efforts. The gas-to-electric transition at the neoclassical landmark, which has stood for more than two centuries in Georgetown, came ahead of a ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers that went into effect in the nation's capital last year. California next year will ban the sale of new gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers, among other equipment, though the state will still allow existing devices to be used. That's in part because about 30% of the oil-and-gas mix that powers so-called two-stroke engines, which often run tools like leaf blowers and string trimmers, isn't burned. Whalley was already a proponent of ditching the gas-powered tools because she'd done so at her own home.

Persons: —, It's, Martha Washington, Allyson Whalley, isn't, Kalen Roach, Roach, Whalley Organizations: Service, California Air Resources Board, DC Sustainable Energy, Companies Locations: Washington , DC, Tudor, Georgetown, . California, Washington

☆ Opinion | Applying D.E.I. to Science
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “Let Science Be Science,” by Pamela Paul (column, May 5):Ms. Paul describes how a leading scientific journal declined to publish an opinion article advocating impartiality in science. Her implication is that rejecting a paper equates to rejecting its premise. Top scientific journals are not dissimilar to the Opinion pages of The New York Times in that the competition to appear in them is intense. Misleading readers to score political points with an argument that scientists have exchanged merit and objectivity for progressive ideology is a disservice to science and the public alike. Carl T. BergstromSeattleThe writer is a professor of biology at the University of Washington and had a guest essay published in The Times last year.

☆ Sen. Bernie Sanders renews push for Medicare for All to end 'totally broken' health-care system
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

This week, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is renewing his push for a new approach — Medicare for All — that he touted as a presidential candidate. "The current health-care system in the United States is totally broken," Sanders said Tuesday at a Capitol Hill event. Medicare for All would create a single-payer program, which would allow one source to collect all health-care fees and pay all health-care costs. "It is long overdue for us to end the international embarrassment of the United States being the only major country on earth that does not guarantee health care to all of its people," Sanders said. "Now is the time for a Medicare for All single-payer program."

☆ Google zeroed in on these 3 categories of climate companies to boost
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

This year, the 12 companies mostly fell into three broad categories: Artificial intelligence, electric vehicle infrastructure, and providing companies with better data to decarbonize their operations. When I read the headlines about the dangers of the climate crisis, I feel a personal obligation to be a part of supporting innovative climate solutions to scale," Ridenour told CNBC. Google has hosted three climate change startup accelerators for North American companies in the last three years, and all 33 of the participants are all still operating, a spokesperson for Google told CNBC. "Teams are leaning deeper into developing AI and ML models to address climate change," Ridenour told CNBC. Cleartrace is particularly focused on measurement techniques for Scope 3 emissions -- emissions associated with a company's entire supply chain or value chain, which can be fiendishly difficult to track.

☆ Jane Roberts' anti-abortion advocacy helped her husband, Chief Justice John Roberts, land his spot on the Supreme Court years before Roe v. Wade was overturned
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Chief Justice John Roberts' wife's anti-abortion advocacy once helped bolster his judicial career. Details of Jane Roberts' work, though not new, are worth revisiting in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade's reversal. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and his wife Jane exit the funeral service for Antonin Scalia. Jane Roberts' advocacy and public political beliefs ultimately helped convince two conservative legal power players, Leonard Leo and Jay Sekulow, to publicly advocate for John Roberts' confirmation, according to the Times. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty ImagesAt the time of John Roberts' nomination, liberals feared he might pose a threat to Roe v. Wade.

☆ Opinion | Dianne Feinstein Has to Act
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Without Senator Dianne Feinstein, there might never have been an assault weapons ban in 1994. Or the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994. Her absence is a failure that deprives American voters of full representation on legislation and appointments that will affect them for decades to come. (Proxy voting is allowed in the committee, but a proxy cannot be the decisive vote if the committee is otherwise evenly divided, as it often is.) Ms. Feinstein offered to step away from the committee, but Republican senators blocked any effort at appointing a temporary replacement.

☆ Lawmakers led by Democrats urge the Fed to halt rate hikes ahead of Wednesday's announcement
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — A group led by several prominent Democratic lawmakers is calling on the Federal Reserve to halt rate hikes to avoid risking too much damage to the economy. The lawmakers called on the Fed to suspend rate hikes to "respect" its dual mandate and "avoid engineering a recession that destroys jobs and crushes small businesses." The benchmark federal funds rate is the highest since 2007 after nine consecutive rate increases by the Fed since last year. They also cited the lowest year-over-year consumer price index in nine months, a resilient labor market and a 3.5% unemployment rate, including the lowest rate for Black Americans on record, as proof that further rate hikes are unnecessary. Successive rate hikes would "needlessly" threaten that progress, they argued.

The Supreme Court ruled to uphold FDA approval of the abortion pill on Friday. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito publicly dissented, with Alito writing an opinion. The ruling did not specify how most of the justices voted, or even how many justices voted in favor. For part of his reasoning, Alito focused on the "shadow docket" itself. I thought you were against using the shadow docket and changing things in these ways,'" Lemieux said.

☆ Sorry everyone, but Clarence Thomas can take undisclosed money from whomever he wants and there is little to be done about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But Supreme Court experts told Insider there is no chance the conservative justice will be removed. The Supreme Court has little regulatory oversight and few routes for disciplining its judges. Judiciary ethics experts told Insider the bombshell ProPublica report left them "shocked" and "disturbed." Federal law requires government employees, including Supreme Court justices, to report most real estate transactions worth more than a thousand dollars. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas attends the ceremonial swearing-in ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett to be the U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice on the South Lawn of the White House October 26, 2020.

☆ Putin ally accuses Western leaders of blood on their hands for supporting Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 4 (Reuters) - Russia's parliament speaker said on Tuesday that Western leaders have blood on their hands for supporting Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and that support has led to the creation of a "terrorist state" in Europe's centre. Vyacheslav Volodin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, said that the killing of prominent war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in St Petersburg over the weekend was a "terrorist act" committed by Kyiv. "The support of Washington and Brussels for the Kyiv authorities has led to the creation of a terrorist state in the centre of Europe," Volodin said on the Telegram messaging app. "The blood of the dead and wounded is on the hands of (U.S. President Joe) Biden, (President Emmanuel) Macron, (German Chancellor Olaf) Scholz and other heads of state who support the Zelenskiy regime." Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Senate Democrats urge Walmart, Costco, Albertsons and Kroger to sell abortion pill mifepristone
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Erin Hooley | Tribune News Service | Getty ImagesSenate Democrats called on Walmart , Costco , Albertsons and Kroger to sell the prescription abortion pill mifepristone and clearly let customers know how to get it at their pharmacies. The companies have not publicly stated yet whether they plan to sell mifepristone at their pharmacies. The 17 senators told Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, Costco CEO Craig Jelinek, Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran and Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen that they are frustrated the companies have not yet publicly indicated whether they will sell mifepristone. Major retailers in the U.S. have been thrust in the middle of the nation's deep divisions over abortion as they weigh whether to sell mifepristone. Walgreens has come under fire after it told the GOP attorneys general that it would not sell mifepristone in their states.

☆ Biden, after trip to Ukraine, in Poland to meet NATO allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Biden will meet Polish President Andrzej Duda to discuss collective efforts to support Ukraine and thank Poland for helping the United States and other countries facilitate deliveries of military and humanitarian assistance. In the evening, Biden will give a speech on how the United States has helped rally the world to support Ukraine as the war enters its second year with no end in sight. Before leaving Warsaw for Washington on Wednesday, Biden will meet leaders of the Bucharest Nine, the eastern flank NATO allies, to reaffirm unwavering support for their security. A year ago, Biden warned skeptical allies that a massive buildup of Russian troops along Ukraine's borders was the precursor to war. Since the beginning of the war, the United States has sent more than $24 billion in security assistance to help Ukraine.

☆ How Biden's surprise trip to Kyiv was kept secret - but not from Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] President Joe Biden arrives for a surprise visit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, in Kyiv. After months of planning, Biden on Friday decided to go ahead with the trip, according to the White House. By then it was Sunday night, and Biden's train traveled in the dark with a heavy security presence on board. "It's good to be back in Kyiv," Biden said after stepping off the train. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who accompanied the president, said U.S. officials did notify Russian officials that Biden would be traveling to Kyiv.

☆ Biden’s New Chief of Staff Enters as Political Rancor Heats Up
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Sabrina Siddiqui | Stephanie Armour | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jeff Zients is now the president’s top aide after leading the Biden administration’s Covid-19 response. WASHINGTON—On his first day as White House chief of staff, Jeff Zients dispatched an all-staff note that said governing is never easy. Many challenges await President Biden ’s top aide, including a debt-ceiling showdown, escalating tensions with China and a divided Congress that will impede the president’s agenda. It is markedly different ground for Mr. Zients, a 56-year-old former business executive who led the Biden administration’s Covid-19 response from January 2021 to April 2022 with a managerial-like emphasis on tasks and outcomes. He isn’t as steeped in the inner workings of Washington and politics as his predecessor, Ron Klain , despite taking the job as Mr. Biden prepares for a likely re-election campaign.

☆ King Abdullah meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in surprise Jordan visit, royal court says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMMAN, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise trip to Jordan on Tuesday for talks with King Abdullah, who the royal court said underlined the need for Israel to respect the status quo of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Far-right Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir toured the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which Jews revere as the Temple Mount, under heavy security this month. It is hopeful that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden will pressure Israel to preserve the status quo in the Al-Aqsa mosque, whose upkeep is paid for by Jordan. Officials told Reuters that King Abdullah is expected to visit Washington at the end of January. Blinken underscored the importance of preserving the historic status quo at the site, according to a statement by the State Department.

☆ King Abdullah meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in surprise Jordan visit -royal court
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

☆ CDC is talking to airlines about wastewater testing in planes. New reports support that strategy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Aria-Bendix-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Aria Bendix | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The U.S. has been monitoring for the coronavirus in wastewater since the CDC launched its National Wastewater Surveillance System in September 2020. But that testing mainly involves wastewater from households or buildings, not samples from airports or planes. Previous Covid-19 wastewater surveillance has shown to be a valuable tool, and airplane wastewater surveillance could potentially be an option," CDC press officer Scott Pauley told NBC News. Politico first reported that the agency is considering airplane wastewater testing. As of October, more than 1,250 sites were conducting wastewater testing across the U.S.

☆ 'Firmageddon': Researchers find 1.1 million acres of dead trees in Oregon
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Evan Bush | Evan Bush Is A Science Reporter For Nbc News. He Can Be Reached At Evan.Bush Nbcuni.Com. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

“We’re seeing forms of stress in all of our species of trees,” said Christine Buhl, a forest entomologist with the Oregon Department of Forestry. Trained observers peer outside both sides of the plane, looking for noticeable damage to trees. “You definitely have to have a stomach of steel.”This year, the aerial observation program flew over about 69 million acres of Washington and Oregon forest in about 246 hours. Oregon’s average temperatures have risen about 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1895, according to a 2021 state climate assessment delivered to the state’s Legislature. “It was the combination of the high temperatures in the afternoon with the sun boring down,” said Chris Still, a professor in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University.

How Washington State Employees Credit Union worksWashington State Employees Credit Union is a community development financial institution (CDFI) with 22 branches throughout Washington. Washington State Employees Credit Union trustworthiness and BBB ratingWashington State Employees Credit Union hasn't been involved in any recent public controversies. Washington State Employees Credit Union vs. Kitsap Credit UnionKitsap Credit Union is another CDFI in Washington. Kitsap Credit Union has a high-yield checking account while Washington State Employees Credit Union has a cash-back checking account. Washington State Employees Credit Union vs. Gesa Credit UnionGesa Credit Union has 30 branches in Washington and is also certified as a CDFI.

☆ Director Ang Lee will direct his son, playing Bruce Lee in biopic
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Brahmjot Kaur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Ang Lee, the Academy Award-winning director of “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi,” is set to direct an upcoming film about the Chinese American martial arts icon Bruce Lee. Mason Lee, the son of Ang Lee, will play Bruce Lee in Sony’s 3000 Pictures film. At 13, he went on to study wing chun kung fu under the renowned master Yip Man, according to the Bruce Lee Estate. He also developed his own martial art during this time called Jeet Kune Do, the Bruce Lee Foundation's website said. After “The Green Hornet” was canceled, Bruce Lee struggled to find work in Hollywood and returned to Hong Kong to pursue a film career.

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