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☆ A video from 2006 shows a young Tucker Carlson warning that 'crazy conspiracy theories' can spread without a 'universally recognized standard' for the news
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An old video of Tucker Carlson from 2006 was posted to Twitter on Wednesday. The video shows Carlson warning about the dangers of conspiracy theories. "And in that environment, all sorts of crazy conspiracy theories bloom and take the place of facts." At the time of the 2006 panel discussion, Carlson was still a host on the MSNBC program "The Situation with Tucker Carlson." The sentiment expressed in the texts stands in stark contrast to Carlson's subsequent promoting of Trump's baseless voter-fraud conspiracy theories.

☆ Sam Altman gave us ChatGPT. Now he wants us to defy death.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sam Altman put $180 million into Retro Biosciences, a company that aims to delay death by 10 years. Altman's interest in longevity research dates back at least eight years, per the MIT Technology Review. I basically just took all my liquid net worth and put it into these two companies," Altman told the MIT Technology Review. According to the MIT Technology Review, Altman has been interested in anti-aging methods for years. Altman told the MIT Technology Review that the success of this experiment was something he "didn't expect."

☆ Steven Spielberg and Noam Chomsky say AI is soulless and scary
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Both Steven Spielberg and Noam Chomsky have expressed their doubts about artificial intelligence. Spielberg said that AI requires humans to surrender creative expression and autonomy to AI. Both Spielberg and Chomsky separately gave their views on how AI could have serious repercussions on mankind's ability to create and think independently. Chomsky, a linguistics professor, cognitive scientist, and philosopher, believes that AI tools like ChatGPT have "sacrificed creativity for a kind of amorality." In the piece published on Wednesday, Chomsky, Roberts, and Watumull wrote that AI systems like ChatGPT are incapable of independent thought.

☆ Private texts and internal emails show what Fox News hosts and employees really thought of their network's news coverage. Read them here.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dominion Voting Systems submitted in a Tuesday court filing a huge cache of internal emails, private texts, and depositions from Fox News hosts and employees. In one exchange, Carlson and his fellow prime-time hosts, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity, discussed how they felt sidelined at the network. A screenshot of texts between Tucker Carlson and an unknown employee. Dominion Voting v. Fox NewsTucker Carlson and an unknown person, on Sidney PowellIn an exchange dated November 17, 2020, Carlson said he thought Powell was lying. Dominion Voting v. Fox NewsRon Mitchell and Fox EP Tommy FirthFox executives Ron Mitchell's and Tommy Firth's personal text messages were also cited in Dominion's filing on Tuesday.

☆ Ron DeSantis says he's never supported the bill that would require people blogging about him to register with the state
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ron DeSantis weighed in on a bill that would require bloggers to register with the state. Ron DeSantis says a proposed law that would require bloggers writing about him to register with the state isn't something that he's "ever supported." If passed, the bill would require any blogger who writes about DeSantis — and is paid for their work — to register with the state and file monthly reports. Representatives for the ACLU's Florida chapter told Insider the bill is "un-American to its core" and a violation of the First Amendment. A spokesman for DeSantis told Insider on Friday that the governor's communications office is "reviewing the bill."

☆ Michelle Obama said she sobbed uncontrollably for 30 minutes straight after leaving the White House on Trump's inauguration day
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Michelle Obama said she cried uncontrollably on Air Force One on Trump's inauguration day. This was after the Obamas left the White House in 2017, on Trump's inauguration day. In a clip in "Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast," Obama described her experience on former President Donald Trump's inauguration day. Obama also talked about what it was like having to attend then-President-elect Trump's inauguration ceremony. In July 2019, Obama said in an interview with CBS host Gayle King that having to attend Trump's inauguration as one of the few people of color there was "a lot, emotionally."

☆ Meta's latest round of layoffs could hit as soon as this week, as the company tries to finalize headcount before Zuckerberg goes on parental leave: Bloomberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

These cuts could happen as soon as this week before CEO Mark Zuckerberg goes on parental leave. Meta already laid off 11,000 workers or approximately 13% of the company's headcount in November. This fresh round of headcount cuts is happening because of Meta's financial targets, and is separate from Zuckerberg's push for "flattening" Meta's organizational structure, Bloomberg's sources — who were granted anonymity to talk about internal matters — said. A Meta spokesperson declined to comment on further layoffs, the expected number of job cuts, and which divisions might be impacted. The spokesperson did not immediately respond to Insider's follow-up query on when these reported job cuts might happen.

☆ Gavin Newsom says California is done doing business with Walgreens, branding it a company that 'cowers to the extremists'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Gavin Newsom says California is "done" doing business with Walgreens. Gavin Newsom is going to war with Walgreens over the company's decision to stop selling an abortion pill in 20 states. "California won't be doing business with @walgreens — or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts women's lives at risk. A spokesperson for Newsom told Insider that California is "reviewing all relationships between Walgreens and the state." Walgreens told Insider that it intends to seek FDA certification to distribute mifepristone "only in those jurisdictions where it is legal and operationally feasible."

☆ Elon Musk says it's 'super concerning' that smart youths aren't having as much sex as those with average IQs, referencing data from a study published 23 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk says it's "super concerning" that smart youths aren't having more sex. He was responding to a tweet about high IQ youths not having as much sex as average IQ youths. The tweet's content can be traced back to a paper published in 2000, titled: "Smart teens don't have sex." Williams referenced research that said youths with IQs over 130 are "3-5 times less likely" to have had sex than those with average IQs. Williams' tweet references a research paper published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in 2000, titled "Smart teens don't have sex (or kiss much either)."

☆ Chris Christie says the 'half-full' crowds at CPAC are a sign that Donald Trump's popularity is finally waning
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chris Christie said the "half-full" crowd at CPAC this weekend is a sign of Trump's unpopularity. Christie said Trump may be the GOP's 2024 frontrunner now, but he's not as powerful as he was before. Chris Christie said the small crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference this weekend shows how much former President Donald Trump's popularity has waned. "You saw the scenes at CPAC, that room was half-full," Christie said during an appearance on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. Christie said that "only the most desperate people showed up at CPAC to even speak, other than Trump or people within Trump's orbit."

☆ Trump has been testing new nicknames for Ron DeSantis like 'Tiny D' and 'Ron DisHonest:' Bloomberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump is privately workshopping some fresh nicknames for Ron DeSantis, Bloomberg reports. Trump denied a report from The New York Times that he wanted to call DeSantis "Meatball Ron." Ron DeSantis, Bloomberg reports. Among the insults Trump is considering for DeSantis are "Tiny D," "Ron DisHonest," and "Ron DeEstablishment," Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed Trump allies. However, Trump refuted a February 12 report from The New York Times that said he was considering the nickname "Meatball Ron" for DeSantis.

☆ A proposed law that would require people blogging about Ron DeSantis to register with the state is a 'clear violation of the First Amendment:' ACLU
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

1316 would require all bloggers writing about DeSantis to register with the state. Two organizations told Insider the proposed legislation is a clear violation of the First Amendment. Organizations like the ACLU tell Insider that the proposed law violates the right to free speech. The proposed law would require any blogger who writes about DeSantis or other elected officials — and is paid for their work — to register with the state. It's unclear if DeSantis personally supports Brodeur's proposed law.

☆ Our quest to make AI love us back is futile — and dangerous
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But that's futile, experts say, because the AI of today can't feel empathy, let alone love. We've spent years trying to get AI to love us back. Experts told Insider that it's futile to expect the AIs that exist right now to love us back. During a simulation in October 2020, OpenAI's GPT-3 chatbot told a person asking for psychiatric help to kill themselves. Halpern, the UC Berkeley professor, told Insider AI-based relationships are perilous also because the entity can be used as a money-making tool.

☆ Mike Lindell called Ron DeSantis a 'Trojan Horse' for the left in a rant at CPAC
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mike Lindell tore into Gov. Ron DeSantis at CPAC, calling him a "Trojan Horse" for the left. Ron DeSantis at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, on Tuesday. "Now I'll tell you what Ron DeSantis is, and he's got money behind him, did he do anything for Disney? "He is a Trojan Horse, he is the Trojan Horse," Lindell shouted.

☆ A new bill in Florida would require bloggers writing about Ron DeSantis to register with the state or be fined
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Florida senator filed a bill mandating that anyone blogging about DeSantis must register with the state. Ron DeSantis to register with the state. 1316 would require any blogger who writes about DeSantis — and is paid for their work — to register with the state ethics commission or the Florida Office of Legislative Services. Brodeur's suggested law does not appear to apply to news organizations but instead would target individual bloggers who write about DeSantis and other officials. Brodeur told the website Florida Politics that he believes "paid bloggers are lobbyists who write instead of talk."

☆ The Google engineer who was fired after claiming the company's chatbot is sentient says AI is the 'most powerful' tech invented 'since the atomic bomb'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Blake Lemoine, a former Google engineer, says AI is the most powerful invention since the atomic bomb. Lemoine was fired by Google in June 2022 after he claimed the company's chatbot is sentient. Now he's warning that the AI bots being developed are the "most powerful" pieces of technology invented "since the atomic bomb." Google fired Lemoine on June 22, saying he violated the company's employee confidentiality policy. A Google spokesperson told Insider in June that there is no evidence to support Lemoine's claims that the company's AI is sentient.

☆ Paul Ryan didn't hesitate to blame Tucker Carlson when asked about the 'toxic sludge' and 'disinformation' on Fox News
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Paul Ryan blamed Tucker Carlson for pushing toxic and racist content on Fox News. Ryan was asked why he, as a Fox board member, did not stand up to people spreading disinformation. During the interview, Sykes asked Ryan why he did not stand up to people at Fox News who pushed "toxic sludge, racism, disinformation, and attacks on democracy." "Donald Trump, sitting down at Mar-a-Lago, is convinced that you are pulling the strings at Fox News," Sykes said. Representatives for Ryan and Carlson at Fox did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

☆ A Russian man fleeing Putin's draft was stuck for 5 months in a South Korean airport, terrified of being sent to war
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian man fleeing the Ukraine war spent almost five months stuck in an airport. The man flew to South Korea to avoid compulsory enlistment, but couldn't leave the terminal. He was one of five Russians who applied for refugee status on reaching South Korea, but had their applications rejected. South Korea has a low acceptance rate for refugees, Insider's Cheryl Teh previous reported. He said that South Korea was then the only democratic country he could fly to.

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene was one of 2 House Republicans to vote against mourning the 50,000 people killed in the Turkey-Syria earthquakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Marjorie Taylor Greene on Monday voted against mourning the 50,000 dead in the Turkey-Syria earthquake. Greene and her GOP colleague, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, were the two nays on a House resolution on the Turkey-Syria earthquakes. According to the bill's summary, the House resolution "mourns the loss of life" in Turkey and Syria after the quakes. Greene and Massie were the two nays in the roll call vote held on February 27. More than 50,000 people were killed after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria on February 6.

☆ A New York Times book critic says Ron DeSantis' memoir reads like it was 'churned out by ChatGPT'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The New York Times' nonfiction book critic Jennifer Szalai tore into Ron DeSantis' book on Monday. Szalai wrote that DeSantis' new book "reads like a politician's memoir churned out by ChatGPT." Szalai is a full-time book critic and writes weekly book reviews for The Times. The new DeSantis book gives readers a closer look at his life"The Courage to Be Free," a deeper look into DeSantis' life, was released on February 28. I didn't want Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck in our wedding photos," DeSantis wrote.

☆ Rupert Murdoch said Sean Hannity was 'privately disgusted' by Donald Trump for weeks after the election: court filing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rupert Murdoch said in a January 2021 email to Paul Ryan that Sean Hannity was "disgusted" by Trump. Murdoch added in his email that Hannity was "scared to lose viewers" despite his distaste for Trump. Murdoch said to Ryan that Hannity also needed a "wake-up call" after the Capitol riot. Segments of emails Murdoch sent in 2021 were published on Monday in a court filing from Dominion Voting Systems. Wake-up call for Hannity, who has been privately disgusted by Trump for weeks, but was scared to lose viewers," Rupert Murdoch wrote in response to Ryan.

☆ Rupert Murdoch said Fox News continued airing Mike Lindell's ads even after his voter fraud rants because of how much 'green' Lindell provided for the network: court filing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Hannah Getahun | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dominion Voting Systems' new court filing details how important Mike Lindell was to Fox News. Murdoch went on to admit in his deposition that he could have pulled Lindell's MyPillow advertisements — but did not. "Ever since Smartmatic sued Fox News, no one in this country can go on any conservative stations and talk about the election," Lindell told Insider. A Dominion Voting Systems spokesperson told Insider: "Dominion is a strong believer in the First Amendment and its protections. In February, Lindell told late-night host Jimmy Kimmel that he has spent more than $40 million pushing Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud.

☆ Joe Manchin said he identifies 'as an American' when asked if he still thinks of himself as a Democrat, again dodging a question on his party loyalties
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sen. Joe Manchin on Sunday again dodged a question about his loyalty to the Democratic Party. "I identify as an American," Manchin told Bartiromo. But he also did his fair share of making legislation happen for the Democratic Party when he pushed for the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. But Manchin still holds a crucial seat for the Democratic Party in the 2024 election cycle. Manchin told CBS he doesn't see "much validity in the identity of being a Republican or Democrat."

☆ Alex Jones claims authorities want to take his expensive cat because he's bankrupt. He's leaving out the fact he gave his wife and parents $1.3 million last year.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Joshua Zitser | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bankrupt Alex Jones owes almost $1.5 billion in court-awarded damages to Sandy Hook families. His wife shared a video of him on Thursday complaining that authorities want to take his cat. Jones' wife, Erika Wulff Jones, posted a bizarre video on Twitter on Thursday of her husband complaining about the authorities' attitude towards the pet. "They were very serious about the cat and its value, and they may want the cat for the Sandy Hook families," he said. Jones' personal bankruptcy has so far protected him from paying out defamation judgments and creditor collection efforts, but he is required to list all the personal and household items he owns.

☆ Former Bush aide says Marjorie Taylor Greene has become so powerful in the GOP that she can't be dismissed as a fringe figure anymore
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Marjorie Taylor Greene is too powerful a figure to be overlooked, former Bush aide Peter Wehner wrote in an op-ed for the Atlantic. Wehner wrote that Greene is "giving voice" to a "growing sentiment" in the GOP. "The temptation of many people, eager to move past America's political freak show, will be to ignore her comments and dismiss her as an outcast, a fringe figure, deranged but isolated," Wehner wrote. Greene is "giving voice to a widespread and growing sentiment in the Republican Party," Wehner wrote. Marjorie Taylor Greene, GOP power playerRepublican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia boos President Joe Biden during the State of the Union Jim Watson/AFP/Getty ImagesGreene is known for her anti-trans rhetoric, track record of pushing outlandish, anti-Semitic messages, and her well-documented beliefs in QAnon conspiracy theories.

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