Новости за 10.08.2023

The Federal Election Commission has begun a process to potentially regulate AI-generated deepfakes in political ads ahead of the 2024 election, a move advocates say would safeguard voters against a particularly insidious form of election disinformation.

The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would shield members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids. The justices on Thursday agreed to a Biden administration request to put the brakes on an agreement reached last year with state and local governments. In addition, the high court will hear arguments before the end of the year over whether the settlement can proceed. The deal would allow... Читать дальше...

A Georgia teacher is trying to reverse her firing after officials said she improperly read a book on gender fluidity to her fifth grade class. Katie Rinderle got into trouble in March for reading the picture book “My Shadow Is Purple” at a school in suburban Atlanta’s Cobb County. The case tests what public school teachers can teach, how much a school system can control teachers, and whether parents can veto instruction. It comes amid a conservative backlash to books and teaching about LGBTQ+ subjects. Читать дальше...

California regulators are poised to decide whether two rival robotaxi services can provide around-the-clock rides throughout San Francisco. The decision comes as recurring incidents have caused the driverless vehicles to block traffic or imperil public safety in the city. The expansions sought by robotaxi services Cruise and Waymo are up for a vote scheduled for Thursday. If approved by state regulators, San Francisco will become the first major U.S. city with two fleets of driverless vehicles competing... Читать дальше...

Prosecutors with special counsel Jack Smith’s team have asked a judge to set a Jan. 2 trial date for ex-President Donald Trump in the case charging him with plotting to overturn his 2020 election loss. Prosecutors said Thursday they want the case before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to move to trial swiftly in Washington, setting up a likely battle with defense attorneys who've suggested they'll try slowing things down. Trump faces charges including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Smith’s team... Читать дальше...

The guild that represents striking film and television screenwriters says negotiations with major studios and streaming services will resume Friday. The Writers Guild of America sent a message to its members Thursday saying they expect the studios will respond to their proposals. The two sides met last week to discuss possibly restarting negotiations, but no negotiation dates were immediately set. The screenwriters have now been on strike for 101 days, surpassing a 2007-2008 work stoppage that ground many Hollywood productions to a halt. Читать дальше...

U.S. safety regulators have sent a team to investigate a fatal crash in Virginia involving a Tesla suspected of running on a partially automated driving system. The latest crash in July brings to 35 the number of Tesla crashes under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since 2016. In all the cases, the agency suspects the Teslas were operating on a partially automated driving system such as Autopilot. At least 17 people have died. The safety agency said in documents... Читать дальше...

Hip-hop has been an integral part of social and racial justice movements. It’s also been scrutinized by law enforcement and political groups because of their belief that hip-hop and its artists encourage violent criminality. Free speech advocates see the ongoing persecution of rappers as a proxy war primarily waged against Black and Latino people who are the early pioneers of the culture. For hip-hop artists who live under repressive regimes, “dropping bars” to air one’s grievances against the government can mean time behind bars or worse.

Across the U.S., municipal water systems and sewage treatment plants are at increasing risk of damage from floods and sea-level rise brought on in part or even wholly by climate change. The storm that walloped Vermont last month hit the village of Ludlow especially hard, damaging the picturesque ski town’s system for cleaning up sewage before it's discharged into the Williams River. It also exposed vulnerabilities in the the village’s water infrastructure shared by other cities and towns, as climate... Читать дальше...

Virgin Galactic is finally taking its first space tourists on a rocket ship ride after years of delays. One passenger bought his ticket 18 years ago. The first tourist flight is planned for Thursday from the New Mexico desert. Aboard the plane-launched spacecraft will be a former British Olympian with Parkinson's disease, and a mother and daughter from the Caribbean who are contest winners. Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic has already flown six times to space, limited to company employees until June's flight by Italian researchers. Читать дальше...

Smoke and ash lingered over Lahaina after a wildfire devastated Lahaina Town, one of Hawaii’s most historic cities and onetime capital of the former kingdom. It’s feared that the blaze consumed much of Lahaina's historic Front Street, a mix of restaurants, bars, retail stores and what is believed to be the largest banyan tree in the United States, along with other areas. The Lahaina Historic District is a National Historic Landmark and was the capital from 1820 to 1845 after the islands were unified under one rule. Читать дальше...

The parent company of Coach, is buying the owner of fashion brands including Michael Kors, Versace and Jimmy Choo, Capri Holdings.

Global benchmarks are trading mostly higher as investors braced for a highly anticipated report on U.S. inflation. Benchmarks rose in France, Germany and Britain in early trading. Shares finished higher in Tokyo, Sydney, Hong Kong and Shanghai, while declining in Seoul. The U.S. government is set to give the latest monthly update on inflation, and economists expect to see it growing. Investors hope that will give the Federal Reserve reason to halt its rate hikes. Also weighing on sentiments was President... Читать дальше...

Wildfires have devastated parts of the island of Maui in Hawaii, killing at least six people, damaging or destroying more than 270 structures and reducing parts of historic Lahaina to ash. Dozens of people have been injured. Survivors have described how flames and smoke had quickly taken hold in Lahaina, taking people by surprise. Lahaina Town dates back to the 1700s and has long been a favorite destination for tourists. Acting Gov. Sylvia Luke is discouraging travelers from coming to Maui, saying that right now... Читать дальше...

Iranian authorities have for months done little to enforce the law on women wearing the mandatory headscarf, but now the country’s theocracy is pushing to make businesses the new battleground over the hijab. The effort comes ahead of the first anniversary of nationwide protests that erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran's morality police last September. Authorities have started raiding companies where women without headscarves have been photographed. Iran's parliament is discussing... Читать дальше...

ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence chatbots have become the go-to source for cheating in college. Now, educators are rethinking how they’ll teach courses this fall from Writing 101 to computer science. Educators say they want to embrace the technology’s potential to teach and learn in new ways, but when it comes to assessing students, they see a need to “ChatGPT-proof” test questions and assignments. For some instructors that means a return to paper exams, after years of digital-only tests. Читать дальше...

President Joe Biden will commemorate the first anniversary of a bipartisan law that is delivering the largest expansion of veterans benefits in decades with a visit to a Veterans Affairs hospital in Salt Lake City on Thursday. The Democratic president will be joined by Utah's Republican Gov. Spencer Cox. The PACT Act is intended to improve health care and disability compensation for exposure to toxic substances, such as burn pits that were used to dispose of trash on military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Читать дальше...

President Joe Biden has signed an executive order to block and regulate high-tech U.S.-based investments going toward China. The administration says the move is targeted even though it reflects an intensifying competition between the world’s two biggest powers. The order signed Wednesday covers advanced computer chips, micro electronics, quantum information technologies and artificial intelligence. Senior administration officials says that the effort stemmed from national security goals rather than economic interests... Читать дальше...

Horse goes wide in stretch to get past Timeless Journey for a half-length victory.

Follow along for live updates of wildfires that are racing through Maui in Hawaii, destroying part of a historic town on the island. Some people are fleeing to the relative safety of the ocean, where they have been rescued by the Coast Guard. Fires are forcing evacuations in some areas, including the popular tourist spot of Lahaina Town. The National Weather Service says Hurricane Dora, which is passing south of the island chain at a safe distance, was partly to blame for strong winds driving the flames... Читать дальше...

President Joe Biden is raising money for his reelection campaign by offering donors the chance to meet himself and Barack Obama, meaning the former president will be entering the 2024 political fray earlier than he did during last year’s midterms or the last presidential election. An email to supporters urged them to donate for a chance to “meet President Biden and President Obama” and featuring a hypothetical text message chain where Biden writes “Hey pal, what do you say we band together to thank... Читать дальше...

California energy officials have voted Wednesday to extend the life of three natural gas power plants along the state's southern coast. The plants were previously set to shut down by the end of this year. The state's Department of Water Resources introduced the plan to allow them to run during emergencies. It's part of a broader goal to make sure the state has enough resources available to keep the lights on during extreme weather events. The decision highlights a debate about how the state can avoid... Читать дальше...

An armed Utah man accused of making violent threats against President Joe Biden was shot and killed by FBI agents hours before the president landed in the state Wednesday, authorities say.

The discovery of an illegal medical lab in central California by a code enforcement officer has unleashed an uproar in a rural community and fed anti-Chinese rumors online. In December, the officer in Reedley stumbled upon what she described as a shoddy private lab that made tests for pregnancy and the virus that causes COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated but found it did not pose a public danger, though it did lack city and state permits. News of the case unleashed... Читать дальше...

Nearly $75 million spent on horses, with an increase to the average price of 4.4 percent, top price of $4 million.