Colorado tackles discrimination in AI
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Colorado has become the first state to pass a law requiring developers of high-risk artificial intelligence (AI) systems to avoid algorithmic discrimination. The law, signed by Governor Jared Polis, also mandates that developers disclose information about the systems to regulators and the public, and complete impact assessments. The bill faced opposition from technology industry groups but was ultimately signed into law. Governor Polis expressed reservations about the bill and encouraged lawmakers to improve upon it before it goes into effect in 2026. The law aims to regulate the AI industry and prevent discrimination while ensuring that Colorado remains home to innovative technologies.
#Colorado #Ai #Discrimination #AlgorithmicDiscrimination #TechnologyIndustry #JaredPolis
https://thehill.com/newsletters/technology/4675631-colorado-tackles-discrimination-in-ai/
FTC votes to ban noncompete agreements
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3-2 to ban noncompete agreements that prevent around 30 million employees from working for competitors or starting a competing business after they leave a job. The final rule would ban new noncompete agreements for all workers and require companies to let current and past employees know they won’t enforce them. The new rule is slated to go into effect in 120 days after it’s published in the Federal Register. Pro-business groups opposing the rule are expected to take legal action to block its implementation. Congress has not given the agency explicit authority to ban noncompetes, although there have been several bipartisan bills introduced to reform noncompete agreements. Business groups argue that noncompete agreements are critical for protecting proprietary information and intellectual property. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has said it will sue to block the rule.
#Ftc #NoncompeteAgreements #Business #Employment
https://thehill.com/business/4615452-ftc-votes-to-ban-non-compete-agreements/
Conservatives are misguided in embracing big government industrial policy
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Conservatives who support big government industrial policy are misguided, according to David McIntosh, a former Republican congressman. He argues that government intervention in the economy, such as burdensome regulations and crippling taxes, is largely to blame for the economic decline of industries in the US. McIntosh criticizes Senator Marco Rubio's proposal for an industrial policy, stating that it allows bureaucrats to pick winners and losers in the economy and misallocate resources. He also points out the failures of industrial policies in countries like South Korea and Germany, as well as the wasted taxpayer money on failed companies like Solyndra during the Obama administration. McIntosh argues that free-market reforms, including deregulation, tax cuts, and infrastructure investment, are the key to boosting American manufacturing and raising wages for workers.
#Conservatives #IndustrialPolicy #Manufacturing #Economy #GovernmentIntervention
Biden tells Zelensky US will move quickly
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President Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and assured him that the United States will provide more aid as soon as the Senate passes the national security package. Biden expressed the U.S.'s lasting commitment to supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression and promised to quickly provide significant new security assistance packages. The Senate is expected to advance a $95 billion foreign aid package that includes $61 billion for Ukraine. The House has already passed the legislation. Biden also mentioned that economic assistance aims to help Ukraine maintain financial stability and support reform as it moves toward Euro-Atlantic integration.
#Biden #Zelensky #Ukraine #ForeignAid #NationalSecurity
Biden tells Zelensky US will move quickly
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President Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and assured him that the United States will provide more aid as soon as the Senate passes the national security package. Biden expressed the U.S.'s lasting commitment to supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression and promised to quickly provide significant new security assistance packages. The Senate is expected to advance a $95 billion foreign aid package that includes $61 billion for Ukraine. The House has already passed the legislation. Biden also mentioned that economic assistance aims to help Ukraine maintain financial stability and support reform as it moves toward Euro-Atlantic integration.
#Biden #Zelensky #Ukraine #ForeignAid #NationalSecurity
AI-generated child pornography threatens to overwhelm reporting system: Research
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Child pornography generated by artificial intelligence (AI) could overwhelm the reporting system for online child sexual abuse material, according to a report from the Stanford Internet Observatory. The report highlights that open-source generative AI models can flood the reporting system with millions of new images, making it unmanageable for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The concern is that reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material, which may be indistinguishable from real photos of children, could divert law enforcement's attention away from actual children in need of rescue. The report recommends that tech companies invest in child safety staffing and implement the NCMEC's reporting API, and suggests that Congress increase the NCMEC's budget to offer competitive salaries and invest in technical infrastructure.
#Ai #ChildPornography #ReportingSystem #StanfordInternetObservatory #NationalCenterForMissingAndExploitedChildren #LawEnforcement
The bubble has burst: On the road to a lost Chinese economic decade
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China is on its way to a Japanese-style lost economic decade due to the bursting of its housing and credit market bubble. Chinese investment accounts for more than 40 percent of the country's overall economy, resulting in manufacturing overcapacity. The Chinese housing market grew to around 20 percent of its overall economy, and Chinese credit increased by 100 percent of GDP since 2008. Housing prices have declined in major Chinese cities, and there are an estimated 65 million to 80 million unoccupied home dwellings. Chinese property developers have defaulted on their loans, causing problems for local governments' finances. China has limited room for added budget stimulus and cannot resort to monetary and exchange rate policy without provoking a backlash from trade partners. The optimal way out of China's economic predicament would be for the country to undertake fundamental economic reforms, but President Xi Jinping is not showing signs of moving in that direction. China is likely to experience a lost economic decade, impacting the world's economic growth.
#China #Economy #HousingMarket #CreditMarket #EconomicPolicies
The bubble has burst: On the road to a lost Chinese economic decade
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China is on its way to a Japanese-style lost economic decade due to the bursting of its housing and credit market bubble. Chinese investment accounts for more than 40 percent of the country's overall economy, resulting in manufacturing overcapacity. The Chinese housing market grew to around 20 percent of its overall economy, and Chinese credit increased by 100 percent of GDP since 2008. Housing prices have declined in major Chinese cities, and there are an estimated 65 million to 80 million unoccupied home dwellings. Chinese property developers have defaulted on their loans, causing problems for local governments' finances. China has limited room for added budget stimulus and cannot resort to monetary and exchange rate policy without provoking a backlash from trade partners. The optimal way out of China's economic predicament would be for the country to undertake fundamental economic reforms, but President Xi Jinping is not showing signs of moving in that direction. China is likely to experience a lost economic decade, impacting the world's economic growth.
#China #Economy #HousingMarket #CreditMarket #EconomicPolicies
Kennedy on relatives endorsing Biden: ‘I love my family, either way’
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent presidential candidate, expressed his love for his family despite nearly his entire family endorsing President Biden over him for the November election. Kennedy stated that he debated with his family members with information and passion, without hating each other because of their disagreements. The Biden campaign has used the endorsements from the Kennedy family in an ad campaign against Kennedy, portraying him as a threat to Democrats and potentially helping former President Trump return to the White House. Kennedy has gained ballot access in multiple swing states, including Michigan, raising concerns among Democrats that he could act as a spoiler and hand those states to Trump. In three-way polls between the top candidates, Kennedy has about 7 percent support compared to Biden's 41 percent and Trump's 42 percent. Kennedy expressed his wish for the country to disagree with each other without hating on each other.
#RobertFKennedyJr #JoeBiden #2024Election #Endorsements #DemocraticParty #SwingStates
Kennedy on relatives endorsing Biden: ‘I love my family, either way’
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent presidential candidate, expressed his love for his family despite nearly his entire family endorsing President Biden over him for the November election. Kennedy stated that he debated with his family members with information and passion, without hating each other because of their disagreements. The Biden campaign has used the endorsements from the Kennedy family in an ad campaign against Kennedy, portraying him as a threat to Democrats and potentially helping former President Trump return to the White House. Kennedy has gained ballot access in multiple swing states, including Michigan, raising concerns among Democrats that he could act as a spoiler and hand those states to Trump. In three-way polls between the top candidates, Kennedy has about 7 percent support compared to Biden's 41 percent and Trump's 42 percent. Kennedy expressed his wish for the country to disagree with each other without hating on each other.
#RobertFKennedyJr #JoeBiden #2024Election #Endorsements #DemocraticParty #SwingStates
Kennedy on relatives endorsing Biden: ‘I love my family, either way’
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent presidential candidate, expressed his love for his family despite nearly his entire family endorsing President Biden over him for the November election. Kennedy stated that he debated with his family members with information and passion, without hating each other because of their disagreements. The Biden campaign has used the endorsements from the Kennedy family in an ad campaign against Kennedy, portraying him as a threat to Democrats and potentially helping former President Trump return to the White House. Kennedy has gained ballot access in multiple swing states, including Michigan, raising concerns among Democrats that he could act as a spoiler and hand those states to Trump. In three-way polls between the top candidates, Kennedy has about 7 percent support compared to Biden's 41 percent and Trump's 42 percent. Kennedy expressed his wish for the country to disagree with each other without hating on each other.
#RobertFKennedyJr #JoeBiden #2024Election #Endorsements #DemocraticParty #SwingStates
Gina Raimondo says ‘we’ve out-innovated China’ amid chips war
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Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo declares that the U.S. has 'out-innovated' China in semiconductor manufacturing. Raimondo highlights the importance of semiconductors for national security and warns against relying on China for manufacturing. She notes that the U.S. has made strides in bringing semiconductor manufacturing stateside and that American semiconductors are more advanced than those produced in China. Raimondo also mentions the vulnerability of Taiwan, a major hub for semiconductor production, to Chinese invasion. The Biden administration has announced significant investments in domestic semiconductor manufacturing, which could create as many as half a million jobs by 2030.
#GinaRaimondo #ChipsAct #CommerceDepartment #JoeBiden #Semiconductors #Taiwan #TradeWar
Biden’s damaging war against American energy production
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The United States is the largest oil producer in the world, pumping out a record 12.9 million barrels every day in 2023. However, President Biden has been silent about this achievement due to election-year politics and the opposition of the climate lobby. Biden has attacked affordable, available, and reliable American energy for three years, threatening to end fossil fuel and taking actions such as killing the Keystone Pipeline and canceling federal lease sales. While oil output is at a record high, the president's efforts to chill investment have prevented even higher production. Most of the oil and natural gas production is now occurring on private and state lands, while production on federal lands is declining. The Biden administration has leased the fewest acres for onshore drilling since World War II and wants to restrict future access to millions of additional acres. The outlook for federal offshore areas is also poor, with the administration reducing offshore lease sales and issuing a five-year plan with the lowest number of lease sales in history. These actions will make the US more reliant on OPEC, Venezuela, Russia, and Iran for oil production. The president's ideological effort to smother American energy will have long-term negative impacts on jobs and income.
#EnergyProduction #Oil #ClimateLobby #FossilFuel #KeystonePipeline #FederalLeaseSales #PrivateLands #StateLands #FederalLands #OffshoreAreas #Opec #Venezuela #Russia #Iran
Economic coercion has failed, we must confront and contain Iran now
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The article argues that economic coercion has failed to deter Iran's aggression and calls for a strategy of confronting and containing Iran. It highlights Iran's long-standing project of exporting the Islamic Revolution and establishing regional supremacy, as well as its destabilizing activities in countries across the Arab world. The article emphasizes the need to neutralize the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and destroy Iran's nuclear potential. It suggests using Special Operations Command to target the IRGC and advocating for covert and overt military action to dismantle Iran's nuclear infrastructure and ballistic missile capabilities. The author asserts that if President Biden is serious about regional stability, he must act decisively to eliminate Iran's ability to terrorize its neighbors.
#Iran #IslamicRevolution #IslamicRevolutionaryGuardCorps #JoeBiden #NuclearWeapons
Biden signs bill extending federal warrantless surveillance program
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President Joe Biden signed a bill extending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s (FISA) warrantless surveillance program for another two years. The bill, called the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, allows the government to spy on foreigners located abroad and also collects communications of Americans they are in contact with. The legislation passed after hours of intense debate and narrowly avoided a lapse in the program. The White House issued a statement applauding Congress for passing the bill, stating that it retains essential authority to protect against threats while enhancing safeguards for privacy and civil liberties. The bill is seen as a compromise, enacting some reforms to FISA Section 702 but falling short of expectations from privacy advocates. The extension was approved by the House after a procedural vote was blocked by 19 GOP members. The bill received bipartisan support but also revealed deep divisions within both parties over the program's impact on national security and privacy rights.
#JoeBiden #BidenAdministration #ChuckSchumer #Fisa #ForeignIntelligence #HouseGop #JohnCornyn #NationalSecurity #Senate
TikTok ban opponents pin hopes on Senate
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Opponents of legislation that could ban TikTok in the United States are pinning their hopes on the Senate as the House readies to send a major foreign aid package to the upper chamber. The legislation would force TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell the popular app or be banned in the U.S., and it is part of a foreign aid bill the House is expected to pass in a Saturday vote. The House has already approved similar legislation, but the new language differs from the previous measure in an important way. It would extend the timeline for ByteDance to sell TikTok from 6 months to roughly a year, a change that moved Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) to support the bill. TikTok, its impassioned users, and some lawmakers are continuing their crusade against the ban. TikTok had been aggressively advertising against the ban after the House passed legislation earlier this year, doubling its ad spending to $4.5 million at the end of March. Proponents of the ban argue that it is necessary to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from accessing American user data, which they worry could be used to spy on users or manipulate their interests. TikTok has pushed back strongly on allegations that the app poses a national security threat. Some opponents of the ban argue that lawmakers have not provided evidence that China’s government is weaponizing the app and that the bill infringes on the right to free speech. The battle over the ban is likely to end up in court, just like prior attempts under the Trump administration and in states to ban TikTok that have been blocked. The bill would grant the president authority to designate other apps under the control of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea as national security threats. Some Democratic senators have signaled they are willing to consider backing the legislation.
#Tiktok #Senate #Bytedance #ForeignAidBill
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/4605969-tiktok-ban-opponents-pin-hopes-on-senate/
U.S., U.K. target Iranian drones in new sanctions
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The U.S. and U.K. have imposed new sanctions on Iran in response to Iran's failed attack on Israel, which involved the launch of over 300 missiles and drones. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned 16 individuals and two entities involved in the production of Iranian drones, as well as five companies with Iran's steel production and an Iranian automaker and its subsidiaries. The U.K. also imposed sanctions on Iran, targeting Iranian military leaders. The U.S. has urged Israel not to respond militarily, and the sanctions serve as a signal that Iran can be targeted in other ways. The Iranian attack and the Israeli response have escalated tensions in the region.
#Iran #Us #Uk #Sanctions #Drones #Israel
Summers: Another Trump term would bring ‘inflationary spiral,’ big deficits
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Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers warned that a second Trump administration could lead to an 'inflationary spiral' and big deficits. Summers stated that Trump's populist economic policy could result in massive regulation, restrictions on buying products from abroad, and higher prices, leading to hyperinflation. He compared the potential economic collapse to 1950s Argentina and emphasized the importance of the United States in the world order. Summers has repeatedly urged voters to oppose Trump and has called the November election the 'most consequential' since World War II.
#LarrySummers #Inflation #Deficits #Populism #EconomicPolicy
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4601150-summers-trump-term-inflationary-spiral/