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3 takeaways from POLITICO’s first global tech summit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

LONDON — Tensions on what to do about China. Differences on tackling artificial intelligence. Graphic warnings about how to keep children safe online.POLITICO’s inaugural Global Tech Day shifted between the geopolitics of technology to granular policymaking on both sides of the Atlantic as officials and politicians gathered in London on Thursday to talk through often thorny digital topics that have become central to the political debate in Washington, Brussels and other Western capitals.Not everyone agreed on what should be done. U.S. Republican Senator Ted Cruz urged Congress to steer clear of AI rulemaking, mostly because — in his words — the Beltway “doesn’t know what the hell it’s doing” on the emerging technology. In contrast, Lucilla Sioli, a senior official from the European Union, the 27-country bloc that is nearing the completion of a comprehensive rulebook for AI, cheered how Brussels had taken up the mantle to regulate a technology that has caught the public’s attent...

Olympic gold medalist Tori Bowie died from childbirth complications, autopsy finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

(CNN) — American track and field champion Tori Bowie died from complications of childbirth, according to an autopsy report released by the Orange County, Florida, medical examiner’s office.The three-time Olympic medalist was found deceased in bed on May 2, according to the report. The 32-year-old was estimated to be eight months pregnant, and there was evidence she had been in labor.Bowie’s manner of death was ruled natural, and the report stated that there had been “possible complications,” including “respiratory distress and eclampsia.”Preeclampsia happens when a woman who previously had normal blood pressure suddenly develops “high blood pressure and protein in her urine or other problems after 20 weeks of pregnancy,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some women with preeclampsia can develop seizures or coma – a condition called eclampsia – which is a medical emergency, the CDC says.Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy appear to be on...

Nikola Jokić temporarily loses MVP trophy ahead of Denver Nuggets parade

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

(CNN) — For most people, after winning the NBA Finals MVP trophy, you wouldn’t let it out of your sight. But Nikola Jokić is not most people, and the Denver Nuggets star seemed to have misplaced his award.After dominating in the Denver Nuggets’ 4-1 NBA Finals win over the Miami Heat, Jokić deservedly picked up the award given to the best player throughout the series.The Serbian averaged an incredible 30.2 points, 14 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.4 steals as he continued his imperious postseason form against the Heat.However, Jokić revealed in an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews the day after the Finals concluded that it didn’t take long before he had misplaced the Bill Russell NBA Finals Award.When the two-time MVP showed up for the interview without the coveted prize, Andrews questioned Jokić on the trophy’s whereabouts.“I really don’t know,” Jokić explained. “I left it in [equipment manager Sparky Gonzales’] room and it’s not there anymor...

Twitter hit with $250 million lawsuit from music publishers over alleged copyright infringement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

Washington (CNN) — Music publishers sued Twitter for more than $250 million in damages on Wednesday, alleging that the social media platform “breeds massive copyright infringement that harms music creators.”The lawsuit alleges that for years, Twitter has allowed users of its platform to share copyrighted songs without a license. It also claims Twitter’s misconduct has only gotten worse since Elon Musk bought the company for $44 billion last fall and slashed staff.Twitter’s alleged permissiveness around users sharing copyrighted songs, combined with the social network’s promotion of tweets with copyrighted music, has unlawfully helped fuel the company’s growth, according to the National Music Publishers’ Association, whose members include Universal, Sony and Warner Music Group.The complaint cites more than 1,700 songs whose copyright Twitter has allegedly infringed, including hits such as Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” Outkast’s “Hey Y...

Exclusive: US government agencies hit in global cyberattack

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

(CNN) — “Several” US federal government agencies have been hit in a global cyberattack that exploits a vulnerability in widely used software.The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency “is providing support to several federal agencies that have experienced intrusions affecting their MOVEit applications,” Eric Goldstein, the agency’s executive assistant director for cybersecurity, said in a statement on Thursday to CNN, referring to the software impacted. “We are working urgently to understand impacts and ensure timely remediation.”It was not immediately clear if the hackers responsible for breaching the federal agencies were a Russian-speaking ransomware group that has claimed credit for numerous other victims in the hacking campaign.A CISA spokesperson had no comment when CNN asked who carried out the hack of federal agencies and how many have been affected.But the news adds to a growing tally of victims of a sprawling hacking campaign that began two week...

Fountain Green Elementary School teacher wins $5,000 Ravens grant for school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

Keisha Nandalal, a Fountain Green Elementary School teacher, was selected on June 7 as the grand prize winner for The Baltimore Ravens’ 2023 Touchdown for Teachers.The Baltimore Ravens and M&T Bank announced the finalists and grand prize winner for their 10th annual Touchdown for Teachers program, which recognizes local teachers for their leadership, dedication and commitment to education and for outstanding service to their community, according to a press release.“Touchdown for Teachers recognizes exceptional teachers who do the vitally important work of educating our children with little fanfare,” said Augie Chiasera, M&T Bank’s regional president for Greater Baltimore, in the release. “My dad was a teacher, so I know firsthand how teachers motivate and inspire students every day. We are proud to recognize their contributions.”Nandalal is a 29-year teaching veteran who currently teaches first grade math, science, reading, writing, phonic...

Former Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon gets no-jail deal for assault on son at LaGuardia airport: prosecutors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

Former Chicago Bulls shooting guard Ben Gordon won’t be seeing any jail time for allegedly assaulting his son at LaGuardia Airport last year, court officials said Thursday.During a court appearance in Queens Criminal Court, a judge allowed Gordon, 40, to plead guilty to resisting arrest and disorderly conduct that, as long as he’s not rearrested, he would receive no jail time during his sentencing in August.Gordon must also go to court-mandated therapy, his attorney Eric Sanders said. If he fulfills the agreement of the deal, the charges against him will be dismissed and sealed.“On behalf of Gordon, we’d like to thank the people and the court for resolving these criminal matters with no negative impact upon his ability to continue as a productive member of society,” Adams said.Gordon was arrested in October on claims by witnesses that he hit his 10-year-old son at the Queens airport, prosecutors said.The child was transported to Long Island Jewish Hospi...

Jackson Holliday’s family takes in firsthand view of Orioles’ top prospect’s growth with Aberdeen IronBirds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

There are babysitting rooms at ballparks where major leaguers can drop off their kids while they play baseball.Growing up, Jackson Holliday wanted no part of them.He and his younger brother, Ethan, preferred to be in the stands where they could lock in on every pitch.They mimicked stances, tracked each play and could name everyone on the field. Baseball has always been the guiding light of Jackson’s life.“He’d want to come to the field with me. He’d want to hit balls and want people to play catch with him,” said Matt Holliday, Jackson’s father and a seven-time All-Star who won the 2011 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. “He always had incredible mechanics in his swing even as a toddler. He kind of naturally could just hit the ball. I always thought when he got stronger that he would really take off from a pro prospect standpoint.”Now here he was, playing at Ripken Stadium a year removed from being drafted No. 1 overall by the O...

A Vermont man charged with killing his mother at sea over his inheritance dies awaiting trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

The Vermont man charged with killing his mother off the coast of New England in a scheme to inherit millions of dollars has died awaiting trial, federal authorities said Thursday.Nathan Carman, 29, pleaded not guilty last year to fraud and first-degree murder in the death of his mother, Linda Carman, and was scheduled to go on trial in October.An eight-count indictment also says Carman shot and killed his wealthy grandfather John Chakalos at the man’s Connecticut home in 2013, in order to obtain money and property from his grandfather’s estate. But the indictment does not charge Carman with murder in his grandfather’s killing, and he had consistently denied any involvement in the two deaths.The cause of Carman’s death was not immediately clear.The Vermont U.S. attorney’s office said Carman died Thursday in U.S. Marshals custody, which handles defendants who are detained before trial.Carman was the sole occupant of a cell when found dead at around 2:30 a.m. by guards at a federal pri...

What does a chatbot know about eating disorders? Users of a help line are about to find out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

Kate Wells, Michigan Radio | KFF Health News (TNS)For more than 20 years, the National Eating Disorders Association has operated a phone line and online platform for people seeking help for anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders. Last year, nearly 70,000 individuals used the help line.NEDA shuttered that service in May, saying that, in its place, a chatbot called Tessa, designed by eating disorder experts with funding from NEDA, would be deployed.When NPR aired a report about this last month, Tessa was up and running online. Since then, both the chatbot’s page and a NEDA article about Tessa have been taken down. When asked why, NEDA said the bot is being “updated,” and the latest “version of the current program [will be] available soon.”Then NEDA announced on May 30 that it was indefinitely disabling Tessa. Patients, families, doctors, and other experts on eating disorders were stunned. The episode has set off a fresh wave of debate as companies turn to artificial intelligenc...