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As social media guardrails fade and AI deepfakes go mainstream, experts warn of impact on elections

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:26:09 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly three years after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, the false election conspiracy theories that drove the violent attack remain prevalent on social media and cable news: suitcases filled with ballots, late-night ballot dumps, dead people voting.Experts warn it will likely be worse in the coming presidential election contest. The safeguards that attempted to counter the bogus claims the last time are eroding, while the tools and systems that create and spread them are only getting stronger.Many Americans, egged on by former President Donald Trump, have continued to push the unsupported idea that elections throughout the U.S. can’t be trusted. A majority of Republicans (57%) believe Democrat Joe Biden was not legitimately elected president.Meanwhile, generative artificial intelligence tools have made it far cheaper and easier to spread the kind of misinformation that can mislead voters and potentially influence elections. And social media companies that once inv...

Tis the season for giving: A guide for how to give, even a little

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:26:09 GMT

Christmas is over, but giving season for nonprofits is just starting to peak.The end of the calendar year is when nonprofits make appeals far and wide to attract donors — in part because of holiday traditions or, for some, tax advantages. Nonprofits get about 30% of their annual donations in December — including 10% in the final three days of the year — according to marketing agency Nonprofits Source.“This is one of the busiest times of the year for us as we assist donors with their year-end giving,” said Erin Musgrave, a spokesperson for the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.Many potential donors don’t realize how much nonprofits value even small gifts, especially local organizations that meet community needs. And nonprofits and industry groups warn that donations are down this year, so gifts right now could help them a lot.Only 11% of Americans itemize their taxes, which allows them to claim significant tax deductions for charitable donations. That means most Americans don...

For a new generation of indie rock acts, country music is king

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:26:09 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Singer-songwriter Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine,” plays out like a whispered dirge.The song is gothic lounge music for a listener who only has about two minutes to have their heart broken — a silky soft slow burn stacked with a choir, organ, bass and most critically, pedal steel guitar, the kind favored by country and western purists.In no way does that description scream “mainstream hit,” and yet, for 12 weeks, it has been on the Billboard Hot 100, an unusual metric of success for a wholly independent artist. And for 10 weeks, her indie rock-meets-chamber pop-meets-country held the No. 1 position on Billboard’s TikTok trending chart.Mitski is not from the American South, though her discography has long considered small town U.S.A. and she relocated to Nashville a few years ago to mine the geography’s humanity. (“Valentine, Texas” from last year’s “Laurel Hell” album is an example, but there are many.) She is, of course, not the first indie artist to explore wee...

6-year-old boy traveling to visit grandma for Christmas put on wrong Spirit flight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:26:09 GMT

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — A 6-year-old boy who left on a flight for the Christmas holiday to visit his grandmother in southwest Florida instead was put on the wrong plane and ended up 160 miles away in Orlando, Florida.When the grandmother, Maria Ramos, showed up on Thursday at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers to greet her grandson who was flying for the first time from Philadelphia, she was told he wasn’t on the Spirit Airlines flight. “I ran inside the plane to the flight attendant and I asked her, ‘Where’s my grandson? He was handed over to you at Philadelphia?’ She said, ‘No, I had no kids with me,’” Ramos told WINK News.She then got a call from her grandson from the airport in Orlando, telling her that he had landed.An email was sent to Spirit Airlines on Tuesday morning seeking comment.In a statement to WINK News, Spirit Airlines said the boy was under the care and supervision of an airlines employee the entire time, even though he was incorrectl...

Search for girl who fell into Quebec river now a recovery mission as it enters Day 5

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:26:09 GMT

DOLBEAU-MISTASSINI, Que. — Quebec provincial police say the search for a four-year-old girl who fell into a river last week is no longer a rescue operation, but a recovery mission.The child has been missing since Friday, when she fell into the Mistassibi River in Dolbeau-Mistassini, Que. — about 240 kilometres north of Quebec City — while sledding with her mother near the riverbank.It’s Day 5 of the police search for the girl, which included a ground team, a helicopter and, until Monday, diving teams.Police have only been pausing their efforts during the night for security reasons.Spokesperson Sgt. Hugues Beaulieu says officers will continue to survey the riverbanks today while a nautical team monitors the river downstream.Provincial police published photos on Monday of the clothes the girl was wearing — including a rainbow-patterned coat and violet snow pants — and asked members of the public to report any sightings along the river.This report by The Canadian Press was first ...

Judges temporarily block Tennessee law letting state pick 6 of 13 on local pro sports facility board

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:26:09 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A panel of judges has blocked a new Tennessee law that would reconfigure the group overseeing professional sports facilities in Nashville by letting state leaders pick six of its 13 board members.Late last week, three judges agreed the law targeting the Nashville Sports Authority likely violates home rule protections in the state constitution by singling out Nashville and failing to require approval by local voters or two-thirds of the metro council. The temporary injunction blocks the law while the lawsuit by the city proceeds through court. The law would have taken effect Jan. 1.The ruling marks a fourth court decision against the state in the broader legal battle over laws passed by Republican legislators this year that dilute Democratic-leaning Nashville’s control, ranging from oversight of the international airport, to the size of the combined city-county metro council.Established by city officials under a corporate charter in 1995, the Nashville Sports ...

Apple no longer selling certain Apple Watches in US after Biden admin declines to veto import ban

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:26:09 GMT

(The Hill) - The Biden administration declined to veto the ban on certain Apple Watch imports into the U.S., letting the ban officially take effect Tuesday. This means Apple will no longer be selling affected models at its stores or online. This comes as Apple faces a legal dispute over the technology the smartwatches use to run the blood oxygen feature on the devices.On Oct. 26, the International Trade Commission (ITC) upheld a January ruling that sided with the medical technology company Masimo, which in 2021 sued Apple for patent infringement at the ITC over the Apple Watch Series 6.Masimo accused the tech giant of poaching employees and stealing trade secrets related to the light-based technology for measuring blood-oxygen levels, which was first featured in the Apple Watch Series 6 smartwatch. Everyone you know sick? 9 states reach CDC’s highest level for respiratory illness Masimo originally sued Apple in federal court in 2020, but the case ended in a mistrial in M...

AG Paxton files multi-state amicus brief against Google, says company 'violates user privacy'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:26:09 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last week filed an amicus brief supporting Google users in a lawsuit against the company for "deceptively collecting, using, and profiting from their private information," according to a release from his office. Attorneys General from 18 other states joined Texas in filing the brief. Related: AG Paxton expands Google lawsuit to include private browsing, calls it ‘deceptive’ According to the release, the plaintiffs allege that Google "violated its agreements and profited from users’ personal information that was collected after the consumers had opted out of syncing their Chrome web browser to a Google account." It says Google collected the data and claimed the users consented despite their objection to linking their browser activity to a Google account. A federal district court sided with Google.In the brief, Paxton urges the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to reverse the lower court’s ruling. The brief argues that Go...

Gophers standouts Tyler Nubin, Brevyn Spann-Ford won’t play in bowl game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:26:09 GMT

DETROIT — Two key Gophers players will sit out the Quick Lane Bowl against Bowling Green at Ford Field.Safety Tyler Nubin and tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford have been with the team since they arrived in Michigan on Friday, but won’t play in the game on Tuesday.Both seniors are candidates to be selected in the NFL Draft in April and have been invited to compete in the Senior Bowl showcase for top pro prospects on Feb. 3 in Mobile, Ala.Nubin was named first-team all-Big Ten in 2023 with 53 tackles and five interceptions in all 12 games. He set a program record with 13 career INTs.Spann-Ford, who has honorable mention all-Big Ten, was third on the team with 25 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns in 12 regular-season games in 2023.Last season, Gophers center John Michael Schmitz opted out of the Pinstripe Bowl before being drafted by the New York Giants. Two years ago, defensive end Boye Mafe played in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl before being taken by the Seattle Seahawks. And in 2018...

Bennington brewery closed after owner dies unexpectedly

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:26:09 GMT

BENNINGTON, Vt. (NEWS10) -- Farm Road Brewing owner Seth Barrows passed away unexpectedly on December 8, according to his obituary. He was 51 years old. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Barrows, a veteran, became interested in brewing after his military career and attended the American Brewers Guild “Brew School” in Middlebury, where he graduated in 2017. In February 2021, he opened Farm Road Brewing at 400 Main Street in Bennington."Seth's passion for brewing, infectious smile, and genuine spirit touched the lives of many," said the Better Bennington Corporation. "It isn't everyone who can turn a hobby into a thriving business, but Seth did so with the unwavering support of his family, friends, and faithful patrons." Durrant’s closing at Cohoes’ Van Schaick Country Club On December 22, the brewery announced on Facebook that it would be closed until further notice. Farm Road Brewing did not immediately respond to NEWS10's request for c...