Two staffers at the district office of Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly were attacked with a metal baseball bat by Xuan Kha Tran Pham who was searching for the lawmaker. While Mr Connolly wasn't present at the time, he claimed that he didn't believe that the attack was politically motivated, but that it may have been prompted by a "toxic political environment". The two staffers are recovering from non-life-threatening injuries and, as yet, no motive has been established for the attack. Since January's Capitol attack, the number of threats against lawmakers and their families has risen significantly.
A Super PAC called Committed to America has been launched to garner support for former US Vice President Mike Pence for his expected run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Overseen by former US Representative Jeb Hensarling and Republican strategist Scott Reed, the political action committee will begin in Iowa and Dallas. Pence, who is believed to have presidential aspirations, was in the US Capitol during the 6 January 2021 riots when former President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the building. Pence’s loyalty to Trump has caused him to lose broad support among the former president’s staunch Republican supporters.
The CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, has warned the US Senate of how AI chatbots such as his own company's risked undermining data privacy, intellectual property, competition, and US democracy. Altman made his debut appearance in the Senate this week, with senators exploring how AI chatbots could both inadvertently produce misinformation as well as how they can be used for disinformation, such as via deepfakes. Altman's chatbot has recently exploded in popularity. Senators largely played down talk of a grilling, seeking input to rein in AI chatbots like ChatGPT for legislation rather than any contentious vote ahead of the hearing. AI bias issues, as well as copyright and antitrust considerations, were also raised, with some Republican senators fearing potential intrusive surveillance capabilities.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified before Congress about the risks and benefits of AI, and called for regulation and a new government agency tasked with creating standards for the field. Altman acknowledged the potential for "significant harm" caused by technology such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, including disinformation and emotional manipulation, but maintained that the company's "iterative deployment" of AI models allowed institutions to understand the associated safety risks. Lawmakers from both parties expressed a willingness to listen to Altman's regulatory proposals, with some suggesting a new government agency to regulate AI, but past attempts to create such an agency have struggled to gain traction in Congress.
Bill banning uranium imports from Russia passes US House subcommittee
Reuters
23-05-16 17:26
A bill that would prohibit Russian uranium imports to the US passed a committee in the House of Representatives, paving the way for it to become law. The US imported around 14% of its uranium from Russia in 2021, compared to 35% from Kazakhstan and 15% from Canada, with the US the source of around 5% of the mineral used domestically that year. The House bill includes waivers which would allow for Russia to export low-enriched uranium, provided alternative sources are not accessible for nuclear reactors or US nuclear energy firms and if shipments are in the national interest.
President Joe Biden has vetoed legislation that would have repealed exemptions for Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam to US tariffs on imported solar panels. The waivers were granted in June 2022 and will be in place for two years, with imports from these countries accounting for around 80% of US solar panel supplies. Biden said the waivers would bridge the gap while domestic US manufacturing ramps up, allowing it to supply sufficient products to achieve domestic climate goals. Domestic manufacturers, however, argue that the tariffs were needed immediately to combat cheaper overseas panels.
US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has said he will take "more aggressive actions" after the postal service said it would not break even in 2023. US Postal Service (USPS) losses have been reduced from $160bn to $70bn over 10 years after implementing reforms and winning financial relief from Congress. However, inflationary pressures have added $3bn in USPS costs over two years, while declines in mail volume and businesses reducing advertising spend will continue to impact revenues. USPS is raising prices more regularly, while DeJoy called for government accounting changes for retirement contributions which he said would save USPS up to $34.6bn over 10 years.
Brazil’s Bolsonaro faces questioning in fake vaccine card investigation
The Toronto Star
23-05-16 17:07
Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro has been questioned by the police in an investigation regarding the falsification of COVID-19 vaccine passports. The police are inquiring whether Bolsonaro, his family and his advisors altered their vaccine cards in order to bypass US requirements. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing. This comes as Bolsonaro faces several investigations, including one on his role during a 2020 riot in the capital Brasília and another into his unsubstantiated accusations that Brazil’s electronic voting system is open to fraud.
US President, Joe Biden, has cancelled visits to Papua New Guinea and Australia to return to the US early. The trip has been cut short due to ongoing urgent discussions between White House officials and Congress over how to counter the government's deficit and avoid a potential economic disaster. Without reinforced support, officials estimate that the US government will not have the funds to pay its expenses, should the debt ceiling not be raised, by Jun 1.
The United States Department of the Treasury has warned that it could run out of funds to cover the country’s bills by June 1, heightening fears over the threat of a possible US default. Republican lawmakers are looking to cut social program spending, such as food assistance, in order to raise spending limits. Democrats have said that the situation is particularly galling as the same Republican lawmakers raised spending limits with little resistance when their party was in power. A default in US debt would stump the global economy; leading experts to call for a solution.
Alabama man Joshua Matthew Black has been sentenced to 22 months in prison plus two years' supervised release for the invasion of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021. Black had been armed with a knife when he stormed the congress building after attending Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally. He had already been convicted of five counts, including three felonies, and will be credited with time already served while detained in custody. Black's sentence had been recommended at five years by US prosecutors.
Two EPA officials, Office of Transportation and Air Quality director Sarah Dunham and Office of Air and Radiation official Joseph Goffman, have declined to appear at a hearing on the Biden administration's proposal to cut vehicle emissions and increase electric vehicle sales. The hearing was titled "Driving Bad Policy: Examining EPA's Tailpipe Emissions Rules and the Realities of a Rapid Electric Vehicle Transition." The EPA stated that the officials had previously scheduled meetings with members of Congress and representatives of the regulated community on the hearing's date, and the proposed rules are currently open for public comment.
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso is facing an impeachment hearing over accusations he was involved in corruption, which could pit him against the country's unicameral legislature. Political experts have speculated that Lasso may use a rarely used constitutional clause known as “two-way death” to both dissolve the parliament and step down from the presidency. He has denied all allegations against him and made references to the clause, which would also allow him to continue to govern by decree for six months. The opposition party has a supermajority that could result in Lasso being impeached.
US President Joe Biden's historic visit to Papua New Guinea and his planned trip to Australia have been cancelled as he flies back to Washington to deal with ongoing debt limit talks. The decision could be seen as a blow to the US' hopes of being more present in the Indo-Pacific amid its competition with China in the region. The president had planned to sign two security agreements with Papua New Guinea in an effort to counter China's reach in the area.
US President Joe Biden has cancelled his trip to Australia and Papua New Guinea as his team attempts to reach an agreement on the debt ceiling crisis. Although the president will still travel to Japan for the G7 summit, he has shortened his visit in order to return to the US on Sunday. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has argued that a default on the country's debt would trigger a global economic downturn. The US government could run out of money as soon as June if no resolution is found.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the company behind the human-like chatbot ChatGPT, told a US Senate hearing that the creation of a U.S. or global agency that could provide licences for the most powerful AI systems would be vital to mitigating the risks of advancing AI. The agency would also be tasked with ensuring compliance with safety standards, and be able to withdraw licences. Altman's comments expanded on earlier concerns over cyber-cheating mechanisms, to reflect a wider range of concerns ranging from misinformation to breaching copyright protections and job dislocation. Altman's proposals echo initiatives under way in Europe.
The CEO of AI firm OpenAI, Sam Altman, has called for the creation of a licensing body for the world's most powerful AI algorithms. Speaking at a hearing of the US Senate this week, Altman said that, as AI became more advanced, people were understandably anxious about its power and how it could change human lives. He recommended that a new agency should ensure compliance with safety standards for use of AI, including its ability to generate misleading and false statements. The proposed agency could license the most powerful AI systems and withdraw that licence where any risks were identified.
President Biden and top Congressional Republicans met on Tuesday to discuss a deal over raising the US debt limit. Biden has been asking lawmakers to raise the borrowing limit without conditions to prevent a first-ever default that could trigger a devastating recession, but top Republicans are pushing back, demanding sharp spending cuts to address the growing deficit. While both sides expressed hope about reaching a deal, they acknowledged that they have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time, as a failure to raise the debt limit by June 1 would result in the US Treasury running out of money to pay the government's bills. The Republicans have criticized Democrats for not being more bipartisan in their approach, while Democrats have accused Republicans of not being willing to discuss raising revenues. However, there was an overwhelming consensus among those involved in the meeting that defaulting on the debt is simply not an option, as it would cause considerable harm to the country's economy and families.
The pandemic has created the wrong sort of decoupling for emerging markets, hurting their performance over the past three years, warns John Authers in Bloomberg Opinion. However, he added "none of this means that there won’t be a decoupling; but it’s not going to be the panacea that many have long wanted it to be". If China becomes the pole of what is effectively a different financial system, reshoring and deglobalisation will create opportunities in the emerging world, but it will also make them much harder to take advantage of, warns Authers. Nevertheless, these markets are experiencing some signs of recovery after a decade of underperformance, following the brief bull market which came to an end in the Global Financial Crisis in 2008.
Meanwhile, there is concern over the budget strategies of the US. Ted Decker, CEO of Home Depot, expects comparable sales to drop as much as 5% this fiscal year — the first annual decline in 14 years. Despite problems so far being driven by unusual conditions such as the price of lumber falling, according to Authers, if the recession risks loom larger over the US economy, and workforces normalize with new return-to-office policies, then support will fade for such firms that have been doing so well during the pandemic’s economic conditions. This would spell the end of the trends that Authers calls the home-building boom, e-commerce and working from home/home improvement.
Under President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is set to receive $80bn over the next 10 years, a move that should aid the agency in auditing high-income taxpayers and securing more tax income for the government. The IRS recently posted new guidelines and has hired a new commissioner, Danny Werfel, who has said a primary objective is to acquire expertise such as accountants and lawyers needed to pursue high-wealth individuals and large corporations that are not paying their taxes. The overhaul will be done in stages over several years.
