United States

United States


Alaska Supreme Court is weighing a case that could decide who can provide abortion care in the state

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court is weighing a case that is expected to determine who can provide abortion care in the state. The court heard arguments Wednesday in a 2019 case challenging the constitutionality of a law that states only a doctor licensed by the State Medical Board can perform an abortion […]

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US government allowed and even helped US firms sell tech used for surveillance in China, AP finds

U.S. lawmakers have tried four times since September last year to close what they called a glaring loophole: China is getting around export bans on the sale of powerful American AI chips by renting them through U.S. cloud services instead. But the proposals prompted a flurry of activity from more than 100 lobbyists from tech […]

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U.S. to take photos of all travellers entering or leaving the country

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is amending its policies to require that all non-citizens — including Canadians — be photographed when entering or leaving the United States. The new security regulations, posted in the federal register Monday, are set to come into force on Dec. 26, although it could take years to fully implement […]

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Shutdowns began as a way to enforce federal law. Now Trump is using it to take more power

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown, already the second-longest in history, with no end in sight, is quickly becoming a way for President Donald Trump to exercise new command over the government. It wasn’t always this way. In fact, it all started with an attempt to tighten Washington’s observance of federal law. The modern phenomena […]

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Microsoft hopes Mico succeeds where Clippy failed as tech companies warily imbue AI with personality

Clippy, the animated paper clip that annoyed Microsoft Office users nearly three decades ago, might have just been ahead of its time. Microsoft introduced a new artificial intelligence character called Mico (pronounced MEE’koh) on Thursday, a floating cartoon face shaped like a blob or flame that will embody the software giant’s Copilot virtual assistant and […]

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Trump pick to lead federal watchdog agency withdraws after offensive text messages were revealed

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump ’s pick to lead a federal watchdog agency withdrew from consideration Tuesday evening, after his offensive text messages were made public and GOP senators revolted. Paul Ingrassia, who was nominated to lead the Office of Special Counsel, had been scheduled to have his confirmation hearing this week. On Monday, […]

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Trump’s nominee to lead a watchdog agency hits trouble over MLK and ‘Nazi streak’ text messages

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s pick to lead an office charged with protecting federal whistleblowers appeared to be in jeopardy on Tuesday after Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he hoped the White House would withdraw the nomination. The growing opposition to Paul Ingrassia comes after a Politico report of a text chat that […]

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Iowa superintendent detained by ICE falsely claimed he was a US citizen, indictment says

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The former superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen on a federal form and knowingly possessed several firearms illegally, according to a newly returned indictment that raises the prospect of a lengthy prison term. A federal grand jury issued the two-count indictment Thursday charging […]

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U.S. man sentenced to prison over data breach that included Canadian students’ info

An American man was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison after pleading guilty to cyber extortion in the mass data breach of a student information system used across Canada.  Court documents show Matthew D. Lane was sentenced in a Massachusetts court after he pleaded guilty to charges relating to the cyber extortion of two […]

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News organizations, including Hegseth’s former employer Fox, reject new Pentagon reporting rules

Fox News, the former employer of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has joined a near-unanimous outpouring of news organizations rejecting new rules for journalists based in the Pentagon. Fox signed on to a statement with ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN saying they would no agree to Hegseth’s new rules, saying “the policy is without precedent and […]

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California governor vetoes bill to restrict kids’ access to AI chatbots

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday vetoed landmark legislation that would have restricted children’s access to AI chatbots. The bill would have banned companies from making AI chatbots available to anyone under 18 years old unless the businesses could ensure the technology couldn’t engage in sexual conversations or encourage self-harm. “While […]

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California expands privacy protections as Democratic-led states resist Trump’s immigration agenda

Immigrants selling food, flowers and other merchandise along the sidewalks of California will have new privacy protections intended to keep their identities secret from federal immigration agents. The measure, signed into law this past week by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, comes on the heels of other recently enacted state laws meant to shield students in […]

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