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Judge Allows Newspaper Copyright Lawsuit Against OpenAI to Proceed (Maria)
The author writes, “A federal judge has ruled that The New York Times and other newspapers can proceed with a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft seeking to end the practice of using their stories to train artificial intelligence chatbots. U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein of New York on Wednesday dismissed some of the claims made by media organizations but allowed the bulk of the case to continue, possibly to a jury trial.”
The MAGA ‘Celebrity’ Trying to Turn New Jersey Red in 2025 (Al)
From Politico: “Scott Presler, the conservative activist who runs Republican voter registration-focused PAC Early Vote Action and has built his brand around promoting Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was stolen, is focusing on the Garden State this year after spending much of 2024 in Pennsylvania. In recent weeks, Presler has crossed New Jersey to implement what he calls ‘the Pennsylvania model’: registering Republicans in oft-overlooked places — like gun ranges, Amish communities and fly fishing conventions — in both red and Democratic-leaning counties, and encouraging them to vote early for Republicans up and down the ballot.”
States Try to Rein in Health Insurers’ Claim Denials, With Mixed Results (Dana)
From News From the States: “As more patients and doctors voice their frustrations, states are responding with legislation designed to regulate prior authorization and claims reviews. So far this year, lawmakers in more than a dozen states are considering measures that would, for example, limit the use of AI in reviewing claims; exclude certain prescription medications from prior authorization rules; ensure that emergency mental health care is not delayed for more than 48 hours; and require that insurers’ review boards include licensed physicians, dentists or pharmacists with clinical experience.”
Seniors Won’t Complain If They Miss a Social Security Check, Lutnick Says (Mili)
The author writes, “Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick suggested … that only ‘fraudsters’ would complain about missing a monthly Social Security check, and that most people wouldn’t mind if the government simply skipped a payment. Why it matters: More than 70 million Americans get a Social Security benefit every month, and for many, those checks are their only income.”
Attacks on Hamdan Ballal’s Village Ramped Up After He Won an Oscar (Laura)
The author writes, “At the Academy Awards [last] month, Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal was honored with his co-directors for their documentary No Other Land, chronicling the Israeli government’s destruction and takeover of Palestinian land in the West Bank. The same night, his village was the site of an attack by settlers. In the weeks since, settlers have continued to return to his village, Khirbet Susya in the Masafer Yatta region, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.”
RFK Jr Says They Are Poisoning Us, Influencers Call Them Unnatural — But What Is the Truth About Seed Oils? (Reader Jim)
From The Guardian: “The US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has caused controversy with his views on subjects from vaccines to fluoride in drinking water, has said the population is being ‘unknowingly poisoned’ by seed oils and urged people to revert to ‘traditional’ fats such as butter, lard and beef dripping for better health. Last month the Wall Street Journal reported that fast food chains were promoting their shift away from seed oils after Kennedy’s criticisms. … So should we really be ditching our bottles of vegetable and sunflower oils and covering everything in lard?”
Antarctic Iceberg Breaks Away to Reveal a Never-Before-Seen Ecosystem (Sean)
The author writes, “A colossal iceberg the size of Chicago has broken from a floating glacier in Antarctica, and like a retractable roof at a stadium, the drifting structure has opened up a hidden habitat to the elements. Researchers working on a ship in the region in early 2025 quickly hurried to the newly exposed site, which sits near the edge of a floating glacier known as the George VI Ice Shelf. Driving a remotely operated vehicle named SuBastian down into the blue, where the iceberg used to sit, an international team of scientists discovered a thriving ecosystem of sponges, anemones, hydroids, and coral never before seen by humans.”
