BREAKING NEWS: According to the Israeli military, the Iranian salvo consisted of more than 300 “killer drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles”
(ElevatedThoughts) Bipartisan Climate Change Discussion
Our latest episode is about Climate Change. Our expert, Spencer Schecht has spent over 10 years working in climate change policy initiatives with a recent focus in the Carbon Capture Storage and Utilization Industry.
(IAPP) A New draft of bipartisan US federal privacy bill was unveiled recently
Two influential members of the U.S. Congress, Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R), a representative for Washington's 5th congressional district, and Maria Cantwell (D), serving as the junior senator from Washington, have unveiled a draft bipartisan federal privacy bill.
The core provisions aim at addressing data minimization, consumer rights regarding targeted advertising and data management, and data security measures.
The APRA seeks to harmonize privacy protections across state lines, preempting existing state privacy laws while incorporating elements of legislation from California, Illinois, and Washington.
(Reuters) Applied Materials may postpone or cancel $4 Billion California R&D facility, SF Chronicle reports
Applied Materials, the largest maker of semiconductor equipment in the U.S., may postpone or abandon its plans to build a $4 billion research and development facility in Silicon Valley due to a lack of government funding, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Monday citing sources familiar with the matter.
The Biden administration announced last month it would not fund the program from the $52.7 billion Chips and Science Act due to "overwhelming demand" for funding awards to subsidize chip production.
(AP) Biden administration sets first-ever limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water
The Biden administration on Wednesday finalized strict limits on certain forever chemicals: perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS for short.
The EPA estimates the rule will cost about $1.5 billion to implement each year, but doing so will prevent nearly 10,000 deaths over decades and significantly reduce serious illnesses.
“It’s that accumulation that’s the problem,” quoted from Scott Belcher, a North Carolina State University professor who researches PFAS toxicity. “Even tiny, tiny, tiny amounts each time you take a drink of water over your lifetime is going to keep adding up, leading to the health effects.”
(Reuters) Fed rate cut expectations for 2024 fall to lowest since October
Futures traders have reduced bets on how much the Federal Reserve will cut rates this year to the lowest level since October, LSEG data showed on Monday, amid evidence of continued strength in the U.S. economy.
Treasury yields, which are swayed by interest rate expectations, have moved higher as a result. Data on of last week Friday showed unexpected strength in the labor market, the latest in a series of reports reflecting stronger-than-expected growth.
In January, policymakers introduced language saying they would keep the policy rate in its current 5.25%-5.5% range until they have "greater confidence" that inflation is headed to the Fed's 2% goal.
The convergence of promising economic indicators and sluggish progress on inflation has heightened discussions among prominent figures, including Chair Jerome Powell, urging to be "patient" in deciding the timing of rate cuts.
(PharmaNewsIntel) Roughly 65% of bandages on the market contain forever chemicals
Earlier this month, Environmental Health News partnered with Mamavation, a consumer watchdog site, to analyze the use of forever chemicals in bandages, including the popular Band-Aid brand.
The study revealed that 65% of the 40 bandages tested contained forever chemicals, implying potential risks to human health.
Mamavation sent 40 bandages from 18 brands to a lab for chemical testing.
According to Mamavation, the following bandage brands had organic fluorine levels over 100 ppm:
Band-Aid: Flexible Fabric Comfortable Protection Bandages, OURTONE Flexible Fabric BR45 Bandages, OURTONE Flexible Fabric BR55 Bandages, and OURTONE Flexible Fabric BR65 Bandages
Care Science Antibacterial Flexible Fabric Adhesive Bandages
Curad Assorted Bandaids 4-Sided Seal
CVS Health: C60 Flexible Fabric Antibacterial Bandages, C70 Flexible Fabric Sterile Bandages, and C80 Flexible Fabric Antibacterial Bandages
Equate (Walmart): Flexible Fabric Bandages Antibacterial, SKIN TONE Antibacterial Bandages Flexible Fabric
First Honey Manuka Bandages
Rite Aid First Aid Advanced Antibacterial Fabric Adhesive Bandages
Solimo (Amazon Brand) Flexible Fabric Adhesive Bandages
UP & UP (Target) Flexible Fabric Bandages
Congressman Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, proposed the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act, which mandates AI firms to submit copyrighted works in their training datasets to the Register of Copyrights before releasing new generative AI systems. Failure to comply could result in financial penalties.
It does not prohibit AI from training on copyrighted material but requires companies to disclose the extensive range of works they use to develop AI tools.
The bill has garnered support from various entertainment industry organizations and unions, including the Recording Industry Association of America and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
AI companies face an increasing number of lawsuits and general legal scrutiny over their alleged use of copyrighted material. Companies like OpenAI have denied wrongdoing, citing fair use provisions and claiming that without access to copyrighted works, their tools would cease to function.
Interesting Takes from Around the Web
Adam Schiff Questions Professor Garcia on drawing the line of in using generative AI in patentable works. The draft of the legislation is available at Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act.
For the context of the entire exchange from Kevin McCarthy, the video is available on C-SPAN.