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Comedian Sarah Silverman sues tech firms over AI book capture

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:19 GMT

By Ethan Baron, Bay Area News GroupComedian and author Sarah Silverman is suing social media giant Meta and ChatGPT pioneer OpenAI in a pair of related lawsuits accusing the high-profile California technology companies of breaking state and federal laws by using her memoir “The Bedwetter” as fodder for their artificial intelligence products.Silverman and two novelists claim Menlo Park-based Meta and San Francisco-based OpenAI violated copyright and other laws by ingesting their books — and those of thousands of other authors — to train their artificial intelligence software.Both companies copied works protected by copyright law, including books by Silverman, Pennsylvania author Richard Kadrey and Massachusetts writer Christopher Golden “without consent, without credit, and without compensation,” according to the lawsuits filed Friday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.OpenAI, which sells ChatGPT via subscription, and Meta, which according to Silverman’s lawsuit is planning to c...

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’ sentence reduced by almost two years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:19 GMT

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is now scheduled to get out of prison nearly two years earlier than her original sentence mandated, according to an update from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.Holmes, 39, surrendered herself for imprisonment May 30, to start serving a sentence of 11 years and three months. But her updated release date is December 29, 2032, just over the 9½ years that federal prison rules say she must remain locked up at a minimum.The prisons bureau confirmed Holmes’ new release date, but said privacy, safety and security reasons prevent it from discussing inmates’ release plans.Generally, those incarcerated in federal prisons can earn 54 days of “Good Conduct Time” off their sentences for each year of their sentence, according to the prisons bureau. Eligible inmates can also earn time off from their sentences by participating and completing programs for reducing post-prison re-offending, and educational, health, recovery, victim-impact and employment-training programs. ...

Powerball jackpot climbs to $725 million, 2nd-highest this year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:19 GMT

Joseph Wilkinson | (TNS) New York Daily NewsThe Powerball jackpot rose to $725 million after no one secured the jackpot in Monday night’s drawing.The winning numbers were white balls 2, 24, 34, 53, 58 and red Powerball 13. Two people, one in California and one in Iowa, matched all five white balls but missed on the Powerball.Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing will have the second-highest grand prize of the year, behind only a $754.6 million jackpot in February that was won by a single person in Washington State.The grand prize money could still increase as more people buy tickets in an attempt to claim the elusive jackpot. If anyone wins, the immediate cash option will be $366.2 million before taxes, according to Powerball.To receive the full $725 million, the winner would have to select the annuity option, which comes with a much smaller immediate payment and slightly increased payments across 29 years.A $725 million winner would take home the seventh-richest jackpot in Powerball ...

Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer launches Board of Supervisors campaign

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:19 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced Tuesday that he will be running for a seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.Faulconer will be vying for the county's District 3 seat, which is currently held by Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and spans the coastal area from Coronado to Carlsbad.The former San Diego mayor cited a rise in homelessness and a lack of affordable housing as some of the top priorities of his campaign.Faulconer served as mayor from 2014 until 2020 and was also on the San Diego City Council from 2006 to 2014. Voters in District 4 to receive information pamphlets ahead of special primary election You can find more information about his campaign here.The District 3 seat will be up for election next in 2024.Faulconer last ran for office in 2021 when he placed third in the gubernatorial recall election, where voters elected not to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom.No other challengers have officially announced their candidacy for th...

Prime Day 2023: Here are the 170+ best deals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:19 GMT

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.170+ best deals of Prime Day 2023Amazon Prime Day is well underway, so now is the time to shop! The hottest items this year include electronics, kitchen appliances and toys, but you can find huge discounts on robot vacuums, outdoor furniture, TVs, beauty products and more. To help you quickly find the best deals of Prime Day 2023, we’ve curated a list of our favorites.The deals below were last updated on July 11, 2023, at 9 a.m. PT. Featured dealsIf you’re looking for the best items at a glance, these products are our favorites for Prime Day. Shark AV1010AE IQ Robot Vacuum 35% OFFIf you get this intelligent robot vacuum, you can forget about cleaning for up to 45 days. It cleans floors and carpets, works with voice or phone commands, and offers faster mapping than the previous model.Sold by AmazonColeman SaluSpa Inflatable Hot Tub 49% OFFNothing says summer like spending ...

HCA Healthcare says data breach may affect 11 million patients in 20 states

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:19 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Medical giant HCA Healthcare, which operates 180 hospitals in the U.S. and Britain, says the personal data of about 11 million patients in 20 states may have been stolen in a data breach. Samples of the data, including addresses, phone numbers, emails and birth dates, were posted to an online forum popular with cybercrooks by a hacker trying to sell them.The Nashville, Tennessee-based provider said the stolen data was not believed to include Social Security numbers, payment information or clinical info such as diagnoses.However, the data did include information on scheduled appointments and medical departments involved. A file dumped online by the hacker on Monday following what appeared to be a failed attempt to extort HCA includes nearly 1 million records from the company’s San Antonio division.If 11 million patients are affected, the breach would rank in the top five as reported by health care institutions to the Department of Health and Human Services Office ...

Mikala Jones, Hawaii surfer known for filming inside waves, dies in surfing accident

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:19 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — Mikala Jones, a Hawaii surfer known for shooting awe-inspiring photos and videos from the inside of barreling waves, has died after a surfing accident in Indonesia. He was 44. Jones had gone out into the ocean Sunday morning during a trip to the Mentawai Islands off the western coast of Sumatra when his surfboard fin cut his femoral artery, said his father, dentist Dr. John Jones. The femoral artery is a large blood vessel in the thigh that delivers blood to lower limbs. “He was a humble artist. His pictures were incredible,” his father said in a phone interview from his Honolulu office on Monday. Jones’ Instagram account shows stunning images of waves curling around him from above while he crouches on his board. In some shots, a sunset or sunrise is visible through the curved wave opening in front of him. The elder Jones took photos for surfing magazines starting in the 1970s, but mostly shot from the beach or snapped pictures of other people in the water. Not...

Utah Supreme Court hears partisan gerrymandering challenge to congressional districts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:19 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Utah Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a case that centers on whether the state’s Republican-majority Legislature should be allowed to carve up Democratic-leaning Salt Lake County into four congressional districts.The court fight, which specifically asks whether state courts can review district maps drawn by elected officials and whether they violate the state constitution, is the latest battle over how states draw political maps and follows a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling denying legislatures absolute power to do so.Along with Kentucky, New Mexico and New York, Utah is among the states in which Republicans and Democrats are battling over whether partisan gerrymandering — drawing political maps that favor one party over another — violates the law and imperils people’s right to choose their representatives in a democracy.Seven voters and two advocacy groups — the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government — s...

US formally rejoins UNESCO after five-year absence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Tuesday formally rejoined the U.N.’s scientific, educational and cultural organization after a five-year absence.The U.S. return to the Paris-based UNESCO was based mainly on concerns that China has filled a leadership gap since the U.S. withdrew during the Trump administration. UNESCO’s governing board voted last week to approve the Biden administration’s proposal for the U.S. to rejoin. On Monday, the U.S. delivered a document certifying it would accept the invitation. On Tuesday, UNESCO’s Director General Audrey Azoulay said it was official. A welcome ceremony with a flag-raising and VIP guests is expected in late July.“This is excellent news for UNESCO. The momentum we have regained in recent years will now continue to grow. Our initiatives will be stronger throughout the world,” Azoulay said.The Biden administration had announced last month that it would apply to rejoin the 193-member organization that plays a major role in set...

The invasion of Ukraine spurred NATO to revamp its defense plans against Russian attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:19 GMT

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts on Tuesday endorsed the biggest shakeup since the Cold War of the way the military alliance would respond to any attack on its territory by Russia.Inspired in part by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the highly-secretive defense plans lay out which of the 31 member countries would be called on to respond an attack anywhere from the Arctic and Baltic Sea regions through the northern Atlantic and south to the Mediterranean and Black Seas.“Peace in the Euro-Atlantic area has been shattered,” the leaders said in a statement, laying out the twin threats posed by Russia and terrorism. “Together, this family of plans will significantly improve our ability and readiness to deter and defend against any threats, including on short or no notice, and ensure timely reinforcement of all Allies.”The leaders, meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, “committed to fully resource and regularly exercise these plans to be prepa...