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Biden wants to move fast on AI safeguards and will sign an executive order to address his concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:04 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday will sign a sweeping executive order to guide the development of artificial intelligence — requiring industry to develop safety and security standards, introducing new consumer protections and giving federal agencies an extensive to-do list to oversee the rapidly progressing technology.The order reflects the government’s effort to shape how AI evolves in a way that can maximize its possibilities and contain its perils. AI has been a source of deep personal interest for Biden, with its potential to affect the economy and national security.White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients recalled Biden giving his staff a directive to move with urgency on the issue, having considered the technology a top priority.“We can’t move at a normal government pace,” Zients said the president told him. “We have to move as fast, if not faster than the technology itself.”In Biden’s view, the government was late to addr...

Week 8 recap: Chicago Bears fall to 2-6 as Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert carves them up in a 30-13 loss

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:04 GMT

The Los Angeles Chargers and quarterback Justin Herbert shattered any notion of Chicago Bears progress in front of a national TV audience Sunday night at SoFi Stadium.The Bears entered the game winners of two of their last three with a defense that had put together solid performances against the Washington Commanders, Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders.Then Herbert came out and completed his first 15 passes on his way to going 31-for-40 for 298 yards and three touchdowns in a 30-13 Chargers victory.The Bears (2-6), playing without starting safeties Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker, allowed the Chargers (3-4) to score on all four of their first-half drives as they fell behind 24-7 by halftime. Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds also left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury.Meanwhile, the underdog story of undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent, from Division II Shepherd, didn’t gain a lot of ground.Bagent, filling in for injured starter Justin Fields, comple...

Field hockey notebook: King Philip now expects success

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:04 GMT

King Philip field hockey coach Kaitlyn Wilder wasn’t really surprised. She actually kind of called it.With a 3-1 first-round win over No. 10 Natick as the 23rd-seed in the Div. 1 state tournament last year, the then first-year Warriors coach knew heading into the second round there was a lot she could count on from her top players.No, she didn’t predict rallying twice in the second half to eventually overcome sixth-seeded Bishop Feehan in overtime, 4-3, and advance again. She didn’t even necessarily predict a win at all – a 23-seed beating a six is quite the upset.But for star midfielder Kelly Holmes to be the one who tied the game at 2-2 in the third quarter, and 3-3 in the fourth? Both on corners?Yeah, Wilder spotted something like that coming.“(How the Natick game ended) was one of the things for me where it was, ‘OK, (Holmes is) ready,’” Wilder said. “She basically called game (against Bishop Feehan). … She wanted it. And they knew it was going to her, but she wanted it.”It was ...

Lucas: No help from feds as migrants fill Massachusetts shelters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:04 GMT

Tomorrow is Halloween.It is also Gov. Maura Healey’s deadline for taking in new immigrant families who are flocking to Massachusetts seeking free housing and support under the state’s “right to shelter” law.So, if a family with children comes trick or treating at your door looking for shelter, they are liable to be immigrants from Haiti or Afghanistan or Ecuador looking for a place to crash.Massachusetts is an internationally known sanctuary or handout state.That may be an exaggeration, but you get the point.The state is so overflowing with migrants that there are no longer the means to care for them.There is no more room at the inn, Healey said in so many words– as if that will stop them from coming. Massachusetts is overflowing with immigrant families from around the world with few places to house them.“If there is no place for them, where do they go?” House Speaker Ron Mariano sensibly asked.It is a good question.But Healey does not seem to have a good answer. She said that...

Newly elected regional lawmaker for a far-right party arrested in Germany

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:04 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A lawmaker with the far-right Alternative for Germany party who was recently elected to the state legislature in Bavaria was arrested on Monday, prosecutors said.Prosecutors in the city of Wuerzburg said that Daniel Halemba was arrested in the Stuttgart area, in a state that borders Bavaria, German news agency dpa reported. They said he is under investigation on suspicion of incitement and using symbols of unconstitutional organizations.Halemba, 22, is a member of a fraternity, “Buerschenschaft Teutonia Prag zu Wuerzburg,” that was raided in September on suspicion that there might be objects with Nazi symbols and racist documents on its premises.Halemba’s lawyer, Dubravko Mandic, has rejected the allegations, saying in a weekend statement that there’s nothing to the accusations against the group’s members. Four other members of the group are also under investigation.Alternative for Germany, or AfD, saw significant gains in a pair of state elections on...

5 dead as construction workers fall from scaffolding at a building site in Hamburg

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:04 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Several construction workers fell from scaffolding at a building site in Hamburg on Monday, and five died, authorities said.The fire service in Germany’s second-biggest city said that the accident happened in the HafenCity district, German news agency dpa reported.HafenCity is a former port area on the Elbe river that is being redeveloped with office and residential buildings, hotels and shops.The Associated Press

China holds major financial conference as leaders maneuver to get slowing economy back on track

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:04 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — China’s leaders are expected to search for ways to mend the country’s fractured property market, create jobs for millions of unemployed youths and spur faster growth in a meeting that reportedly began Monday in Beijing.The National Financial Work Conference, usually held twice a decade, is expected to further fortify leader Xi Jinping’s control of the country’s $61 trillion financial sector. It follows the announcement last week of plans to issue 1 trillion yuan ($330 billion) in bonds for infrastructure projects and disaster prevention. By dipping deeper into deficit, the government is looking to counter a sharp slowdown in housing construction. Economists say the challenge lies in finding ways to ensure sustainable, balanced growth while unwinding massive debt held by real estate developers, local governments and regional banks.The gathering, held behind closed doors and without any formal public announcement Monday, will tackle such long-term reforms, Takehiko Naka...

Stock market today: World shares mixed after S&P 500 slips ahead of Fed interest rate decision

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:04 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — European shares opened higher on Monday after a mixed trading session in Asia ahead of a Federal Reserve decision this week on interest rates.Germany’s DAX rose 0.5% to 14,757.59 and the CAC 40 in Paris advanced 0.4% to 6,823.22. Britain’s FTSE 100 surged 0.7% to 7,343.62. The future for the S&P 500 gained 0.5% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3%.A mixed set of economic reports Friday didn’t appear to alter Wall Street’s expectations that the Federal Reserve will keep its benchmark rate of above 5.25% unchanged at a meeting Wednesday.In Asian markets on Monday, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost 1% to 30,696.96. There is speculation, given recent signs of sustained inflation, that the Bank of Japan may make adjustments to its monetary policy in a meeting that ends on Tuesday.Over the weekend, more than 30 companies listed in China revealed intentions to conduct share buybacks and purchases after China announced a slew of measures aimed at stabilizing fall...

GasBuddy: Avg. Alb. prices drop 3 cents in last week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:04 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Average gasoline prices in Albany have fallen 3.0 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.69/g Monday, according to GasBuddy's survey of 546 stations in Albany. Prices in Albany are 18.4 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 16.9 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 3.4 cents in the last week and stands at $4.43 per gallon. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Albany was priced at $3.39/g Sunday, while the most expensive was $4.04/g, a difference of 65.0 cents per gallon. The lowest price in the state Sunday was $2.75/g, while the highest was $5.00/g, a difference of $2.25/g.The national average price of gasoline has fallen 5.3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.45/g Monday. The national average is down 36.3 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 27.4 cents pe...

Hoosick Falls three-peats as Section champions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:04 GMT

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Hoosick Falls Panthers proved once again they are the queens of Class C Field Hockey after defeating Johnstown 3-0. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! This win marks the third consecutive Section championship for the Panthers. After a scoreless first period, Mackena Robertson scored the first goal of the game getting Hoosick Falls on the board first. Later in the period, Tatum Hickey tallied a goal of her own to give the Panthers a two-goal lead heading into halftime. To seal the deal, Ava Kasulinous scored a goal in the fourth period.