Lawmakers Looking to End Warrantless Government Surveillance With Reform Act
Video Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories - Duration: 01:31s - Published
Lawmakers Looking to End Warrantless Government Surveillance With Reform Act
Lawmakers Looking to End , Warrantless Government Surveillance , With Reform Act.
Gizmodo reports that a coalition of bipartisan lawmakers
have teamed up to propose a major reform to one of the
government's most powerful domestic surveillance tools.
.
The proposed Government Surveillance Reform Act
looks to force law enforcement agencies to obtain
a legal warrant prior to conducting a search.
.
The proposed Government Surveillance Reform Act
looks to force law enforcement agencies to obtain
a legal warrant prior to conducting a search.
.
The proposed reform refers to Section 702 of
the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
.
According to critics, the current lack of
a warrant requirement serves as an unconditional
violation of Fourth Amendment protections.
It’s time for a trade.
We will vote to
reauthorize but only with rules that
make Uncle Sam get a warrant before
entering our digital domains, Mike Lee, Republican Utah Senator and bill co-sponsor, via Gizmodo.
It’s time for a trade.
We will vote to
reauthorize but only with rules that
make Uncle Sam get a warrant before
entering our digital domains, Mike Lee, Republican Utah Senator and bill co-sponsor, via Gizmodo.
Ron Wyden, Oregon Senator and lead author, said the bill
would also prevent law enforcement from purchasing
people's data from “shady, unregulated data brokers.”.
Ron Wyden, Oregon Senator and lead author, said the bill
would also prevent law enforcement from purchasing
people's data from “shady, unregulated data brokers.”.
Gizmodo reports that federal agencies have
increasingly turned to data brokers to dodge
privacy protections in recent years.
.
Americans know that it is possible to confront our country’s adversaries ferociously without throwing our constitutional rights in the trash can.
But for too long surveillance laws have not kept up with changing times, Ron Wyden, Oregon Senator and lead author, via Gizmodo.
Lawmakers in support of the reform
have stressed that security and privacy
protection are not mutually exclusive.
.
For decades, our intelligence agencies
have offered us a false choice:
either keep our country safe or protect
Americans’ constitutional right to
privacy.
But we can and must do both, Sara Jacob Said, California representative, via Gizmodo
Supreme Court Considers Letting Cities , Punish Homeless for Sleeping Outside.
On April 22, the Supreme Court will hear a case out of Grants Pass, Oregon, which has a population of less than 40,000, NPR reports. .
'Grants Pass v. Johnson' seeks to challenge two
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rulings which found fining or jailing the unhoused to be cruel and unusual punishment when they have no other alternative.
'Grants Pass v. Johnson' seeks to challenge two
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rulings which found fining or jailing the unhoused to be cruel and unusual punishment when they have no other alternative.
But Grants Pass argues that public health and safety are dependent on camping restrictions that are commonly found across America. .
The city contends that homeless encampments pose a danger to those living
in them, as well as to families and children.
This is because the encampments
are often filled with people who need
mental health and drug addiction resources.
Advocates for the unhoused say that criminalizing sleeping outside is counterproductive. .
Punishing someone for doing
something they have no control
over, no ability to not do, is not
going to end that status. In fact,
not only does criminalization not
work, it makes matters worse. , Ed Johnson of the Oregon Law Center, via NPR.
A criminal record and debt from fines would make it even more difficult for a homeless person to find housing, says Ed Johnson of the Oregon Law Center.
But many cities don't have
enough permanent housing to offer.
Grants pass could use about 4,000 more housing units, while the national
"deficit is in the millions," NPR reports.
The shortage has caused rents to skyrocket, which is a main driver of homelessness
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
This Day in History:, The Great San Francisco Earthquake.
April 18, 1906.
At 5:13 a.m., an earthquake
struck offshore of San Fransisco,
a city with a population of 400,000 at the time.
The quake was felt from
southern Oregon to Los Angeles,
and ruptured 296 miles of the San Andreas fault.
Destroying San Francisco's water mains,
the quake ignited massive, devastating
fires all over the city that could not be combated.
The fires burned for days,
resulting in the deaths of more than
3,000 people and destroying more than 28,000 buildings.
More than half of the city was
left homeless by the disaster.
Damages were estimated to close to $15 billion in
today's dollars. The recovery and rebuild allowed city
planners to make great improvements to San Francisco
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 00:57Published
Biden Administration to Invest $8.5 Billion , in Intel’s Computer Chip Plants.
Biden Administration to Invest $8.5 Billion , in Intel’s Computer Chip Plants.
In addition to $8.5 billion in direct funding, $11 billion will be provided in loans.
The money will come from
the CHIPS and Science Act.
The funds will go toward "computer chip
plants in Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico
and Oregon," CBS News reports. .
According to Intel, the new funding and other investments will create a total of 30,000 jobs in manufacturing and construction.
According to Intel, the new funding and other investments will create a total of 30,000 jobs in manufacturing and construction.
The deal will help the U.S. to produce 20%
of the most advanced computer chips
in the world by 2030, according to
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
Failure is not an option — leading-edge
chips are the core of our innovation
system, especially when it comes
to advances in artificial intelligence
and our military systems, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, on a call with reporters.
We can't just design chips.
We have to make them in America, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, on a call with reporters.
Biden's funding announcement comes
amid a heated presidential campaign.
Administration officials want to get chip technology funding
"out the door as quickly as possible so that the Biden campaign can point to concrete progress on one of the
White House's signature programs," analysts say.
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger called the
CHIPS Act "the most critical industrial
policy legislation since World War II.".
We think of this as a defining
moment for the United States, the
semiconductor industry and for Intel, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, via statement
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Scientists Question Claim , That T. Rex Was as Smart, as Modern Monkeys.
'Gizmodo' reports that a team of researchers
recently investigated claims that the Tyrannosaurus rex
could have been as smart as monkeys.
Last year, a paper was published in the journal
'Comparative Neurology,' which claimed that theropods like
Tyrannosaurus rex had a “monkey-like” numbers of neurons.
According to that paper, this would have made
the Tyrannosaurus rex "not only giant but also
long-lived and endowed with flexible cognition.”.
The new paper specifically referenced the previous paper
and argues that theropods probably had “significantly
lower neuron counts than previously proposed.".
According to the team, neuron count
and brain size are “flawed” proxies for
measuring an ancient species’ intelligence.
We argue that it’s not good
practice to predict intelligence
in extinct species when neuron
counts reconstructed from
endocasts are all we have to go on, Kai Caspar, a biologist at Heinrich Heine University
Düsseldorf and the study’s lead author, via 'Gizmodo'.
The possibility that T. rex might
have been as intelligent as a baboon
is fascinating and terrifying,
with the potential to reinvent
our view of the past, Darren Naish, Paleozoologist at the University of
Southampton and co-author of the paper, via 'Gizmodo'.
The possibility that T. rex might
have been as intelligent as a baboon
is fascinating and terrifying,
with the potential to reinvent
our view of the past, Darren Naish, Paleozoologist at the University of
Southampton and co-author of the paper, via 'Gizmodo'.
But our study shows how
all the data we have is against
this idea. They were more
like smart giant crocodiles,
and that’s just as fascinating, Darren Naish, Paleozoologist at the University of
Southampton and co-author of the paper, via 'Gizmodo'.
'Gizmodo' reports that even if Tyrannosaurus rex
wasn't as intelligent as a modern monkey,
it was still a terrifying creature. .
The fearsome predator also has an outsized
presence in popular culture, leading theropods
to attract a high degree of interest.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Astronomers Say , Neutron Jet Emissions , Travel at Relativistic Speeds.
Gizmodo reports that new research suggests that
the dense remains of massive stars propel jets of gas and
dust at speeds of hundreds of millions of miles per hour.
Neutron stars are the stellar remains of
some of the densest objects in the universe. .
According to new research, neutron star jets
can travel up to 70,836 miles per hour,
just over one-third the speed of light. .
Relativistic effects like time dilation and length
contraction are believed to occur at speeds
exceeding just one-tenth the speed of light. .
James Miller Jones, , an astrophysicist at Curtin University in
Australia and co-author of the research, .
notes that neutron stars are, "so dense that they can pull material off
the surface of a nearby companion star.".
That gas spirals down onto the surface
of that neutron star where it gets very,
very hot and dense. Once enough of it
builds up nuclear fusion reactions
start to happen on the surface, James Miller Jones, astrophysicist at Curtin University
in Australia and co-author, via 'Gizmodo'.
Using the Australia Telescope Compact Array and the
International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory, researchers found that thermonuclear explosions on
distant stars kickstart these high-speed jet emissions. .
When these explosions occurred, they generated
high-speed jets and bright X-rays which made
it possible for researchers to measure speeds. .
The findings suggest that the staggering
speed of these emissions is close to escape
speed, or the needed velocity for material to
escape the neutron star's gravitational speed. .
Gizmodo reports that the team's results will inform
future models of jet formation and could help reveal
some of the most extreme physics in the universe.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
AT&T Confirms Data Breach , Affected 73 Million Customers.
73 million current and former
AT&T customers have had their sensitive
data compromised in a hack that some outlets
say dates back to 2021, Gizmodo reports.
The data, which includes social security numbers, email addresses, birthdates, phone numbers and AT&T account information, .
was located two weeks ago in a data
set released on the dark web.
It's not clear if it was AT&T's systems that were breached or if the information was stolen from one of the company's vendors.
Currently, AT&T does not have evidence
of unauthorized access to its systems
resulting in exfiltration of the data set, AT&T, via statement.
The company is communicating
proactively with those impacted and
will be offering credit monitoring at
our expense where applicable, AT&T, via statement.
As a precaution, AT&T has reset the
passcodes of its current customers. .
The company will be reaching out to customers whose information has been compromised. .
AT&T advises those who are worried about their accounts to monitor activity and credit reports.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Experts Question Claim , That Yogurt Can Help , Prevent Type 2 Diabetes.
Associated Press reports that the United States Food
and Drug Association's recently allowed yogurt
producers to claim it reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes. .
However, at the time, the agency acknowledged
that the claim is based on limited evidence.
In 2018, Danone North America, the U.S. side
of the French firm, sought FDA clearance
for making the "qualified health claim.".
Qualified health claims lack full scientific support
but are allowed as long as manufacturers include
a disclaimer to avoid misleading the public.
Similar qualified health claims have been
allowed for dietary supplements since
2000 and for food products since 2002. .
In March of 2024,
the FDA granted
Danone's request. .
According to the FDA, there is some evidence
that eating at least 2 cups of yogurt a week
could reduce the risk of developing Type 2
diabetes, which impacts about 36 million Americans.
Critics of the FDA's decision have countered
that the claim is not based on randomized
control trials which could prove or disprove
yogurt's purported health benefits.
Critics of the FDA's decision have countered
that the claim is not based on randomized
control trials which could prove or disprove
yogurt's purported health benefits.
The Center for Science in the Public
Interest, an advocacy group, cautions
that no single food can reduce the risk of
developing a disease linked to overall diet.
AP reports that experts have expressed
concerns that the label change could encourage
people to eat yogurt high in sugar, which could
increase the risk of developing diabetes
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
FTC to Decide , Whether Noncompete Agreements , Should Be Banned.
After receiving over 26,000 public comments about the issue, the Federal Trade Commission is set to deliver its verdict on April 30, NPR reports. .
The commission said that if approved, the
final rule "would generally prevent most
employers from using noncompete clauses.".
The commission said that if approved, the
final rule "would generally prevent most
employers from using noncompete clauses.".
Approximately one in five Americans, spanning minimum wage workers to CEOs, are subject to noncompete agreements, the FTC estimates. .
The Biden administration says that these types of agreements hurt workers by decreasing wages.
The White House also argues that these
agreements harm the U.S. economy because entrepreneurship isn't allowed to freely flourish. .
FTC Chair Lina M. Khan issued a statement when
the proposed ban was initially introduced.
The freedom to change jobs is
core to economic liberty and to
a competitive, thriving economy, FTC Chair Lina M. Khan, via statement.
Noncompetes block workers from
freely switching jobs, depriving
them of higher wages and better
working conditions, and depriving
businesses of a talent pool that
they need to build and expand, FTC Chair Lina M. Khan, via statement.
Businesses argue that noncompete agreements are essential for safeguarding investments and proprietary information.
Those businesses also question whether
the agency has the power "to regulate
such agreements," NPR reports. .
If the FTC votes to issue a final rule, enforcement wouldn't occur for 180 days,
and legal challenges would likely ensue.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Millennials Want a 4-Day Workweek, , Poll Indicates.
Redfield and Wilton Strategies recently conducted a poll for 'Newsweek' to find
out how Americans feel about the idea of moving toward a four-day workweek.
4,000 U.S. voters were
surveyed between April 6 and 7.
63% were in favor of a four-day workweek.
46% think the model makes
employees more productive.
Out of all age groups surveyed,
millennials accounted for 74% of those
who want to work less hours.
Of that 74%, 44% "were strongly in favor of a shorter working week," 'Newsweek' reports.
50% of people born in 1964 and before supported a four-day workweek.
The results come as more companies are adopting shorter workweeks, and politicians are pushing to advance the trend in Congress.
The results come as more companies are adopting shorter workweeks, and politicians are pushing to advance the trend in Congress.
The sad reality is, Americans now
work more hours than the people
of most other wealthy nations, Bernie Sanders, via March 2024 health committee hearing.
Lisa Countryman-Quiroz, CEO of non-profit JVS, called a 5-day, 40-hour workweek outdated.
The five-day workweek was created in a
different time. It served its purpose, but
today's world is more fast-paced and
technology-driven than our workplace
predecessors could have imagined, Lisa Countryman-Quiroz, CEO of non-profit JVS, via 'Newsweek'.
Since implementing a
four-day workweek, our
results have been incredible. , Lisa Countryman-Quiroz, CEO of non-profit JVS, via 'Newsweek'.
We've found our employees are more
productive, report better work-life balance,
and experience less burnout. Incredibly, our
turnover rate has been cut nearly in half, Lisa Countryman-Quiroz, CEO of non-profit JVS, via 'Newsweek'
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Biden Looks to Energize , Young Voters With Earth Day , Solar Energy Grants.
Biden Looks to Energize , Young Voters With Earth Day , Solar Energy Grants.
NBC reports that President Joe Biden will mark
Earth Day with the announcement of $7 billion
in federal grants for residential solar projects.
NBC reports that President Joe Biden will mark
Earth Day with the announcement of $7 billion
in federal grants for residential solar projects.
The grants will bring solar energy
to over 900,000 households in both
low- and middle-income communities. .
According to senior administration officials, the
projects receiving additional funding will reduce emissions
by 30 million metric tons and save $350 million every year. .
According to senior administration officials, the
projects receiving additional funding will reduce emissions
by 30 million metric tons and save $350 million every year. .
NBC reports that solar power has gained
traction as a clean energy source that could
help reduce U.S. reliance on fossil fuels.
However, the high cost of initial installation
makes solar energy inaccessible
for many households in the U.S.
However, the high cost of initial installation
makes solar energy inaccessible
for many households in the U.S.
49 of the new grants will be awarded at
the state level, six more will serve Native American
tribes and another five are multi-state awards.
The grants will be used for renewable
investments that include rooftop solar
and community solar gardens. .
The grants will be used for renewable
investments that include rooftop solar
and community solar gardens. .
Officials say that the latest environmental
announcements are part of an effort to energize
young voters ahead of his upcoming reelection campaign.
Biden also reportedly plans to expand the
American Climate Corps green jobs training program,
which was created last year by executive action. .
Biden also reportedly plans to expand the
American Climate Corps green jobs training program,
which was created last year by executive action. .
The corps, which will offer nearly 2,000 positions across
36 states, is meant to offer young Americans the chance
to help enact the Biden administration's climate agenda. .
The corps, which will offer nearly 2,000 positions across
36 states, is meant to offer young Americans the chance
to help enact the Biden administration's climate agenda.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
March Retail Sales , Exceeded Expectations.
New Commerce Department data surprised
some analysts on April 15, 'The Hill' reports. .
The agency's latest estimates indicate
that March retail sales increased by 0.7%.
They were only expected
to rise 0.3% last month.
While sales exceeded estimates for March, the jump
was still below the 0.9% increase in February.
Compared to the same time last year, total sales
for the first three months of 2024 were up 2.1%.
On April 10, the Labor Department released data showing that inflation rose last month. .
The consumer price index (CPI)
increased 0.4% in March and 3.5% annually.
In February, consumer prices
increased 3.2% year-over-year. .
Still, the newest Commerce Department data suggests that Americans continue to spend despite prolonged inflation, 'The Hill' reports.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Drake is looking to unload his Beverly Hills estate anew -- and these days, he has every reason to hightail it out of California ... this as his Kendrick Lamar.. TMZ.com
NOAA Issues Rare , Warning Following Powerful , Solar Event.
CBS reports that a severe G4 geomagnetic storm
headed towards Earth has triggered a rare warning
from NOAA officials for the first time in two decades.
The warning comes following days of solar activity
that sent several waves of plasma in Earth's
direction along with powerful magnetic fields.
G4 storms are the second-strongest
type of geomagnetic storms and can
cause widespread voltage problems. .
NOAA warns that they can also cause some
protective assets to "trip out key assets from the grid,"
as well as cause orientation problems for spacecraft. .
If geomagnetic storms
were hurricanes, 'severe'
would be category 4. , Spaceweather.com, via CBS.
The powerful G4 storm could also cause
northern lights, or aurora borealis, to be seen
in northern California and as far south as Alabama.
In a May 9 press release, NOAA said that the solar
event began on May 8, when a group of sunspots
generated "several moderate to strong solar flares.".
According to NASA, solar flares are explosions of
radiation which are considered the strongest
explosive events in the solar system.
NOAA noted that the area, which
produced the recent flares, is roughly
16 times the diameter of the Earth.
The sunspots known as AR3664 measures about 124,000
miles across, and Space.com notes that it is one of the, "largest and most active
sunspots seen this solar cycle." .
According to NOAA, the geomagnetic storm
is expected to hit Earth as early as midday
on May 10 and continue through May 12
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Sean Burroughs -- the ninth-overall pick in the 1998 MLB Draft -- has suddenly passed away, it was announced on Friday. He was just 43 years old. The former.. TMZ.com
Britney Spears' swollen right foot -- the one she says might need surgery -- can still put the pedal to the metal ... she's back behind the wheel, despite the.. TMZ.com
Before this cowgirl cutie with five older siblings turned into an actress, singer and model ... she was just a theatre kid playing dress up, throwin' on her.. TMZ.com
![Supreme Court Considers Letting Cities Punish Homeless for Sleeping Outside [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20240422/1373460088-Supreme-Court-Considers-Letting-Cities-Punish-Homeless-for.jpg)
![This Day in History: The Great San Francisco Earthquake [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20240418/1372987608-This-Day-in-History-The-Great-San-Francisco.jpg)
![Biden Administration to Invest $8.5 Billion in Intel’s Computer Chip Plants [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20240321/1370081630-Biden-Administration-to-Invest-Billion-in.jpg)
![Scientists Question Claim That T. Rex Was as Smart as Modern Monkeys [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20240430/1374159184-Scientists-Question-Claim-That-Rex-Was-as.jpg)
![Astronomers Say Neutron Jet Emissions Travel at Relativistic Speeds [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20240404/1371832052-Astronomers-Say-Neutron-Jet-Emissions-Travel-at-Relativistic.jpg)
![AT&T Confirms Data Breach Affected 73 Million Customers [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20240401/1371536788-AT-Confirms-Data-Breach-Affected-73-Million.jpg)
![Experts Question Claim That Yogurt Can Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20240510/1375191810-Experts-Question-Claim-That-Yogurt-Can-Help-Prevent.jpg)
![FTC to Decide Whether Noncompete Agreements Should Be Banned [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20240423/1373526476-FTC-to-Decide-Whether-Noncompete-Agreements-Should-Be.jpg)
![Millennials Want a 4-Day Workweek, Poll Indicates [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20240422/1373469894-Millennials-Want-Day-Workweek-Poll-Indicates.jpg)
![Biden Looks to Energize Young Voters With Earth Day Solar Energy Grants [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20240422/1373447144-Biden-Looks-to-Energize-Young-Voters-With-Earth.jpg)
![March Retail Sales Exceeded Expectations [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20240416/1372826444-March-Retail-Sales-Exceeded-Expectations.jpg)
![NOAA Issues Rare Warning Following Powerful Solar Event [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20240510/1375202242-NOAA-Issues-Rare-Warning-Following-Powerful-Solar-Event.jpg)
