Stephanie Convery and Petra Stock, The Guardian; ‘Living library’: inside the marine biobanks racing to protect ocean species from extinction
"These fridges are part of what the university calls its “living library”: a biobank, or long-term storage for at-risk marine life forms. Biobanks act as insurance policies against species extinction, and as research hubs for scientists studying species genetics, growth and resilience in the age of environmental crisis."
Dean Ball and , The New York Times; A.I. Is a National Security Risk. We Aren’t Doing Nearly Enough.
"We come from different parties and have guided artificial intelligence policy under very different presidents. But we agree: A.I. has become so powerful that, along with its tremendous promise, the technology poses immediate risks to national security. The United States is competing with authoritarian powers for control of A.I.’s future. Yet the country lacks a strong plan to protect the nation from A.I.’s profound dangers.
There are clear steps the government can take that both parties can agree on. But Washington lacks urgency. Unless we change course, A.I. systems will overwhelm the capacity of a distracted and sclerotic U.S. government to manage their development. We believe the United States can avoid this policy failure by quickly embracing a strategic blueprint for A.I. that leaders across the political spectrum can support.
It’s not hype to say that A.I. is likely to be one of the most significant technologies in the history of our species. At the start of Joe Biden’s presidency, A.I. systems could barely put together coherent paragraphs. Today they score above expert humans on a wide variety of tests. We expect that A.I. systems will continue to get a lot better and help researchers to design still more-powerful A.I. systems, accelerating their progress."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; A Note to Readers
[Kip Currier: As a long-time subscriber to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the note below arrived in my Inbox today: a new era for journalism in the Pittsburgh region and Western Pennsylvania.]
"The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, which started The Baltimore Banner four years ago, takes ownership Monday of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to ensure that Western Pennsylvania maintains access to high-quality local journalism. We’re grateful to the Block family for its civic leadership over nearly a century and take seriously our obligation to serve the community with fairness and integrity.
As newcomers to Pittsburgh, we have been careful to fill the organization with top-notch journalists and business leaders from the old Post-Gazette. We'll rely on them to help us get to know this great city and region. We’ll also begin this spring hosting community listening sessions throughout the area to make sure we hear directly from you about what you need and want in your news organization.
Venetoulis was founded in response to the nationwide erosion of local news, with so many newspapers shutting down or being purchased by hedge funds with a single-minded focus on financial returns. We are driven, first and foremost, by a civic mission to bring trusted local reporting to communities that need it most. We’re also determined to create a successful model for local journalism that can be refined in Maryland and replicated here in Pittsburgh — and perhaps elsewhere in the coming years. Progress at The Banner suggests we are on the right path, with strong business growth, an expanding newsroom, and a Pulitzer Prize last year in local reporting.
Over time, you will notice some changes in the PG as we take vital steps to build an even more relevant, compelling, and sustainable news organization that, on its best days, will serve as something of a town square for this community. For example, as a nonprofit organization, Venetoulis does not endorse candidates or, as an institution, take positions on matters of policy. That means we will be ending the Opinion section, though we are committed to vigorously reporting on key issues so that you can be an informed citizen, and we will continue to have columnists. At the same time, being a nonprofit allows us to raise donations from the community, which has proven to be an important ingredient in Maryland for building a resilient news business. We’ll still be coming out twice weekly in print as well as delivering the daily e-edition. We’re committed, as ever, to local news, sports, and investigative work. And we’ll focus on upgrading the experience on the website and app to better appeal to the growing base of digital readers.
We are so excited to begin this journey — and we ask for your advice and honest feedback as we strive to make the new Post-Gazette best serve you and your neighbors. You can reach us at feedback@post-gazette.com."
ERIN DOHERTY, JASPER GOODMAN, JESSICA PIPER, DANIEL BARNES and BRENDAN BORDELON, Politico ; Poll: The midterms' new big players are pushing agendas that voters don’t fully support
"Deep-pocketed political groups tied to artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency are rapidly reshaping the midterm money landscape — but many Americans are uneasy with the industries behind the spending.
New results from The POLITICO Poll find broad public skepticism about crypto and AI, creating a possible conflict for candidates benefitting from an influx of contributions from the two industries. These groups are pouring millions of dollars into competitive 2026 races to elevate politicians who they believe will support their agendas in Washington.
Meanwhile, Americans have been slow to embrace either technology.
A 45 percent plurality of Americans say investing in cryptocurrency is not worth the risk, even if it can yield high returns, and a 44 percent plurality say AI is developing too quickly, according to the April survey conducted by independent firm Public First.
Nearly half of Americans say they trust a traditional bank with their money more than a cryptocurrency platform, while just 17 percent say the opposite. And two-thirds support lawmakers either imposing strict regulations or setting broad principles for the AI industry."
Vjosa Isai, The New York Times; Planning a World Cup Watch Party at a Bar? The ‘FIFA Police’ Are Lurking
Some businesses advertising watch parties in Canada’s two host cities are wary of running afoul of FIFA’s trademark, which protects advertising “World Cup” events.
"Sports teams and athletic organizations, such as FIFA, the International Olympic Committee and others, are aggressive about protecting their intellectual property because their names, logos and brands are considered commercial assets."
JACK ZALESKI, North Dakota Monitor; Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is not ‘progress’ for everyone in Medora
[Kip Currier: This is a thought-provoking article about the Theodore Rosevelt Presidential Library that will open its doors in Medora, North Dakota on America's July 4th 250th anniversary. In the 1990's, on a driving trip from Pennsylvania to California by way of the Interstate 94 northerly route I had never traveled, I visited this area set amid the ruggedly beautiful Theodore Roosevelt National Park. After a day of sightseeing in the park, I also attended the charming outdoors-staged Medora Musical show, mentioned in the piece. I vividly recall seeing a pronghorn antelope calmly walking among the sagebrush not far from the open amphitheater at sunset's twilight as the actors sang and danced on the stage. Medora was a sleepy high plains town then that now appears both excited and nervous about the changes a presidential library are likely to bring for the community and surrounding area.
The author of this article makes an important point about the inherent tensions between "progress" and historical preservation, the ways of life that are changed when communities grow and adapt in ways that benefit some and harm or upset others. I recall visiting Moab, Utah, the doorway to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in 1988 when it was a faded mining town, whose uranium employing-mine had closed in 1984, displacing 25% of the population. Locals in 1988 told me the town had been talking with some firms about how to raise the profile of the town and make it a premiere tourism destination. Some years later, I again visited Moab and was stunned to see how it had changed into a "mountain bike red rock-riding" community with a vibe and look like Aspen or Vail. Yes, progress had occurred. But what had also been lost when the off-the-beaten-path Moab of the 1980's that I had experienced became the well-trodded now-chic Moab of the 1990's? Who had been displaced? What history and voices had been paved over or silenced?
I can't help but think, too, that the debate about "progress" and "ways of life that are being lost or changed" in Medora, North Dakota has resonance for the debates and changes going on right now about AI's "promise and peril" impacts on our communities and world. Yes, there's a sense of excitement about AI by some. But there's also a palpable atmosphere of concern, uncertainty, and even anger among others about these new technologies. And the data captures this polarized AI mood in the U.S., as borne out by Pew Research Center findings.
[Excerpt]
"The cheerleading for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library at Medora, N.D., has overwhelmed the muted, but passionate concerns and objections among long-time Badlands residents. Few want to be seen as being against the library and the progress it promises for North Dakota’s premier tourist destination, but their definition of “progress” is not the same as the project’s well-funded advocates. A recent column in a local weekly newspaper reveals the depth of their sense of loss...
That being said, an April 9 column in the Golden Valley News of Beach, N.D., revealed a sense of sadness and loss that has not been sufficiently acknowledged in the hoopla since the library was proposed. Carol Tescher Obrigewitch is no stranger to Medora. She is a member of a ranching and rodeo clan with deep roots in the Badlands.
The name Tescher is synonymous with the ranching heritage of Little Missouri River country. Her weekly “Merrily Along” is a delightful mix of family, history, and astute and informed observations. So when her column headlined “Progress?” was published, she was writing from the heart about the changes wrought by the library. She’s not happy, and her unhappiness is shared by a lot of long-time Medora citizens who choose not to speak out.
Also, it has not gone unnoticed that of the 18 listed members of the Library Foundation Board of Trustees, only four have roots or residences in North Dakota and only one of the four lives in western North Dakota.
Here are representative excerpts from Tescher Obrigewitch’s column:
“Medora is definitely not historic anymore. The powers that be have totally removed or rebuilt anything that was historic…
…“In this little town, they have installed roundabouts and made major changes to streets and walkways. They have built hotels, torn down historic places that were there before TR ever thought about coming west…
“…I had to go by the old Custer Trail Ranch, which they tore down. I just closed my eyes. It hurt my heart.
“I believe in preserving history so future generations understand how people once lived.
“…but this ‘progress’ thing has gotten out of hand.”
The columnist’s candor and hurt won’t stop or alter the character of the mega-change under way in Medora. That horse is out of the barn, and (as she says) the “powers that be,” local and otherwise, are too deeply invested to rein it in."
SOPHIE BRAMS , The Hill; Majority say ethics, honesty in government have declined under Trump: Pew
"More than half of Americans say the level of ethics and honesty in the federal government has declined since the start of President Trump’s second term, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center.
The survey, released on Friday, found that 56 percent of U.S. adults believe the overall level of ethics and honesty has fallen since January 2025. Another 24 percent said it has stayed the same while 19 percent said it has risen."
CLAIRE WANG , The Orange County Register; Huntington Beach ordered to pay $1 million in lawyer fees in library censorship lawsuit
"Huntington Beach must foot roughly $1 million in legal bills for restricting minors’ access to certain books at the city’s library, an Orange County judge ordered this week.
In a tentative ruling Monday, April 27, Orange County Judge Lindsey Martinez said the city needs to pay $960,000 to attorneys from four legal organizations, who billed more than 1,300 hours of work on the high-profile lawsuit against the city’s book restriction policy."
Gene Maddaus, Variety; Netflix Prevails in ‘Tiger King’ Copyright Case, a Win for ‘Fair Use’ in Documentaries
"Documentary filmmakers who use unlicensed video clips can breathe a little easier, after an appellate panel reversed itself Thursday in a closely watched copyright case involving Netflix‘s “Tiger King” series.
A three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the filmmakers’ use of a 66-second clip from a character’s funeral was sufficiently transformative to qualify for “fair use” protection."
The New York Times ; Clear Waters, Murky Morals: When Humans Swim With Killer Whales
Kaufman & Canoles, JDSupra; When Copyright Falls Short: Why Celebrities Are Turning to Trademark Law to Fight AI
"The filings come as traditional copyright laws fail to guard against AI-generated content. AI can now generate completely new content that mimics an artist’s voice without outright copying."
John S.W. MacDonald, The New York Times; Maryland Is First to Ban A.I.-Driven Price Increases in Grocery Stores
"Maryland this week became the first state in America to ban grocery stores and third-party delivery services like DoorDash from using customers’ personal data to set higher prices.
The practice — supported by artificial intelligence and known as dynamic pricing or surveillance pricing — can lead to two consumers paying different amounts for the same item from the same retailer, at roughly the same time. If a store knows, for example, that one of those customers lives in a wealthier neighborhood, it can charge that person a higher price.
The bill enforcing the ban, the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act, goes into effect on Oct. 1. Merchants face fines of $10,000 for running afoul of the law, and penalties of $25,000 for repeat offenses.
“At a time when technology can predict what we need, when we need it, when we’ll pay for it and also when we’ll pay more for it,” Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland, a Democrat, said at a signing ceremony for the bill on Tuesday. “And at a time when we are watching how big companies are then using those analytics against us to make record profits, Maryland is not just pushing back. Maryland is pushing forward.”"
Blake Brittain , Reuters; Netflix fends off 'Tiger King' copyright claims again on appeal
"A U.S. appeals court ruled for Netflix on Thursday in a cameraman's copyright infringement case against the streaming video company over footage used in its hit 2020 documentary series "Tiger King."
The Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that Netflix made fair use of one of Timothy Sepi's videos and affirmed its previous ruling that the company did not violate Sepi's rights in seven others."
Julian E. Barnes and Sheera Frenkel, The New York Times ; Pentagon Makes Deals With A.I. Companies to Expand Classified Work
"The Pentagon announced on Friday that it had reached deals with some of the technology industry’s biggest companies in an effort to expand the military’s artificial intelligence capabilities and increase the number of firms authorized to be on classified networks.
The companies, according to the Defense Department, agreed to allow the Pentagon to employ their technology for “any lawful use,” a standard resisted by Anthropic, which was initially the only artificial intelligence model available on classified markets.
The Pentagon had previously confirmed deals with Elon Musk’s xAI, OpenAI and Google. In addition the Pentagon said it had reached deals with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Nvidia and Reflection AI, a start-up."
Scott Stump, TODAY; Val Kilmer’s Daughter Responds to Criticism of AI Performance, Says Late Dad Wanted to ‘Set Precedent’
"Val Kilmer’s daughter explained why her family supports an AI-generated version of the late actor appearing in an upcoming movie, which has sparked a fierce debate in a Hollywood industry on edge about AI taking jobs from actors.
Mercedes Kilmer, 34, spoke on TODAY April 29 about an AI-generated version of the late star of "Top Gun," "The Doors" and "Tombstone" appearing as Father Fintan, a priest and Native American spiritualist in the upcoming movie "As Deep as the Grave."
She said her father "wanted to do this" out of a desire to create "structures for actors to own their licensing and to have rights.""
Jim Milliot , Publishers Weekly; New Report Weighs Pros and Cons of AI
"A recent survey of 559 book publishing professionals in the U.S. and Canada reflects the current schism in the publishing industry about if and how AI can be effectively and ethically be used.
The report, "AI Usage Across the North American Book Market, 2025," was sponsored by BISG and BookNet Canada and gathered responses from publishers, librarians and other industry professionals...
The primary concern for survey respondents around AI in the industry is inadequate controls around the use of copyrighted material, with 86% noting the issue."
Schuyler Moore,, Forbes; The Basics Of Copyright For Films
"The film industry revolves around copyright, so an understanding of the basic issues relating to copyright is critical for understanding almost any film transaction."
Jacob Noti-Victor and Xiyin Tang, The Atlantic; The Secret Weapon Against AI Dominance
"More than 90 lawsuits have been filed by creators against AI companies for copyright infringement. Authors, musicians, visual artists, and news publishers have all accused firms such as OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic of using their copyrighted works to train AI models without permission. (The Atlantic is involved in one such lawsuit, against the AI firm Cohere.) These cases are frequently framed as the defining fight over the future of creative labor and the entertainment industry as a whole. As one of these lawsuits put it, artists are seeking to end “infringement of their rights before their professions are eliminated by a computer program powered entirely by their hard work.”
But the future of creative labor will more likely be decided through a different question within copyright law, one that has received far less attention: To what extent should AI-generated works receive copyright protection at all? In a 2024 case, Thaler v. Perlmutter, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia held that a work generated autonomously by an AI system cannot be protected by copyright, because copyright requires a human “author.” The Supreme Court declined to review that decision in March. With the lower-court decision left in place, the question now becomes how much AI content can be incorporated into a work before it becomes mostly or totally uncopyrightable; courts have not yet weighed in on this but may soon.
The Thaler decision (and any future decisions that refine it) will have major economic consequences for the creative industries and the workers they employ."
Greg Jaffe, The New York Times; Hegseth Cites Falsehood to Defend His Firing of Senior Officers
The defense secretary said at a House hearing that President Barack Obama had fired 197 generals, a figure that the Pentagon previously acknowledged was false.
"Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday defended his decisions to fire or sideline nearly 30 generals and admirals over the past year with little explanation by falsely comparing his record to that of President Barack Obama.
“I would also note that under Barack Obama, 197 general officers were removed,” Mr. Hegseth said in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. “So this is not something specific to this administration.”
The number Mr. Hegseth gave has no basis in fact. It originated with an unsigned 2018 editorial in Investor’s Business Daily, which cites the right-wing news site “Breitbart.com’s Facebook page” as its source.
Mr. Hegseth’s actions to fire senior military leaders are without precedent in recent decades and have come with little explanation."
Anna B. Mitchell , The Post and Courier; Ex-Spartanburg prof took leave to help his ailing, 93-year-old dad. Then he was fired.
"A federal jury on April 23 awarded $309,000 to a former Spartanburg Community College professor who was fired after taking two days off to care for his ailing father."
Jamie Bartlett , The Guardian; Meet the AI jailbreakers: ‘I see the worst things humanity has produced’
"Tagliabue is softly spoken, clean-cut and friendly. He is in his early 30s but looks younger, almost too fresh-faced and enthusiastic to be in the trenches. He is not a traditional hacker or a software developer; his background is psychology and cognitive science. But he is one of the best “jailbreakers” in the world (some say the best): part of a diffuse new community that studies the art and science of fooling these powerful machines into outputting bomb-making manuals, cyber-attack techniques, biological weapon design and more. This is the new frontline in AI safety: not just code, but also words."
Rory Carroll , The Guardian; Lost copy of seventh-century poem in Old English discovered at Rome library
"“This discovery is a testament to the power of libraries to facilitate new research by digitising their collections and making them freely available online,” she said.
Andrea Cappa, head of manuscripts and rare books at the Rome library, said the institution was digitising holdings from Italy’s National Centre for the Study of the Manuscript, which will give researchers access to more than 40m images.
Riccardo Fangarezzi, head of archives at the abbey in Nonantola, said he looked forward to further discoveries. “The present times may be rather dark, yet such intellectual contributions are genuine rays of sunlight: the continent is less isolated,” he said.
The poet Paul Muldoon translated Caedmon’s Hymn into contemporary English in a 2016 anthology of British poetry. The opening lines read:
“Now we must praise to the skies, the Keeper of the heavenly kingdom,
The might of the Measurer, all he has in mind,
The work of the Father of Glory, of all manner of marvel.”"
Christopher Suarez, Bill Toth, Anthony Pericolo, Bloomberg Law; Copyright Infringement Suits Loom With Unchecked AI Vibe Coding
"Deferring the job of software coding to artificial intelligence doesn’t immunize that code from copyright risk—it could even increase it, if the person directing the coding has limited oversight over the result.
This is particularly true with “vibe coding,” where developers use high‑level natural language prompts to generate code using AI models, often with limited manual review or modification of the resulting code.
Just as lawyers should check for “hallucinated” citations when writing with large language models, engineers and software development managers need to have human and technical monitoring protocols to account for infringement and licensing risks."
Graham Bowley, The New York Times; $100 Million Award Made in Suit Over Unlicensed Robert Indiana Art
"An art publisher accused in a civil suit of isolating Robert Indiana, the artist, in the final years of his life, has been found to have created unauthorized or adulterated versions of Indiana’s work by a New York jury.
The jury in federal court in Manhattan found in favor of Indiana’s former business partner, the Morgan Art Foundation, a for-profit company, that sued the publisher, Michael McKenzie, on the grounds that he had interfered with its rights by making Indiana works that he did not have the authority to produce.
Among the works cited in the suit were some based on the most famous of Indiana’s works, a depiction of the word “love” in capital letters, with the L and a jauntily tilted O perched atop the V and E. The image is recreated in sculptures that sit in plazas in several cities and on coffee mugs and refrigerator magnets worldwide.
The jury awarded Morgan $102.2 million in damages."
Gabriel J.X. Dance, The New York Times; A.I. Bots Told Scientists How to Make Biological Weapons
"Dr. Relman is part of a small group of experts enlisted by A.I. companies to vet their products for catastrophic risks. In recent months, some have shared with The Times more than a dozen chatbot conversations revealing that even publicly available models can do more than disseminate dangerous information. The virtual assistants have described in lucid, bullet-pointed detail how to buy raw genetic material, turn it into deadly weapons and deploy them in public spaces, the transcripts show. Some have even brainstormed ways to evade detection."
Riley Ceder, Navy Times; ‘Alpha’ troops and more ships: Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao outlines vision for service
"Recently appointed Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao delivered brief remarks Tuesday about his plans for the Navy during one of his first public appearances as the head civilian leader of the service.
Cao touched on his vision for the Golden Fleet, modernization efforts for the Navy and Marine Corps and the type of values and military ethos he is looking for in future service members while speaking at the Modern Day Marine exposition in Washington.
Cao took over as the acting secretary Wednesday after previous Navy Secretary John Phelan was fired by the Trump administration.
Cao, who previously criticized a sailor who performed as a drag queen, described what he viewed as ideal qualifications for future service members.
“I don’t need cross-dressers in the military,” Cao said. “I need alpha males and alpha females.”
Cao also said the military didn’t need “leaf eaters,” likely referring to vegetarians, and he wanted meat eaters instead."
