Feds

Federal prosecutors are investigating threats to possible government witnesses in the confidential documents case against Donald Trump, according to court documents filed this week. On Wednesday, special counsel Jack Smith filed a motion to submit a sealed document that “describes in some detail” threats made against witnesses over social media and an ongoing federal investigation into the threats. The motion argued sharing all the details “risks disrupting the investigation.” Federal prosecutors filed their…

Image: Jaap Arriens (Getty Images)The Federal Trade Commission isn’t happy with the outcome of Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, telling a court on Wednesday that Microsoft’s recent layoffs contradict promises it made to get the merger approved. Warning! Microsoft Wants ChatGPT to Control Robots NextIn a letter to the clerk of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the FTC criticized Microsoft for the layoff of 1,900 workers in January, which represented about 8% of its gaming division. The…

The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) identified Lingo Telecom, a Texas-based wireless provider, as the company that transmitted deepfake robocalls impersonating President Biden. The FCC sent the company a cease and desist letter, according to a press release sent to Gizmodo Tuesday, threatening to permanently block Lingo’s operations.Bruce Willis is Keeping His Face“Lingo Telecom, LLC is apparently originating illegal robocall traffic,” said the FCC in its cease and desist letter. “Failure to comply with the steps…

A federal agency is pushing to outlaw AI-generated robocalls after criminals tried to disrupt New Hampshire’s Democratic primary with a deepfake phone call from President Biden. The phone call from our sitting President told voters to stay home last weekend in an “unlawful” attempt at voter suppression, according to the state’s Attorney General.Ed Begley Jr. Talks Climate Change and Sustainability“AI-generated voice cloning and images are already sowing confusion by tricking consumers into thinking scams and frauds are…

For nearly 17 years, the federal government has been after Charles Lynch for running a medical marijuana dispensary.Prosecutors refused to drop their criminal case against him even as marijuana became fully legal in California and 23 other states. They refused to let it go when Congress forbade the Department of Justice from using its funds to criminally prosecute medical marijuana activities that were consistent with state law.Prosecutors have pursued Lynch’s case — which involves conflicting state and federal marijuana…

Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup production at Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan (Source: Ford) Ford has been looking to build the first LFP battery facility in the US, boosting domestic production. But it has been leaning on Chinese tech from CATL to make that happen, and Republican lawmakers have criticized the project. Now they’ve asked the Biden administration to investigate four Chinese companies involved in the plant. The chairs of two US House committees…

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched an inquiry into the billion-dollar AI deals of OpenAI, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Anthropic on Thursday. Throughout the inquiry, cloud providers must disclose details about the nature of their partnerships and investments with AI startups. Of particular interest is the partnership behind ChatGPT, OpenAI, and Microsoft, in which Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella hired Sam Altman and offered jobs to his 700-person staff after the OpeanAI CEO was fired in November.Why is Everyone…

The Department of Justice is recommending the adoption of “national standards” to confront active shooters — with the aim of empowering local law enforcement to “rapidly stop the killing and the dying.” This “critical” recommendation is a top takeaway from the federal government’s new incident review, which was made public on Thursday morning. It goes into detail about the horrific May 2022 massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which was likely made deadlier by what the report blasts as “cascading…

Elon Musk’s private space venture is facing yet another unlawful labor practice accusation, this time for allegedly firing employees who were critical of the controversial SpaceX CEO.Tesla Investors Not Happy With Mr. Tweet's TweetsThe National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed a complaint against SpaceX by former employees, claiming that they were fired for their role in distributing an open letter that urged the company to distance itself from the public behavior of its founder.The complaint, issued on Wednesday,…

SpaceX has been accused of illegally firing eight employees for sharing an open letter that was critical of the company’s CEO Elon Musk. According to allegations outlined in a complaint filed by a regional office of the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday, SpaceX fired the workers in 2022 after the employees wrote and circulated a letter denouncing Musk’s behavior following sexual misconduct claims against him. The letter called on SpaceX leadership to address and enforce its harassment polices in the…