Oscar-winning director James Cameron knows a thing or two about artificial intelligence — after all, he conceived of Skynet, the AI system that tried to end humanity in the Terminator films.
However, in real life, he tells Sean Hayes, Will Arnett and Jason Bateman‘s SmartLess podcast that we also have something to fear about the technology.
“I’m not afraid but I’m certainly pretty concerned about the potential of misuse of AI,” the Avatar director said. “I think AI can be pretty great. I think it could also literally be the end of the world.”
He agreed that experts in the field “start laughing” at him when he brings it up, given his Terminator bona fides, but he clarifies, “The point is that no technology has ever not been weaponized.”
Cameron asks, “And do we really want to be fighting something smarter than us that isn’t us? On our own world? I don’t think so.”
He also added, “Look, an AI could have taken over the world and already be manipulating it but we just don’t know because it would have total control over all the media and everything. And what better explanation is there for how absurd everything is right now?” he said. “Because nothing makes a damn bit of sense to me, I don’t know about you guys,” he said to his hosts.
(WASHINGTON) — With a grand jury weighing possible charges against former President Donald Trump, the case is drawing comparisons to the indictment of a rising Democratic star over a decade ago that also involved hush money accusations.
In 2011, John Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina and two-time presidential candidate, was charged in an alleged plot to violate campaign finance laws during his 2008 bid for the White House.
Federal prosecutors accused Edwards of soliciting nearly $1 million from wealthy donors to hide his affair with videographer Rielle Hunter — and that he was the father of their baby — to prevent damage to his reputation as a family man during the campaign.
Edwards’ defense team argued the donations were personal gifts from friends, not campaign contributions, and were intended only to hide the affair from his cancer-stricken wife, not voters.
A North Carolina jury found Edwards not guilty of one count of receiving illegal campaign donations but deadlocked on five other charges, leading to a mistrial. The Justice Department ultimately dropped the charges.
It was the most recent major case of a hush money scheme in a presidential campaign, until now.
On Saturday, Trump claimed he expected to be arrested this past Tuesday in connection with a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the final stretch of the 2016 campaign.
It remains unclear what action Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will take, or when.
Prosecutors are said to be considering whether Trump falsified business records when reimbursing his attorney Michael Cohen for the payment to Daniels. That would be a misdemeanor under New York law, though it could become a felony if prosecutors contend he falsified records to conceal another crime.
Trump attorney Joe Tacopina made a comparison to Edwards during a recent appearance on MSNBC.
“This is very — look, John Edwards — remember that case, where a third party paid for John Edwards’s mistress who was pregnant with his baby and all that stuff? … He was acquitted. And the DOJ dropped all charges on the hung counts on that,” Tacopina said.
Tacopina has also echoed Edwards’ defense that the Daniels payment wasn’t related to the campaign and was intended to protect the Trump family.
“He made this with personal funds to prevent something coming out false but embarrassing to himself and his family’s young son,” Tacopina told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America.”
Similarities, differences in Trump and Edwards cases
“There are a lot of similarities in how these two cases may run,” said Steven Friedland, a law professor at North Carolina’s Elon University and a former federal prosecutor.
Both cases involve salacious details of a presidential candidate paying a woman to keep quiet about an alleged affair.
After first denying the affair, Edwards admitted his relationship with Hunter, a videographer hired to document his campaign, in an interview with ABC News’ Bob Woodruff in 2008. He denied being the father of their child until he eventually acknowledged that in 2010.
Trump has long denied Daniels’ allegation of a 2006 affair, and his team has cast the funds given to her as an extortion payment.
Politics also hover over the two cases. Trump and Republicans have assailed Bragg as a Democrat abusing his authority to go after a political enemy. In the Edwards case, some Democrats questioned whether George Holding, a Bush-appointed U.S. attorney who later ran for Congress as a Republican, was acting out of his own political ambition.
And both cases involve star witnesses whose credibility has been questioned.
In Edwards’ case, it was his former aide Andrew Young who took the stand under a grant of immunity to testify against him. The defense cross-examination painted Young as an inconsistent witness.
In Trump’s case, it is Cohen. Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and other crimes, including lying to Congress, for his role in orchestrating the payment to Daniels.
He told ABC News he is ready to testify against Trump, should there be an indictment. But Trump and his allies, including attorney Robert Costello, have sought to undermine his credibility.
“Just like the cross-examination of Andrew Young was pivotal in the John Edwards case, it looks like no matter what charges are brought, the cross examinations of Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, if she testifies, will be pivotal,” Friedland said.
There are also differences between the two cases, observers noted, with one of the most notable being the timeline of the payments.
The payments to Edwards’ mistress began in 2007 and continued after he suspended his campaign, while Daniels received a one-time payment just before the 2016 election.
“It’s really hard to believe that the primary motivation wasn’t to prevent it from coming out and affecting the presidential election,” Brett Kappel, a campaign finance law specialist, said of the payment to Daniels.
Another key contrast is that the Edwards case played out at the federal level, while Trump is being investigating at the state level.
What the Edwards case could mean for Trump
While it remains to be seen what charges and evidence Bragg may bring forward, the Edwards case showed even trials dominated by sordid details involving a high-profile politician ultimately hinge on the legal intricacies involved.
It also left the remaining question of whether hush money can amount to a campaign contribution.
Friedland noted that alleging a campaign finance rules violation was a “novel” approach to bringing criminal charges in Edwards’ case, and that it remains so today.
“It isn’t a well-established violation of criminal law,” he said.
Despite no conviction in the Edwards case, the revelation of the affair and hush payments promptly ended his political career. What would the impact be on Trump, who has already weathered several scandals?
“Certainly, all the things that have happened to him up to this point, including impeachment twice, has not dampened the ardor of his supporters,” said Stanley Brand, an election law expert. “And I don’t know that a New York prosecution on something that is essentially to begin with a misdemeanor is going to do that, either.”
Brothers Osborne fans, new music is arriving, and it’s coming sooner than you think.
On Friday, March 24, the award-winning duo shared on social media that three new songs are dropping on Friday, April 7: “Nobody’s Nobody,” “Might As Well Be Me,” and “Rollercoaster (Forever and a Day).” They will be packaged as the Nobody’s Nobody Sampler.
While not much was revealed about the tracks, the announcement post also included a back-view photo of T.J. Osborne and John Osborne in black T-shirts, which adds to the mystique surrounding the duo’s upcoming release.
The Nobody’s Nobody Sampler is available for presave now.
Grouplove has announced a new album called I Want It All Right Now.
The sixth studio effort from the “Tongue Tied” group — and the follow-up to 2021’s This Is This — arrives on July 7.
You can listen to two new songs off I Want It All, titled “All” and “Hello,” now via digital outlets. Both tracks are combined into a seven-minute video streaming now on YouTube.
The Zombies have shared a new video for “Merry-Go-Round,” the third single off their upcoming album, Different Game.
The video features footage of their recent experience at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, including clips of their performances, meeting fans and more.
And speaking of SXSW, The Zombies were awarded the Career Act Grulke Prize at the fest, which is given to an established artist who attends SXSW “to reinvent themselves or launch a new project.” The band decided to donate the prize to Oxfam America to support their fight against world poverty and injustice.
That new project is Different Game, the follow-up to 2015’s Still Got That Hunger. It will be released March 31 and is available for preorder now.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday are expected to announce a new migration deal as part of Biden’s first visit to America’s northern neighbor.
The two leaders will hold a joint news conference after Biden addresses the Canadian Parliament.
The new agreement will allow Canada to send more migrants who cross at unofficial ports of entry of America’s northern border back to the U.S., according to a senior U.S. official and another person familiar with the deal.
In return, Canada has agreed to allow 15,000 more people from the Western Hemisphere to migrate to Canada legally.
Ahead of Biden’s visit, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters the administration was “committed” to working with Canada to address the increase in migration going north but declined to confirm the deal.
The Bidens arrived in Canada on Thursday, and were welcomed by Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau at their residence in Ottawa.
The U.S.-Canada relationship was strained during the previous administration as Trudeau and former President Donald Trump clashed on a number of issues, including trade and immigration. But the alliance has since mended under Biden.
“We have no greater friend and ally than the United States,” Trudeau said after he and Biden sat down for a bilateral meeting on Friday morning.
Biden began the day on Parliament Hill for an official welcome and meetings with Trudeau, Canada’s Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and others.
Trudeau said they’ve been “working closely together over the past few years” on the economy, climate change, geopolitical security and standing up for values around the world.
Biden remarked that the U.S. is lucky to have Canada as a neighboring ally.
“All the values are the same, we disagree and agree on things occasionally but there’s no fundamental difference in the democratic values we share,” Biden said.
In addition to immigration, Trudeau and Biden are expected to discuss a range of economic and security issues.
In the evening, Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend a gala dinner hosted by the Trudeaus at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa before departing for Wilmington, Delaware.
(NEW YORK) — Public health departments across the United States have expressed concern about the spread of a potentially deadly fungus after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported cases have spiked.
Candida auris, or C. aurisis, is increasing at an “alarming” rate with cases doubling in 2021, the CDC said.
Now, with infections reported around the country, health officials are working to prevent the drug-resistant yeast from spreading further.
Two cases were recently reported to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The agency told local ABC affiliate Denver 7 that the patients had been receiving care in facilities out of state and were transferred to Colorado for additional care.
On its website, CPDPHE said it was concerned about C. auris because it is often multi-drug resistant, can be difficult to identify and can cause outbreaks in health care settings.
Additionally, the Indiana State Department of Health said it is monitoring 87 cases of C. auris, according to local affiliate WRTV.
The fungus “presents a serious global health threat,” the department said on its website. “Outbreaks of this organism have occurred in healthcare settings, so early identification and communication about cases are essential to awareness and prevention.”
What’s more, Austin Public Health recently told KXAN that the spread was “very concerning” and that it is a “top threat” to the agency.
While most healthy people are not at risk, vulnerable populations — including those with weakened immune systems — are prone to drug-resistant infections.
In addition, nursing home patients or hospital patients who have or have had lines and tubes in their body — such as a catheter or a breathing tube — are also at high risk.
Doctors previously told ABC News they are concerned because C. auris can spread either from person to person or by coming into contact with contaminated surfaces.
Although several strains of C. auris are multi-drug resistant, there is a class of antifungal drugs called echinocandins that can be used and are given intravenously.
According to the National Institutes of Health, echinocandins prevent a key enzyme needed to maintain the cell wall of the fungus.
In some cases, when the infection is resistant to all three main classes of drugs, multiple high doses may be required, the CDC said.
According to the CDC, studies on mortality related to C. auris are limited but anywhere between 30% and 60% of people with C. auris infections have died.
The federal health agency, however, noted many of these patients also had other serious illnesses that increased their risk of death.
James Taylor has shared another classic performance with fans. The latest release from Taylor’s vault is a “recently re-discovered and restored” performance of “Sunny Skies,” from his November 16, 1970, BBC concert special. He was just 22 when the performance was broadcast.
The clip is one of many Taylor has been sharing on his YouTube channel. He also posted a classic performance of “Sweet Baby James” from the same concert, as well as archival performances of “You’ve Got A Friend,” “Fire and Rain” and more.
And fans will be able to see the 75-year-old Taylor perform these classic songs and many others on the road this summer. He’s due to kick off a new tour on May 25 in Woodinville, Washington. A complete list of James Taylor tour dates can be found at jamestaylor.com.
(MONTICELLO, Minn.) — A Minnesota nuclear plant where 400,000 gallons of radioactive water leaked last year is temporarily shutting down after discovering a smaller leak this week.
Xcel Energy said it will begin powering down its plant in Monticello on Friday to expedite repairs needed to permanently resolve a leak of tritium-contaminated water. The length of the shutdown has not yet been determined but should not impact customers’ electric service, the Minneapolis-based utility company said.
Xcel Energy and state agencies publicly announced last week the initial leak of roughly 400,000 gallons of water containing tritium — a byproduct of the production of electricity by nuclear power plants that emits low levels of radiation.
The initial leak was detected in late November through routine groundwater monitoring systems and occurred in a water pipe that runs between two buildings at the plant, which is located along the Mississippi River about 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
The leak does not pose any health and safety risk to the local community or the environment and the tritium levels are below Nuclear Regulatory Commission safety thresholds, Xcel Energy said. State officials monitoring the cleanup of the water also said the leak had not reached the Mississippi River or contaminated drinking water sources.
Xcel Energy said it had been capturing the water from the leaking pipe and rerouting it back into the plant for re-use until it could install a replacement pipe in mid-April. Though on Wednesday, monitoring equipment indicated that over the past two days “a small amount of new water from the original leak had reached the groundwater,” the company said in a press release on Thursday.
The new leakage is estimated to be in the “hundreds of gallons” and “will not materially increase the amount of tritium the company is working to recover and does not pose any risk to health or the environment,” Xcel Energy said.
Continued monitoring has determined that the leaked water “remains fully contained on-site and has not been detected beyond the facility or in any local drinking water,” the company said.
“While the leak continues to pose no risk to the public or the environment, we determined the best course of action is to power down the plant and perform the permanent repairs immediately,” Chris Clark, president of Xcel Energy–Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, said in a statement. “We are continuing to work with and inform our state, federal, city and county leaders in the process.”
The company reported to state officials on Thursday that the new leak was still ongoing, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which is overseeing the cleanup of the impacted groundwater along with the Minnesota Department of Health.
The agencies said they are “encouraged” by the “immediate action” taken by Xcel Energy to address the leak.
“State agencies have no evidence at this point to indicate a current or imminent risk to the public and will continue to monitor groundwater samples. Should an imminent risk arise, we will inform the public promptly,” the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said in a statement Thursday.
So far about 32% of the released tritium has been recovered, Xcel Energy said Thursday.
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge has rejected former President Donald Trump’s claims of executive privilege and has ordered Mark Meadows and other former top aides to testify before a federal grand jury investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the election leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.
Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff, was subpoenaed along with the other former aides by Special counsel Jack Smith for testimony and documents related to the probe.
Trump’s legal team had challenged the subpoenas by asserting executive privilege, which is the right of a president to keep confidential the communications he has with advisers.
In a sealed order last week, Judge Beryl Howell rejected Trump’s claim of executive privilege for Meadows and a number of others, including Trump’s former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, his former national security adviser Robert O’Brien, former top aide Stephen Miller, and former deputy chief of staff and social media director Dan Scavino, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Former Trump aides Nick Luna and John McEntee, along with former top Department of Homeland Security official Ken Cuccinelli, were also included in the order, the sources said.
Trump is likely to appeal the ruling, according to sources briefed on the matter.
“The DOJ is continuously stepping far outside the standard norms in attempting to destroy the long accepted, long held, Constitutionally based standards of attorney-client privilege and executive privilege,” a Trump spokesperson said in a statement. “There is no factual or legal basis or substance to any case against President Trump. The deranged Democrats and their comrades in the mainstream media are corrupting the legal process and weaponizing the justice system in order to manipulate public opinion, because they are clearly losing the political battle.”
Meadows did not respond to ABC’s request for comment and neither did an attorney representing him. Ratcliffe, O’Brien, Miller, Luna, McEntee and Cuccinelli did not respond to ABC’s request for comment. An attorney representing Scavino also did not respond.
Some of the aides that have been ordered to testify have already appeared before the grand jury but did not answer some questions related to interactions with the former president, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News, and thus would now be required to return for additional testimony. The grand jury proceedings are being held under seal.
It’s not clear the amount of information each of them would have, or the scope of what prosecutors want to question them on, the sources said.
ABC News previously reported that in February, prosecutors investigating Jan. 6 moved to compel testimony from a number of top Trump aides, including Meadows, Ratcliffe and O’Brien.
Previously, Judge Howell had rejected Trump’s claim of executive privilege to block the testimony of two top aides to Vice President Mike Pence, Greg Jacob and Marc Short. In rejecting Trump’s motion to block the testimony of Jacob and Short, the judge ruled that it is up to the current president to assert executive privilege, not a former president, according to sources familiar with the proceedings.
The judge also previously ruled that former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, along with his deputy Pat Philbin, also had to return to the grand jury to answer additional questions after Trump previously argued they were protected by privilege.
Howell is being succeeded by a new chief judge on the D.C. district court, who will now oversee grand jury matters related to the special counsel’s probes.
Smith, a longtime federal prosecutor and former head of the Justice Department’s public integrity section, was tapped in November by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election and Trump’s handling of classified materials after leaving office.
Meadows, who according to sources was subpoenaed in January, was one of the only aides around Trump on Jan. 6 as the attack unfolded. He was also party to the infamous January 2021 phone call that Trump had with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Trump asked Raffensperger to “find” him enough votes to win the state.
