AP-Newswatch

ChatGPT chief says artificial intelligence should be regulated by a US or global agency

The head of the artificial intelligence company that makes ChatGPT told Congress on Tuesday that government intervention “will be critical to mitigate the risks of increasingly powerful” AI systems. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified at a Senate hearing Tuesday that he supported the formation of a U.S. or global agency that would license the most powerful AI systems and have the authority to ensure compliance with safety standards. His San Francisco-based startup rocketed to public attention after it released ChatGPT late last year. Lawmakers expressed concerns about the ability of the latest crop of “generative AI” tools to mislead people, spread falsehoods, violate copyright protections and upend the job market.

Durham report on Trump-Russia investigation: What led to it and what happens next

WASHINGTON (AP) — An investigation into the origins of the FBI’s probe into ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign has finally been concluded. The prosecutor leading the inquiry has submitted a much-awaited report that found major flaws. It is the culmination of a four-year investigation into possible misconduct. It contained withering criticism of the FBI but few significant revelations. Nonetheless, it will give fodder to Trump supporters who have denounced the Russia investigation, as well as as Trump opponents who say prosecutor John Durham’s meager court record — one guilty plea and two acquittals at trial — shows his probe was a politically motivated farce.

How the American Dream convinces people loneliness is normal

NEW YORK (AP) — American lore is full of tales of the lone cowboy, the rugged individualist who will do what needs to be done and ride off into the sunset. In reality, loneliness in America can be deadly. This month, the U.S. surgeon general declared it an epidemic, saying that it takes as deadly a toll as smoking. He cited some potent forces: the gradual withering of longstanding institutions, decreased engagement with churches, the fraying bonds of families. So does the focus on American individualism encourage isolation and alienation? Perhaps that is, like other chunks of the American story, a premise built on myths.

Job cuts, no Social Security checks: How consumers could be pinched by a US government default

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of job cuts. No Social Security checks. Disrupted services like air traffic control. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says these are some of the ways consumers could be hurt if the U.S. experienced an unprecedented government default. The U.S. could run out of money to pay its bills as soon as June 1 if no deal is reached to raise the debt limit. Aides to President Joe Biden and Congress’ top Democratic and Republican leaders are trying to reach a deal to increase the amount of money the government can borrow to meet its financial obligations in exchange for some spending curbs. Yellen warned Tuesday that time is running out.

Ukraine says it downed Russian hypersonic missiles during ‘exceptional’ air attack on Kyiv

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say air defenses thwarted an intense Russian air attack on Kyiv and shot down all missiles aimed at the capital with the help of Western-supplied weapons. The assault early Tuesday came as European leaders sought new ways to punish Russia for the war and a Chinese envoy sought traction for Beijing’s peace proposal. Loud explosions boomed over Kyiv as the nighttime attack combined Russian missiles launched from the air, sea and land. A Ukrainian official said Russia’s latest attack on Kyiv was “exceptional in its density.” An air force spokesperson says the bombardment across Ukraine included six Russian Kinzhal aero-ballistic hypersonic missiles, the most fired in a single attack in the war.

Virginia man charged in baseball bat attacks on three women, including congressional staffers

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A northern Virginia man has been arraigned on charges involving baseball bat attacks on three women, including two staffers for Rep. Gerry Connolly. Forty-nine-year-old Xuan-Kha Tran Pham learned his charges by video hookup from the Fairfax County jail, where he was ordered held pending a hearing in July. Pham’s father told The Washington Post that his son was diagnosed with schizophrenia but can’t obtain treatment. Pham is accused of damaging the windshield of a woman in Fairfax after asking if she was white. Police say he showed up at Connolly’s district office shortly thereafter and hit two women with the bat.

A man fired randomly in a New Mexico neighborhood, killing 3. Police are trying to figure out why

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — The bullets that an 18-year-old man fired while meandering through a northwestern New Mexico neighborhood struck targets apparently picked at random, including cars, homes and passersby. Police responded to the scene Monday within minutes and swiftly killed the gunman, but not before he killed three people and wounded six others, including two officers. Authorities on Tuesday were trying to determine what led to the attack in Farmington. Police hadn’t released the name of the attacker or the victims as of Tuesday morning, but they are expected to provide further details at an afternoon news conference. A former state lawmaker, James Strickler, says a woman and her mother who are both over the age of 70 were among those killed.

Danny Masterson’s rape retrial: Closing arguments set to begin

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Closing arguments are expected to begin Tuesday at the second rape trial of “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson. Masterson is charged with raping three women at his Los Angeles home between 2001 and 2003. Attorneys for both sides rested their cases Friday. Masterson’s first trial ended in a mistrial in December. Jurors were hopelessly deadlocked on all three counts. The 47-year-old actor has pleaded not guilty. He could get 45 years in prison if convicted on all three counts. Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller will be first to give a closing argument in court Tuesday morning.

Man and 12-year-old boy arrested after fatal shooting at Sonic restaurant in Texas

KEENE, Texas (AP) — Police say a 12-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man have been arrested on a murder warrant in the fatal shooting of a Sonic Drive-In employee in Texas. Police in Keene, about 40 miles southwest of Dallas, say 32-year-old Matthew Davis was shot and killed Saturday night as he fought with 20-year-old Angel Gomez in the parking lot of the restaurant. A police news release says the boy was at the restaurant with Gomez and shot Davis several times after taking a gun from Gomez’s vehicle. Police say both Gomez and the boy were later arrested on murder warrants. Court records do not show that formal charges have been filed.

Cannes Film Festival kicks off with Johnny Depp, ‘Jeanne du Barry’ and plenty to talk about

CANNES, France (AP) — The Cannes red carpet has sprung to life again with the premiere of the Louis XV period drama “Jeanne du Barry,” with Johnny Depp. The French Riviera movie pageant launched Tuesday and is shaping up to be a star-studded and potentially controversy-rife 76th edition. Throngs of onlookers shouted “Johnny!” as Depp, in purple-hued sunglasses signed autographs and edged back into the spotlight following his explosive trial last year with ex-wife Amber Heard. “Louis XV,” directed and co-starring Maïwenn, has been billed as Depp’s comeback — though his prominent presence at Cannes has been hotly debated.