Washington was abuzz on Wednesday with Big Tech intrigue.

Wednesday, Sept 13, 2023
BY JULIA CLAIRE & CROOKED MEDIA

- Former Vice President Mike Pence ([link removed]) doing an extremely rare Good Joke on the campaign trail in response to a MAGA heckler saying “Leave and get the fuck out of our country and get the fuck out of Iowa!” We still hate you, Mike!!

One of the most significant antitrust trials in modern American history commenced on Tuesday, and got even more interesting on Wednesday.

* During the first full day of its antitrust case against Google, the Justice Department alleged that the internet behemoth had for many years sought agreements with hardware companies to be the default search engine on mobile devices ([link removed]) , which the government argues was a means to illegally maintain the company’s stranglehold in the online search-engine space.

* Former Google employee Chris Barton testified on Wednesday that the company had been willing to pay mobile phone companies like Apple to become the exclusive default search engine on the companies’ devices. Apple shot back and objected to two numbers referenced by the Justice Department in opening statements on Tuesday, with one of its lawyers saying that the government may have violated rules intended to preserve confidentiality of sensitive business information ([link removed]) , and that DOJ’s opening statement might create a “misperception” that the two numbers referenced came from Apple’s confidential information. None of the lawyers specified which numbers were in question.

* DOJ attorney Kenneth Dintzer told U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta that the numbers were based on external sources, not from privileged information provided by Google or Apple. The confidentiality restrictions surrounding the trial have created a tense environment, and transparency activists have criticized the limitations, arguing that they cloak the dealings of one of the world’s most powerful companies in secrecy. The court established a public telephone line for Tuesday’s opening statements, but the rest of the trial, which is likely to last months, will be accessible only in person. Some of the witness testimonies will likewise be closed to the public to protect trade secrets.

Meanwhile, Big Tech came under a different kind of microscope on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

* Some of the biggest names in tech—including Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and right-wing troll Elon Musk—arrived in Washington on Wednesday to sit before a bipartisan group of Senators in a closed-door session about the future of artificial intelligence. Musk asserted that A.I. poses a “civilizational risk” to governments and societies ([link removed]) . He endorsed the idea of a new federal agency to oversee A.I. When asked by reporters if he thinks A.I. will destroy mankind he replied, “There is some chance that is above zero that A.I. will kill us all. I think it’s low. But if there’s some chance, I think we should also consider the fragility of human civilization.” A.I. may be scary, may even be dangerous, but oh my God is this guy addicted to the sound of his own voice.

* The bipartisan gathering was dubbed the “A.I. Insight Forum” and was hosted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer ([link removed]) , along with Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Todd Young (R-IN), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM). According to Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), who was in attendance, other panelists talked about the need for immigration reform to allow more high-tech workers to enter the U.S. legally and the need for standards reforms at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Additional such forums will be held through the end of the year as lawmakers continue to brainstorm how to regulate A.I., which is advancing at a breakneck speed.

Not sure if we necessarily trust the septuagenarian-heavy Senate to effectively regulate internet technology, so to all of the millennial and Gen-Z staffers on the Hill: this is your time to shine.

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A cornerstone of the environmental measures in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act involves the expansion of the nation’s network of charging stations for electric cars. President Biden has kept his eye on E.V.s from the outset of his presidency, helping to enact billions of dollars in subsidies to create new manufacturing jobs and going out of his way to court the United Auto Workers union. But the political challenges posed by the American auto industry’s transition to electric cars will become clear in the coming year as the UAW inches closer to a Thursday night contract negotiation deadline with the Big Three U.S. automakers: General Motors, Ford, and Stellanis (which owns Chrysler, Jeep, and Ram). UAW’s new president Shawn Fain wants E.V. workers who make components, like batteries, to benefit from the same labor standards enjoyed by the roughly 150,000 UAW members ([link removed]) , but most battery plants are not
unionized. President Biden is encouraging the Big Three and the UAW to keep bargaining and reach an agreement, but the imminent strike could force him to become more explicitly involved.

Sen. Mitt Romeny (R-UT) has announced he will retire at the end of his term ([link removed]) in 2024. He called for a “new generation of leaders.”


Eugene Peltola Jr., the husband of Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK) died in an airplane crash ([link removed]) late Tuesday night. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the crash, which happened near St. Mary’s, AK, about 440 miles west of Anchorage.


The Republican Assembly Leader in the Wisconsin State House announced on Wednesday that he has created a panel to investigate impeachment criteria ([link removed]) as Republicans continue their crusade against the newly-elected liberal state Supreme Court majority, in order to protect its illegitimate, gerrymandered legislative supermajority.


Two weeks after his August 31 prison break, escaped Pennsylvania inmate Danelo Cavalcante was detained by authorities on Wednesday morning ([link removed]) . Cavalcante was convicted of first-degree murder for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in front of her children in April 2021.


As the devastating floods in Libya continue, the death toll has climbed to over 5,000, and more than 10,000 are believed missing ([link removed]) .


The Kremlin’s Ministry of Defense reported that Ukraine fired a series of 10 cruise missiles at Russian headquarters for their Black Sea fleet in Crimea ([link removed]) .


The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill issued a shelter-in-place order due to a report of an “armed, dangerous person,” ([link removed]) less than three weeks after a gunman fatally shot a faculty member on campus. An “all clear” was issued just over an hour after the initial order.

A Pentagon-funded think tank released a report saying that dementia or other cognitive disorders affecting U.S. officials of advanced age is a national security risk ([link removed]) , for no reason in particular I’m sure.

An analysis of the public communications from longshot Democratic presidential candidate—and avowed anti-vaxxer who now swears he actually isn’t one—Robert F. Kennedy Jr. found that he uses a rhetorical device known as “data dumping” commonly employed by conspiracy theorists. Experts who study disinformation language have taken note of his rapid-fire deployment of acronyms, numbers, and obscure methodologies, all of which he uses to falsely conclude that “vaccine injuries” are extremely common. He also has been known to tout conspiracy theories about 5G cellular technology and global farming, all of which he frames as part of some master plot. The New York Times and the Brookings Institute analyzed over 200 podcast transcripts of Kennedy’s interviews ([link removed]) found that he not only used data dumping, but also “semantic switching” also known as “equivocation”—misusing medical jargon in anti-vaxx clai
ms to make his beliefs sound more in line with mainstream thought. He has no medical training and claims that he was an “unwilling” or “reluctant” leader in the anti-vaxx movement, another common trope among conspiracy theorists, like “Hey, I didn’t want to have to do this but the ‘evidence’ compelled me!!!” He also uses an unidentified “they” to accuse an unspecified individual or group of people of pulling the strings in his web of conspiracy theories. If the DNC doesn’t fire this guy into the sun, I will.
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The shredded lettuce in a double-double -- and the fruit filling in a donut are awesome! But they don't count towards 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. I won’t nag you about your diet... But I will share that the Mayo Clinic says if you want to help prevent heart disease, lower blood pressure, and cholesterol...eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. That's why I take Field of Greens. Flu season is here and I trust Field of Greens ([link removed]) to help me stay healthy. Field of Greens works fast.

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The FDA has officially signed off on updated COVID vaccines targeting the new variants ([link removed]) .

Former President George W. Bush (I know, I know) wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post urging Congress to reauthorize the global HIV/AIDS relief program PEPFAR ([link removed]) , which he created, and which the current Congressional GOP wants to let expire. Very “Hey, remember this one good thing I did?” of you, George.
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