Calls for Apple to remove AI after series of incorrect headline summaries
After issuing a series of inaccurate news alerts Apple said it will update its artificial intelligence feature. Some of the false headlines the technology generated included one that said Luigi Mangione, the accused UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter, had killed himself and another that tennis star Rafael Nadal had come out as gay.
Apple said it’s developing a software update to “further clarify” when news headlines are actually summaries generated by Apple Intelligence and the update will roll out in the coming weeks. However, media outlets and journalist organizations want the feature ended altogether.
The BBC filed a formal complaint in December 2024 after an incorrect news alert summarized by Apple Intelligence but branded with the BBC’s logo claimed Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson had shot himself. Mangione had not and is alive and being held in a New York prison.
It’s not just the BBC. In November 2024, a ProPublica journalist flagged an inaccurate Apple AI summary of a New York Times alert that wrongly claimed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been arrested.
The U.K.’s National Union of Journalists is now calling for Apple to “act swiftly” and remove its artificial intelligence to avoid spreading misinformation. Journalist group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) echoed that sentiment.
“The proposed update looks like an implicit admission that making the feature more trustworthy is not currently an option,” the group said.
RSF also renewed its calls for the feature’s removal.
Two people found dead in landing gear of JetBlue flight
JetBlue confirmed two people were found dead in the wheel well of one of its planes the night of Monday, Jan. 6. The flight landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, from New York City.
Workers, doing a post-flight maintenance inspection, discovered the bodies. As of the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 7, the bodies haven’t been identified.
JetBlue officials said the bodies were found on flight 1801 from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. That flight landed just after 11 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 6, according to the tracker FlightAware.
The Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office will now conduct autopsies to try to determine the cause of death. Airport operations continued without interruption, according to officials.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the landing gear compartment is often used by stowaways. However, there is very little space and the person can lose consciousness due to a lack of oxygen and freezing temperatures at high altitudes.
In December 2024, workers discovered a body in the wheel well of a United Airlines flight that had flown from Chicago to Hawaii. Authorities still haven’t identified that person. The airline said the plane, which departed from O’Hare International Airport, was only accessible from the outside.
In addition, a woman boarded a Delta Air Lines flight over the Thanksgiving holiday and made it from Paris to New York before getting arrested.
On Christmas Eve, a stowaway boarded a Delta flight at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, bound for Hawaii, without a scanned ticket or boarding pass. When Delta employees discovered the unidentified person, the plane returned to the gate and the person ran off the flight. However, the person was later arrested in an airport restroom.
Former Transportation Department Inspector General Mary Schiavo told CNN, the stowaways post a huge security danger because they could be somebody trying to cause harm.
Investigators are now trying to figure out how the two people, who died on the JetBlue flight, were able to gain access to the plane. A spokesperson for the airline called the situation heartbreaking.
Nvidia reveals new AI supercomputer, technology to train robots
The world’s second most valuable company showed off a slew of new products Monday, Jan. 6, at the world’s preeminent technology trade show. Nvidia unveiled artificial intelligence (AI) that trains robots and cars, new ultrapowerful gaming chips and its first-ever desktop computer at CES 2025 in Las Vegas.
During the company’s highly anticipated keynote address, CEO Jensen Huang showed off its new Cosmos foundation models, which are capable of creating photorealistic videos to train robots and self-driving technology.
“It is trained on 20 million hours of video,” Huang said of Nvidia Cosmos. “The 20 million hours of video focuses on physical dynamic things. It’s really about teaching the AI, not about generating creative content, but teaching the AI to understand the physical world.”
Nvidia’s new Cosmos foundation models
Cosmos can generate video that obeys the laws of physics. Nvidia said this would make it much less expensive to train systems like self-driving models, which, today, require putting cars on the road to gather video.
Nvidia also unveiled its RTX 50 series of gaming chips that use its “Blackwell” AI technology. The new line of chips looks to provide video games with even more lifelike graphics. They will range in price from $549 to $1,999. The top-of-the-line Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) will be released at the end of January.
Huang pointed out that the lower-end GPUs, priced at $549, will have the power of the previous generation’s top-of-the-line 4090 chips, which retail for at least $1,599.
Backbone of the AI revolution
Nvidia’s GeForce GPUs have been the backbone of the AI revolution in recent years. The massive demand for the chips propelled Nvidia to compete with Apple for the top spot as the world’s most valuable company. Since the start of 2023, Nvidia’s stock price has surged more than 850%.
“We used GeForce to enable artificial intelligence, and now artificial intelligence is revolutionizing GeForce,” Huang said Monday.
Nvidia also announced its first-ever desktop computer called Project DIGITS. The computer isn’t a gaming machine but rather a workstation designed for computer programmers. The machine will use the same chips that power its enterprise data center processors. The machines will let developers test their AI systems more efficiently, essentially operating as an out-of-the-box supercomputer.
“This is an AI supercomputer,” Huang said of Project DIGITS. “It runs the entire Nvidia AI stack. All of Nvidia software runs on this.”
Meanwhile, Huang announced a partnership with Toyota to use the company’s Orin chips and automotive operating system to operate its driver assistance products. The company did not announce which vehicle models would feature its hardware.
Zuckerberg says Meta is ditching fact-checkers for community-driven oversight
Meta announced Tuesday, Jan. 7, that it will replace its third-party fact-checking program with a community-driven system called Community Notes. The change will begin rolling out in the United States on Facebook, Instagram and Threads, with plans for global implementation in 2025, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
In a video statement, Zuckerberg explained that the transition is aimed at simplifying policies, reducing moderation errors and prioritizing free expression. He criticized the existing fact-checking system as overly complicated, leading to errors that impacted millions of users.
“So we’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms. More specifically, here’s what we’re going to do,” Zuckerberg said. “First, we’re going to get rid of fact checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X starting in the U.S.”
Meta’s fact-checking initiative, launched in 2016, involved partnerships with independent organizations certified by the International Fact-Checking Network and the European Fact-Checking Standards Network. These groups reviewed flagged content, assessed its accuracy and assigned ratings such as “False,” “Altered” or “Missing Context.”
Under the outgoing system, flagged posts had their visibility reduced while users received notifications before sharing inaccurate content. Repeat offenders faced penalties, including reduced reach and restrictions on monetization. Zuckerberg said the complexity of the system led to unintended consequences.
“So we built a lot of complex systems to moderate content. But the problem with complex systems is they make mistakes even if they accidentally censor just 1% of posts. That’s millions of people. And we’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes in too much censorship,” Zuckerberg said.
Community Notes, modeled after a similar feature implemented by X, will rely on user contributions to flag and add context to posts. Meta plans to refine the system in the United States before expanding it globally. The company described the move as part of an effort to enhance transparency and involve users more directly in content moderation.
Meta emphasized that strict oversight will remain for content related to terrorism, child exploitation and drug-related issues. While the company acknowledged concerns about the potential for increased misinformation, it expressed confidence that refinements to Community Notes will mitigate these risks.
Tubi hits 97 million users, shaking up FAST streaming race
Tubi is making major moves in the free streaming world. The platform recently hit 97 million monthly active users, proving it’s a dominant player in the FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) race.
FAST services like Tubi, Roku Channel, Pluto TV and Samsung TV Plus are changing how people consume content. These platforms offer viewers thousands of free titles without a subscription.
Tubi’s growth by the numbers
With a catalog boasting over 275,000 movies and TV episodes, Tubi reported more than 10 billion hours streamed in 2024. The surge in viewership follows an impressive jump from 78 million monthly active users earlier this year.
In a press release, Tubi CEO Anjali Sud explained the platform’s ethos. “Our strategy is simple yet powerful: put viewers first by offering unique stories from unique storytellers, a vast selection of content to choose from, and a delightful experience across devices.”
Back in October 2024, Tubi trailed Samsung TV’s85.5 million users. Now, Tubi has surpassed that milestone, further establishing its presence in the competitive FAST landscape.
Tubi’s exclusive content lineup has been a key driver of its growth. Recent releases include the dark western “The Thicket,” starring Peter Dinklage.
The platform has also ventured into talk shows, with “We Got Time Today,” hosted by Deion Sanders and Rocsi Diaz.
Another standout is “Sidelined: The QB and Me,” a Tubi original that brought in the largest number of viewers for any title on the platform in its first seven days. The film also brought more new users to Tubi than any other release to date.
At least 95 killed in 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Tibet
A powerful earthquake proves deadly in East Asia on Tuesday morning. And winter weather pounds the United States from the Great Plains to the East Coast. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
7.1 magnitude earthquake kills at least 95 in Tibet
At least 95 people are dead Tuesday after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake rocked Tibet, China, according to Chinese state media. The quake occurred just after 9 a.m. on Jan. 7 near Shigatse, one of Tibet’s holiest cities.
The quake reached a depth of 6.2 miles, damaging buildings and sending people running to the streets in neighboring Nepal and India. Cities as far away as Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital city about 240 miles away, felt tremors.
The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at a magnitude of 7.1, while the China Earthquake Networks Center reported it at 6.8. Multiple aftershocks followed the initial quake.
In addition to the dozens of lives lost, local authorities said the disaster injured at least 130 people.
First winter storm of 2025 leaves at least 4 dead across multiple states
The system moved east on Monday, Jan. 6, from the Great Plains to the East Coast. It brought snow, blizzard conditions and ice. The storm hit cities like Kansas City and Cincinnati the hardest.
Authorities said a public works employee in Missouri suffered a fatal injury while working to remove snow. Two people in Wichita, Kansas, died in a weather-related crash, and one person in Houston, Texas, most likely died as a result of the cold weather, according to local authorities.
The storm knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes across at least a half-dozen states.
While the heavy snow ended, the danger remained. Forecasters said the winter system is drawing cold air behind it, meaning states across the entire U.S. will experience a cold front.
Pentagon transfers 11 Yemeni detainees from Guantánamo Bay to Oman
The Pentagon said the U.S. transferred 11 Yemeni detainees to Oman, which agreed to help re-settle them. Two of the detainees are former bodyguards for Osama Bin Laden and were being held at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.
None of the 11 detainees released were charged with crimes.
The move comes amid steps to reduce the population at the controversial U.S. military facility. Only 15 detainees remain at Guantánamo Bay’s detention facility, which the U.S. set up as the war on terror began after Sept. 11, 2001.
Of the 15 current detainees, only three are eligible for transfer. Three more are eligible for a periodic review, seven are involved in the military commissions process and two detainees were convicted and sentenced by military commissions.
In recent weeks, the Biden administration transferred four other detainees from Guantánamo, including one brought to the detention facility the day it opened in 2002. That person was never formally charged.
The move follows a recent ruling by a military judge that plea agreements with alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and two other accused terrorists are valid and binding. Those deals take the death penalty off the table for the three men, who remain at Guantánamo Bay.
Biden attends memorial service for New Orleans terror attack victims
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden attended a memorial service Monday, Jan. 6, for the 14 victims killed in the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans. The interfaith prayer service was held at the famous St. Louis Cathedral in the city’s French Quarter, less than a mile away from the scene of the Bourbon Street terror attack.
Jill and I traveled to New Orleans to stand with a community defined by strength and resilience.
To grieve. To pray. And let them know that America stands with them, and mourns with them. pic.twitter.com/26Phe203WF
The president spoke at the service, reassuring the people of New Orleans they are not alone and highlighting the city’s enduring strength and resilience amid tragedy. He referred to past devastation experienced by the city, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“If there’s one thing we know: New Orleans defines strength and resilience,” the president said. “You define it, whether it’s in the form of this attack, from this attack, or hurricanes or super storms. This city’s people get back up.”
The president and first lady also visited the Bourbon Street memorial, where they placed flowers and prayed for the victims.
While in New Orleans, the Bidens met privately with grieving families, survivors and first responders.
Though both cases were dismissed, the special counsel is required to provide a report to Garland, who can then decide whether to make it public.
According to the letter and a legal filing, Trump’s lawyers and two former co-defendants in the documents case viewed a two-volume draft copy of the report over the weekend. They called the report “one-sided” and “slanted.”
In the letter, Trump’s lawyer requested Garland fire Smith, who is set to resign before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, or let the decision on the release of the report be handled by Trump’s incoming attorney general, Pam Bondi.
The lawyers for Trump’s two former co-defendants in the documents case also asked the judge who dismissed the case to halt the report’s release, citing her ruling that Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional.
While it is not clear when the report will be released, the lawyers have asked the judge for a hearing on their request by Friday, Jan. 10, believing the release is “imminent.”
‘Shark Tank’ star Kevin O’Leary announces bid to buy TikTok
With millions of social media users counting down TikTok’s days in the U.S., one businessman is looking to prevent the ban from taking effect. “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary issued a press release Monday announcing his interest in purchasing TikTok.
O’Leary — known by “Shark Tank” fans as “Mr. Wonderful” — said he is partnering with former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt on the bid.
Speaking to Fox Business, O’Leary said he would need Trump’s help to seal the deal. O’Leary said he’s “protecting the privacy of 170 million American users” and “empowering creators and small businesses.”
TikTok faces a federal ban on Jan. 19 unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance, sells. The Biden administration and other federal lawmakers believe TikTok threatens national security, accusing the Chinese government of using it to spy on Americans. Lawmakers fear the app is being used to weaponize and influence content Americans view.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments from ByteDance on why it should prevent the ban.
McDonald’s ends some DEI programs, cites Supreme Court ruling
McDonald’s is scaling back its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, pointing to a U.S. Supreme Court decision as the catalyst for the shift. The fast-food giant had previously set goals to improve racial and gender diversity across its workforce, from entry-level positions to top executives.
McDonald’s announced that many of its initiatives will end, including diversity training and external surveys measuring workplace inclusion.
The current diversity team is also being renamed the Global Inclusion Team.
In a statement on Monday, Jan. 6, the company said, “This name change is more fitting for McDonald’s in light of our inclusion value and better aligns with this team’s work.”
The move follows a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that deemed race-based admissions and other tactics at universities unconstitutional. The ruling prompted numerous companies to reconsider or halt their DEI programs.
In a statement, McDonald’s Chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinski said that inclusion remains part of the company’s core.
“We will continue to lead with empathy, treat people with dignity and respect, and seek out diverse points of view to drive better decision-making,” Kempczinski said.
The company rolled out its diversity initiatives in 2021 after multiple lawsuits, including claims of sexual harassment and racial discrimination against Black franchise owners.
According to McDonald’s, 30% of its leadership now comes from minority groups. The company also reported achieving pay equity between male and female employees in 2021.
McDonald’s joins a growing list of companies, including Walmart, Toyota, Harley-Davidson and John Deere, that are reducing their participation in DEI programs.
Meanwhile, Costco remains committed to its DEI initiatives, with public statements reaffirming its dedication to diversity practices.
Taliban sells emeralds, gold and minerals to revive struggling Afghanistan economy
Hoping to revive Afghanistan’s struggling economy, the Taliban is mining emeralds, gold and gemstones to get cash flowing. Without U.S. aid to the country, the Islamic fundamentalist group is turning to buyers and investors in China, Russia and Iran.
The World Bank estimated last April that Afghanistan’s economy lost more than a quarter of its value in the previous two years. The Taliban took over the country in August 2021, as U.S. troops departed after a 20-year war.
The decline comes from a range of factors, including not just the loss of U.S. aid but the Taliban banning opium production. The World Bank said it accounted for $1.3 billion and 8% of the country’s economy. The Taliban also implemented major limitations on the rights of women to work.
Pentagon officials estimated Afghanistan has as much as $1 trillion worth of gemstones, minerals and metals available for underground mining.
Those include rare earth elements crucial to making technology, including smartphones and laptops.
The U.S. spent hundreds of millions of dollars helping Afghanistan’s previous government develop mining projects. However, the effort failed due to weak laws, a lack of infrastructure and corruption.
The Taliban may face the same issues but hopes to centralize the process, auctioning off emeralds weekly and requiring buyers to pay a tax on them.
One gemstone dealer who bought from the government told The New York Times that he didn’t mind paying the tax as long as the government used the money to help the country’s people.
Zuckerberg appoints UFC boss and Trump ally Dana White to Meta Board
Meta is once again signaling its closeness to President-elect Donald Trump by appointing Trump ally and Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White to its Board of Directors. The appointment comes a week after the company named a former Republican political staffer as its head of policy and less than a month after it donated $1 million to the president-elect’s inauguration fund.
Zuckerberg praised White for his success in growing UFC, saying, “I’ve admired him as an entrepreneur and his ability to build such a beloved brand.”
UFC has held more than 300 live events, and Forbes estimates the promoter’s value to be over $11 billion.
During a speech at last year’s Republican National Convention in support of Trump, White said, “I know America needs a strong leader, and the world needs a strong America. I know Donald J. Trump is the best choice for President of the United States.”
However, White is not without controversy. In 2023, TMZ released a video of a physical altercation between him and his wife. White apologized after the video emerged, saying, “There’s never ever an excuse for a guy to put his hands on a woman.”
Meta appointed two other business executives to its board alongside White — John Elkann, CEO of the Italian company Exor, and former Microsoft executive Charlie Songhurst.
New year, same fees: The debate over credit card swipe fees continues
Even as inflation cools, small businesses across the country are feeling the heat from credit card swipe fees as more consumers pay with plastic. “Swipe fees” is the catchall term for businesses’ payments to banks and card companies each time customers use their credit or debit cards to pay.
While a federal rule caps debit card swipe fees at 21 cents per transaction, fees for credit card swipes can be much higher. Businesses have seen credit card transactions only go up as more and more people opt to link their card to mobile payment apps.
According to the Nilson Report, which tracks the card and mobile payment industry, in 2023 the U.S. saw $172 billion in swipe fees. Nilson Report said merchants paid Visa and Mastercard an average of 2.26% in swipe fees, accounting for more than $100 billion.
Visa accounted for 52% of all spending on the U.S.’ four major credit card networks, which also includes Mastercard, American Express and Discover.
On top of that, some of Visa’s fees just went up on Jan. 1. That move comes amid growing pushback from critics, including some lawmakers, who say swipe fees are excessive and frequently get passed on to shoppers.
In September, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit accusing Visa of maintaining an illegal monopoly over debit card payment networks, which Attorney General Merrick Garland said has impacted the price of “nearly everything.”
Visa and Mastercard also agreed to a $30 billion settlement in March, meant to reduce their swipe fees by four basis points for three years. However, a federal judge rejected the settlement in June, saying they could afford to pay more.
Congress has taken up the fight, proposing the Credit Card Competition Act. The bipartisan bill, which has stalled, would boost competition among credit card processing companies, which advocacy group Merchants Payments Coalition says is essential.