Apple pulling new AI news summary feature after series of false headlines
It’s only been available for less than six months, but Apple is already disabling one of its artificial intelligence features. Apple announced Thursday, Jan. 16, it is temporarily suspending the AI feature that summarizes news headlines after getting multiple complaints that the technology issued a series of inaccurate news alerts.
Apple is also adding a warning for users who receive notification summaries for other apps that will say the feature is still in development, and that the information could contain errors.
On Thursday, Apple deployed a beta software update to developers that disabled the AI feature for news and entertainment headlines. The company plans to later roll that out to all users while it works to improve the AI feature. Apple said once it’s fixed, the company will reenable the feature in a future update.
Last month, the BBC filed a formal complaint, after a news alert was summarized by Apple Intelligence, but branded with the BBC’s logo, incorrectly claiming Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself.
Apple’s AI also wrongly summarized other BBC app notifications last month to say tennis star Rafael Nadal came out as gay, and named the PDC World Darts Championship winner hours before the competition even began.
Just this week, the AI-powered feature once again incorrectly summarized a headline. The notification from The Washington Post said, “Pete Hegseth fired; Trump tariffs impact inflation; Pam Bondi and Marco Rubio confirmed.” None of those were true.
How Trump’s tariffs on day one might impact car prices and auto industry
The automotive industry is bracing for Monday, Jan. 20, when President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in. Back in November 2024, he promised to place 25% tariffs on neighboring Canada and Mexico as one of his “many first executive orders.”
“Think about this, 70% of all the auto parts we make in Michigan go directly to our neighbors,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday, Jan. 15. “Every time a Michigan auto part crosses over the border and gets taxed, those costs will be passed on to you and to consumers at the dealership. Sometimes those parts cross a couple of times throughout production.”
Whitmer is a Democratic governor in a state won by Trump in November. She told Michiganders she’s “not opposed to tariffs outright,” but that they shouldn’t be used to punish America’s closest trading partners.
Trump said the tariffs will stay in place until Mexico and Canada stop the flow of illegal immigration and drugs. Whitmer said if Trump follows through with his plans, China wins.
“They would love nothing more than to watch us cripple Americans’ auto ecosystem all by ourselves,” she said. “This is a matter of national security.”
Recently, Ford CEO Jim Farley warned, “A lot of our supply chain depends on countries from around the world, and so tariffs are really challenging for any company.”
“What a lot of people might not realize about the automotive industry is that parts cross and go back and cross and go back over the borders, especially in a state like Michigan,” Cox Automotive Executive Analyst Erin Keating told Straight Arrow News. “How do the vehicles actually get tariffed? Is it once they’re finally assembled and they come over? Is it every time a part or a piece or a car passes through the borders?
“So it will be a significant change for a lot of the automakers, especially as it goes on, the longer it goes on, and it will definitely affect consumers,” Keating added.
Keating said in anticipation of tariffs, the auto industry has been stockpiling parts ahead of the transition. Because of strategic moves like that, customers might be shielded from immediate impacts.
Canada weighs own tariffs, oil export limits to US in response to Trump threat
Canada is considering its own tariffs on U.S. goods in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threat. As part of a potential retaliatory move, Canada could impose tariffs on up to $150 billion worth of U.S. products. The possibility of limiting oil exports to the U.S. is also reportedly under consideration.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is stepping down by March amid political turmoil, has indicated he is open to a “dollar-for-dollar” response. This means any U.S. tariffs would likely be met with similar measures targeting U.S. imports from Canada.
Some products, such as orange juice, could be on the list of targeted goods but more significant items, including oil exports, are also part of the discussion. However, Canadian politicians are divided on whether to limit oil exports to the U.S. The Canadian province of Alberta, a major energy producer, plays a key role in the debate.
Trudeau acknowledged that such retaliatory actions would ultimately hurt both Canadians and Americans. He met with Canadian provincial leaders on Wednesday, Jan. 15, to discuss how the country should respond if Trump moves forward with a 25% tariff on Canadian goods.
While most provincial leaders agreed that oil export tariffs should remain on the table to pressure Trump, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who attended a meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend of Jan. 10, disagreed.
Smith, who represents Alberta’s energy interests, stated that she would not support export tariffs on the province’s energy resources.
I had a constructive discussion with my fellow Premiers on how best to deal with the threat of tariffs from the incoming U.S. administration. We agreed on several strategies and I look forward to continuing to work with them on this critical issue.
Canada exports 80% of its oil to the U.S. The U.S. also relies on Canada for more than half of its oil imports.
Trump has cited the need for better border security and the U.S. trade deficit with Canada as reasons for the proposed tariffs. In response, Canada has increased its border security personnel and technology, including the deployment of Blackhawk helicopters and more drones.
Trump will be inaugurated Monday, Jan. 20, with Alberta’s premier expected to attend.
US economy wows with 256,000 jobs added in December, more than expected
The U.S. economy added 256,000 jobs in December, roughly 100,000 jobs more than expected. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1% from November’s 4.2%.
In December, retail trade added 43,000 jobs, while it lost 29,000 jobs in November. Health care, government and social assistance, along with leisure and hospitality, all saw double-digit gains as well.
While the country saw a rise in unemployment earlier in 2024, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the unemployment rate has held steady at 4.1% or 4.2% for the past seven months.
“I continue to believe that the U.S. economy is on a solid footing,” Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said earlier this week. “I have seen nothing in the data or forecasts that suggests the labor market will dramatically weaken over coming months.”
Labor market weakness is what triggered the Federal Reserve to start cutting its benchmark interest rate in September, even as progress on inflation stalled. After a jumbo-sized 50-basis-point cut, the Fed made two more 25-basis-point cuts to close out the year, dropping the federal funds target range to 4.25% to 4.5%, a full percentage point below its 2024 peak.
However, as the labor market showed renewed resilience, inflation started to rise. Consumer prices rose 2.7% for the year ending in November, after rising 2.6% in October and 2.4% in September.
“This minimal further progress has led to calls to slow or stop reducing the policy rate,” Waller said Wednesday, Jan. 8. “However, I believe that inflation will continue to make progress toward our 2% goal over the medium term and that further reductions will be appropriate.”
In December, the Fed released its latest economic projections, which forecast just two cuts in 2025, down from the previous forecast of four. In response, interest rate expectations rose.
This week, the average rate of a 30-year mortgage hit 6.93%, the highest level since July, and nearly a full percentage point higher than when the Fed started cutting its rate in September.
Why are mortgage rates going up while the Fed is cutting rates? Watch this video.
On Thursday, Jan. 9, the probability market had the Fed holding rates steady until June. It was split on whether the Fed would do a second cut in December or hold steady at one cut for the year.
Minutes released this week from the Fed’s last meeting revealed added concern about inflation. Without naming President-elect Donald Trump or his tariff and immigration policies, the Federal Open Market Committee multiple times brought up the unknown impact those policies might have on the economy.
“Almost all participants judged that upside risks to the inflation outlook had increased,” the minutes read. “As reasons for this judgment, participants cited recent stronger-than-expected readings on inflation and the likely effects of potential changes in trade and immigration policy.”
What does Trump want with Greenland when US already has military control?
President-elect Donald Trump is threatening military and economic force against Denmark to gain control of Greenland. The autonomous territory is part of the Denmark kingdom, while the U.S. has maintained a military presence there since World War II.
“We need it for national security. That’s for the free world. I’m talking about protecting the free world,” Trump said this week.
He threatened to “tariff Denmark at a very high level” if it acted against him.
“We’re sitting in Denmark and thinking, ‘What’s he talking about? He already has military control,’” said Peter Viggo Jakobsen, a lecturer at the Royal Danish Defence College and expert on U.S.-Danish relations.
What’s he talking about? He already has military control.
Peter Viggo Jakobsen, Royal Danish Defence College
Trump’s threats have stunned the close U.S. ally, which Jakobsen says has Denmark “holding their breath and waiting” until Trump takes office.
“When Trump talks about military control of Greenland, then he probably missed a history lesson or two, because the U.S. already has military control of Greenland,” Jakobsen said.
Since WWII, the U.S. has been allowed to operate military bases in Greenland. Currently, the U.S. has Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base.
“If you get into a military confrontation with Russia and Russia decides to fire a nuclear missile from Russia towards the United States, then the shortest route for a missile is crossing over Greenland,” Jakobsen explained. “And that is, of course, why the United States, back during the Cold War, established the Thule Air Base where they have this warning radar that will enable the U.S. to get a warning if Russia should decide to fire missiles against the United States.
“So it’s a vital part of the warning chain that the U.S. established during the Cold War to keep the American homeland safe,” he continued. “So, for that reason, it has become increasingly important as the relationship between the United States and Russia has deteriorated after the Russian decision to take Crimea and start the war on Ukraine in 2014.”
Jakobsen said under the current agreement between Denmark, Greenland and the U.S., the U.S. could expand its military presence or add additional military bases in Greenland simply by consulting and informing Copenhagen and Nuuk. With this in mind, Jakobsen said Denmark doesn’t understand what more Trump wants.
“At the moment, he only has to pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey, I would like another installation here. Could you please fix it?’ And that may also be what he has in mind, but we have no clue,” Jakobsen said.
However, should the U.S. gain control of Greenland over Denmark, Jakobsen points out that the U.S. would also have to take over the subsidies Denmark provides.
“In Greenland, they can’t afford to run their own state and they’re getting huge subsidies every year from the Danish state,” he said. “So on the one hand you have the Greenlanders wanting to decide everything themselves, but they still want Denmark to pay for it.”
“They can choose between being subsidized by Denmark or being subsidized by the United States because they cannot generate enough revenue of their own, either from mining or fishing or tourism, to basically pay for the subsidies that they are currently receiving from Copenhagen,” he added.
In the end, Jakobsen said controlling Greenland is not that strategically important from the Danish perspective, though he acknowledged a lot of Danes and politicians would disagree with that statement. He said the most important facet of Greenland is that it gives Denmark special access to the U.S.
“We can offer the United States something they want and we have these meetings in the Arctic Council and so on,” he said. “If Greenland were to go independent, I really don’t see that as a major strategic loss from the Danish perspective. Denmark would still be a valuable ally for the U.S. because we also control the straits that give you access to the Baltic Sea.”
Trump denies report that team is considering scaled-back tariffs
President-elect Donald Trump denied an exclusive report by The Washington Post on Monday, Jan. 6, that claimed he’s considering scaling back his tariff plans. Trump called the story “fake news.”
According to The Post, Trump aides are still looking into applying tariffs to every country, but with a more targeted approach aimed at critical imports.
Trump responded to the report just hours after the article’s publication.
“The story in the Washington Post (sic), quoting so-called anonymous sources, which don’t exist, incorrectly states that my tariff policy will be pared back. That is wrong. The Washington Post knows it’s wrong. It’s just another example of fake news,” Trump posted to Truth Social.
The Washington Post cited “three familiar sources with the matter.”
Many economists warned the move could drive up inflation.
A recent poll by the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and the Financial Times found that 61% of economists surveyed in the U.S. said the tariff measures proposed during Trump’s campaign would have “large” or “some” negative consequences.
The U.S. dollar fell more than one percent Monday in reaction to the report.
The Post’s report didn’t detail which critical sectors the tariffs would target. The sources said preliminary discussions have focused on what Trump wants to bring back to the U.S. That includes the defense industrial supply chain, like steel, iron and aluminum; medical supplies, like syringes and needles; and energy production, including batteries, rare minerals and solar panels.
The Washington Post has yet to respond to Trump’s comment on its report.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces resignation
Justin Trudeau said he is stepping down as Canada’s Prime Minister and the leader of the ruling Liberal Party. He intends to leave office once a new ruling party leader is chosen.
Trudeau made the announcement Monday, Jan. 6, after reports said he was expected to announce his resignation that week.
“Every morning I’ve woken up as prime minister, I have been inspired by the resilience, generosity and the determination of Canadians,” Trudeau said. “I have fought for this country, for you.”
He noted his administration’s support for Ukraine and his policy during the COVID-19 pandemic as some of his greatest achievements since he took power in 2015.
“We rallied to support each other through the pandemic … to stand strong with Ukraine, and our democracy, to fight climate change, and to get our economy ready for the future,” Trudeau said. “We are at a critical moment in the world.”
However, Trudeau said he does have a regret while in office: the country’s election process.
“If I have one regret, particularly as we approach this election – well, probably many regrets that I will think of,” he said. “But I do wish we’d been able to change the way we elect our governments in this country so that people could simply choose a second choice, or a third choice on the same ballot.”
What happens next?
Trudeau said that the country’s Parliament will be suspended until March 25 while a new leader is chosen. This means no parliamentary business can take place and the legislature temporarily stops working. The recess allows time for the selection of a new leader, which could be a party leadership change or possibly a broader government reset.
History of Justin Trudeau
In 2008, Trudeau entered the political scene when he was elected a member of Parliament, and then as leader of the Liberal Party five years later.
In 2015, he became one of Canada’s youngest-ever prime ministers, winning a clear majority of votes. Trudeau continued to push progressive values on a global platform, seeing himself as the antidote to President-elect Donald Trump.
He won the 2019 and 2021 elections, but his popularity began to decline after Trump revealed his proposed tariffs increase and has received calls to resign from his own party following poor polling results.
Voters said they’re dissatisfied with the prime minister over housing affordability, inflation and healthcare.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expected to resign this week: Reports
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce his resignation as early as Monday, Jan. 6, according to multiple news outlets. It comes as his party, the Liberal Party, is set to hold its national caucus meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 8.
Last month, Trudeau’s finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, publicly announced her resignation in a letter criticizing the prime minister. Since then, calls for his resignation have grown publicly and privately within his own party.
This is just the latest in a series of recent political struggles for the prime minister. In September, Trudeau faced a no-confidence vote in parliament, which later failed.
Trudeau and Trump have been locked in a public back-and-forth over tariffs with Trump threatening to put a 25% levy on Canadian imports. Top Canadian officials promised retaliation.
Congress to certify Trump’s win; Biden issues warning to ‘not forget’ riots
Congress prepares to re-affirm President-elect Donald Trump as the next president of the United States on the fourth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots. And after a weekend of blizzard-like conditions in the Plains and Midwest, a major winter storm aims for the East Coast. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.
Congress to certify Trump’s win; Biden issues warning to ‘not forget’ Jan. 6 riots
Senators and members of the House of Representatives will gather to tally the electoral votes of all 50 states and Washington, D.C., confirming Trump will be the 47th president of the United States.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Jan. 5, House Speaker Mike Johnson said a major winter storm heading toward the area would not prevent the congressional joint session from counting the electoral votes.
Monday’s joint session comes four years after the certification of votes affirming President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. Biden’s certification turned into chaos when rioters stormed the Capitol, looking to prevent then-Vice President Mike Pence from presiding over the certification. Many rioters insisted the election was stolen from Trump.
This year, Vice President Kamala Harris will oversee the electoral count of the election she lost and declare Trump the winner. Harris already conceded the race to Trump after he won 312 electoral college votes, surpassing the 270 needed to win the presidency. Harris won 226 votes.
Following the 2021 Capitol attack, Congress passed the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022. This act clarified that the vice president does not have the power to determine, accept, reject or adjudicate the vote results.
On Sunday, Biden spoke to new Democratic members of Congress about the events that unfolded in 2021 and the importance of the date.
“Tomorrow’s Jan. 6; we gather to certify the results of a free and fair presidential election and ensure a peaceful transfer of power,” Biden said. “It’s a day that [for] most of our history we took for granted, the sixth, but I hope we never take it for granted again.”
Biden wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post on Sunday. In it, he told Americans that while some may no longer want to mention what happened four years ago, it cannot be forgotten.
“We should be proud that our democracy withstood this assault. And we should be glad we will not see such a shameful attack again this year…” he wrote. “The election will be certified peacefully. I have invited the incoming president to the White House on the morning of Jan. 20, and I will be present for his inauguration that afternoon. But on this day, we cannot forget.”
Monday’s proceedings are the last official opportunity for any member of Congress to object to the electoral votes. Following the certification, Trump will be sworn into office on Jan. 20 for his second term. He vowed to pardon those convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 riots.
Biden signs Social Security Fairness Act into law
Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law Sunday. It’s expected to be one of the last major pieces of legislation of his term.
Today, I signed legislation expanding Social Security benefits for millions of teachers, firefighters, nurses, police officers, other public employees, and their spouses and survivors.
The law repeals a rule that limited certain public sector job retirees who collect pensions — such as firefighters, teachers, postal workers and police officers — from also claiming social security benefits.
The new law also eliminates limits on the benefits that surviving spouses can receive after they die.
The Senate passed the bill in December after the House approved it in November with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign this week: Reports
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce his resignation as early as Monday, according to multiple news outlets. It comes as his party, the Liberal Party, is set to hold its national caucus meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 8.
Last month, Trudeau’s finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, publicly announced her resignation in a letter criticizing the prime minister. Since then, calls for his resignation have grown publicly and privately within his own party.
This is just the latest in a series of recent political struggles for the prime minister. In September, Trudeau faced a no-confidence vote in parliament, which later failed.
Trudeau and Trump have been locked in a public back-and-forth over tariffs with Trump threatening to put a 25% levy on Canadian imports.
Details emerge about New Orleans suspect’s actions in weeks before attack
More details emerged about the man authorities said killed 14 people and injured dozens more when he drove a rented truck into a crowd of revelers in New Orleans on New Year’s Day.
The FBI said Sunday the attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, visited the city twice in the weeks leading up to the deadly act of terrorism and recorded video of the area using Meta Smart Glasses.
The glasses allow users to record video hands-free and can also livestream on Meta platforms. Investigators said Jabbar wore the glasses to capture video while he rode a bicycle through the city’s French Quarter. He reportedly wore the glasses during the attack on Bourbon Street but was not livestreaming.
Authorities also believe Jabbar set fire to a short-term rental house in New Orleans where investigators found bomb-making material. They said he planted two bombs in the French Quarter before the truck attack but neither detonated.
Jabbar was killed after opening fire on responding police officers.
Millions of Americans under blizzard alerts as winter storm moves east
A major winter storm will continue to move through the Mid-Atlantic region today, followed by dangerously cold temperatures spreading across the central and eastern U.S. pic.twitter.com/sogRlbC6Y9
Major cities like Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia are preparing for snowy and icy conditions Monday and into Tuesday, Jan. 7. Meanwhile, parts of Virginia are expecting 5 to 12 inches of snow.
Impacts of this weather system could also be felt in the South, with severe thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes and damaging winds expected to hit Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and other southern states Monday night.
2025 Golden Globes crown best in movies, television
The 2025 Golden Globes rolled out the red carpet Sunday night for the best and brightest stars of film and television — but only a select few walked away with awards.
In the movie categories, the big winners were the films “Emilia Pérez” and “The Brutalist.” “Emilia Pérez” won four awards, including best musical or comedy. “The Brutalist” took home best drama and two other awards.
Over on the TV side of things, “Shōgun” topped the competition with four awards, including Best TV Drama. “Hacks” won Best TV Series – Musical or Comedy.
It was an especially memorable night for actress Demi Moore, who won her first acting award. She won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for her role as an aging Hollywood star who undergoes a cloning procedure in “The Substance.”
President-elect Trump wants to rename tallest US mountain
What’s the tallest mountain in the U.S. and North America? It’s one mountain in Alaska, rising over 20,000 feet above sea level.
Since 2015, its official U.S. government name has been Denali. But President-elect Donald Trump wants to change it back to its official name, given in 1917: Mount McKinley.
“William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States, was because of the vast sums of money that he brought into our country, the person really who got us the money that President Theodore Roosevelt used to build the Panama Canal and a lot of other things,” Trump told an audience in Phoenix on Sunday, December 22nd.
“McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president,” Trump added. “They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That’s what they do to people.”
The mountain received the Mount McKinley name for the first time in 1896. A gold prospector spotted the mountain and named it in support of the future president, who was a candidate in that year’s general election.
It took more than two decades for the U.S. government to officially adopt the Mount McKinley name. Still, the name Denali goes back a lot longer.
For centuries, people who lived in the area called it Denali. They base it either on the word in the local Koyukon people’s language meaning “high” or “tall” or a phrase meaning “the great one.”
The Alaska Board of Geographic Names changed the mountain’s name to Denali in 1975. In the same year, a congressman from McKinley’s home state of Ohio blocked an effort to change it at the federal level.
When it made the change in 2015, the Interior Department did not raise any issues with McKinley’s politics or viewpoints. Instead, they note that “President McKinley never visited, nor did he have any significant historical connection to, the mountain or to Alaska.”
While President-elect Trump has described removing the Mount McKinley name as an insult to Ohio, his Republican colleagues from Alaska oppose the efforts to remove the Denali name and say they have for years.
“Awful, awful idea,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told local news station KTUU in an interview released on Tuesday, December 24th. “We already went through this with President Trump back in the very, very beginning of his first term, when Senator [Dan] Sullivan and I went to his office and we were talking about a whole range of things, and he raised that issue then,” Murkowski said.
“Both [Sen. Sullivan] and I leaned into it and said, ‘no, bad idea,’ Murkowski added. “This is not only something Alaskans heartily endorse and support. It is a name that is, has been around for thousands of years.”