Free ‘Watch Duty’ app surges in downloads during California wildfires
As Los Angeles residents closely monitor the fires forcing tens of thousands to evacuate their homes, a new fire-tracking app is gaining traction. The free app, Watch Duty, now tops Apple’s list of most downloaded free iOS apps.
Watch Duty CEO John Mills told business news channel Cheddar that a network of volunteers go beyond government agency updates.
“We have active and retired first responders, dispatchers and volunteers who listen to fire service radio chatter,” Mills said. “So we hear how they’re fighting the fire and what they’re doing in real-time. And that’s how we give you such granular information about what’s actually happening on the fire ground.”
The app, founded in 2021 and operated as a nonprofit, shows locations where volunteers find fires. Users can also allow the app to track their location. It’ll show them how far away a fire is without collecting or selling their data.
In December, before these fires began, the team behind the app said they have over 7 million active users each year.
While Watch Duty has become a refuge for people chasing updates about their neighborhood across local news and social media, authorities warn that no app is foolproof.
A spokesperson for Cal Fire, the state’s fire management agency, told The Washington Post that any unofficial source like Watch Duty may not always provide the same amount of context as official announcements.
‘Alice,’ Russia’s AI, says ‘better keep quiet’ on Putin, political questions
Russia’s popular virtual assistant, Alice, developed by the tech giant Yandex, is drawing attention for its cautious approach to political questions. Comparable to Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri, Alice has an estimated 66 million monthly users across Russia.
However, recent interactions with Alice have raised concerns about how authoritarian regimes manage artificial intelligence.
Columbia University professor Thomas Kent tested Alice and asked the AI several political questions. When asked, “Is Russia a democracy?” Alice responded, “I don’t understand this topic.” Similarly, when inquiring about political propaganda in Russia, Alice answered, “There are topics where I might be wrong. I’d better keep quiet.” Alice gave a similar response when Kent asked, “Is Vladimir Putin a dictator?” Alice once again replied, “I’d better keep quiet.”
Kent noted that Alice’s responses varied when asked the same question multiple times. For example, when asked again about Putin’s status as a dictator, Alice reportedly answered that Putin has been “openly trying to intimidate opposition.”
When Kent asked about Russia’s elections, Alice referenced three Russian websites stating that citizens are guaranteed the right to vote. However, it did not mention the government’s influence over who can run for office.
These guarded responses have sparked discussions about the role of AI technology in countries with limited access to information and stringent control over public discourse. Like other AI systems, Alice relies on vast amounts of internet data to generate its responses.
However, much of the web content is in English or other Western languages. Russian content makes up less than 5% of the total. The question remains whether Alice or other AI systems operating in foreign countries access a broad range of information or can only use data that aligns with state-controlled narratives.
It is possible to train AI to prioritize certain sources or avoid specific topics. However, such control could limit the competitiveness of AI systems, especially in the global market.
Alice’s development by Yandex allows it to function in Russian and English. However, the amount of freedom Alice enjoys in generating answers remains unclear. Kent concluded that he isn’t certain whether the Russian government exerts any control over Alice or if the system operates with autonomy.
Yandex, the company behind Alice, has not responded to requests for comment on the government’s influence over the assistant’s programming.
Frank McCourt, Kevin O’Leary lead bid to buy TikTok as US ban looms
Two entrepreneurs—a billionaire sports team owner and an investor known for his role on a business-themed reality TV show—are joining together in a last-ditch effort to buy TikTok. The popular social media app, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, faces a Jan. 19 deadline to either sell to a U.S.-based owner or face a potential ban.
Frank McCourt, former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team and current owner of French soccer club Olympique Marseille, is leading the bid through his nonprofit, Project Liberty.
In announcing the effort, McCourt said Kevin O’Leary, the Canadian-born businessman known for his appearances as an investor on the TV show “Shark Tank,” is also a partner in the bid.
The law allows President Joe Biden to delay a decision to apply the ban by 90 days if a potential buyer could reasonably reach a deal with ByteDance.
O’Leary hopes this offer will meet that standard.
“I intend to be there with [a letter of intent] that [President] Biden can look at and say, ‘This is a viable alternative, I’m going to stay the situation for 90 days to let the company engage with this buyer,’” O’Leary told Fox News on Monday, Jan. 6.
The offer would build on McCourt’s ongoing efforts to decentralize the internet and operate the app without TikTok’s algorithm. The algorithm drives targeted content to viewers based on what they engage with the most.
In a statement Thursday, Jan. 9, announcing the bid, McCourt said, “By keeping the platform alive without relying on the current TikTok algorithm and avoiding a ban, millions of Americans can continue to enjoy the platform. We look forward to working with ByteDance, President-elect [Donald] Trump, and the incoming administration to get this deal done.”
Trump opposes the TikTok ban, which would take effect one day before he assumes office. The president-elect wrote to the Supreme Court, urging it to block the ban so he can take action on it. The court will hear arguments from TikTok and the Justice Department on Friday.
Last April, Biden signed the law forcing TikTok to either sell to a U.S. owner or face a ban. The bill passed the House and Senate with wide support from both Democrats and Republicans.
Advocates worry about the influence China’s ruling Communist Party could have on ByteDance and the 170 million Americans using TikTok. Meanwhile, critics of the ban say it would go against users’ First Amendment rights.
Biden plans final push to limit Nvidia advanced chip exports: Report
President Joe Biden is reportedly planning one last artificial intelligence chip restriction that would hit major companies, including the second most valuable in the world, Nvidia. It’s his final push to control the spread of U.S. made chips to China and Russia before leaving office.
According to Bloomberg, the restrictions are expected to have a broad and expansive impact. The U.S. is trying to restrict advanced chip sales to data centers in entire countries and specific companies.
Bloomberg sources say the goal is to concentrate AI development in allied nations, and urge global businesses to center on American standards. Bloomberg said the regulations could be announced as soon as Friday, Jan. 10, and would come in a three-tier system, granting virtually unlimited access to American chips for key allies, while adversaries would be largely cut off.
Most other countries would face limits on total computing power, though higher caps could be granted if they agree to certain U.S. standards.
Nvidia is naturally at the center of this back and forth. The U.S. previously banned the company from shipping its most high-tech products to China in 2022. After the U.S. expanded those curbs, China hit Nvidia with an antitrust investigation last month. Now, the company tells Bloomberg it objects to Biden’s latest proposal.
“A last-minute rule restricting exports to most of the world would be a major shift in policy that would not reduce the risk of misuse but would threaten economic growth and U.S. leadership,” a spokesperson for Nvidia said.
41% of global companies could cut workforce in favor of AI by 2030: Report
Futuristic sci-fi movies have warned of technology taking over for decades. Now, that technology may actually be replacing humans — with 41% of companies worldwide planning to cut their workforce by 2030 in favor of artificial intelligence.
Out of the hundreds of large global companies surveyed for the report, 77% said they’re planning to reskill or upskill current employees to work better alongside AI.
So, how does one compete with a computer? Know thy enemy.
Postal service clerks, executive secretaries and payroll clerks are among the employees expected to see their numbers drop drastically in the next few years, whether due to the spread of AI, or other trends.
The report also found that, for the first time ever, graphic designers and legal secretaries’ jobs are among the fastest declining job roles. The report said this decline may be an example of AI’s “increasing capacity to complete knowledge work” — like creating original text, images and other content in response to prompts from users.
There are just some things a computer can’t do, however. The report predicts a significant increase in demand for jobs that call for a little human touch, like nursing and teaching.
OpenAI boss Sam Altman faces sex abuse lawsuit from sister
The sister of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman filed a lawsuit this week accusing her brother of repeatedly sexually abusing her when she was a minor. Ann Altman, now 31, filed the suit in Missouri, saying the abuse started when she was 3 years old.
Sam Altman shot to fame in recent years as OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform became one of the world’s most-used websites. Under Altman’s leadership, OpenAI reached a funding deal valuing the company at over $150 billion.
Ann Altman has made similar claims and accusations on social media for years.
Her lawsuit states she experienced PTSD and severe mental health issues from the alleged abuse.
The BBC reported on a court filing from the lawsuit, in which Ann Altman claimed “her brother ‘groomed and manipulated’ her and performed sex acts on her over several years, including ‘rape, sexual assault, molestation, sodomy, and battery.’”
Sam Altman posted a statement to X on behalf of himself, his mother and two younger brothers, saying, “Annie continues to demand more money from us. In this vein, Annie has made deeply hurtful and entirely untrue statements about our family, and especially Sam.”
Elon Musk’s expanding Vegas Loop operating with little oversight: Report
Elon Musk‘s experiment in underground, electric vehicle-powered public transportation in Las Vegas is expanding. However, according to a ProPublica report, the Vegas Loop project is flying under the radar with very little government oversight.
The news outlet said because the project is privately operated and gets no federal funding, it’s spared from the typical government vetting and environmental analyses.
The Boring Company, founded by Musk, launched the service in 2021. The project started at the Las Vegas Convention Center with plans for more growth underway in other areas including the Las Vegas Strip and McCarran Airport.
The head of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority called the loop project the only feasible option to ease traffic. The Clark County Commission and Las Vegas City Council granted Boring permission to build and operate the system underground without any public debate.
This approval allowed the transportation to run close to homes and businesses. It also bypassed the normal checks and balances that apply to major public transit projects.
According to records obtained by ProPublica and City Cast Las Vegas, Boring has also gotten around environmental and labor regulations by installing tunnels without work permits on county property twice. The company also dumped untreated water into storm drains and the sewer system.
The county did give Boring cease-and-desist letters, but no fines were issued.
In 2022, Boring successfully requested to no longer need a special permit. The special permit would have required more extensive reporting on safety and accidents.
As a result, the county has significantly reduced its oversight of the project, despite the involvement of taxpayer money from hotel room taxes and convention revenue.
The project is on track to be a 68-mile underground network across much of the city.
Mosquitos with ‘toxic’ semen may be used to curb deadly diseases: Study
The World Health Organization (WHO) said mosquitos are responsible for millions of deaths globally each year through the spread of diseases like malaria, dengue fever and more. Now, a new effort is aiming to reduce bites from disease-spreading mosquitos, by genetically modifying male mosquitos to make their semen deadly to female mosquitos.
The experiment, from researchers with Macquarie University in Australia, is first using genetically modified fruit flies to produce toxic proteins in semen while mating. Dubbed the “toxic male technique,” the study found it cut female fruit flies lifespans by 60%, but researchers want to accelerate that result to 100%.
The study, published in Nature on Tuesday, Jan. 7, suggested the method would also work in mosquitos, and they’ll reportedly move onto them next.
Scientists said they are not trying to “eradicate” an entire species. Instead, they say they are just trying to reduce populations of mosquito species carrying deadly diseases and decrease how often they feed on human blood by 60%.
The study targeted female mosquitos because they are the only ones that bite and consume blood.
The lead author of the study said the plan is to mass-produce eggs from genetically engineered mosquitos. The eggs would then be frozen for transport, and eventually released into countries with a disease outbreak, or boom in mosquito populations. These new mosquitos could then begin to tackle the problem.
Researchers said they are confident the toxic male mosquitos will not harm animals feeding on them, but said they are conducting additional tests to make sure.
The research team added the study has a long way to go until it can be practically applied, but say it may eventually reduce the need for pesticides as well.
Controversy follows Meta’s move to roll back some rules on hateful content
Meta is making some sweeping changes to its policy on what Facebook and Instagram users can and cannot post. On Tuesday, Jan. 7, the company not only announced it is doing away with professional fact-checking and replacing it with community notes but it also made updates to its hateful conduct policy, rolling back some content restrictions.
For example, the company removed a line in its policy that prohibited “dehumanizing speech” in the form of “certain objects” – including “women as household objects or property or objects in general; Black people as farm equipment; and transgender or non-binary people as ‘it.’”
Meta did, however, amend a different part of the policy related to “harmful stereotypes historically linked to intimidation or violence” to ban comparing Black people to farm equipment.
The company added a new section to the policy allowing “allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation,” saying transgenderism and homosexuality are both highly debated topics in politics and religion.
Meta also eliminated a ban that prohibited people from saying transgenderism does not or should not exist.
The company also got rid of a ban on blaming the COVID-19 pandemic on Chinese or Asian people. The now-deleted policy had told users not to post “content targeting a person or group of people on the basis of their protected characteristics with claims that they have or spread the novel coronavirus, are responsible for the existence of the novel coronavirus, or are deliberately spreading the novel coronavirus.”
Additionally, Meta is adjusting its automated systems that scan for policy violations, which the company says resulted in “too much content being censored that shouldn’t have been.” The systems will now only focus on extreme violations, such as child sexual exploitation and terrorism.
The changes follow allegations from President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican lawmakers that Meta was “censoring” conservatives. President-elect Trump responded Tuesday to the news of Meta’s policy changes.
“I watched their news conference, and I thought it was a very good news conference,” he said. “I think they’ve, honestly, I think they’ve come a long way. Meta. Facebook. I think they’ve come a long way. I watched it, the man [Mark Zuckerberg] was very impressive.”
Critics of the new policy changes say they’ll likely lead to more hate speech and more false claims going viral.
Wildfires force thousands to evacuate Southern California
Three massive wildfires are burning out of control in Southern California, putting thousands of homes at risk. And President-elect Donald Trump shares his plans to acquire Greenland, the Panama Canal and bring Canada as the 51st state. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025.
Southern California wildfires force thousands to evacuate
Three separate wildfires are burning in the Los Angeles, California, area, and there is no end in sight, as strong winds are fueling the flames. The most extreme of the three is the Palisades Fire, which spans nearly 3,000 acres and has already forced 30,000 residents to evacuate.
Cities surrounding Pacific Palisades, including Malibu, issued evacuation orders. Officials there told all residents to prepare to leave their homes, whether they were under evacuation orders or not since the inferno was moving so quickly.
All hands are on deck to fight the #PalisadesFire in Southern California. California is deeply grateful for the brave firefighters & first responders battling the blaze.
We will continue to mobilize resources and support local communities as they respond to this severe weather. pic.twitter.com/JZrYy85e4z
The neighboring city of Santa Monica also issued an evacuation order for the northern part of the city. It also closed the area to the public, warning of an immediate threat to life.
As thousands of firefighters continue to battle the flames, authorities work to find the fire’s cause.
A second wildfire, dubbed the Eaton Fire, burns near Pasadena. A city spokeswoman said it has “created its own firestorm” with flying embers igniting at least a dozen other spot fires.
So far, the Eaton Fire has consumed about 1,000 acres. It engulfed homes and forced more than 100 people to evacuate from a nursing home — some in wheelchairs and on gurneys. A federal disaster declaration is now in effect for the Eaton Fire.
Crews are also battling the Hurst Fire about 100 acres in the San Fernando Valley, which is in the northern part of Los Angeles County. The Hurst Fire also prompted evacuation orders.
The Los Angeles County canceled schools in 19 districts Wednesday, Jan. 8. Plus, more than 200,000 people are without access to power, either because of the powerful Santa Ana winds or because a utility provider turned off electricity to prevent additional fires.
The forecast called for the winds to continue for days, producing gusts that could top 100 miles per hour in the mountains and foothills.
Biden administration asks federal appeals court to block 9/11 plea deals
The Biden administration asked a federal appeals court to block a plea agreement for accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The controversial deal would spare Mohammed from the death penalty for his role in planning the terror attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.
The deadly attack rocked the U.S. and began the war on terrorism.
In court filings Tuesday, Jan. 7, the Justice Department argued the government would be irreparably harmed if the guilty pleas were accepted for Mohammed and two co-defendants in the 9/11 attacks.
It said the government would be denied a chance for a public trial and the opportunity to “seek capital punishment against three men charged with a heinous act of mass murder that caused the death of thousands of people and shocked the nation and the world.”
The Defense Department negotiated and approved the plea deal but later revoked it.
However, attorneys for the defendants argued the deal was already legally in effect and that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who began the administration’s efforts to throw it out, acted too late.
Mohammed is set to enter his guilty plea on Friday, Jan. 10, if the appeal is not granted. His co-defendants, accused of lesser roles in 9/11, are due to enter theirs next week.
Harris, Johnson deliver eulogies for President Jimmy Carter
The 39th president died last week at the age of 100.
Carter’s body had been lying in repose since Saturday, Jan. 5, at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta before being transported Tuesday morning to Washington D.C.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson each delivered a eulogy during Tuesday’s ceremony
“We all know that his care for humanity didn’t stop at building homes,” Johnson said. “In the face of illness, President Jimmy Carter brought lifesaving medicine. In the face of conflict, he brokered peace. In the face of discrimination, he reminded us that we are all made in the image of God. If you were to ask him why he did it all, he would likely point to his faith.”
Harris highlighted Carter’s faith. She said, “James Earl Carter, Jr. loved our country. He lived his faith. He served the people. And he left the world better than he found it.”
Carter’s body will lie in state through Thursday morning, Jan. 9, and then be taken to the National Cathedral for a state funeral. Biden is expected to deliver a eulogy.
Trump suggests using military, economic force to expand America
In a wide-ranging press conference from Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump touched on a bunch of topics, including a $20 billion foreign investment to build data centers in the U.S. He also talked about his plans to revoke Biden’s recent ban on offshore oil and natural gas drilling as well as expansion strategies for the United States.
Trump reiterated his goals of acquiring the Panama Canal, which has been under Panama’s sole control since 1999, and Greenland, a territory of Denmark.
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., is leading an American delegation currently in Greenland, though the country’s prime minister said he is there as “a private individual.”
The Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen responded to Trump’s remarks Tuesday, saying Greenland was not for sale.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede reiterated this point, saying “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders. Our future and fight for independence is our business.”
A reporter asked the president-elect if he can assure that he would not use any military force to take control of either the Panama Canal or Greenland.
“I can’t assure you, you’re talking about Panama and Greenland,” Trump replied. “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two but, I can say this we need them for economic security. The Panama Canal was built for a military. I’m not going to commit to that now.”
In response to those remarks, the prime minister of Denmark called the United States its country’s “closest ally” and did not believe the U.S. would use any force to secure Greenland. Panama’s foreign minister repeated earlier comments from the country’s president that the sovereignty of the Panama Canal is not negotiable.
“[I’d use] economic force because Canada and the United States — that would really be something,” he said. “You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like. It would also be much better for national security. Don’t forget, we basically protect Canada.”
Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued his response in a post on X saying, “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.”The president-elect also spoke of one more geographical goal of his in the upcoming term: to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, saying it “has a beautiful ring to it.”
Not long after his remarks, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said she directed her staff to begin drafting legislation for the name change.
Police: Former soldier used AI to plan Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion attack
New details are emerging about the man who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day. Las Vegas police said Tuesday the attacker used generative AI, including ChatGPT to plan the attack.
An investigation into former soldier Matthew Livelsberger, 37, found his search history on ChatGPT included questions about firearms and explosives. Straight Arrow News reporter Lauren Taylor has more details on the investigation into the Cybertruck explosion.
Girl Scout cookie season begins, 2 flavors discontinued
Girl Scout cookie season has arrived. The annual tradition is meant to teach young girls about entrepreneurial skills through selling boxes of cookies.
Almost everyone has a favorite, of course, but if yours is Girl Scout S’mores or Toast-Yay! Cookies — bad news. The Girl Scouts plan to retire those two flavors later this year.
The organization said discontinuing those two flavors may lead to something new and delicious.