Freddy Brewster is a freelance reporter and has been published in the Los Angeles Times, NBC News, CalMatters, the Lost Coast Outpost, and other outlets across California.
Big Tech is pushing back hard against federal efforts to apply copyright law to AI systems. It’s a bid to avoid protection for the human creators that ChatGPT and similar programs get their material from.
Months ago, the Biden administration issued a directive prohibiting arms transfer deals to countries that would likely use the weapons to target civilians. Yet the White House is still approving military aid for Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.
A new federal rule would make it easier for consumers to shop around at different banks to look for better interest rates. Financial institutions are fighting the agency behind it tooth and nail.
On Friday, California governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have banned self-driving trucks from being on the road without a safety operator aboard. This move followed a six-figure lobbying effort from the autonomous vehicle industry.
Driverless taxi companies Waymo and Cruise have long track records of crashes, near misses, and interfering with emergency personnel. But after spending nearly $2 million on lobbying in California, the robotaxis have been given free rein in San Francisco.
Last September, California governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have imposed rules and transparency on the state’s largely unregulated cryptocurrency industry. The move came after the crypto industry spent more than $400,000 on lobbying Newsom.