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#thepoliticsofgreed

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While there are concerns about plagiarism, copyright infringement, and power consumption AI isn't inherently evil, it is the people who create and use it for malicious intent that make AI truly evil.

Source: @TheConversationUS

From the article: "The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has secured unprecedented access to at least seven sensitive federal databases, including those of the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration. This access has sparked fears about cybersecurity vulnerabilities and privacy violations. Another concern has received far less attention: the potential use of the data to train a private company’s artificial intelligence systems.

"The White House press secretary said government data that DOGE has collected isn’t being used to train Musk’s AI models, despite Elon Musk’s control over DOGE. However, evidence has emerged that DOGE personnel simultaneously hold positions with at least one of Musk’s companies.

"At the Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX employees have government email addresses. This dual employment creates a conduit for federal data to potentially be siphoned to Musk-owned enterprises, including xAI. The company’s latest Grok AI chatbot model conspicuously refuses to give a clear denial about using such data.

"As a political scientist and technologist who is intimately acquainted with public sources of government data, I believe this potential transmission of government data to private companies presents far greater privacy and power implications than most reporting identifies. A private entity with the capacity to develop artificial intelligence technologies could use government data to leapfrog its competitors and wield massive influence over society."

#AI #xAI #DOGE #Privacy #Security
#USPolitics #ThePoliticsOfHate #ThePoliticsOfGreed #Oligarchy #Corruption #AbuseOfPower
#Discrimination #Racism

theconversation.com/doge-threa

The ConversationDOGE threat: How government data would give an AI company extraordinary powerAs DOGE taps into sensitive federal agency data repositories, many people fear what could happen to the data. One little-discussed but hugely consequential possibility: fueling Elon Musk’s xAI company.

Malthus would be proud

Source: @AssociatedPress

From the article: "The Washington-based Malaria No More says new modeling shows that just a year of disruption in the malaria-control supply chain would lead to nearly 15 million additional cases and 107,000 additional deaths globally. It has urged the Trump administration to “restart these life-saving programs before outbreaks get out of hand.”"

#Malaria #Africa #Virus #Healthcare #MedicalResearch #Science #Vaccines
#USAID #USPolitics #ThePoliticsOfHate #ThePoliticsOfGreed #Discrimination #Racism
#MalthusWouldBeProud

apnews.com/article/usaid-cuts-

Headline: The Trump Administration Has Made 150 Million American Workers Newly Vulnerable to Workplace Discrimination

Source: Center for American Progress

From the article: "Essentially, all employees and job seekers, a total of approximately 153 million Americans, benefit from the protections the EEOC provides. The Equal Pay Act—a law requiring equal pay for equal work that the EEOC enforces—covers virtually all employers, while other laws enforced by the EEOC apply to all but the smallest employers. Whether they work in the private sector or for the government, practically all employees and those applying for jobs are protected by the EEOC against illegal employer actions" (Annotations removed for clarity)

#EEOC #EqualEmploymentOpportunityCommission #AcceptanceMatters

#Discrimination #Disabled #Ableism #ADA #Elderly #Ageism #Minorities #PeopleOfColor #Racism #Gender #Sexism #Pregnancy

#SexualOrientation #LGBT #LGBTQ #LGBTQDiscrimination #LGBTQIAPlus #Lesbian #Gay #Bisexual #Transgender #TransgenderDiscrimination #Queer #Intersex #Asexual #NonBinary

#HumanResources #Recruiters #TalentAcquisition

#USPolitics #ThePoliticsOfHate #ThePoliticsOfGreed

URL for article because thumbnail is not displaying:
americanprogress.org/article/t

Just a reminder

Source: @TheGuardian - Fri 25 Oct 2024

“This is a story about oligarch capture of the US,” said Fiona Hill, who was the senior director for European and Russian affairs in the Trump White House. She compared the situation in the US now to the heyday of oligarchs in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union.

“If people like Musk get Trump re-elected, they’ll expect all kinds of regulatory gifts in their favour,” said Hill, who is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, the chancellor of Durham University and a defence adviser to the UK government."

#BoycottTesla #Tesla #USPolitics #ThePoliticsOfGreed #ElonMusk

theguardian.com/technology/202

The Guardian · Elon Musk has been in regular contact with Putin for two years, says reportBy Julian Borger

Source @FastCompany

From the article: "The American Federation of Teachers is raising concerns about investments in the EV maker, saying their declining value puts pension funds at risk."

"As Tesla shares continue to decline amid CEO Elon Musk’s controversial behavior and involvement in politics, one of the nation’s largest labor unions is worried about just how low the stock could go.

"On Thursday, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Randi Weingarten sent a letter to the CEOs of six major asset management firms, outlining the union’s concerns over Tesla’s recent stock struggles and urging asset managers to reassess investments in the EV maker."

#BoycottTesla #Tesla #USPolitics #ThePoliticsOfGreed

fastcompany.com/91286786/tesla

Fast Company · Tesla stock keeps falling. Now a teachers' union wants big money managers to rethink their investmentsThe American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is raising concerns about investments in Tesla and its declining stock value.

Was this #RepublicanBlowback covered in the #Project2025 playbook.

Source: @NBCNews

From the article: "WASHINGTON — House Republicans are becoming weary and wary of in-person town hall meetings after a number of lawmakers have faced hometown crowds angry about the Trump administration’s push to slash government programs and staffing.

"Party leaders suggest that if lawmakers feel the need to hold such events, they do tele-town halls or at least vet attendees to avoid scenes that become viral clips, according to GOP sources.

"A GOP aide said House Republican leaders are urging lawmakers to stop engaging in them altogether."

#Incompetence

#USPolitics #ThePoliticsOfHate #ThePoliticsOfGreed
#StopProject2025 #Corruption #AbuseOfPower #Oligarchy

nbcnews.com/politics/congress/

NBC News · House Republicans hit the brakes on town halls after blowback over Trump's cutsBy Melanie Zanona

Malthus would be proud

Headline: NIH funding freeze stalls applications on $1.5 billion in medical research funds

Source: @NPR

From the article: "The National Institutes of Health has stopped considering new grant applications, delaying decisions about how to spend millions of dollars on research into #diseases ranging from heart disease and #cancer to #Alzheimer's and #allergies.

"The freeze occurred because the Trump administration has blocked the NIH from posting any new notices in the Federal Register, which is required before many federal meetings can be held.

"While that may seem arcane, the stoppage forced the agency to cancel meetings to review thousands of grant applications, according to two people familiar with the situation, one of whom was not authorized to speak publicly and the other who feared retribution."

#NIH #MedicalResearch #Healthcare
#MalthusWouldBeProud
#USPolitics #ThePoliticsOfGreed

URL for article because thumbnail is not displaying:
npr.org/sections/shots-health-

Malthus would be proud

Source: @TheGuardian

From the article: "A newer variant of H5N1 bird flu has spilled over into dairy cows separately in Nevada and Arizona, prompting new theories about how the virus is spread and leading to questions about containing the ongoing outbreaks.

"The news comes amid a purge of experts at federal agencies, including employees who were responding to the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Department of Agriculture.

"The additional spillovers are changing experts’ view of how rare introductions to herds may be – with implications for how to prevent such spread."

#H5N1 #BirdFlu #Virus #Healthcare #MedicalResearch #Vaccines
#MalthusWouldBeProud
#USPolitics #ThePoliticsOfHate #ThePoliticsOfGreed

theguardian.com/us-news/2025/f

The Guardian · Alarm as bird flu now ‘endemic in cows’ while Trump cuts staff and fundingBy Melody Schreiber

Malthus would be proud

Source: @arstechnica

From the article: "Over the weekend, the Trump administration fired several frontline responders to the ongoing H5N1 bird flu outbreak—then quickly backpedaled, rescinding those terminations and attempting to reinstate the critical staff.

"The termination letters went out to employees at the US Department of Agriculture, one of the agencies leading the federal response to the outbreak that continues to plague US dairy farms and ravage poultry operations, affecting over 160 million birds and sending egg prices soaring. As the virus continues to spread, infectious disease experts fear it could evolve to spread among humans and cause more severe disease. So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented 68 cases in humans, one of which was fatal."

#H5N1 #BirdFlu #Virus #Healthcare #MedicalResearch #Vaccines
#MalthusWouldBeProud
#USPolitics #Project2025 #ThePoliticsOfGreed

arstechnica.com/health/2025/02

Ars Technica · Trump admin. fires USDA staff working on bird flu, immediately backpedalsBy Beth Mole

Malthus would be proud

@source: @AssociatedPress

From the article:"The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 58 cases as of Tuesday, and eight people in neighboring eastern New Mexico also have been diagnosed with measles."

#Texas #NewMexico
#USPolitics #ThePoliticsOfHate #ThePoliticsOfGreed
#Virus #Healthcare #MedicalResearch #Vaccines
#MalthusWouldBeProud

apnews.com/article/measles-tex