The Trump administration's decision to erase a key scientific finding on climate change has set the stage for a legal battle, likely to be decided by the Supreme Court, according to the New York Times. This move, which eliminated the endangerment finding that greenhouse gases threaten public health, comes as former President Barack Obama indirectly addressed a racist video shared by President Donald Trump, and Amazon's Ring ended a deal with a surveillance firm after facing backlash. Additionally, an AI safety researcher quit US firm Anthropic with a warning that the "world is in peril."
The endangerment finding, established two decades ago by the Supreme Court, mandated the government to assess and regulate greenhouse gases if they were found to harm human health. The current Supreme Court's conservative leanings could complicate the legal strategies of environmental groups and Democratic-led states planning to sue the Trump administration, as reported by the New York Times.
Meanwhile, former President Obama addressed a racist video shared by Trump on social media, which depicted him and his wife Michelle as apes. Speaking to a podcast host, Obama noted the loss of "shame" and "decorum" that once guided public officials, as reported by the BBC. The White House initially defended the video, calling the backlash "fake outrage," but later blamed a staff member and deleted the post.
In the technology sector, Amazon's Ring cancelled a partnership with Flock Safety, a surveillance firm, following scrutiny over its privacy practices. The deal, announced in October, would have allowed agencies working with Flock to access Ring video recordings for investigations. This decision came after a Ring advertisement during the Super Bowl sparked widespread criticism, according to the BBC.
Adding to the week's developments, an AI safety researcher from Anthropic resigned, issuing a cryptic warning that the "world is in peril." Mrinank Sharma, in his resignation letter shared on X, cited concerns about AI, bioweapons, and the state of the world. He stated he would pursue writing and poetry, and move back to the UK to "become invisible," as reported by the BBC. This resignation follows another AI researcher's departure from OpenAI, who shared concerns about the company's decision to deploy adverts in its chatbot.
In other news, Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, signaled the Trump administration's desire to strengthen ties with Europe during a speech in Munich. He assured European leaders that the US does not plan to abandon the transatlantic alliance, stating its destiny "will always be intertwined" with the continent's, according to the BBC. While he criticized European immigration, trade, and climate policies, the overall tone of his speech was markedly different from previous addresses.
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