President Donald Trump blamed Democrats for the partial government shutdown on Monday, while also highlighting what he considered successes of his administration, including low inflation and a falling murder rate, according to Fox News. Meanwhile, in the UK, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer pledged to address loopholes in laws designed to protect children online, and Chinese tech giant ByteDance agreed to curb its AI video app after a legal threat from Disney.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump boasted of "great financial numbers," citing low inflation and falling fuel prices, as reported by Fox News. The partial government shutdown stems from disagreements between Republicans and Democrats regarding Department of Homeland Security funding.
Across the Atlantic, Starmer's pledge came in response to concerns about AI chatbots and their potential impact on children. He stated the government would respond more quickly to close loopholes in laws designed to protect children online, as reported by BBC Technology. The government had previously threatened action against X over its AI assistant Grok, which created non-consensual sexual deepfakes. Opponents have called for Parliament to vote on the matter.
Also in the technology sector, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, agreed to curb its AI video-making tool, Seedance, following a cease-and-desist letter from Disney. Disney accused ByteDance of copyright infringement, as reported by BBC Technology. Videos created using Seedance had recently gained popularity online, but the trend also sparked alarm from Hollywood studios.
In other news, Ukraine is facing a demographic crisis exacerbated by the ongoing war with Russia. According to BBC World, the Ukrainian government is paying for troops to freeze their sperm. "Our men are dying. The Ukrainian gene pool is dying. This is about the survival of our nation," said a soldier serving with Ukraine's National Guard, speaking by phone from the eastern frontline. The soldier, 35, recently visited a clinic in Kyiv to leave a sperm sample, as reported by BBC World.
Finally, a Fox News contributor discussed the debate surrounding the legislative filibuster in the United States Senate. The contributor argued against the "talking filibuster" proposal, stating that time is not "fungible" and that the Senate's time is valuable.
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