Why are many of the largest US companies worried about AI?
Survey finds a fivefold increase in concerns over artificial intelligence (AI) among top 500 companies. More than half of the top 500 companies in the United States now see artificial intelligence (AI) as posing a potential risk. That is a fivefold increase in just two years, according to a new survey. And some believe the technology could become a threat to their businesses. So what’s driving these fears? Presenter: James Bays Guests: Adrian Monck – Senior adviser on AI and technology and former managing director of the World Economic Forum Elaine Burke – Science and technology journalist who hosts the podcast For Tech’s Sake Cary Cooper – Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at the University of Manchester and president of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Adblock test (Why?)
Luxury yacht sinks off Sicilian coast
NewsFeed One person has died and six are still missing after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Palermo, Italy early on Monday morning. British tech giant Mike Lynch is among the missing. Published On 19 Aug 202419 Aug 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Hezbollah’s tunnel video threatens enemies but leaves much unknown
The slickly made video shows fighters driving large trucks and motorbikes through well-lit underground roads. Some of the trucks are carrying what appear to be missiles, and as the vehicles drive through, it becomes clear what the makers of the video – the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah – are unveiling: an extensive tunnel network used to store and launch missiles and what will surely be a vital resource in any conflict with Israel. The video, unveiled last week and titled Our Mountains, Our Treasures, serves as a warning that Hezbollah can use its expansive and concealed weapons arsenal to retaliate in kind against Israel if it launches a major operation against the group, analysts told Al Jazeera. “This was a message to the Israelis [from Hezbollah]: We have barely scratched the surface of the type of damage we can inflict on you,” said Nicholas Blanford, an expert on Hezbollah and a fellow at the Atlantic Council, a think tank based in Washington, DC. Since October 8, Hezbollah and Israel have been fighting a low-scale border conflict. The Lebanese movement has said its aim for now is to reduce pressure on Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 40,000 people and uprooted nearly all of its 2.3 million people in a war on the Palestinian enclave over the past 10 months. The war began on October 7 after attacks led by the Palestinian group Hamas on southern Israel, during which 1,139 people were killed and about 250 were taken captive. Hezbollah has long said that it would stop striking northern Israel if it agrees a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza. But Israel has repeatedly impeded ceasefire attempts and instead escalated attacks on Hezbollah and Lebanese communities. As fears of a regional conflict grow – particularly after the killings of Hezbollah’s number two commander Fuad Shukr and Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh last month – Hezbollah’s latest video aims to re-establish deterrence against Israel by illustrating its expansive and sophisticated combat capabilities, analysts said. “This is all messaging to the Israelis not to underestimate us and that if you go too far, then we have plenty more capabilities to bring to the fore,” Blanford told Al Jazeera. Smoke rises from Kfar Kila, Lebanon, during cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel on August 6, 2024 [Karamallah Daher/Reuters] Psychological warfare It should be noted that neither is there a way of knowing where the tunnels filmed in the video are nor how extensive Hezbollah’s tunnel network is. In fact, all that can be known is the very little revealed in the video: that these tunnels exist, that they are large and serve as underground highways, that weapons are apparently stored in them and that they connect to openings above the ground where Hezbollah can fire from. The limited information is, of course, intentional on the part of Hezbollah, a group that has to maintain secrecy in its military operations in the face of an enemy – Israel – that has far superior firepower and airpower. And so, according to Michael Young, an expert on Lebanon and the broader region with the Carnegie Middle East Center, the video can be seen as part of a broader psychological war Hezbollah is waging against Israel. Young believes that both sides have stepped up psychological warfare since the assassinations of Shukr and Haniyeh. Israel admitted it killed Shukr in an air strike. It has not claimed or denied killing Haniyeh, but US and Iranian officials reportedly said Israel was responsible. Both assassinations raised the temperature in the region and prompted Iran and Hezbollah to promise retaliation to restore deterrence. Since then, Israel has threatened to use “bunker buster” bombs, which are designed to penetrate targets deep in the ground. Hezbollah responded to Israel’s threats by unveiling its latest video to show its expansive underground network. Hamas’s own tunnel network in Gaza has proved to be effective in providing a refuge for fighters and leaders as well as a way to skirt past Israeli forces operating above ground and launch attacks. Hezbollah’s underground facilities could prove even more effective because it is widely believed to have more advanced capabilities than Hamas. “Both sides [Israel and Hezbollah] are playing a psychological game, partly to deter the other from their threats and from going too far,” Young told Al Jazeera. “I see this video mainly as an instrument of deterrence.” In addition, Young said, Hezbollah and Iran have delayed their retaliation for the killings of Shukr and Haniyeh to buy time for ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel to succeed. Hezbollah, in particular, appears to be exerting leverage on the United States and Israel to agree to a ceasefire by showing its expansive arsenal. At the same time, Hezbollah and Iran have no immediate incentive to retaliate against Israel because it risks undermining the chances of a ceasefire in Gaza, Young explained. “Hezbollah and Iran’s response – up to now – has taken time. While I still think they will respond, for now, they are using psychological warfare as leverage for the ceasefire talks. Both have an interest in seeing these talks succeed. They could then sell the ceasefire as a victory without actually getting involved in a war,” he said. Domestic posturing Hezbollah’s latest video may have also sent a reassuring message to its supporters in Lebanon, analysts told Al Jazeera. Hezbollah’s constituents, in particular, may be discouraged that the group has yet to retaliate for the killing of Shukr despite its leader Hassan Nasrallah promising to do so in early August, according to Blanford. “It seems Hezbollah won’t do anything while Gaza ceasefire talks are under way, but the group wanted to convey a sense of strength and resolve [with its latest video], partly to bolster their support base, who are saying: ‘Hey, you promised to retaliate,’” he told Al Jazeera. Mohanad Hage Ali, an expert on Lebanon and a senior fellow with the Carnegie Middle East Center, told Al Jazeera that Hezbollah’s recent video will not by
Dems’ Senate campaign chair says Dems skipping convention ‘know what’s best’ for them
CHICAGO, Ill. – The chair of the Democrats’ Senate campaign committee says the party’s national nominating convention helps down-ballot in the battle for the Senate majority “because it is about enthusiasm, turning voters out.” But Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, who’s steering the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for a second straight election cycle, tells Fox News Digital it’s understandable that three Democratic incumbents facing especially difficult re-elections this year are skipping the convention to stay home in their states. “Every candidate is going to make their own decision as to where they need to be, and certainly some candidates would just rather just be in their state talking to voters in their state,” Peters said. TOP SENATE REPUBLICAN CRISS-CROSSES THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN ‘MAKE OR BREAK’ MOMENT TO WIN BACK MAJORITY Democrats currently control the Senate 51-49, but are defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs this autumn. One of those seats is in West Virginia, a deep red state that former President Trump carried by nearly 40 points in 2020. With moderate Democrat-turned-Independent Sen. Joe Manchin, a former governor, not seeking re-election, flipping the seat is nearly a sure thing for the GOP. Republicans are also aiming to flip seats in Ohio and Montana, two states Trump comfortably carried four years ago. And five more Democratic-held seats up for grabs this year are in crucial presidential-election battleground states. Incumbent Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Jon Tester of Montana, and Jacky Rosen of Nevada are skipping the convention. But Peters highlighted that “they are all very experienced candidates and incumbents. They know what’s best, and they’re doing what they think is best for them and their state.” ‘WE’VE GOT THEIR BACK’ – GOP SENATE NOMINEE IN KEY BATTLEGROUND TOUTS POPULIST MESSAGE The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the DSCC’s rival, argued that Brown, Rosen and Tester couldn’t run away from their Senate races by not attending the convention. NRSC communications director Mike Berg told Fox News that all three senators “have all voted with Kamala Harris 100% of the time on tie breaking votes she has cast as vice president. So it doesn’t really matter whether they attend the convention or not, they own the record.” The Democrats’ convention kicked off on Monday four weeks and one day after President Biden’s blockbuster announcement that he was ending his 2024 re-election bid and backing Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him at the top of the ticket. Harris and Democrats have been riding a wave of momentum in both polling and fundraising ever since. “What happens at the top of the ticket is going to have a big impact” on the Senate races, Peters said. “Our candidates in all of our battleground states have been consistently above the Republican opponent, primarily because of candidate quality. They’re running against seriously flawed Republican candidates.” Peters touted: “We saw good, strong polling early on. But now, after the change, we’ve seen that polling actually expand, and primarily because of the enthusiasm we’re seeing. More people are excited about getting out to vote, engaged in the process, and we’re confident that when they look at the contrast between our Democratic incumbent or candidate versus Republicans that are flawed, we are going to be very successful on Election Day.” And Peters is confident that the enthusiasm coming out of this week’s convention, combined with what he called a “strong ground game,” is “how we win and hold the majority.” Peters steered the DSCC last cycle, when the Democrats also faced an unfavorable map and defied expectations by holding on to the majority. But don’t expect him to stay on for a third straight cycle, as he faces his own re-election in 2026. “It would certainly be unprecedented that a DSCC chair is also on the ballot given the fact, as DSCC chair, I’m out there helping all of the candidates who are running,” he said. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Harris campaign website still missing policy positions as DNC kicks off
The Harris campaign website, which includes pages to buy merchandise, donate and get to know the candidate’s background, remains devoid of any policy plans a full month after Kamala Harris became the informal nominee. As the Democratic National Convention begins this week, critics have been slamming the Democratic nominee for failing to sit for any interviews or hold press conferences. Harris’ lack of policy plans on her website comes a month after she informally became the Democratic nominee for president – and two weeks after she became the formal nominee following a roll call vote by party delegates. The Democrat nominee’s website does include bios for both Harris and her vice presidential candidate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota. It also includes web pages for people to donate money or volunteer, as well as a page where people can buy Harris-Walz merchandise. A FAQ page on the site answers questions related to donations, purchases from the merchandise store, and how to vote or volunteer. Users are instructed to reach out to a general email address for the campaign if their question cannot be answered via the FAQ page. ‘GONNA HIDE IN THE BASEMENT’: AMERICANS BALK AT KAMALA HARRIS DUCKING INTERVIEWS ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL Four years ago, when Joe Biden was running for office, he tasked an entire group of advisers with generating a 110-page policy document, according to The New York Times. It was the same with Hillary Clinton in 2016, according to the Times, which noted that she had more than 200 distinct policy proposals on record during her campaign. Meanwhile, former President Trump‘s 2024 campaign website includes a tab titled, “platform,” that features a 20-point policy agenda covering issues ranging from the economy to the ongoing crime surge. Last week, Harris unveiled her first major policy rollout, marking the first time she formally announced some positions on governing. Among those was a ban on price gouging by food and grocery companies, a $6,000 child tax credit, tax incentives for first-generation homeowners, and a promise to go after landlords and real estate investors for predatory practices that Harris blames for the rise in housing costs. CRITICS BLAST HARRIS GRASP OF INFLATION, ATTACK ON BUSINESS AHEAD OF POLICY SPEECH: ‘LUNATIC BEHAVIOR’ However, these economic plans remain absent from the Harris-Walz campaign website – and a report from the conservative Media Research Center, released last week, indicated between 71% and 86% of Democrats and Independents said they had either not heard of Harris’ position on various topics, or were entirely unaware. “It’s 2020 all over again,” said L. Brent Bozell III, the founder and president of the Media Research Center. “As it stands now, another leftist media cover-up will decide the election.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
Democrats hope to create thousands of new voters with rush to naturalize immigrants, expert says
Gaining thousands of new voters before the election could be the motivation behind the drive to clear the backlog of naturalization applications. “They won’t admit that,” Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, told Fox News Digital when asked if gaining voters could be behind a push to naturalize more U.S. citizens. “They will describe it as naturalization is the ultimate goal and we want people to become Americans… but it’s always a political tactic to get more citizens with the assumption they will vote for you.” Ries’ comments come after a New York Times report last week revealed that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USIS) is processing naturalization applications at speeds not seen in roughly a decade, taking an average of 4.9 months to process applications in the first nine months of the current fiscal year. The pace is far faster than processing speeds of just three years ago, when it took roughly 11.5 months for an applicant to gain U.S. citizenship. Overall, the current pace of new naturalizations has not been seen since 2013 and 2014, the New York Times reported. IMMIGRANTS BECOMING CITIZENS AT BREAKNECK SPEED AS ELECTION APPROACHES: REPORT So far, 3.3 million immigrants have become naturalized citizens since President Biden took office, the report noted, pointing out that Biden shortened the application to 14 pages instead of the previous 20 and made it easier for low-income applicants to qualify for discounts on the $710 fee to apply. The report also noted that the increased pace of naturalizations could play a role in this year’s election, with thousands of new potential voters becoming citizens every week. “The surge in naturalization efficiency isn’t just about clearing backlogs; it’s potentially reshaping the electorate, merely months before a pivotal election,” Xiao Wang, chief executive of Boundless, a company that offers services to immigrants seeking help with the naturalization process, told the New York Times. “Every citizenship application could be a vote that decides Senate seats or even the presidency.” According to Ries, those extra votes are likely part of the motivation behind the new processing speeds. BIDEN DHS REVEALS 50 MIGRANTS STILL AT LARGE AS ISIS-AFFILIATED SMUGGLING NETWORK BRINGS HUNDREDS TO US “This administration has shown they cut corners,” Ries said. “Anywhere there is vetting involved, they’re not much interested in thorough vetting, so they cut corners and speed up the process, to give the alien an immigration benefit, and then ultimately, inevitably, that means they are granting this benefit to people who should not be getting it.” Ries also argued that the situation is not without precedent, pointing to a 1996 initiative to more quickly naturalize U.S. citizens that caused the Clinton administration to face questions over its motivations in pushing the pace. According to a May 1997 New York Times report, the Clinton administration sought to strip nearly 5,000 immigrants of U.S. citizenship after the immigrants were found to have been wrongly naturalized during an Immigration and Naturalization Service drive to more quickly process applications. The White House became heavily involved in the initiative, dubbed Citizenship USA, but later faced criticism for pushing a pace that allowed thousands of criminal migrants to become citizens and accusations that the administration was attempting to pad the electorate with thousands of favorable voters ahead of the 1996 election. A United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General report would later acknowledge the shortcomings of the initiative, though it argued the White House’s involvement “did not result in INS lowering standards or changing its procedures in order to get more applicants naturalized in time for the 1996 election in the hope they would vote for the Democratic Party, as alleged.” BIDEN DHS REVEALS 50 MIGRANTS STILL AT LARGE AS ISIS-AFFILIATED SMUGGLING NETWORK BRINGS HUNDREDS TO US Nevertheless, Ries argued that it is important for applications to be vetted carefully, noting that it is the last opportunity authorities get to examine a migrant’s background before granting them a benefit that is rarely ever reversed. “You can denaturalize somebody after the fact, but it’s rarely done, and it’s no easy thing,” Ries said. Ries also expressed concerns that USCIS has “watered down” the civics and English exams that applicants have to pass in order to be granted citizenship, with Ries arguing that the test portion of the process is now a “joke” and has resulted in citizens that struggle to assimilate into American society. But reached for comment by Fox News Digital, a USCIS spokesperson argued that the increased pace of naturalizations comes from nothing more than “operational improvements over the last few years to reduce both the number of pending cases and overall processing times the agency inherited from the prior administration.” “USCIS personnel addressed processing issues and made changes to underlying procedures to achieve new efficiencies while ensuring the integrity and security of the immigration system, and the agency continues to explore all regulatory, policy and procedural options to improve processing times and decrease pending caseloads,” the spokesperson added. The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.
The practical politics of impeachment: What the math says about the House GOP’s report on Biden
“Impeachable conduct.” “The totality of the corrupt conduct uncovered by the Committees is egregious.” “A concerted effort to conceal President Biden’s involvement in the family’s influence peddling scheme.” These are the findings of a trio of House committees – led by Republicans – into the conduct of President Biden. It’s the final report of the GOP’s impeachment inquiry into Mr. Biden. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., initiated the inquest verbally last summer, trying to quash an uprising from his right flank. The House finally formalized the probe through a roll call vote in December. BIDEN COMMITTED ‘IMPEACHABLE CONDUCT,’ ‘DEFRAUDED UNITED STATES TO ENRICH HIS FAMILY’: HOUSE GOP REPORT Note that many Republicans wanted any impeachment investigation wrapped up by the start of last fall, not a couple of months before the 2024 election. “Republicans have worked to impede and obstruct any effort to investigate Mr. Trump’s actual and proven corruption, including his unconstitutional receipt, while Commander-in-Chief, of millions of dollars from foreign governments that sought, and often received, favors from his Administration,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, in his own “counter” report. House Republicans released their 292-page report hours before the president was scheduled to speak to the Democratic convention in Chicago. The document argues that Mr. Biden’s conduct warranted sanctions, saying his “flagrant abuse of office is clear: impeachment by the House of Representatives and removal by the Senate.” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., encouraged “all Americans to read this report.” But besides thanking the committees for their work, Johnson didn’t signal there would be a vote on impeachment or imply that the House Republican leadership brass would entertain such a possibility. That’s because, at this stage, a prospective vote to impeach President Biden would likely fail on the floor. Why? It’s about the math. There are at least a dozen House Republicans who oppose impeachment. One senior House GOP leadership source characterized a vote now as “moot.” Fox is told Republicans soured further on impeachment when President Biden decided against seeking reelection. Plus, Mr. Biden only has five more months before the end of his term. Moreover, a vote on impeachment would put moderate Republicans from swing districts in a bind as the GOP tries to maintain its slim majority. Trotting out a vote on impeachment – just to have a vote on impeachment at this stage – would likely produce a loss on the floor. Democrats could then boomerang the failed impeachment vote on those vulnerable Republicans. Democrats would underscore how Republicans tried for more than a year to impeach President Biden. And it culminated in a failed vote on the floor. POLITICAL PARALLELS BETWEEN 1968 AND 2024 AS THE DEMOCRATS RETURN TO CHICAGO A botched impeachment vote would undercut the Republicans’ report itself and constitute an unforced error for the GOP. It would also mean Republicans may have placed the emphasis on the wrong syllable – just before the election. Mr. Biden’s issues should be old news to Republicans. But focusing on President Biden, right or wrong, is not where the GOP needs to spend its time. Anything tied to impeachment simply steals the spotlight from the narrative Republicans are trying to craft about Vice President Harris. Republicans are still trying to define Harris. Backpedaling to President Biden diminishes that strategy. If House Republicans truly want to impeach the president – and do it by the book – they would likely need at least another public hearing or two. That would also entail a “markup” session by the Judiciary Committee before sending the matter to the House floor. The measure would then go to the House Rules Committee. Then the floor for debate and vote. And how many articles of impeachment could the GOP engineer for President Biden? One? Two? Four? COMMENTATOR ON LEFT-LEANING SQUAWK BOX BLASTS DEMS FOR HAVING CLINTON AT DNC The House impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas earlier this year, slapping him with two articles of impeachment: breaking the law and breaching the public trust. The House levied a singular article of impeachment against former President Trump in 2021 for “incitement of insurrection” after the riot at the Capitol. In 1998, the House Judiciary Committee prepared four articles of impeachment for former President Clinton after his affair with Monica Lewinsky. The House only approved two articles, lying under oath and obstruction of justice. The House rejected the other articles. House Republicans will read and consider the impeachment report over the remainder of the congressional recess. Expect some internal debate when House Republicans first meet in a GOP Conference meeting on the morning of September 10. But just because House Republican leaders don’t want the House to tangle with impeachment doesn’t mean there won’t be pressure to do so. It’s possible there could be an attempt by hardline conservatives to force a vote on the floor. Fox is told that Republican leaders are bracing for that possibility when the House returns. A rank-and-file Republican member could compel a vote on impeachment via a “privileged” resolution. Such specialized resolutions must come to the floor right away or within two legislative days. Democrats would likely move to table or kill the resolution. Republicans are then placed in the dubious position of voting against tabling the resolution to bring it to the floor – or voting to kill it. One senior House Democratic source even speculated to Fox that since it was doubtful the House could impeach President Biden, maybe Democrats wouldn’t try to table impeachment. They’d leave that up to Republicans. Imagine this scenario: Republicans moving to table their own impeachment measure. That would certainly slather some egg on the face of the GOP. But that’s the least of the problems for Republicans. A vote to table the impeachment resolution is one step removed from actually voting on impeachment itself. A failure to table the resolution prompts the House to vote, up or down, on impeachment itself. A vote where Republicans reject impeachment – after they talked about it for
Mumbai to Goa in just 6 hours via Konkan Expressway, know distance, route, cost and more
It will be a 376 km-long and 6-lane access-controlled highway.
These Texans are scheduled to speak this week at the Democratic National Convention
U.S. Reps. Jasmine Crockett and Veronica Escobar are expected to speak on the mainstage in Chicago.
Josh Shapiro denies antisemitism played role in Harris’ VP pick
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro argues antisemitism played no role in Vice President Kamala Harris’ decision to snub him as her VP pick in favor of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Trump argued earlier this month that Harris chose not to tap Shapiro because he is Jewish, a potential turnoff for Muslim voters in key swing states who are already outraged at the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza. “They are so bad, if you look, they are so bad to Jewish people. What they’ve done, and the way they talk, and their policy and everything else,” Trump said of Harris and Democrats. Shapiro responded by arguing that Trump is “trying to use me and trying to use other Jews to divide Americans further.” DEMOCRAT CALLS OUT LEFT’S ‘STRONG UNDERCURRENT OF ANTISEMITISM’ IN ATTACKS ON POTENTIAL VP PICK SHAPIRO “Antisemitism played absolutely no role in my dialogue with the vice president. Absolutely none. It is also true that antisemitism is present in our commonwealth, in our country and in some areas within our party, and we have to stand up and speak out against that,” he said. BBC CHAIR DENIES PLEA FROM 200 JEWISH STAFFERS CALLING FOR FORMAL PROBE INTO ANTISEMITISM AT THE NEWSROOM Harris and Walz will formally win the Democratic nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week. Walz is scheduled to speak on Wednesday night while Harris will conclude the event Thursday. The pair have enjoyed a surge in support according to polls, with many showing them tied neck-and-neck with Trump or even holding a slight lead. Democratic enthusiasm has also skyrocketed. CRACKS IN THE WALL OF MEDIA PRAISE FOR HARRIS? MULTIPLE OUTLETS EVISCERATE VP OVER PRICE CONTROL PLAN Ex-Obama adviser David Axelrod cautioned against overconfidence in Harris, however, saying Sunday that former President Trump may still be in the lead in the swing states that will decide the race. “This is still a very competitive race. If the election were today, I‘m not sure who would win, and I think it may well be President Trump because it’s an Electoral College fight,” Axelrod said. A recent survey conducted by Ipsos found Trump and Harris are close or effectively tied in seven swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada. Harris receives 42% of the vote share in the seven swing states, compared to Trump’s 40% and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy’s 5%. Fox News’ Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report