Boulder suspect planned to kill group he called ‘Zionist,' but appeared to have second thoughts
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A man in Boulder disguised as a gardener who wounded 12 people in an attack on a group holding their weekly demonstration for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza had planned to kill them all but appeared to have second thoughts, according to authorities.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman had 18 Molotov cocktails but threw just two during Sunday's attack in which he yelled 'Free Palestine,' police said. He didn't carry out his full plan 'because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before,' police wrote in an affidavit.
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Toronto Star
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- Toronto Star
Consultant behind AI-generated robocalls mimicking Biden goes on trial in New Hampshire
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A political consultant who sent voters artificial intelligence-generated robocalls mimicking former President Joe Biden last year goes on trial Thursday in New Hampshire, where jurors may be asked to consider not just his guilt or innocence but whether the state actually held its first-in-the-nation presidential primary. Steven Kramer, who faces decades in prison if convicted of voter suppression and impersonating a candidate, has admitted orchestrating a message sent to thousands of voters two days before the Jan. 23, 2024, primary. The message played an AI-generated voice similar to the Democratic president's that used his phrase 'What a bunch of malarkey' and suggested that voting in the primary would preclude voters from casting ballots in November.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Consultant behind AI-generated robocalls mimicking Biden goes on trial in New Hampshire
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A political consultant who sent voters artificial intelligence-generated robocalls mimicking former President Joe Biden last year goes on trial Thursday in New Hampshire, where jurors may be asked to consider not just his guilt or innocence but whether the state actually held its first-in-the-nation presidential primary. Steven Kramer, who faces decades in prison if convicted of voter suppression and impersonating a candidate, has admitted orchestrating a message sent to thousands of voters two days before the Jan. 23, 2024, primary. The message played an AI-generated voice similar to the Democratic president's that used his phrase 'What a bunch of malarkey' and suggested that voting in the primary would preclude voters from casting ballots in November. 'It's important that you save your vote for the November election,' voters were told. 'Your votes make a difference in November, not this Tuesday.' Kramer, who owns a firm specializing in get-out-the-vote projects, has said he wasn't trying to influence the outcome of the primary election but rather wanted to send a wake-up call about the potential dangers of AI when he paid a New Orleans magician and self-described 'digital nomad' $150 to create the recording. 'Maybe I'm a villain today, but I think in the end we get a better country and better democracy because of what I've done, deliberately,' Kramer told The Associated Press in February 2024. Ahead of the trial in Belknap County Superior Court, state prosecutors sought to prevent Kramer from arguing that the primary was a meaningless straw poll because it wasn't sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee. At Biden's request, the DNC dislodged New Hampshire from its traditional early spot in the nominating calendar, but later dropped its threat not to seat the state's national convention delegates. Biden did not put his name on the ballot or campaign there, but won as a write-in. The state argued that such evidence was irrelevant and would risk confusing jurors, but Judge Elizabeth Leonard denied the motion in March, saying the DNC's actions and Kramer's understanding of them were relevant to his motive and intent in sending the calls. She did grant the prosecution's request that the court accept as fact that the state held its presidential primary election as defined by law on Jan. 23, 2024. Jurors will be informed of that conclusion but won't be required to accept it. Kramer faces 11 felony charges, each punishable by up to seven years in prison, alleging he attempted to prevent or deter someone from voting based on 'fraudulent, deceptive, misleading or spurious grounds or information.' He also faces 11 misdemeanor charges that each carry a maximum sentence of a year in jail accusing him of falsely representing himself as a candidate by his own conduct or that of another person. He also has been fined $6 million by the Federal Communications Commission, but it's unclear whether he has paid it, and the FCC did not respond to a request for comment earlier this week. The agency was developing AI-related rules when Donald Trump won the presidency, but has since shown signs of a possible shift toward loosening regulations. In April, it recommended that a telecom company be added back to an industry consortium just weeks after the agency had proposed fining the company for its role in illegal robocalls impersonating the FCC. Half of all U.S. states have enacted legislation regulating AI deepfakes in political campaigns, according to the watchdog organization Public Citizen. But House Republicans in Congress recently added a clause to their party's signature 'big beautiful' tax bill that would ban states and localities from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade, though it faces long odds in the Senate.
Toronto Star
3 hours ago
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Trump orders investigation into Biden's actions as president, ratcheting up targeting of predecessor
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday directed his administration to investigate Joe Biden's actions as president, alleging aides masked his predecessor's 'cognitive decline' and cast doubts on the legitimacy of his use of the autopen to sign pardons and other documents. The order marked a significant escalation in Trump's targeting of political adversaries and could lay the groundwork for arguments by the Republican that a range of Biden's actions as president were invalid. The Justice Department under Democratic and Republican administrations has recognized the use of an autopen to sign legislation and issue pardons for decades, Trump presented no evidence that Biden was unaware of the actions taken in his name, and the president's absolute pardon power is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history,' Trump wrote in a memo. 'The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden's signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts.' Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington to handle the investigation. Representatives for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It's unclear how far Trump will push this effort, which would face certain legal challenges. But it reflects his fixation on Biden, who defeated him in 2020, an election that Trump never conceded and continues to falsely claim was rigged against him. Trump frequently suggests that Biden was wrong to use an autopen, a mechanical device that replicates a person's authentic signature. Although they've been used in the White House for decades, Trump claims that Biden's aides were usurping presidential authority. Biden issued pardons for his two brothers and his sister shortly before leaving office, hoping to shield them from potential prosecution under Trump, who had promised retribution during last year's campaign. Other pardon recipients included members of a congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Trump often suggests that his political opponents should be investigated, and he has directed the Justice Department to look into people who have angered him over the years. They include Chris Krebs, a former cybersecurity official who disputed Trump's claims of a stolen election in 2020, and Miles Taylor, a former Department of Homeland Security official who wrote an anonymous op-ed sharply critical of the president in 2018. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Meanwhile, House Oversight Chairman James Comer of Kentucky, a Republican, requested transcribed interviews with five Biden aides, alleging they had participated in a 'cover-up' that amounted to 'one of the greatest scandals in our nation's history.' 'These five former senior advisors were eyewitnesses to President Biden's condition and operations within the Biden White House,' Comer said in a statement. 'They must appear before the House Oversight Committee and provide truthful answers about President Biden's cognitive state and who was calling the shots.' Interviews were requested with White House senior advisers Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn, former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, former deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed and Steve Ricchetti, a former counselor to the president. Comer reiterated his call for Biden's physician, Kevin O'Connor, and former senior White House aides Annie Tomasini, Anthony Bernal, Ashley Williams and Neera Tanden to appear before the committee. He warned subpoenas would be issued this week if they refuse to schedule voluntary interviews. 'I think that people will start coming in the next two weeks,' Comer told reporters. He added that the committee would release a report with its findings, 'and we'll release the transcribed interviews, so it'll be very transparent.' Democrats have dismissed the effort as a distraction. 'Chairman Comer had his big shot in the last Congress to impeach Joe Biden and it was, of course, a spectacular flop,' said Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Maryland Democrat who served as the ranking member on the oversight committee in the previous Congress. 'And now he's just living off of a spent dream. It's over. And he should give up the whole thing.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Republicans on the committee are eager to pursue the investigation. 'The American people didn't elect a bureaucracy to run the country,' said Rep. Brandon Gill, a freshman Republican from Texas. 'I think that the American people deserve to know the truth and they want to know the truth of what happened.' The Republican inquiry so far has focused on the final executive actions of Biden's administration, which included the issuing of new federal rules and presidential pardons that they claim may be invalid. Comer cited the book 'Original Sin' by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson, which details concerns and debates inside the White House and Democratic Party over Biden's mental state and age. In the book, Tapper and Thompson wrote, 'Five people were running the country, and Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board.' Biden and members of his family have vigorously denied the book's claims. 'This book is political fairy smut for the permanent, professional chattering class,' said Naomi Biden, the former president's granddaughter. Biden withdrew from the presidential race last summer after a debate against Trump in which he appeared to lose his train of thought multiple times, muttered inaudible answers and misnamed different government programs. The disastrous debate performance pushed questions about his age and mental acuity to the forefront, ultimately leading Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. He was replaced on the ticket by Kamala Harris, who lost the election to Trump.
