Meet ‘Bob', the AI-generated US National Guard soldier sparking misinformation
Artificial intelligence is being weaponized amidst mounting Los Angeles protests to mislead and misinform. An AI-generated video claiming to show a National Guard soldier provoking protesters in LA has racked up over 1 million views - and counting - on Tiktok. And AI chatbots are also spreading fake news: internet users are turning to AI bots for verification, only to be given unreliable and inaccurate results. Vedika Bahl explains in Truth or Fake.
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LeMonde
5 hours ago
- LeMonde
Los Angeles-area mayors demand that Trump administration stop stepped-up immigration raids
Dozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together Wednesday, June 11, to demand that the Trump administration stop the stepped-up immigration raids that have spread fear across their cities and sparked protests across the US. But there were no signs President Donald Trump would heed their pleas. About 500 of the National Guard troops deployed to the Los Angeles protests have been trained to accompany agents on immigration operations, the commander in charge said Wednesday. And while some troops have already gone on such missions, he said it's too early to say if that will continue even after the protests die down. "We are expecting a ramp-up," said Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman said, noting that protests across the nation were being discussed. "I'm focused right here in LA, what's going on right here. But you know, I think we're, we're very concerned." A demonstration in Los Angeles' civic center Wednesday evening just before the second night of the city's downtown curfew was set to start, suddenly turned chaotic, as police in riot gear — many on horseback — charged at a group, striking them with wooden rods and pushing them out of a park in front of City Hall. Officers also fired crowd control projectiles, striking at least one young woman, who writhed in pain on the ground as she bled from her hip. It wasn't clear what initiated the confrontation. But minutes earlier, some protesters had lit fireworks as they approached the federal building, the site of numerous showdowns in recent nights. Simultaneously, a larger portion of the protest was in the middle of a dance party. 'Stop terrorizing our residents' The LA-area mayors and city council members urged Trump to stop using armed military troops alongside immigration agents during the raids. "I'm asking you, please listen to me, stop terrorizing our residents," said Brenda Olmos, vice mayor of Paramount, who said she was hit by rubber bullets over the weekend. "You need to stop these raids." Speaking alongside the other mayors at a news conference, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the raids spread fear at the behest of the White House. The city's nightly curfew that started Tuesday will remain in effect as long as necessary in a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section of downtown. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles (1,295 square kilometers). "If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue,' Bass said. Those who have been caught up in the nationwide raids include asylum seekers, people who overstayed their visas and migrants awaiting their day in immigration court. The administration has cited the protests in its decision to deploy the military. Referring to the demonstrations, which have been mostly concentrated in the LA business district, the Democratic mayor added: "If you drive a few blocks outside of downtown, you don't know that anything is happening in the city at all." California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, has asked a federal court to put an emergency stop to the military helping immigration agents in the nation's second-largest city. This week, guardsmen began standing protectively around agents as they carried out arrests. A judge set a hearing for Thursday. The Trump administration called the lawsuit a "crass political stunt endangering American lives" in its official response on Wednesday. LA 'would be burning to the ground' The military is now closer to engaging in law enforcement actions such as deportations, as Trump has promised in his crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers, but any arrests must be made by law enforcement. The president posted on the Truth Social platform that the city "would be burning to the ground" if he had not sent in the military. Some 2,000 National Guard soldiers are in Los Angeles, and are soon to be joined by 2,000 more along with about 700 Marines, Sherman said. Los Angeles police have made nearly 400 arrests and detentions since Saturday, the vast majority of which were for failing to leave the area at the request of law enforcement, according to the police department. There have been a handful of more serious charges, including for assault against police officers and for possession of a Molotov cocktail and a gun. Nine police officers have been hurt, mostly with minor injures. Some were transported to a hospital and released. Demonstrations have also spread to other cities nationwide, including Dallas and Austin in Texas, and Chicago and New York, where thousands rallied and more arrests were made. In New York City, police said they took 86 people into custody during protests in lower Manhattan that lasted into Wednesday morning. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the majority of demonstrators were peaceful.
France 24
8 hours ago
- France 24
Majority on Brazil court in favor of tougher social media rules
The South American country's highest court is seeking to determine to what extent companies such as X, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook are responsible for removing illegal content, and how they can be sanctioned if they do not. The judges' final ruling will create a precedent that will affect tens of millions of social media users in Brazil. At issue is a clause in the country's so-called Civil Framework for the Internet, a law in effect since 2014, that says platforms are only responsible for harm caused by a post if they ignore a judge's order to remove it. By Wednesday, six of the court's 11 judges had ruled in favor of higher accountability, meaning sites should monitor content and remove problematic posts on their own initiative, without court intervention. One judge has voted against tougher regulation, and three have yet to express an opinion. Alexandre de Moraes, one of 11 judges of the court, has repeatedly clashed with X owner Elon Musk and various right-wing personalities over social media posts. The review is taking place in parallel with the Supreme Court trial of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is alleged to have collaborated on a coup plot to remain in power after his 2022 election defeat. Prosecutors say Bolsonaro's followers used social media to lie about the reliability of the electoral system and plot the downfall of successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Last year, Moraes blocked X for 40 days for failing to comply with a series of court orders against online disinformation. He had previously ordered X to suspend the accounts of several Bolsonaro supporters. Musk and other critics say Moraes is stifling free speech, and US President Donald Trump's administration is weighing sanctions against the judge, whom Bolsonaro accuses of judicial "persecution." Lula, who emerged the victor in a tightly-fought election against Bolsonaro in 2022, is advocating for "accelerating regulation" of online platforms. © 2025 AFP
France 24
12 hours ago
- France 24
Trump caught lying about date of phone call to Governor Gavin Newsom
04:55 Issued on: Modified: President Donald Trump attempted to one-up California Governor Gavin Newsom in their war of words, by releasing his own screenshots to Fox News to "prove" they had spoken on the phone Monday. However his own call log proved he was in the wrong, with no phone call occurring that date -- and Fox News dishonestly spun the error. Meanwhile, Newsom takes a leaf out of Trump's social media playbook, by using AI videos to make jabs. Vedika Bahl explains in Truth or Fake.
