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AI's New Trick: Running For Office

AI's New Trick: Running For Office

Your unbiased daily news brief

James Kratch
June 14, 2024

Good morning and happy Friday. Today is Flag Day, which is both well-known and also often overlooked. Here is a deep dive on the origins of the holiday. Have a great weekend!

In Today’s Brief

Washington: Whaling waiver
Ukraine: $50B loan, deal with U.S.
New York: Key House endorsement
Inflation: More positive signs
Euro 2024: Kicks off today

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Ballot bots

Artificial intelligence hopes it can count on your vote.

Tag teams: Political candidates are beginning to campaign on the promise they will delegate decision-making to AI bots if re-elected. Victor Miller, who is running for mayor in Cheyenne, Wyoming, has built a ChatGPT-powered bot -- VIC, or Virtual Integrated Citizen -- he says has better ideas than most incumbent lawmakers. British businessman Steve Endacott is seeking a House of Commons seat with AI Steve, a bot built by an AI firm he owns a stake in
Genuine skepticism: Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray has recommended the Laramie County Clerk reject the candidacy of Miller and VIC, saying the pitch violates the letter and spirit of state election law. OpenAI has also said VIC violates its policies. Endacott's bid does not appear to be taken as seriously across the pond; he belongs to a party that failed to register for the UK general election.
Big picture: A Danish party was formed around AI in 2022 while Belarusian opposition officials used an AI bot earlier this year to publcly criticize President Alexander Lukashenko without endangering actual candidates. But the issue is new to the U.S. and another example of how AI is largely unregulated as it steadily grows in prominence.

2) Kremlin acts

Russia has finally charged a Wall Street Journal reporter after over a year in custody.

The news: Evan Gershkovich faces trial on espionage charges after being formally accused of spying for the CIA. Russian prosecutors allege the reported "collected secret information" about a tank factory. A statement claimed Gershkovich "carried out the illegal actions using painstaking conspiratorial methods." The Kremlin has not provided any evidence since arresting Gershkovich in March 2023.
The reaction: WSJ Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker said the charges are "false and baseless." The State Department said the Russian charges have "absolutely zero credibility" and "journalism is not a crime." Reporters Without Borders also denounced the charges.
Big picture: The trial is a setback for Gershkovich, 32, as he now faces up to 20 years in Russian prison. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled he is open to releasing the reporter in a prisoner swap; most analysts believe the Kremlin may be more amenable to a deal after the trial is over. The U.S. is also working to bring former Marine Paul Whelan home.

3) Pill pushing

Federal authorities allege a telehealth company's top leaders were also running an illegal drug scheme.

The news: Ruthia He, the founder and CEO of California-based Done Global, faces federal charges for running a $100M stimulant distribution ring. He was arrested in Los Angeles yesterday. The Department of Justice also collared David Brody, the company's clinical president, in San Francisco and alleged he was involved. They face up to 20 years in prison.
The accusation: DOJ said Brody and He conspired to provide easy access to Adderall and other similar drugs to people who paid a monthly subscription fee. The executives allegedly use the fees to pump up the company's valuation while distributing drugs over the internet and committed health care fraud, among other claims. Attorney General Merrick Garland said most prescribed medications had "no legitimate medical purpose."
Big picture: It is not clear if the company will continue to operate. The bust could disrupt treatment for 30-50K American adults across all 50 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Patients have already been dealing with a national shortage of ADHD drugs for months.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

A Washington state Indigenous tribe will receive a federal waiver to hunt whales. The Makah will be able to hunt up to 25 Eastern North Pacific gray whales over a 10-year period with a maximum of three in any year (More)
The Supreme Court unanimously rejected a challenge to telehealth prescriptions for a drug used in medical abortions. The justices said anti-abortion doctors did not have standing against the federal regulation of mifepristone (More)
The Phoenix Police Department used excessive force and violated individuals' rights, according to the DOJ. A three-year probe found officers in the Arizona city discriminated against groups and used "unjustified deadly force" in some incidents (More)

World News

The G7 approved a $50B loan to Ukraine financed by frozen Russian assets. The Ukrainians also signed a 10-year security pact with the U.S. and new sanctions halted the trade of U.S. dollars and Euros on Moscow's stock exchange (More)
Japan and North Korea reportedly had a secret meeting in Mongolia last month. The nations do not have formal diplomatic relations; ties have been strained since Japanese citizens were abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 80s (More)
President Joe Biden does not expect a Gaza ceasefire agreement in the near future. The White House reiterated Israel is supportive of the most recent proposal, but Hamas is pushing for changes (More)

Campaign News

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed George Latimer in the Democratic primary for New York's 16th Congressional District. The Westchester County Executive is challenging embattled Rep. Jamaal Bowman (More)
Former President Donald Trump reportedly floated replacing the federal income tax with tariffs during a meeting with Republican lawmakers. He also was said to have blasted Milwaukee, the GOP Convention host city, during the sitdown (More)
Brexiteer Nigel Farage's Reform UK party has seized second place in polls ahead of the United Kingdom's July 4 general election. The Labour Party remains heavily favored to take control of government for the first time in over a decade (More)

Business & Markets

Major indexes closed mixed yesterday. Jobless claims were at a 10-month high last week and wholesale prices were down 0.2% MoM in May, further boosting hopes that inflation is finally cooling (Dow -0.12%, Nasdaq +0.34%, S&P 500+0.23%).
Apple faces a lawsuit alleging gender discrimination in pay. Two female employees have filed, but they are seeking to form a class-action case representing over 12K current and former employees (More)
Tesla shareholders voted to reinstate Elon Musk's $56B compensation package after a Delaware judge voided it. The electric vehicle manufacturer's CEO will still need to clear legal hurdles before being paid out (More)

Entertainment & Sports

The Euro 2024 men's soccer tournament begins today. Host nation Germany will open the continental championship against Scotland in Munich; England and France are considered the favorites (More)
The 77th Tony Awards are on Sunday night. Hell's Kitchen and Stereophonic lead with 13 nominations each; the show will be broadcast from New York's Lincoln Center on CBS (More)
The Big 12 Conference is reportedly considering selling its naming rights to a corporate sponsor. Allstate is considered the top contender; the NCAA league is also said to be considering a $1B private equity deal (More)

Quick Hitters

Fun Stuff: If you want to watch some retro toy commercials from the 1990s, you have come to the right place. This supercut video is like climbing into a time machine.
Stay Grounded: There are 195 countries in the world currently, and only five do not have at least one airport. Here is the small list of nations with clipped wings (and they are all relatively close to each other).
Major Hurdle: Landing humans on Mars may be even further away now. New research suggests astronauts are susceptible to flight-induced kidney damage while traveling into deep space.
Take Note: A psychologist has outlined five core memories that a child will cherish from their childhood. A big one is quality time spent with their parents.
Life Hack: Artificial intelligence -- both the actual technology and the endless discussion about it -- is seemingly everywhere. It can be overwhelming. But if you want to see if AI can make your life easier, here is a good place to start.
OPTIMIZE ME: Researchers “found convincing evidence that higher intake of ultra-processed foods was associated with 50% increased risk of cardiovascular disease-related death, a 48% to 53% higher risk of anxiety and common mental disorders, and a 12% greater risk of type 2 diabetes.”

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