Zuckerberg Grilled In Landmark Social Media Trial Over Teen Mental Health

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Zuckerberg Grilled In Landmark Social Media Trial Over Teen Mental Health (Maria)

The author writes, “Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified at a landmark trial in Los Angeles of social media companies on Wednesday. Plaintiffs’ lawyers grilled Zuckerberg about internal complaints that not enough was being done to verify whether children under 13 were using the platform.”

Minneapolis Mayor’s Emotional Message to Trump: You Failed to Break Us (Dana)

From The New Republic: “In an interview, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says ICE’s attack came from the top—and shares new details about how badly it damaged his city, while explaining how the people there are emerging utterly unbowed.”

How Ukraine Is Turning to Renewables to Keep Heat and Lights On (Laura)

The author writes, “Russia continues to bomb Ukraine’s fossil-fueled power plants, leaving much of the nation shivering during a brutal winter. But Ukraine’s new emphasis on developing decentralized power — from solar panels to wind turbines — is advancing an unexpected green energy transition.”

Trump Wants To Prosecute Anti-Fascists as Terrorists. This Texas Trial Will Test His Power (DonkeyHotey)

The author writes, “On July 4 last year, a few hours after sundown, about a dozen left-wing activists gathered outside the Prairieland Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in North Texas. Some protesters set off fireworks while others spray-painted cars and a guard booth. As federal officers stepped outside to confront them, local police arrived, and shortly after, shots were fired. Investigators say an Alvarado police officer was hit in the neck by a bullet and released from the hospital the following morning. Most of the activists were arrested. Nine of them face serious federal charges, ranging from attempted murder to providing material support to terrorists, in a trial that begins Tuesday. Prosecutors characterize the events that night as an ‘antifa attack’ on the federal government. The defense calls it a protest gone wrong. But the implications of this trial extend beyond the fate of one group of activists.”

Google Responds To Claim That It Stole NPR Host’s Voice (Sean)

From Mashable: “Radio host David Greene is suing Google, alleging that the tech giant copied his voice for its NotebookLM AI tool, the Washington Post and others reported — and Google has responded. Greene is the former co-host of NPR’s Morning Edition and currently the host of the Left, Right, & Center podcast from the NPR member station KCRW. Greene found out about NotebookLM, which autogenerates podcasts, from a former coworker and was ‘completely freaked out,’ he told the Post. The complaint, which was filed on January 23 in California, states that Google ‘sought to replicate Mr. Greene’s distinctive voice — a voice made iconic over decades of decorated radio and public commentary — to create synthetic audio products that mimic his delivery, cadence, and persona.’ The suit claims that Google violated California and common law statutory right to publicity, which concerns unauthorized uses of someone’s likeness, and California’s unfair competition law.”

Lunar New Year, Fat Tuesday, Ramadan and Lent Happening at the Same Time (Reader Steve)

From The Seattle Times: “This Tuesday and Wednesday, four holidays from different cultures and religions [overlapped] in a rare calendar year. The celebrations of Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) and Lunar New Year both [occurred] on Tuesday, Feb. 17. This won’t happen again until Feb. 13, 2029, according to the websites chinahighlights.com and mardigrasneworleans.com. Ramadan [started] Tuesday evening, pending official confirmation, and Lent (Ash Wednesday) [began] on Feb. 18. Last year, Ramadan and Lent began within a week of each other on Feb. 28 and March 5. The holidays are all happening within two days this year because several long solar, lunar and lunisolar calendar cycles sync up.”