May 14 top stories
Hello, it is May 14. Here are today’s top stories.
Airlines sue Biden administration over fee disclosure rule
Major airlines have filed a lawsuit against the federal government over new rules that would require carriers to disclose all airline fees – including those for checked and carry-on bags as well as change and cancellation fees – up front.
The suit was filed Friday in the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court by major airline along with industry lobby Airlines For America. It alleges the Department of Transportation (DOT) exceeded its authority in announcing the new rule, calling it an “arbitrary, capricious” change.
Transportation Secretary Buttigieg announced the new rule on April 24, saying “healthy competition requires that as a consumer you can comparison shop, which means knowing the real price of a trip before and not after you buy.” The Department of Transportation estimates the rule change will save consumers a half billion dollars each year.
DOT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Open AI unveils GPT-4o and more features for ChatGPT
ChatGPT is about to become a lot more useful. OpenAI on Monday announced its latest artificial intelligence large language model that it says will make ChatGPT smarter and easier to use.
The new model, called GPT-4o, is an update from the company’s previous GPT-4 model, which launched just over a year ago. The model will be available to unpaid customers, meaning anyone will have access to OpenAI’s most advanced technology through ChatGPT.
Based on the company’s Monday demonstration, GPT-4o will effectively turn ChatGPT into a digital personal assistant that can engage in real-time, spoken conversations. It will also be able to interact using text and “vision”, meaning it can view screenshots, photos, documents or charts uploaded by users and have a conversation about them.
The company also said the updated version of ChatGPT will now also have memory capabilities, meaning it can learn from previous conversations with users, and can do real-time translation.
The new release comes as OpenAI seeks to stay ahead of the growing competition in the AI arms race. Rivals including Google and Meta have been working to build increasingly powerful large language models.
Israel pushes deeper into Rafah
Multiple sources reported that around 450,000 Palestinians have been driven out of Rafah in Gaza’s south over the past week by escalating Israeli military operations as Israeli forces pushed deeper into the southern city of Rafah. Israel also pounded the territory’s devastated north.
Rafah is considered Hamas’ last stronghold. Israel says it must invade to dismantle Hamas and return scores of hostages taken from Israel in the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war.
The U.S. has assessed that Israel has amassed enough troops on the edge of Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah to launch a full-scale incursion in the coming days.
One of the U.S. officials also warned that Israel has not come anywhere close to making adequate preparations – including building infrastructure related to food, hygiene and shelter – ahead of potentially evacuating more than 1 million Gazans in Rafah.
Gaza has been left without a functioning government and Israel has yet to offer a detailed plan for postwar governance in Gaza.
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Red Lobster abruptly closes at least 48 of its restaurants
According to local news reports, seafood restaurant chain Red Lobster is abruptly closing at least 48 of its restaurants around the country as the company struggles to stay above water.
Restaurant liquidation company TageX Brands announced it would be overseeing the sale of equipment at 50+ various closing locations, calling the situation its largest restaurant equipment auction ever. Only 48 locations were specifically listed in its catalog.
Red Lobster has around 650 locations and is reportedly considering filing for bankruptcy protection. According to Bloomberg, Red Lobster has been finding it difficult to make money with its current leases and labor costs. CNN also reported the company suffered $12.5 million operating loss in the fourth quarter of 2023, despite its popular endless shrimp promotion.
Former leaders at the chain and restaurant analysts said Red Lobster was a restaurant industry pioneer, but has declined in recent years due to a range of factors, including corporate mismanagement.
See Alex’s brief on a mauling involving a pack of dogs that left a mother dead and sent her three children to a hospital in Georgia.
Group of dogs maul mother to death and injuries child
Thanks, Callie.
In tragic news from Georgia, a mother was mauled to death by a group of dogs who also injured one of her children.
This happened last week in a small city called Quitman, which is near the Florida-Georgia state line.
The mother’s name was Courtney Williams and she was 35.
What happened? The three siblings were dropped off home from a school bus and were on their home’s driveway when they were attacked by 13 to 15 dogs who came from a house behind their house.
The siblings were a 14-year-old boy, a 12-year-old boy, and a 10-year-old girl.
A neighbor said when the dogs attacked, the 12-year-old boy pushed his sister out of harm’s way. The mother Courtney ran out of the house to intervene.
The 14-year-old boy ran on the street and flagged a man driving by for help. That man rushed to the home and stopped the dogs from further injuring the siblings, but tragically, it was too late for the mother. She was mauled and guarded by dogs. Others couldn’t help her.
There are images on social media of the 12-year-old boy’s injuries. He had deep lacerations in many places on his arms and legs.
The latest update is that 11 of the 13 dogs were detained by a local humane society. Images of the dogs show that most were medium-sized and seemed to be mixed breeds.
Officials said the 15 dogs residing in the home behind the Williams home were reported to be aggressive and had been left unattended by a neighbor.
Thanks for that brief. That’s all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
Airlines sue Biden administration over fee disclosure rule
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2024/05/13/airlines-sue-biden-administration-junk-fees/
Open AI unveils GPT-4o and more features for ChatGPT
Israel pushes deeper into Rafah
Red Lobster abruptly closes at least 48 of its restaurants
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/video/red-lobster-is-closing-at-least-48-of-its-restaurants/
Group of dogs maul mother to death and injuries child
https://www.walb.com/2024/05/13/new-details-brooks-co-woman-attacked-killed-by-dogs/