Wednesday, May 17 top stories
It is Wednesday, May 17. Here are today’s top stories.
AI leaders say government regulation needed
Leaders in the emerging artificial intelligence (AI) industry told Congress that they believe government regulation is needed to prevent harm to the public.
Some of the dangers are impersonation of public and private figures, dangerous and harmful content, job disruption, copyright and licensing problems, or election misinformation.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, who created ChatGPT, said there should be a new government agency that would establish rules on AI and provide licenses for any effort that goes beyond a certain threshold of capabilities. He said if this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong, and he wants to work with the government to prevent that from happening.
Missing girl found after Netflix’s ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ airs
A girl from Illinois who went missing in Illinois in 2017 was found alive last week in North Carolina after someone sent in a tip after they recognized the girl from an episode on Netflix’s “Unsolved Mysteries.”
The girl’s name is Kayla Unbehaun and she is now 15 years old. NBC News said she was allegedly abducted by her mother, who did not have custody. The girl’s mother did not show up to a court-ordered exchange at that time and the father has been looking for her daughter since.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children shared an image of what Kayla would look like at 15 using age progression technology. That image was shown on Netflix.
Police said a woman in Asheville who watched the episode recognized Kayla and contacted authorities. The girl’s mother was arrested on Saturday on a fugitive charge and she is expected to be extradited to Illinois. She may face charges of kidnapping.
Kayla’s father, Ryan Iskerka, said he is overjoyed that she is home safe but that the ordeal has been devastating. He said he needs privacy as they get to know each other again and navigate this new beginning.
Update on Farmington, New Mexico shooting
Here is an update on the Farmington, New Mexico mass shooting that happened on Monday. Three people were killed by an 18-year-old gunman that was walking in a neighborhood and randomly shooting.
Two of the victims were an elderly mother and her daughter, Gwendolyn Schofield (97) and her daughter, Melody Ivie (73). The third victim was a 79-year-old woman named Shirley Voita. Police said all three were driving through the neighborhood when they were shot.
The shooter was a high school student named Beau Wilson. He turned 18 last October and purchased a firearm the next month. He had three guns with him during the shooting and shot over 150 bullets at cars and houses. Police shot and killed him. Police said they don’t know the motive. The two other guns Wilson had belonged to his family.
Six other people were wounded in the shooting, including two police officers. Both officers have been released from the hospital. A police official said he is shocked at the brutality and violence that these innocent people faced.
North Carolina bans abortions after 12 weeks
The North Carolina legislature, which has a Republican majority, voted to override the Democratic governor’s veto on a bill that bans most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy.
AP News said Gov. Roy Cooper traveled around the state last week to find just one Republican to side with him on vetoing the bill, but on Tuesday all Republicans voted to override the veto and force the bill to pass.
The 12-week ban is now law. It can be perceived as more moderate compared with other states’ bans at six weeks. North Carolina used to have a 20-week limit. Now it's 12 weeks.
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Hippo attacks boat in deadly incident
BBC reported that on Monday, a hippo hit a boat that was packed with people in Malawi’s biggest river and caused it to capsize. Tragically, a one-year-old boy died and 23 people are missing and feared dead. There were 14 survivors.
The boat was crossing the river and carrying field workers when it was hit. It is not known the reason why the hippo attacked the boat, but this animal is notorious for being very territorial and aggressive when defending their young. Hippos are estimated to kill about 500 people a year in Africa.
Pence likely running for president
Axios reported that it seems likely that former Vice President Mike Pence will run for the presidency and challenge his former partner in the White House, Donald Trump, for the Republican nomination.
Those close to Pence have formed a super PAC to start fundraising. He may make a formal announcement in a few weeks.
Prince Harry & Meghan chased by paparazzi in NY
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said they were almost in a very bad car accident in the New York City area after they tried to get away from paparazzi. They said they were pursued for over two hours.
CNN reported that paparazzi followed the couple in cars, motorcycles, and scooters and that they zoomed down on sidewalks to keep up with the couple’s vehicle.
Prince Harry and Meghan said they understand that the public has interest in them but that it should never become unsafe.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.axios.com/2023/05/16/mike-pence-super-pac-2024-presidential-election
https://www.axios.com/2023/05/17/ai-leaders-sam-altman-regulate-senate
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/16/technology/openai-altman-artificial-intelligence-regulation.html
https://apnews.com/article/abortion-veto-override-north-carolina-4282913637b499490494dd3e3cce3478
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-Africa-65612850
https://www.pedestrian.tv/news/kayla-unbehaun-found-netflix/
https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/farmington-new-mexico-shooting-05-16-23/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/farmington-shooting-new-mexico-beau-wilson-identified/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/17/americas/harry-meghan-car-crash-intl/index.html