Israel's reign of terror over the West Bank
Israel's reign of terror over the West Bank
Deadly shootings by the army, beatings by settlers, devastating raids, arbitrary arrests, torture in prison: The level of violence inflicted on Palestinians living in the territory has never been so high since the Israeli occupation began in 1967.Luc Bronner (Le Monde)
OpenAI's house of cards seems primed to collapse
OpenAI's house of cards seems primed to collapse
OpenAI is in a far less commanding position than it was following the public release of ChatGPT a few short years ago.Igor Bonifacic (Engadget)
Iceland joins boycott of Eurovision 2026 in protest at Israel’s involvement
Iceland to join boycott of Eurovision in protest at Israel’s involvement
Iceland joins four other nations in a boycott, after the organiser declined to hold a vote over Israel’s involvement.Al Jazeera
Haiyang district heating network expanded, with Rongcheng becoming the third city in China's Shandong Province to receive district heating from the Haiyang nuclear power plant's AP1000 reactors
Haiyang district heating network expanded
Rongcheng has become the third city in China's Shandong Province to receive district heating from the Haiyang nuclear power plant, State Power Investment Corporation announced. ;World Nuclear News
Ms Rachel forced to hire security over Zionist threats
Ms Rachel forced to hire security over Zionist threats - Canary
Ms Rachel had to hire security after a Zionist-led smear campaign unleashed threats against her family — it's Ms Rachel damn it!!Skwawkbox (The Canary)
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‘Not normal’: Climate crisis supercharged deadly monsoon floods in Asia | Cyclones like those in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia that killed 1,750 are ‘alarming new reality’
‘Not normal’: Climate crisis supercharged deadly monsoon floods in Asia
Cyclones like those in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia that killed 1,750 are ‘alarming new reality’Damian Carrington (The Guardian)
Portugal's largest Labour Union Federations call for General Strike on the 11th of December
Labor law? CGTP calls for adherence to the general strike as a "sign of rejection" - PPulse
The government is "attempting to take away the right to a stable, dignified life with future prospects," Tiago Oliveira stated to journalists after a visit toAdmin Moderator (Portugal Pulse - News and community)
'I love an underdog': Trump-Zohran Mamdani voters are at the center of an unexpected relationship
The Oval Office meeting between Mamdani and Trump last month turned heads, with some observers stunned at what a warm reception the right-wing Republican president gave to the democratic socialist mayor-to-be. But in New York City, this wasn't so surprising to Rodriguez. And he wasn't alone.
NBC News exit polling from the November vote showed 9% of 2024 Trump voters who showed up at the polls backed Mamdani, a phenomenon highlighted by one voter's "MAGA for Mamdani" T-shirt that went viral in the run-up to Election Day. Trump himself was fascinated by the development, citing the statistic to reporters following his meeting with Mamdani.
"A lot of my voters actually voted for" Mamdani, Trump said. "One in 10, and I'm OK with that."
Mamdani and his allies see their success winning over a segment of Trump voters as a sign of how other Democrats can win back parts of the electorate that spurned the party for Trump in 2024, including young men and immigrants who felt the party was unresponsive to their needs. But Republicans who spoke to NBC News said that while they were surprised by both the number of Trump-Mamdani voters and the congeniality of the president's meeting with the mayor-elect, they did not feel as if Mamdani unlocked a road map to reconfigure the electorate.
Live updates: Supreme Court hears arguments on Trump tariff case
Get live updates and the latest news NYC mayor, N.J., Va. elections notch Democrat wins and government shutdown becomes longest ever.NBC News
NASA loses contact with MAVEN Mars orbiter
NASA loses contact with MAVEN Mars orbiter
: Didn’t phone home as expected on December 6th and nobody knows whySimon Sharwood (The Register)
Bison at 35 below zero. Yellowstone National Park, USA. Photo by Tom Murphy.
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The following articles a couple years old but still
..
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
Parts of the US are getting dangerously hot. Yet Americans are moving the wrong wayThe Census Bureau’s new map of the last decade’s population trends shows big growth in the west and on the coasts – and declines in the inland east coast and Great Lakes region.
Now compare that map to ProPublica maps documenting the areas most at risk of extreme heat, wildfires and flooding, and you see the problem. While there has been some recent anecdotal evidence of pragmatic climate migration, overall the census data shows America’s population growth is shifting out of areas that may be the best refuges from the most extreme effects of climate change, and into many areas that are most at risk.
Some of the examples are genuinely mind-boggling. For instance, upstate New York is considered one of the country’s most insulated regions in the climate crisis – and yet almost all of upstate New York saw population either nearly flat or declining. At the same time, there were big population increases in and around the Texas Gulf coast, which is threatened by extreme heat and coastal flooding.
I take issue with the mind boggling quip, this level of stupid is after all why we're in this mess.
They want to pretend that nothing must fundamentally change – even though we’re already seeing that everything is changing faster than ever.
Parts of the US are getting dangerously hot. Yet Americans are moving the wrong way
As the climate changes, census data shows that Americans are shifting from safer areas of the US to the regions most at risk of heating and floodingDavid Sirota (The Guardian)
US demands access to tourists' social media histories
US demands access to tourists' social media histories
The Trump administration wants to force foreign visitors to give border agents access to their social media accounts before they are allowed into the country. The proposal applies to all visa-free travelers.Jon Shelton (Deutsche Welle)
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European Union and Canada strengthen their digital partnership with a focus on artificial intelligence, digital identity wallets and independent media
European Union and Canada strengthen their digital partnership with a focus on artificial intelligence, digital identity wallets and independent media
The EU and Canada reinforced their cooperation and reaffirmed shared interests to boost competitiveness, innovation and economic resilience during the first Digital Partnership Council held today in Montreal, Canada.European Commission - European Commission
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Israel Used Palantir in Lebanon’s Pager Attack and Gaza Genocide: New Book
Israel Used Palantir in Lebanon’s Pager Attack and Gaza Genocide: New Book
In the September 17-18, 2024 attacks on Lebanon, Israel detonated thousands of handheld pagers and walkie-talkies in public places, killing dozens including women and children and injuring nearly 3,00...Quds News Network
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No wonder the CEO/President/Whatever that guy does is going all in on legalizing war crimes.
Apparently he has committed some.
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Europe’s world-first carbon tariff is coming. Here’s what to know.
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is part of a broader effort to decarbonize heavy industries in Europe and globally. It takes full effect Jan. 1.
Europe’s world-first carbon tariff is coming. Here’s what to know.
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is part of a broader effort to decarbonize heavy industries in Europe and globally. It takes full effect Jan.…Canary Media
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Terrain Diffusion: A Diffusion-Based Successor to Perlin Noise in Infinite, Real-Time Terrain Generation
Terrain Diffusion: A Diffusion-Based Successor to Perlin Noise in Infinite, Real-Time Terrain Generation
For decades, procedural worlds have been built on procedural noise functions such as Perlin noise, which are fast and infinite, yet fundamentally limited in realism and large-scale coherence.arXiv.org
Trump Escalates in Venezuela With 'Illegal' US Seizure of Oil Tanker
US military seizes oil tanker off Venezuela coast, escalating tensions. Trump boasts about "largest one ever seized."
Archived version: archive.is/newest/commondreams…
Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.
Trump Escalates in Venezuela With 'Illegal' US Seizure of Oil Tanker
“Millions of civilians will be at risk if the economy deteriorates and tensions rise," warned one anti-war group.brad-reed (Common Dreams)
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The rise of the electrostate: By dominating clean energy, China is leading on climate action
Ember’s analysis of China’s energy transition shows the country has reached a critical point where it can supply the whole world’s needs for clean energy, not just its own. The country’s solar manufacturing capacity is 65 per cent higher than what’s required — globally — in the International Energy Agency’s net-zero roadmap.That means that China has the capacity to manufacture and supply enough solar panels for the world to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Two-thirds of emerging countries have now overtaken the U.S. in terms of the proportion of solar energy in their total power generation, according to Ember. That includes places like South Africa, Vietnam, Pakistan, Chile and many more.
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Calibri font becomes the latest DEI target as Rubio orders return to Times New Roman
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered diplomatic correspondence to stop using the Calibri font and return to the more traditional Times New Roman effective Wednesday, reversing a Biden administration shift to the less formal typeface that he called wasteful, confusing and unbefitting the dignity of U.S. government documents.
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ICE is using smartwatches to track pregnant women, even during labor: ‘She was so afraid they would take her baby’
ICE is using smartwatches to track pregnant women, even during labor: ‘She was so afraid they would take her baby’
Pregnant immigrants in ICE monitoring programs are avoiding care, fearing detention during labour and deliveryJohana Bhuiyan (The Guardian)
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Congressman Shri Thanedar Introduces Articles of Impeachment Against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
Congressman Shri Thanedar Introduces Articles of Impeachment Against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth | U.S. Congressman Shri Thanedar
The Official U.S. Congressional website of Congressman Shri Thanedarthanedar.house.gov
Youth Climate Activists Ask Montana Court to Block Some New Laws
The young plaintiffs, who won a major case over climate change policy in 2023, argue that legislators are illegally ignoring the effects of fossil fuels.
Calibri font becomes the latest DEI target as Rubio orders return to Times New Roman
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered diplomatic correspondence to stop using the Calibri font and return to the more traditional Times New Roman effective Wednesday, reversing a Biden administration shift to the less formal typeface that he called wasteful, confusing and unbefitting the dignity of U.S. government documents.
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ICE is using smartwatches to track pregnant women, even during labor: ‘She was so afraid they would take her baby’
ICE is using smartwatches to track pregnant women, even during labor: ‘She was so afraid they would take her baby’
Pregnant immigrants in ICE monitoring programs are avoiding care, fearing detention during labour and deliveryJohana Bhuiyan (The Guardian)
Massie introduces bill to pull America out of NATO
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Wednesday introduced a bill that would pull the United States out of the NATO alliance.Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said she would co-sponsor the bill, while Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has introduced companion legislation in the upper chamber.
“NATO is a Cold War relic. We should withdraw from NATO and use that money to defend our own country, not socialist countries,” Massie said in a statement.
“NATO was created to counter the Soviet Union, which collapsed over thirty years ago. Since then, U.S. participation has cost taxpayers trillions of dollars and continues to risk U.S. involvement in foreign wars,” he added.
Russian asset does Russian asset things.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5642964-massie-introduces-nato-withdrawal-bill/
Golpistas capturam a política e as leis do Brasil. Lula vê "desavença"
- YouTube
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.www.youtube.com
Hakeem Jeffries Pilloried for Putting Pro-Industry Democrats on AI Policy Task Force, Despite Voter Distrust of Big Tech
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1280…
At a time when the American public, and especially Democratic voters, express overwhelming distrust of artificial intelligence and Big Tech, the top House Democrat is being accused of failing to meet the moment.
On Tuesday, in preparation for an executive order to be signed this week by President Donald Trump, which would seek to block states from implementing new AI regulations, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) unveiled his own effort to cozy up to the industry, whose major players have set aside more than $200 million to push out anti-AI politicians during the 2026 midterms, according to the New York Times.
Jeffries announced the creation of a “House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy,” which will “develop policy expertise in partnership with the innovation community, relevant stakeholders, and committees of jurisdiction.”
What immediately caught the eye of critics was the list of fellow Democrats Jeffries picked to serve on the commission. It will be co-chaired by Reps. Ted Lieu (Calif.), Josh Gottheimer (NJ), and Valerie Foushee (NC), with Reps. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.) and Frank Pallone (NJ) serving as ex officio co-chairs.
As Sludge reported Tuesday: "The panel’s leaders rank among the House Democrats with the deepest ties to Big Tech and AI, from holding millions of dollars in tech stock to the contributions they’ve raised for their campaigns and the Republican-backed deregulation bills they've signed onto."
In July, Gottheimer introduced a bill along with Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) "that would require financial regulators to create 'AI Innovation Labs' where firms could experiment with AI-driven financial products under looser regulations and without the normal threats of enforcement actions."
Gottheimer is also a major stakeholder in Microsoft, which has invested tens of millions of dollars into AI and nearly $7.5 million on lobbying in 2025 so far. Beyond the almost $100,000 in contributions Gottheimer has received from Microsoft, he is also a former executive who received anywhere from $1 million to $5 million last year from his stock holdings in the company, according to financial disclosure forms. He also frequently trades in other AI power players like Amazon, Meta, and Dell.
Lofgren, meanwhile, has accepted more money from the Internet industry over the course of her career than all but one other current House Democrat—including $265,000 from Google, $115,000 from Apple, and $110,000 from Meta, according to data from OpenSecrets.
In September 2024, Lofgren co-sponsored a bill introduced by Rep. Jay Abernolte (R-Calif.) which "would create a federal 'center for AI advancement and reliability' that it would instruct to work closely with private companies and other stakeholders on developing 'voluntary best practices and technical standards for evaluating the reliability, robustness, resilience, security, and safety of artificial intelligence systems.'"
Foushee, a member of the corporate-backed New Democrat Coalition, rode to Congress in 2022 with more than $1 million from the Protect Our Future political action committee, which was backed by former FTX CEO and convicted fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried.
In response to Trump's industry-friendly "AI Action Plan" in July, Foushee and the New Democrats unveiled their own "Innovation Agenda," which called for federal tax credits to companies that "reskill" workers and perform private research and development as well as federal investments in apprenticeships and "labor market data modernization."
Jeffries has neglected to take a position on Trump's proposal to preempt state regulations. Last Monday, he told reporters, "That conversation hasn't been brought to the leadership level yet."
In his statement announcing the Democratic commission on Tuesday, Jeffries said, "It is important that American companies continue to thrive" in the arena of AI, while "at the same time, Congress must consider what policies are needed to prevent bad actors from exploiting this transformative technology and inflicting harm upon the American people." However, he did not specifically mention Trump's pending block on state regulations.
— (@)A poll released Friday by the progressive group Demand Progress showed that Americans across the political spectrum are unsettled by AI's influence in Washington: 68% of respondents overall said they were more worried that "the US government will not regulate artificial intelligence enough," as opposed to just 21% who feared too much regulation. While Democrats and independents were somewhat more concerned about underregulation at 71%, Republicans largely shared those fears, with 62% saying they feared the government would not regulate AI enough.
The consensus was even stronger regarding Big Tech's power over AI policy, with 78% of respondents overall saying it had too much influence. This included 81% of Democrats and independents and 74% of Republicans.
With this in mind, many critics were puzzled by Jeffries' decision to stack his AI commission with some of the industry's top allies.
— (@)As Aaron Regunberg wrote in the New Republic last month, harnessing anger against the rapid, largely unregulated expansion of expensive, energy-sucking AI data centers was an essential part of Democrats' victories across the board in November's off-year elections:
In New Jersey, Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s closing argument was a pledge to freeze electricity rates, which have soared because of data-center demand.In Virginia, Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger won after pledging to make data centers “pay their own way,” and many Democrats went even further.
At least one candidate, John McAuliff, flipped a seat in the House of Delegates by focusing on tying his Republican opponent to the “unchecked growth” of data centers, with an ad that asked, “Do you want more of these in your backyard?”
And in Georgia, Democrats won their first nonfederal statewide races in decades, earning 60% of the vote against two Republican members of the Public Service Commission by criticizing Big Tech “sweetheart deals” and campaigning for policies “to ensure that the communities that they’re extracting from” don’t end up with their “water supplies … tapped out or their energy … maxed out.”
"This is the most populist moment of voter rage I've ever seen, and the leading Democrats are absolutely hostile to the idea of doing anything to address Silicon Valley's massive power," said Matt Stoller, an anti-monopoly expert.
"Anticorruption is one of the strongest arguments with the broadest appeal in American politics right now, but the Democratic leadership simply refuses to stop tanking it," added Matt Duss, a former advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
"I have never seen a gulf this wide between Democratic leadership and the party writ large," said author Zachary D. Carter. "The top is corrupt, the base is raging against corruption."
From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.
Ga. rate panel election focuses on power bills, data centers
Two seats are up for grabs on the Georgia Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities and decides whether power bills increase.Staff (WRDW-TV/WAGT-TV)
Lemkin Institute Rebukes Clinton for Blaming Youth Outrage Over Gaza Genocide on TikTok
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1281…
The world's leading genocide prevention group this week accused former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of "outright genocide denial" for comments last week attributing young Americans' opposition to Israel's US-backed genocide in Gaza on social media.
Speaking last week at the Israel Hayom Summit in New York, Clinton asserted that young people's support for Palestine stems from the fact that they are "getting their information from social media, particularly TikTok," adding that many younger Jewish Americans “don’t know the history and don’t understand" the Israel-Palestine issue.
On Monday, the Philadelphia-based Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security—named for Raphael Lemkin, a lawyer and Holocaust survivor who coined the term genocide—published a statement arguing that "Secretary Clinton’s framing is not at all an accurate reflection of why Americans are growing more critical of Israel."
"Young Americans of all political stripes have not fallen prey to propaganda, though that is always a legitimate concern," the institute said. "Rather, they have consumed two years of videos depicting Israel’s genocide against Palestinians that have been uploaded by Palestinian journalists, ordinary people trying to survive in Gaza, [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers, and ordinary Israelis themselves."
"There has been no convincing refutation of the sheer amount of raw evidence of genocide coming out of Palestine," the institute contended. "Young people in the US are not stupid or gullible. They simply reject genocide—something the secretary might consider doing as well."
Wow: Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention (named for Holocaust survivor Raphael Lemkin, who coined term "genocide") calls Clinton's remarks "genocide denial.""Young people in the US are not stupid or gullible. They simply reject genocide – something the Secretary might consider doing as well."[image or embed]
— Prem Thakker ツ (@premthakker.bsky.social) December 9, 2025 at 11:15 AMLIGP continued:
Secretary Clinton appears not to be bothered by the reality of genocidal violence—in fact, she did not mention anything about it. Her concern is, rather, in her words, “the narrative”—the fact that these crimes are no longer hidden and are now being livestreamed and documented in real time, making it harder for her and others to control it. TikTok cannot be blamed for the fact that many members of Gen Z understand that Israel is committing genocide, since so many other people, including those who never look at TikTok, also hold that view. Apart from the Lemkin Institute, the vast majority of large, mainstream human rights organizations, the [United Nations], and many scholars as well as international legal bodies have denounced Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. Many carefully researched reports by international organizations have established that Israel’s crimes meet the international legal threshold for genocide. We encourage the former secretary to read them."The Lemkin Institute continues to support students and young people worldwide for having the courage to stand up for their convictions, to speak truth to power, and to fight against the scourge of genocide in Palestine and elsewhere," LIGP added. "Secretary Clinton’s remarks are not only inaccurate—they are also a shameful example of the lengths to which people complicit in genocide will go to to deny its existence."
The institute's rebuke of Clinton's comments came as the International Court of Justice in The Hague adjudicates a genocide case against Israel filed by South Africa and supported by around two dozen nations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant—who ordered the "complete siege" of Gaza that fueled famine and disease—are also wanted by the International Criminal Court, also located in the The Hague, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder and forced starvation.
Lemkin's denunciation also comes amid a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, a truce Israeli forces have broken more than 500 times, according to officials in the Palestinian exclave. Israeli officials say Palestinian resistance fighters have violated the ceasefire more than 30 times.
Since the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023, Israel's annihilation and siege of Gaza have left more than 250,000 Palestinians dead, maimed, or missing and around 2 million more forcibly displaced, starved, or sickened. Israeli military data suggests that of the the more than 70,000 Palestinian deaths, over 8 in 10 were civilians.
Through it all, the United States has backed Israel with more than $21 billion worth of weaponry and diplomatic support including repeatedly vetoing United Nations Security Council ceasefire resolutions.
From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.
US Wields 'Hand of Genocide' by Vetoing Yet Another UN Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution
"This latest shameful U.S. veto—one in a long list—gives Israel the green light to continue its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza," said the head of Amnesty International.brett-wilkins (Common Dreams)
Israeli plot to assassinate Marwan Barghouti sparks international outcry
cross-posted from: hexbear.net/post/6989649
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1252…
The struggle of veteran freedom fighter, and prominent leader of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement, Marwan Barghouti, came back to the fore this week after his family had received an anonymous “intimidating” call, claiming that he was subjected to systematic brutal torture and abuse by his jailors.Barghouti’s son, Qassam, wrote in a Facebook post on Friday, December 5:
“I woke up this morning to a phone call from a released prisoner, who told me: your father was physically destroyed; they broke his teeth, kept beating him, cut off part of his ear, and broke his fingers just for fun.”
“What should I do? Who should I talk to? To whom should we turn? We are living with this nightmare daily… Oh God, have mercy. My father is now 66 years old. Oh God, where do we find the strength?” Qassam added.
Barghouti’s son clarified in another post hours later that he and his family were not able to reach out to the unnamed freed prisoner, who informed them about his father’s condition:
“We are still trying to reach the released prisoner who contacted me this morning, but we have not yet been able to. We have contacted all possible official and legal authorities to help us obtain any information, but we have not been able to do so either. I apologize for causing concern to many of my loved ones due to my emotional reaction to the call. I hope my father and all the prisoners are well; that is all that matters to us.”
Israel is seemingly trying to end Barghouti’s life
The incident was perceived by many as an attempt to end Marwan Barghouti’s life, especially after the Trump administration had brought forward a proposal in October, suggesting the release of the consensual Palestinian political leader, so he would rule post-war Gaza.The proposal had already provoked the ire of Israeli officials, above all Israel’s Minister for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has unleashed an unprecedented crackdown against the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement since January 2023.
Even before the US government put forward the suggestion, Ben-Gvir had intentionally targeted Barghouti, in particular, by releasing a video, showing him threatening the iconic Palestinian national figure inside his jail in August.
Barghouti’s condition sparked an international outcry
In response to the new development regarding Marwan Barghouti’s condition in Israeli prison, more than 200 public figures from different nationalities over the globe joined an international campaign calling for his release.“We express our grave concern at the continuing imprisonment of Marwan Barghouti, his violent mistreatment and denial of legal rights whilst imprisoned. We call upon the United Nations and the Governments of the World to actively seek the release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison,” the statement reads.
The post Israeli plot to assassinate Marwan Barghouti sparks international outcry appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.
From Peoples Dispatch via This RSS Feed.
Palestinian groups express ‘grave concerns’ over Marwan Barghouti’s safety
Palestinians express alarm following ‘intimidating’ call to family of imprisoned leader alleging new abuse.Lyndal Rowlands (Al Jazeera)
Report Exposes Instacart's Hidden AI Price Experiments That Could Cost Families $1,200 Per Year
cross-posted from: hexbear.net/post/6989654
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1253…
Consumer advocates on Tuesday called on the Federal Trade Commission and state officials to investigate artificial intelligence-enabled pricing experiments used by Instacart, the grocery shopping app millions of Americans rely on, that charge up to 23% more for some shoppers than others when they buy the same item at the same store.
Consumer Reports joined the advocacy group Groundwork Collaborative and the labor-focused media organization More Perfect Union to uncover Instacart's pricing experiments enabled by Eversight, an AI pricing software that Instacart acquired in 2022. The company's CEO said last year that the experiments have helped the company “to really figure out which categories of products our customers [are] more price sensitive on"—in other words, to tailor prices based on a customer's shopping habits, whether they're near a competing store, and other factors.
The groups' study, Same Cart, Different Price, describes how researchers ran five tests with 437 participants, studying the prices of a basket of items bought at two Target stores and three Safeway stores using Instacart.
In one test at a Safeway in Washington, DC, shoppers logged on to the app to buy a carton of eggs from the same brand at the same time and found that the price they were given varied widely. Some shoppers were charged just $3.99 for the eggs, while others saw a price as high as $4.79—20% higher.
Shoppers at a Safeway in Seattle saw a 23% difference in prices for Skippy peanut butter, Oscar Mayer turkey, and Wheat Thins crackers. At two different Safeways in Washington, DC, Instacart quoted shoppers at one store a price that was 23% higher than at another for Signature Select Corn Flakes.
"It’s time for Instacart to close the lab. Americans shopping for groceries aren’t guinea pigs and shouldn't have to pay an Instacart tax.”
For the same basket of groceries, shoppers at the Seattle store were asked to pay as much as $123.93, while others were charged just $114.34.
"The average price variations observed in the study could cost a household of four about $1,200 per year," said Groundwork.
Justin Brookman, director of tech policy at Consumer Reports, said Instacart's tactics "hurt families who are simply trying to purchase essential groceries."
"At a time when everyday Americans are struggling with high prices, it is particularly egregious to see corporations secretly conducting individual experiments to see how much a person is willing to pay," said Brookman. "Companies must be transparent and upfront with people about pricing, so that they can make informed choices and keep more of their hard-earned money. We encourage the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to investigate Instacart’s pricing tactics."
Groundwork noted that Instcart's website acknowledges that it runs price tests, but states that "shoppers are not aware that they’re in an experiment" and are having their grocery prices selected for them via algorithm.
While Instacart has claimed its price experiments are "negligible," the groups emphasized that they're being used "against the backdrop of the fastest increase in food prices since the late 1970s."
After previous reporting on companies' use of "shrinkflation," "dynamic pricing," and other practices that keep prices high even as pandemic-era labor and supply chain issues have subsided, "today’s report shows Instacart’s experiments are yet another way corporate pricing tactics are squeezing American families," said Groundwork.
The study did not find evidence that Instacart is giving shoppers different prices based on their ZIP code or income, as companies like Amazon, Delta Air Lines, and Home Deport have been accused of doing.
But the groups said Eversight gives the company the capability to use that data to make pricing decisions tailored to particular shoppers.
“Instacart is quietly running pricing experiments on millions of shoppers during the worst grocery affordability crisis in a generation, and it’s costing households as much as $1,200 a year,” said Groundwork Collaborative executive director Lindsay Owens. “They have turned the simple act of buying groceries into a high-tech game of pricing roulette. When the same box of Wheat Thins can jump 23% in price because of an algorithm, that’s not innovation or convenience, it’s unfair. It’s time for Instacart to close the lab. Americans shopping for groceries aren’t guinea pigs and shouldn't have to pay an Instacart tax.”
The groups credited some state and federal lawmakers who have begun to take notice of pricing practices like Instacart's; US Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) introduced the Stop AI Price Gouging and Wage Fixing Act in July with the aim of prohibiting the use of automated systems to set prices. New York has enacted the first-of-its-kind Algorithmic Pricing Disclosure Act, which requires companies to prominently disclose to customers, "This price was set by an algorithm using your personal data" when they use methods like Instacart's. Other state legislation has been introduced in Colorado, California, and Pennsylvania to ban the use of surveillance to set prices.
The groups called on the FTC to take action under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which bans "unfair methods of competition." Those could include “'price discrimination not justified by differences in cost or distribution,' which appears to match Instacart’s pricing experiments and fluctuations," the report reads.
The FTC could also bring enforcement cases or initiate rulemaking to officially label AI-enabled pricing strategies as an "unfair or deceptive practice," affirming that companies who use them are breaking a consumer protection standard.
"Fair and honest markets are the bedrock of a healthy economy," reads Tuesday's report. "Companies like Instacart offer great convenience, but they are increasingly pursuing corporate pricing practices that unfairly decouple the price of a product from its true cost. As more consumers learn about, and decry, these practices, perhaps companies will change course. But if they do not, policymakers should intervene and require them to change their practices."
From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.
Report Exposes Instacart's Hidden AI Price Experiments That Could Cost Families $1,200 Per Year
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1253…Consumer advocates on Tuesday called on the Federal Trade Commission and state officials to investigate artificial intelligence-enabled pricing experiments used by Instacart, the grocery shopping app millions of Americans rely on, that charge up to 23% more for some shoppers than others when they buy the same item at the same store.
Consumer Reports joined the advocacy group Groundwork Collaborative and the labor-focused media organization More Perfect Union to uncover Instacart's pricing experiments enabled by Eversight, an AI pricing software that Instacart acquired in 2022. The company's CEO said last year that the experiments have helped the company “to really figure out which categories of products our customers [are] more price sensitive on"—in other words, to tailor prices based on a customer's shopping habits, whether they're near a competing store, and other factors.
The groups' study, Same Cart, Different Price, describes how researchers ran five tests with 437 participants, studying the prices of a basket of items bought at two Target stores and three Safeway stores using Instacart.
In one test at a Safeway in Washington, DC, shoppers logged on to the app to buy a carton of eggs from the same brand at the same time and found that the price they were given varied widely. Some shoppers were charged just $3.99 for the eggs, while others saw a price as high as $4.79—20% higher.
Shoppers at a Safeway in Seattle saw a 23% difference in prices for Skippy peanut butter, Oscar Mayer turkey, and Wheat Thins crackers. At two different Safeways in Washington, DC, Instacart quoted shoppers at one store a price that was 23% higher than at another for Signature Select Corn Flakes.
"It’s time for Instacart to close the lab. Americans shopping for groceries aren’t guinea pigs and shouldn't have to pay an Instacart tax.”
For the same basket of groceries, shoppers at the Seattle store were asked to pay as much as $123.93, while others were charged just $114.34.
"The average price variations observed in the study could cost a household of four about $1,200 per year," said Groundwork.
Justin Brookman, director of tech policy at Consumer Reports, said Instacart's tactics "hurt families who are simply trying to purchase essential groceries."
"At a time when everyday Americans are struggling with high prices, it is particularly egregious to see corporations secretly conducting individual experiments to see how much a person is willing to pay," said Brookman. "Companies must be transparent and upfront with people about pricing, so that they can make informed choices and keep more of their hard-earned money. We encourage the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to investigate Instacart’s pricing tactics."
Groundwork noted that Instcart's website acknowledges that it runs price tests, but states that "shoppers are not aware that they’re in an experiment" and are having their grocery prices selected for them via algorithm.
While Instacart has claimed its price experiments are "negligible," the groups emphasized that they're being used "against the backdrop of the fastest increase in food prices since the late 1970s."
After previous reporting on companies' use of "shrinkflation," "dynamic pricing," and other practices that keep prices high even as pandemic-era labor and supply chain issues have subsided, "today’s report shows Instacart’s experiments are yet another way corporate pricing tactics are squeezing American families," said Groundwork.
The study did not find evidence that Instacart is giving shoppers different prices based on their ZIP code or income, as companies like Amazon, Delta Air Lines, and Home Deport have been accused of doing.
But the groups said Eversight gives the company the capability to use that data to make pricing decisions tailored to particular shoppers.
“Instacart is quietly running pricing experiments on millions of shoppers during the worst grocery affordability crisis in a generation, and it’s costing households as much as $1,200 a year,” said Groundwork Collaborative executive director Lindsay Owens. “They have turned the simple act of buying groceries into a high-tech game of pricing roulette. When the same box of Wheat Thins can jump 23% in price because of an algorithm, that’s not innovation or convenience, it’s unfair. It’s time for Instacart to close the lab. Americans shopping for groceries aren’t guinea pigs and shouldn't have to pay an Instacart tax.”
The groups credited some state and federal lawmakers who have begun to take notice of pricing practices like Instacart's; US Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) introduced the Stop AI Price Gouging and Wage Fixing Act in July with the aim of prohibiting the use of automated systems to set prices. New York has enacted the first-of-its-kind Algorithmic Pricing Disclosure Act, which requires companies to prominently disclose to customers, "This price was set by an algorithm using your personal data" when they use methods like Instacart's. Other state legislation has been introduced in Colorado, California, and Pennsylvania to ban the use of surveillance to set prices.
The groups called on the FTC to take action under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which bans "unfair methods of competition." Those could include “'price discrimination not justified by differences in cost or distribution,' which appears to match Instacart’s pricing experiments and fluctuations," the report reads.
The FTC could also bring enforcement cases or initiate rulemaking to officially label AI-enabled pricing strategies as an "unfair or deceptive practice," affirming that companies who use them are breaking a consumer protection standard.
"Fair and honest markets are the bedrock of a healthy economy," reads Tuesday's report. "Companies like Instacart offer great convenience, but they are increasingly pursuing corporate pricing practices that unfairly decouple the price of a product from its true cost. As more consumers learn about, and decry, these practices, perhaps companies will change course. But if they do not, policymakers should intervene and require them to change their practices."
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