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What to Do About the Junkification of the Internet

What to Do About the Junkification of the InternetEarlier this year, sexually explicit images of Taylor Swift were shared repeatedly X. The pictures were almost certainly created with generative-AI tools, demonstrating the ease with which the technology can be put to nefarious ends. This case mirrors many other apparently similar examples, including fake images depicting the arrest of former President Donald Trump, AI-generated images of Black voters who support Trump, and fabricated images of Dr. Anthony Fauci.There is a tendency for media coverage to focus on the source of this imagery, because generative AI is a novel technology that many people are still trying to wrap their head around. But that fact obscures the reason the images are relevant: They spread on social-media networks.Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, and Google Search determine how billions of people experience the internet every day. This fact has not changed in the generative-AI era….


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Takeaways from the predictable Russian election that gave Putin another 6 years in power

Takeaways from the predictable Russian election that gave Putin another 6 years in powerTALLINN, Estonia (AP) — To no one’s surprise, President Vladimir Putin secured another six years in power in a preordained election landslide that comes amid the harshest crackdown on the opposition and free speech since Soviet times.The three days of balloting, in which Putin faced three token contenders but none offering voters any real choice, went ahead with barely any independent monitoring and were marked by a level of pressure unseen in previous Russian elections. That left little room for protests, but some Russians still tried to defy authorities.RUSSIA TO CREATE ‘BUFFER ZONE’ IN UKRAINE TO DETER UKRAINIAN ATTACKSSome key takeaways from the election:PUTIN WAS IN FULL CONTROL OF THE ELECTIONThe Central Election Commission said Putin received 87.28% of the vote, the highest number for any president in post-Soviet Russia. It said turnout was 77.44% of the…


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How Did the South Carolina Primary Become Such a Snoozer?

How Did the South Carolina Primary Become Such a Snoozer?CAMDEN, South Carolina — To the list of proud American political traditions to which Donald Trump has laid waste, add that of the South Carolina primary. Over its colorful history, South Carolina presidential plebiscite has been many things — dirty, decisive and, most recently for Joe Biden, rejuvenating. But it had never been sleepy. Until now. Nikki Haley has run a conventional campaign against the most thoroughly unconventional candidate of our times. Trump has done, and even this may be charitable, the bare minimum of campaigning in the state this month. And the national press corps has largely checked out of the race, concluding after two Trump victories that the outcome is pre-ordained so why bother building a pricey set and deploying anchors as they did for past showdowns here. At a glance, the somnolence is remarkable. Here’s the long-anticipated, two-person race…


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Opinion | I’m a Republican Strategist. Biden’s Age Won’t Doom Him.

Opinion | I’m a Republican Strategist. Biden’s Age Won’t Doom Him.Many Republicans seem to think zeroing in on President Joe Biden’s age is the easy path to victory in November. House GOP lawmakers quickly announced a hearing with Special Counsel Robert Hur, where they are sure to highlight his report characterizing the president as an “elderly man with a poor memory.” But Republicans are making a big mistake if they think voters will not reelect a geriatric politician. As a Republican strategist who has bluntly tried to make the case for generational change against an opposing presidential candidate, I can tell you it doesn’t really work. Democrats are concerned about fallout from the Hur report, but as I learned the hard way, there is very little evidence that voters actually care about political leaders’ ages. The record is clear, albeit depressing: One is hard pressed to identify a single president,…


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Trump Repeats Obama’s Mistake

Trump Repeats Obama’s MistakeDonald Trump has long detested Barack Obama and sought to present himself as the opposite of his presidential predecessor in every way. But in his takeover of the Republican National Committee, he risks echoing one of Obama’s biggest political mistakes.Last night, Trump’s handpicked leadership of the RNC took charge and conducted a purge. The new regime, led by the new chair, Michael Whatley; the vice chair, Lara Trump; and the chief of staff, Chris LaCivita, fired about 60 employees—about a quarter of the staff—as part of “streamlining.” The “bloodbath” includes members of the communications, data, and political departments. Insiders told Politico they anticipate that existing contracts with vendors will be voided.When the new leaders were announced last month, I suggested that the GOP was ceasing to function as a political party, and becoming another subsidiary of Trump Inc. But there is another way to view it. For…


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The Dangerous Confusion of No Labels

The Dangerous Confusion of No Labels“We are in this to win it,” No Labels’ chief strategist, Ryan Clancy, told me one morning earlier this month. Clancy and 16 other representatives of the beleaguered centrist group were staring at me through their respective Zoom boxes during a private briefing, electoral maps and polling data at the ready, all in defense of their quest to alter the course of the 2024 presidential campaign.He continued: “And that’s a function not only of having a ticket eventually that can accumulate electoral votes—”That’s when Nancy Jacobson, the group’s CEO and founder, interjected.“But I just want to clarify, this organization is not in it to win it,” Jacobson said, a truly unusual statement for a political operative.“This organization is in it to give people a choice.”In the coming weeks, No Labels seems poised to intervene in the presidential race with a “unity ticket”—ideally one Republican and…


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