By Darby Daly
Edited by Elissa D. Hecker
Entertainment
TV’s War With the Robots Is Already Here
A.I. screenwriting, a point of contention in the Writers Guild strike, may not yet be ready for prime time. However, streaming algorithms and derivative programming have prepared the way for it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/arts/television/writers-strike-artificial-intelligence.html?searchResultPosition=1
Striking Writers’ Union Denies Waiver, Imperiling Tony Awards Telecast
The Writers Guild of America indicated that it would not grant a waiver to allow a live telecast of The Tony Awards on June 11th, threatening one of Broadway’s biggest marketing moments. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/12/theater/writers-strike-tony-awards.html?searchResultPosition=1
Whose Queen? Netflix and Egypt Spar Over an African Cleopatra.
Egyptians say hat tthe influential streaming service is dragging an ancient queen into a modern, and decidedly Western, debate — about Black representation in Hollywood — in which she has no real place.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/world/middleeast/cleopatra-netflix-race-egypt.html?searchResultPosition=1
Arts
Asked to Delete References to Racism From Her Book, an Author Refused
The case, involving Scholastic, led to an outcry among authors and became an example of how the culture wars behind a surge in book banning in schools has reached publishers. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/06/books/scholastic-book-racism-maggie-tokuda-hall.html?searchResultPosition=1
After Seizures, the Met Sets a Plan to Scour Collections for Looted Art
The plan features the hiring of a four-person provenance research team that will help review the museum’s collection for works with tainted histories. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/09/arts/met-museum-looted-art.html?searchResultPosition=1
As His Nike Deal Stalls, Tom Sachs Apologizes for Workplace Culture
The artist’s former employees had said he made impossible demands. “We did not take the necessary time to professionalize our operations,” Sachs said. “I wish I had prioritized this a decade ago.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/arts/design/tom-sachs-nike-workplace.html?searchResultPosition=1
Sports
The Land Beneath This Stadium Once Was Theirs. They Want It Back.
Dodger Stadium is the home to the seven-time world champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Yet in the 1950s, the land around it belonged to families who are now seeking reparations for what they lost.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#inbox/FMfcgzGsmWvgJlPhVbktZCGQpwzvjDfk
First Came the Sports Betting Boom. Now Comes the Backlash.
In many U.S. states and across the world, regulators are cracking down on the sports gambling industry, citing harm to the public and, in some cases, to athletes. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/13/sports/online-sports-gambling-regulations.html?searchResultPosition=1
At Churchill Downs, Humans Failed the Horses Again
Despite recent efforts to make horse racing safer, seven horses died at the track in the lead-up to the Kentucky Derby. Whose fault was it?
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/07/sports/horse-racing/kentucky-derby-churchill-downs-horse-deaths.html?searchResultPosition=1
Trainer of Onetime Derby Favorite Is Disciplined in Doping Case
Forte, the Kentucky Derby favorite until he was scratched with an injury, failed a drug test last September. His trainer, Todd Pletcher, received a 10-day suspension and a $1,000 fine. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/sports/horse-racing/horse-racing-doping-kentucky-derby.html?searchResultPosition=1
Appeals Court Overturns Fraud and Conspiracy Convictions in Varsity Blues Scandal
A three-judge panel found that a lower court made crucial missteps in the trial of Gamal Abdelaziz and John Wilson, the first parents to take their chances in front of a jury. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/us/varsity-blues-convictions-college.html?searchResultPosition=1
N.F.L. Reveals Broadcast Ambitions With 2023 Schedule
Aaron Rodgers and the Jets will play the Miami Dolphins in a Black Friday game that will air on Amazon, as pro football continues its expansion of the regular-season lineup. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/sports/football/nfl-schedule-2023.html?searchResultPosition=1
The Same Work but a Lot Less Pay for Women. Welcome to Tennis in 2023
At the Italian Open, women will compete for less than half as much money as the men. Organizers say they intend to fix that, but not for two years. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/sports/tennis/women-men-prize-money.html?searchResultPosition=1
Dutch Police Arrest 154 Soccer Fans Over Antisemitic Chants
Though the Netherlands’ Jewish population is tiny, Jewish identity — and antisemitic abuse — has become entangled in the country’s soccer culture. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/07/world/europe/netherlands-ajax-antisemitism.html?searchResultPosition=1
Technology/Media
After Defamation Finding, Trump Again Says Carroll Lied
During the trial, the judge cautioned the former president about his social media posts. He was not deterred, claiming that E. Jean Carroll had invented her story. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/nyregion/trump-carroll-truth-social.html?searchResultPosition=1
E. Jean Carroll May Sue Trump a Third Time After ‘Vile’ Comments on CNN
In an interview, her lawyer said that the former president’s mocking comments in a town hall broadcast could create fresh legal jeopardy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/nyregion/e-jean-carroll-trump-defamation.html?searchResultPosition=1
Twitter Criticized for Allowing Texas Shooting Images to Spread
Graphic images of the attack went viral on the platform, which has made cuts to its moderation team. Some users said the images exposed the realities of gun violence.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/07/business/media/texas-shooting-video-twitter.html?searchResultPosition=1
When A.I. Chatbots Hallucinate
According to ChatGPT, the New York Times published an article on July 10, 1956 titled “Machines Will Be Capable of Learning, Solving Problems, Scientists Predict” about a seminal conference at Dartmouth College. Although the conference did happen, the article did not. It appears that ChatGPT will make up facts if they seem to fit the search theme.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/business/ai-chatbots-hallucination.html?searchResultPosition=2
U.S. Says It Dismantled Russia’s ‘Most Sophisticated’ Malware Network
The Justice Department said the F.B.I. had turned the structure of the Russian intelligence service’s “Snake” network for spying on computers against itself. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/09/us/politics/fbi-russia-malware.html?searchResultPosition=1
Sam Bankman-Fried, in First Detailed Defense, Seeks to Dismiss Charges
The FTX founder, who has been charged with fraud, said the crypto exchange and its law firm had been acting against him and offering only the most incriminating evidence to prosecutors. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/08/technology/sam-bankman-fried-defense.html?searchResultPosition=1
Fox’s Costs From Defamation Suit Lead to a Quarterly Net Loss
Lachlan Murdoch told investors that Fox News was planning “no change to our programming strategy” despite his decision to take Tucker Carlson off the air. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/09/business/media/fox-earnings-dominion-tucker-carlson.html?searchResultPosition=1
Prince Harry Is Suing the British Tabloids. Here’s What to Know.
Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has three ongoing lawsuits against newspapers. One of the cases went to trial this week and involves accusations of phone hacking. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/world/europe/prince-harry-uk-privacy-lawsuits.html?searchResultPosition=1
Ex-ByteDance Executive Accuses Company of ‘Lawlessness’
The former executive sued ByteDance, which owns TikTok, for wrongful termination and accused the company of lifting content from rivals and “supreme access” by the Chinese Communist Party.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/12/technology/tiktok-bytedance-lawsuit-china.html?searchResultPosition=1
Why China’s Censors Are Deleting Videos About Poverty
Xi Jinping says he has defeated poverty, but discussion of economic struggle is taboo, scrubbed from the internet and banished from the news. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/04/business/china-censorship-poverty.html?searchResultPosition=1
General News
Feinstein Returning to Senate, Bringing Democrats Back to Full Majority
The monthslong absence of the California Democrat, 89, who was hospitalized for shingles in February, threatened to deprive her party of the votes to advance President Biden’s judicial nominees.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/09/us/politics/feinstein-returns-senate.html
Covid-Era Border Policy Expires
Title 42, which was lifted, had allowed the swift removal of immigrants on public health grounds. Though holding facilities were full, border crossings remained lower than predicted. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/05/11/us/title-42-immigration
Supreme Court Throws Out Fraud Convictions in Albany Scandals
In a pair of unanimous rulings, the court sided with Joseph Percoco, a former aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, and Louis Ciminelli, a contractor in Buffalo. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/us/politics/supreme-court-fraud-albany-percoco-ciminelli.html?searchResultPosition=1
Supreme Court Upholds California Law on Humane Treatment of Pigs
The Court ruled that the measure did not violate Constitutional limits on state laws that affect conduct beyond the state’s borders.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/us/supreme-court-california-pigs.html?searchResultPosition=1
Border Is Calm as Crowds Cross and Biden Administration Fights Court Ruling
Despite the relative calm, the Biden administration faces court challenges that may undermine efforts to deal with record levels of border crossings. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/12/us/politics/title-42-expires-border-migrants.html?searchResultPosition=1
Backlogged Courts and Years of Delays Await Many Migrants
A severe shortage of immigration judges has led to long delays for asylum cases. The backlog is expected to grow now that pandemic-era border restrictions have been lifted. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/12/us/politics/immigration-courts-delays-migrants-title-42.html?searchResultPosition=1
Senate Democrats Seek Accounting of Gifts to Thomas and Other Justices
In a new letter, Democrats on the Judiciary Committee asked Harlan Crow, a billionaire with extensive ties to Justice Clarence Thomas, to provide a list of any benefits he provided to Thomas. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/09/us/politics/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-senate-democrats.html?searchResultPosition=1
F.D.A. Advisers Say Benefits of Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill Outweigh Risks
The agency is expected to decide this summer whether to allow the first nonprescription sales of an oral contraceptive in the United States.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/health/fda-otc-birth-control-pill.html?searchResultPosition=1
Trump Suggests He Knowingly Took Documents From White House
The former president, in his appearance on CNN, misstated the law governing presidential records, saying that he was allowed to take the material now at the heart of a Justice Department investigation.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/us/politics/trump-documents-white-house.html?searchResultPosition=1
F.D.A. Eases Ban on Blood Donations From Gay and Bisexual Men
The Food and Drug Administration announced that it had formally ended the agency’s wide-ranging prohibition on blood donations from gay and bisexual men, a longstanding policy that had been denounced as discriminatory.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/health/fda-blood-donations-gay-bisexual-men.html?searchResultPosition=1
When Should Women Get Regular Mammograms? At 40, U.S. Panel Now Says.
The new advice comes as breast cancer diagnoses rise among younger women and mortality rates among Black women remain persistently high. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/09/health/breast-cancer-mammograms.html?searchResultPosition=1
George Santos Is Charged With Fraud and Lying in 13-Count Indictment
The first-term congressman pleaded not guilty to charges that included accusations of fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/nyregion/george-santos-indictment-arrest.html?searchResultPosition=1
New York Is Forcing Schools to Change How They Teach Children to Read
Half of children in grades three to eight fail reading tests. The city’s schools chancellor, who has faulted the current approach, will begin rolling out new curriculums next year. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/09/nyregion/reading-nyc-schools.html?searchResultPosition=2
Florida Rejects Dozens of Social Studies Textbooks, and Forces Changes in Others
The state objected to content on topics like the Black Lives Matter movement, socialism, and why some citizens ‘take a knee’ during the national anthem.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/09/us/desantis-florida-social-studies-textbooks.html
Missouri Lawmakers Pass Bill to Ban Transition Care for Minors
In the waning days of their legislative session, Missouri lawmakers passed a bill on Wednesday that would ban transition care for transgender youth. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/us/missouri-transgender-minors-ban.html?searchResultPosition=1
Atlanta Prosecutors Drop Effort to Remove Defense Lawyer in Trump Inquiry
Georgia prosecutors investigating whether Trump and his allies violated state law as they sought to overturn his 2020 election loss there are no longer seeking to disqualify a lawyer representing a group of Republicans who cast bogus Electoral College votes for Trump.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/us/georgia-trump-fani-willis-investigation.html?searchResultPosition=1
New York City Is Set to Ban Weight Discrimination
The City Council approved a bill to include weight on a list of characteristics protected against discrimination, offering protections in employment and housing. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/nyregion/weight-discrimination-nyc.html?searchResultPosition=1
Ecuador Strikes a Landmark Deal to Protect the Galápagos, and Save Cash
Ecuador announced a record-setting deal designed to reduce its debt burden and free up hundreds of millions of dollars to fund marine conservation around the Galápagos Islands, an archipelago of unique biodiversity that is famous for inspiring Darwin’s theory of evolution. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/09/climate/galapagos-ecuador-debt-nature.html?searchResultPosition=1