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Chinese ‘spy’ scandal isn’t Prince Andrew’s fault, source suggests
Check out a full Iowa scouting report that examines the Hawkeyes' offensive and defensive statistics and more ahead of their game against Nebraska. * * * Record: 7-4 Offensive yards per play: 5.7 (73rd nationally) Defensive yards per play: 5.0 (34th) Turnover margin: +11 (T-8th) Penalty yards per game: 29.7 (3rd) New Big Ten, same Iowa. The Hawkeyes have continued to play solid football in Kirk Ferentz's 26th season at the helm, hanging their hat on playing defense and running the football. They lost to the two currently ranked teams they've played and had a couple unexpected road shortcomings, but remain 5-1 at home with a number of decisive victories in conference play. Type: Run-heavy Coordinator: Tim Lester Letting go of Brian Ferentz and bringing in Lester in the offseason has paid dividends for the Hawkeyes already. The Iowa offense has returned to being a respectable unit, its 29.4 points per game ranking 55th nationally. Even with inconsistent health and quality at quarterback, an outstanding ground game has helped lead the team to some blowout wins. Type: 4-2-5 Coordinator: Phil Parker After fielding top-five units the past two years, Parker's defense has seen a slight drop. The Hawkeyes allow 17.7 points per game, fifth in the Big Ten and 12th nationally. Of course, that's still a pretty good number from the accomplished Iowa coordinator, but Michigan State and UCLA were able to break through enough for wins despite not having inspiring offensive attacks. Kaleb Johnson, running back: The nation's second-leading rusher behind Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, no Big Ten back has been in the same realm of total production as Johnson has in 2024. He's already broken Iowa's single-season rushing touchdown record and is third on the program's list for yards on the ground in a season. Jay Higgins, linebacker: Leads Iowa in total tackles (106), interceptions (4) and forced fumbles (2), while ranking third on the team in pass breakups (5). The fifth-year linebacker has done a bit of everything for the Hawkeyes. "Their players are waving at our guys — ‘Hey, have a good Christmas!’ — that was painful. That was really painful. So I don’t doubt that our guys will be ready. But their guys will be ready. It really just comes down to football." — Nebraska coach Matt Rhule on the team's loss to Iowa in 2023 "This back is fantastic, he makes people miss, and he can burst and go the distance... [Iowa's] doing a really good job, and they’ve run some people off the field just by running the football down their throat." — Nebraska coach Matt Rhule on Iowa's run game "First start as our quarterback... He played with a lot of poise, good awareness out there, made the plays we were hoping we'd make and made good decisions most importantly and protected the football." — Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz on quarterback Jackson Stratton's performance against Maryland 227: Pass attempts by Iowa this year, the least in the Big Ten. Michigan is next with 50 more. 14: Iowa's increase in points per game from last season to this one — from 15.4 to 29.4. 24: Punts downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line by Iowa, the most in the Big Ten. Aug. 31 Illinois State, W 40-0 Sept. 7 Iowa State, L 20-19 Sept. 14 Troy, W 38-21 Sept. 21 at Minnesota, W 31-14 Oct. 5 at Ohio State, L 35-7 Oct. 12 Washington, W 40-16 Oct. 19 at Michigan State, L 32-20 Oct. 26 Northwestern, W 40-14 Nov. 2 Wisconsin, W 42-10 Nov. 8 at UCLA, L 20-17 Nov. 23 at Maryland, W 29-13 Nov. 29 Nebraska Get local news delivered to your inbox!
The Falcons are sticking with Kirk Cousins and may get a break thanks to a soft scheduleVice President Kashim Shettima, on Saturday, commissioned a $315m Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) built in Dubai by privately-held Nigeria-owned oil company, Oriental Energy Resources Limited. According to a statement by the VP’s spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, the FPSO, which has a storage capacity of one million barrels, will kick off with an initial production of 17,000 barrels per day and later increase its production capacity to 30,000 bpd. According to the statement, the vessel “is expected to depart for Nigeria in Q1 2025 and commence production at the Okwok Oil Field in the first half of 2025.” Related Stories FG to revive National Addressing Council to drive economic growth, financial inclusion NEC urges states to leverage NASENI innovation for Nigeria’s industrialization Shettima who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the commissioning ceremony of the offshore asset at the Drydocks World Dubai Shipyard in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, said the facility is more than just a maritime infrastructure project. He described it as a symbol of national ambition and a testament to the success of President Tinubu’s reforms in the oil sector. “This FPSO vessel is more than just a technological achievement; it is a symbol of Nigeria’s ambition and our readiness to meet global energy demands. Under President Tinubu’s leadership, we are witnessing the transformation of the oil and gas sector, which is central to our economic revitalisation efforts,” the Vice President said. Shettima hailed the Executive Chairman of the oil company, Alhaji Muhammadu Indimi, for his leadership strides and contributions to the oil and gas industry. “Over the decades, Alhaji Muhammadu Indimi has stood as a model businessman and symbol of excellence in the oil and gas industry. So, it’s not surprising that his vision has transformed Oriental Energy Resources Limited into a global phenomenon. “This outcome testifies to what is possible when ambition is matched with perseverance and expertise. His journey reminds us that Nigeria is a land of opportunity, and with dedication, there is no limit to what we can achieve.” Shettima further explained that as Nigeria’s home-based refineries come alive, vessels like this will be instrumental in maximising the nation’s production capacity and driving economic growth. Alhaji Indimi revealed that the facility is the first FPSO to be fully funded by a Nigerian indigenous company. He further said, “When operating at full capacity we expect the Okwok Oil Field to produce up to 30,000 barrels of oil a day, significantly enhancing Nigeria’s oil production and contributing to the government’s ambition to increase oil revenue to fund Nigeria’s development. “The Okwok field is just one step towards our long-term ambition to deliver 100,000 barrels of oil per day of production in Nigeria. We have a strong set of proven assets and a development pipeline that can deliver it.“ The FPSO will increase Nigeria’s Crude Production by 17,000 bpd and later by 30,000bpd. Nigeria’s oil production in November 2024 was 1.4 million bpd, short of its OPEC quota of 1.5 million bpd. While the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) urges most of its members to cut production in order to help it control global oil prices, Nigeria has expressed commitment in increasing its oil production and has set a target of over 2 million bpd for 2025. The vessel is scheduled to depart for Nigeria in Q1 2025 and begin production at the Okwok Oil Field in the first half of the year. The VP was accompanied by the governor of his Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, and Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, among other public officials.MEDIA KIT: DFC's 5th Anniversary Conference WASHINGTON , Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation marked today its 5 th anniversary at a conference highlighting a remarkable record of achievement since its creation by the U.S. Congress in 2019 through the bipartisan Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development (BUILD) Act. Over the past five years, DFC's overall active portfolio has reached nearly $50 billion across 114 countries, directly impacting over 200 million people and businesses. "Over the past five years, DFC has fulfilled the vision of the BUILD Act's authors – to build a modern development finance institution that advances the development and foreign policy objectives of the United States by mobilizing capital to high-quality and high-standard private sector transactions in the developing world," said DFC CEO Scott Nathan . "With bipartisan support, we've built an organization that has the capacity to pursue transactions that advance U.S. interests and create opportunity for people around the world. I couldn't be more proud of what the DFC team has achieved." Speakers at the conference included Secretary of State Antony Blinken , U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan , USAID Administrator Samantha Power , Chief Minister of Sierra Leone David Moinina Sengeh, as well as other global leaders and members of Congress. Since its founding, America's development bank has made significant strides in supporting the mobilization of capital through the private sector to address critical global challenges and deliver lasting developmental and strategic outcomes. DFC has built on the legacy of its predecessors, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and USAID's Development Credit Authority, to become an efficient and effective mechanism for mobilizing private sector investment across the developing world. DFC's achievements over the past five years include: Unprecedented growth in annual commitments: In FY2024 alone, DFC committed over $12 billion , more than doubling annual commitments from DFC's first year. Doubling strategic transactions: DFC more than doubled the number of transactions committed annually since FY2020, growing to 181 transactions in FY2024. Expanding regional investments: DFC's investments span more than $13 billion in Sub-Saharan Africa, $11 billion in the Western Hemisphere, $9 billion in Europe and Central Asia , $8.5 billion in the Indo-Pacific, and nearly $4 billion in the Middle East and North Africa , with an additional $3.5 billion invested across multiple regions. Boosting global presence: DFC has strengthened its regional presence through offices in the Dominican Republic , Brazil , South Africa , India , Thailand , Singapore , and Indonesia , enabling greater impact in key regions and sectors. DFC is driving measurable impact worldwide: Bolstering food security: Supported 1.7 million smallholder farmers. Improving critical infrastructure: Transported 64.9 million passengers via roadways, airports, and railways. Expanding access to health services: Delivered healthcare services to 44.8 million people globally. Fueling small business growth: Supported nearly 6.1 million micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises. Providing clean water: Delivered over 320,000 metric tons of clean water – enough to sustain more than 31,600 people for an entire year. Bridging the digital divide: Connected over 131,000 households and individuals to the internet and built more than 70 cell towers in underserved communities. DFC has expanded its portfolio through strategic transactions supporting high-quality infrastructure, access to secure and reliable energy, improved healthcare and food security, and sustainable economic development. A small sample includes: Building resilient infrastructure: $553 million in DFC financing is supporting the upgrade and operation of the Lobito Railroad , strengthening a critical trade route between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola . Securing critical minerals: DFC's equity investments in TechMet are supporting diverse, resilient critical mineral supply chains with expanded capacity in Brazil and South Africa . Powering energy security: DFC's up to $412 million commitment to provide financing and political risk insurance will support the construction and operation of a new 105MW power plant by CECA SL Generation Limited in Freetown, Sierra Leone , the first utility-scale independent power project in the country. Expanding vaccine manufacturing: DFC's $15 million loan to Institut Pasteur de Dakar's wholly owned subsidiary VaxSen SASU will help finance a new vaccine manufacturing plant in Senegal , increasing local production capacity in Africa for routine childhood vaccines and emerging diseases and epidemics. Mobilizing capital for small businesses: DFC's $100 million loan to Tien Phong Commercial Joint Stock Bank in Vietnam will expand the Bank's digital financing to underserved small businesses in Vietnam . Transforming agriculture: A DFC loan is supporting Kentegra's construction of an organic fertilizer processing plant in Kenya to satisfy increasing demand. Bolstering healthcare: DFC's $25 million in political risk insurance for the Superhumans Center will support the hospital's efforts to provide critical healthcare for war trauma survivors in Ukraine . Through bold action and a commitment to innovation, DFC has firmly established itself as a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy, driving private sector solutions that tackle the world's most pressing development challenges. Looking ahead, DFC remains dedicated to expanding its impact and delivering transformative results for communities worldwide. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) partners with the private sector to finance solutions to the most critical challenges facing the developing world today. We invest across sectors including energy, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, and small business and financial services. DFC investments adhere to high standards and respect the environment, human rights, and worker rights. SOURCE U.S. International Development Finance CorporationMissing teen Alumita Koribanuve could be in Wollongong
Canada's Trudeau to cut sales tax and send government checks to millions as election loomsHigh school notes: TSSAA releases region schedules, leaving several non-region voids for some teamsWASHINGTON—President Joe Biden delivered a speech on Dec. 10 highlighting his economic achievements as he nears the final days of his presidency. He also expressed hope that the incoming Trump administration would “preserve and build on” his progress. Biden delivered his remarks at the Brookings Institution in Washington, defending his economic plan, which focuses on “growing the economy from the middle out and the bottom up.” “We got back to full employment, got inflation back down, and managed a soft landing that most people thought was not very much likely to happen,” Biden said. “Most economists agree a new administration is going to inherit a fairly strong economy.” Biden said that his agenda, which prioritized investing in infrastructure and manufacturing, has not yet been fully felt by Americans but that its benefits will become more visible over the coming years. “I know it’s been hard for many Americans to see, and I understand it,” he said. He defended his economic record by saying that he took over the economy during a financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and transformed it into the “strongest economy in the world.” He stated that his goal was not simply to get the United States out of the economic crisis but also to put the country on a stronger course for the future. “After decades of sending jobs overseas for the cheapest labor possible, companies are coming back to America, investing and building here and creating jobs here in America,” Biden said. Biden’s approval ratings have fallen amid criticism over his handling of the economy, the Israel–Hamas war, and the U.S. border crisis. Recently, he also faced backlash for pardoning his son, Hunter Biden, after having said on multiple occasions that he wouldn’t, a move that drew criticism even from members of his party. The website is packed with information, including economic statistics, charts, and testimonies from people who say they thrived under his administration. It also includes links to seven media pieces that praise Biden’s economic record. The website’s opening page title states, “Building back from a financial crisis to the strongest economy in the world.” One of the charts shows that under Biden, cumulative GDP growth was 12.6 percent, surpassing the recorded growth under former President Barack Obama’s first and second terms (6.1 percent and 10.4 percent, respectively) and President-elect Donald Trump’s first term (7.6 percent). “After decades of trickle-down economics that slashed taxes for the wealthy, diminished public investments, offshored jobs and factories, destroyed unions, and ripped at the social safety net, President Biden has written a new playbook that’s growing the economy from the middle out and the bottom up,” the White House said in a statement ahead of Biden’s speech. During his remarks, Biden highlighted key actions he took during his presidency, which he believes are pivotal in rebuilding the economy for the long term. He expressed hope that the incoming Trump administration “will preserve and build on this progress.” Biden took aim at Trump’s tax cut proposal, stating that he’s “never been a big fan of trickle-down economics.” Additionally, he criticized Trump’s proposal to impose tariffs on Chinese goods, calling it “a major mistake.” In an effort to create resilient supply chains, the Biden administration also announced on Dec. 10 the allocation of $6.2 billion in direct funding to Micron Technology. The funding is part of the CHIPS Act, which aims to encourage U.S. companies to build new chip manufacturing plants domestically. Micron plans to invest nearly $100 billion in New York and $25 billion in Idaho over the next two decades, according to a statement by the Department of Commerce. This investment “will help the United States grow its share of advanced memory manufacturing from less than 2% today to approximately 10% by 2035,” the department said.
North Carolina GOP governor nominee vows to keep running after report on racial and sexual commentsNorth Carolina GOP governor nominee vows to keep running after report on racial and sexual comments
Police have secured a closure order on a property following persistent anti-social behaviour and drug misuse. Complaints about the address in Lawrance Square, Northfleet, have also included incidents of criminal damage, threatening behaviour and intimidation, and noise. Sgt Steve Cole said: “Residents and visitors to the area have suffered anti-social behaviour and incidents of disorder involving those using this premises for some time. “They raised concerns with their local constables and council enforcement officers, who warned the occupants of the consequences if they continued. “Their behaviour failed to improve and we have now put in place prohibitive measures to address this.” Yesterday, officers applied for a closure order at Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court for the local authority-owned property. After confirming it was empty, the force secured the building and a sign was placed on the door with a warning that it is an offence to enter. Sgt Cole added: “We work closely with the local authority to tackle disorderly behaviour that can affect the quality of life for residents. “Any other people who choose to pursue an anti-social and often criminal lifestyle can expect similar consequences.” The order will last for three months and means any unauthorised person entering the property during this time, risks a fine and a prison sentence.PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (AP) — Ketron Shaw scored 30 points to lead Maryland Eastern Shore past Bryn Athyn 91-65 on Saturday. Shaw also contributed seven rebounds and six assists for the Hawks (2-11), who ended a seven-game slide with the win. Chris Flippin added 22 points and five rebounds. Evan Johnson had 14 points. Isaac Marshall and Jalen Cary both scored 15 to lead the Lions. Jalen Parker had 14 points, two steals and two blocks. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams faced fourth-and-5 at the Buffalo 35 with a 38-35 lead and just under four minutes to play Sunday in their high-octane showdown with the Bills. Sean McVay is often a conservative coach, and it would not have been surprising to see him try a long field goal, or even punt. He kept his offense on the field, and Matthew Stafford calmly went through his progression before finding Tutu Atwell across the middle for an 11-yard gain that played a major role in the Rams' ability to hold on for a season-altering, 44-42 victory over the powerhouse Bills . “We felt like we needed to make it a two-possession game,” McVay said Monday. “They were rolling. We talked about aggressively going to win that game. ... It was just a reflection of the confidence in that group and what we felt like we needed to do to be able to win the game.” The Rams offense has earned the confidence McVay showed in it at that crucial moment. That unit hasn't always been good this season, entering last weekend rated just 18th in the league, but the Rams finally are mostly healthy heading down the stretch — and Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams are again playing at last season's Pro Bowl level. That was bad news for Buffalo, and it could mean trouble for the rest of the NFC if the Rams (7-6) can keep scoring like this. Los Angeles will hope to keep this offensive momentum on a short week heading to San Francisco on Thursday night. Nacua said it was “fantastic being able to feel like, man, this is what it feels like when the Rams are moving and connecting on all cylinders.” Los Angeles had six scoring drives of at least 65 yards while racking up 457 yards against Buffalo. Stafford had a season-high 320 yards passing, while Nacua had another spectacular game with 162 yards receiving and two touchdowns along with 16 yards rushing and another TD on five carries. Incredibly, it was the Rams’ first 40-point game with Stafford behind center. Thanks to that stellar offensive performance, the Rams are above .500 for the first time all season and just one game back of Seattle (8-5) in the NFC West after winning six of their past eight games. A team that appeared to be headed for a grim season after a 1-4 start is still firmly in the playoff race, also trailing Washington (8-5) by just one game for the final wild-card spot. “It’s cool to be able to play meaningful football in December,” said McVay, who led the Rams to five playoff berths in his first seven seasons. "You never take that for granted.” The offense hummed largely because it went 11 of 15 on third downs. That's the Rams' highest success rate in a game since 2001 — and don't forget that crucial fourth down conversion, either. Few teams can stop Josh Allen, but the Rams' defense didn't come close. The defensive backs particularly struggled, from Darious Williams getting beaten repeatedly in coverage to Quentin Lake's 34-yard pass-interference penalty in the final moments. Two weeks after Philadelphia dropped 481 yards at SoFi Stadium, Buffalo had 445 to push the Rams down to 26th in total defense entering Monday. The Rams' offensive line has struggled mightily at times this season, but it allowed no sacks and just three hits on Stafford while clearing the way for 137 yards rushing. With full health, the line is no longer a liability. Edge rusher Byron Young had a rough outing that included two penalties on Buffalo's first drive — an egregious late hit on Allen and a defensive offside that negated a 2-yard Bills loss on second down from the LA 1. The Rams' overall defensive discipline was repeatedly poor, and it cost them. CB Cobie Durant has a bruised lung, McVay revealed Monday. The Rams are uncertain whether it will prevent him from playing Thursday. Durant has started all 13 games this season. ... WR Demarcus Robinson sprained his shoulder against Buffalo, but kept playing. 1 — The numbers of NFL games played with two teams scoring at least 40 points and making no turnovers. The Rams and Bills made history. The 49ers haven't been this vulnerable in four years, but Kyle Shanahan has had McVay's number throughout their careers — notwithstanding the Rams' 27-24 comeback win in September when both teams' top offensive playmakers were all injured.Former Nebraska swimmer Gabby Baratta now leading Lincoln East's swimming programJimmy Carter, 39th US president, Nobel winner, dies at 100Raw milk nearly killed her son. Now avian flu is bringing more attention to its risk
More than two dozen members of Congress have been the victims of sexually explicit deepfakes — and an overwhelming majority of those impacted are women, according to a new study that spotlights the stark gender disparity in this technology and the evolving risks for women’s participation in politics and other forms of civic engagement. The American Sunlight Project (ASP) , a think tank that researches disinformation and advocates for policies that promote democracy, released findings on Wednesday that identified more than 35,000 mentions of nonconsensual intimate imagery (NCII) depicting 26 members of Congress — 25 women and one man — that were found recently on deepfake websites. Most of the imagery was quickly removed as researchers shared their findings with impacted members of Congress. “We need to kind of reckon with this new environment and the fact that the internet has opened up so many of these harms that are disproportionately targeting women and marginalized communities,” said Nina Jankowicz, an online disinformation and harassment expert who founded The American Sunlight Project and is an author on the study. Nonconsensual intimate imagery, also known colloquially as deepfake porn though advocates prefer the former , can be created through generative AI or by overlaying headshots onto media of adult performers . There is currently limited policy to restrict its creation and spread. ASP shared the first-of-its-kind findings exclusively with The 19th. The group collected data in part by developing a custom search engine to find members of the 118th Congress by first and last name, and abbreviations or nicknames, on 11 well-known deepfake sites. Neither party affiliation nor geographic location had an impact on the likelihood of being targeted for abuse, though younger members were more likely to be victimized. The largest factor was gender, with women members of Congress being 70 times more likely than men to be targeted. ASP did not release the names of the lawmakers who were depicted in the imagery, in order to avoid encouraging searches. They did contact the offices of everyone impacted to alert them and offer resources on online harms and mental health support. Authors of the study note that in the immediate aftermath, imagery targeting most of the members was entirely or almost entirely removed from the sites — a fact they’re unable to explain. Researchers have noted that such removals do not prevent material from being shared or uploaded again. In some cases involving lawmakers, search result pages remained indexed on Google despite the content being largely or entirely removed. “The removal may be coincidental. Regardless of what exactly led to removal of this content — whether ‘cease and desist’ letters, claims of copyright infringement, or other contact with the sites hosting deepfake abuse — it highlights a large disparity of privilege,” according to the study. “People, particularly women, who lack the resources afforded to Members of Congress, would be highly unlikely to achieve this rapid response from the creators and distributors of AI-generated NCII if they initiated a takedown request themselves.” According to the study’s initial findings, nearly 16 percent of all the women who currently serve in Congress — or about 1 in 6 congresswomen — are the victims of AI-generated nonconsensual intimate imagery. Jankowicz has been the target of online harassment and threats for her domestic and international work dismantling disinformation. She has also spoken publicly about being the victim of deepfake abuse — a fact she found out through a Google Alert in 2023. “You can be made to appear in these compromised, intimate situations without your consent, and those videos, even if you were to say, pursue a copyright claim against the original poster, — as in my case — they proliferate around the internet without your control and without some sort of consequence for the people who are amplifying or creating deepfake porn,” she said. “That continues to be a risk for anybody who is in the public eye, who is participating in public discourse, but in particular for women and for women of color.” Image-based sexual abuse can have devastating mental health effects on victims, who include everyday people who are not involved in politics — including children. In the past year, there have been reports of high school girls being targeted for image-based sexual abuse in states like California , New Jersey and Pennslyvania . School officials have had varying degrees of response, though the FBI has also issued a new warning that sharing such imagery of minors is illegal. The full impact of deepfakes on society is still coming into focus, but research already shows that 41 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 29 self-censor to avoid online harassment. “That is a hugely powerful threat to democracy and free speech, if we have almost half of the population silencing themselves because they’re scared of the harassment they could experience,” said Sophie Maddocks, research director at the Center for Media at Risk at the University of Pennsylvania. There is no federal law that establishes criminal or civil penalties for someone who generates and distributes AI-generated nonconsensual intimate imagery. About a dozen states have enacted laws in recent years , though most include civil penalties, not criminal ones. AI-generated nonconsensual intimate imagery also opens up threats to national security by creating conditions for blackmail and geopolitical concessions. That could have ripple effects on policymakers irrespective of whether they’re directly the target of the imagery. “My hope here is that the members are pushed into action when they recognize not only that it’s affecting American women, but it’s affecting them,” Jankowicz said. “It’s affecting their own colleagues. And this is happening simply because they are in the public eye.” Image-based sexual abuse is a unique risk for women running for office. Susanna Gibson narrowly lost her competitive legislative race after a Republican operative shared nonconsensual recordings of sexually explicit livestreams featuring the Virginia Democrat and her husband with The Washington Post. In the months after her loss, Gibson told The 19th she heard from young women discouraged from running for office out of fear of intimate images being used to harass them. Gibson has since started a nonprofit dedicated to fighting image-based sexual abuse and an accompanying political action committee to support women candidates against violations of intimate privacy. Maddocks has studied how women who speak out in public are more likely to experience digital sexual violence. “We have this much longer, ‘women should be seen and not heard’ pattern that makes me think about Mary Beard’s writing and research on this idea that womanhood is antithetical to public speech. So when women speak publicly, it’s almost like, ‘OK. Time to shame them. Time to strip them. Time to get them back in the house. Time to shame them into silence.’ And that silencing and that shaming motivation ... we have to understand that in order to understand how this harm is manifesting as it relates to congresswomen.” ASP is encouraging Congress to pass federal legislation. The Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act of 2024 , also known as the DEFIANCE Act, would allow people to sue anyone who creates, shares or receives such imagery. The Take It Down Act would include criminal liability for such activity and require tech companies to take down deepfakes. Both bills have passed the Senate with bipartisan support, but have to navigate concerns around free speech and harm definitions, which are typical hurdles to tech policy, in the House. “It would be a dereliction of duty for Congress to let this session lapse without passing at least one of these bills,” Jankowicz said “It is one of the ways that the harm of artificial intelligence is actually being felt by real Americans right now. It’s not a future harm. It’s not something that we have to imagine.” In the absence of congressional action, the White House has collaborated with the private sector to conceive creative solutions to curb image-based sexual abuse. But critics aren’t optimistic about Big Tech’s ability to regulate itself, given the history of harm caused by its platforms. “It is so easy for perpetrators to create this content, and the signal is not just to the individual woman being targeted,” Jankowicz said. “It’s to women everywhere, saying, ‘If you take this step, if you raise your voice, this is a consequence that you might have to deal with.’” If you have been a victim of image-based sexual abuse, the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative maintains a list of legal resources. This article was originally published on The Markup and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.The Falcons are sticking with Kirk Cousins and may get a break thanks to a soft schedule
Two Oregon men were found dead in a Washington state forest after they failed to return from a trip to look for Sasquatch, authorities said Saturday. The 59-year-old and 37-year-old appear to have died from exposure, the Skamania County Sheriff's Office said via Facebook. The weather and the men's lack of preparedness led the office to draw that conclusion, it said. Sasquatch is a folkloric beast thought by some to roam the forests, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. The two men were found in a heavily wooded area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, which is about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Portland. A family member reported them missing at around 1 a.m. on Christmas Day after they failed to return from a Christmas Eve outing. Sixty volunteer search-and-rescue personnel helped in the three-day search, including canine, drone and ground teams. The Coast Guard used infrared technology to search from the air. Authorities used camera recordings to locate the vehicle used by the pair off Oklahoma Road near Willard, which is on the southern border of the national forest.