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What is ‘sex’? What is ‘gender’? How these terms changed and why states now want to define them

March 22, 2024

After decades of creating laws that assumed “sex” and “gender” were synonymous, lawmakers across the country are taking another look at how states define those terms. Scientific and legal interpretations of these words have evolved considerably in the past century. Today, medical experts understand biological sex assigned at birth as more complex and consider it […]

AI-generated audio deepfakes are increasing. We tested 4 tools designed to detect them.

March 20, 2024

It took a New Orleans street magician only 20 minutes and $1 to create audio that sounded like President Joe Biden discouraging Democrats from voting in the New Hampshire primary. The robocall was found to be a product of artificial intelligence, and soon after, the Federal Communications Commission banned AI-generated voices in robocalls.  But identifying […]

Abortion signs, pro and con, 3-19-2024

How political ambitions could support, or sink, pushes to protect abortion rights

March 20, 2024

ST. LOUIS — In early February, abortion rights supporters gathered to change Missouri history at the Pageant — a storied club where rock ’n’ roll revolutionary Chuck Berry often had played: They launched a signature-gathering campaign to put a constitutional amendment to voters this year to legalize abortion in the state “We have fought long […]

Woman walks across street in Haiti amid unrest, 2-29-2024

Cannibalism in Haiti? Fact-checking the unfounded claims

March 18, 2024

Videos of people fleeing the sounds of gunshots, images of buildings on fire and headlines of political unrest in Haiti have increased over several weeks. Violence escalated after a coalition of gangs began attacking Haiti’s capital, Port-Au-Prince, forcing acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign. He’d assumed the role after President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated […]

Cuentas en redes sociales usan audio generado por IA para difundir desinformación sobre elecciones

March 18, 2024

Una publicación en redes sociales hizo lo que parecía ser un anuncio sorprendente sobre la carrera presidencial de 2024. “Últimas noticias: Donald Trump ha declarado que se retira de la carrera presidencial”, dice el narrador en un video en inglés en TikTok, el cual fue visto más de 161,000 veces antes de que TikTok lo […]

Donald Trump campaign rally, Vandalia, Ohio, 3-16-2024

In Context: What Trump said about a ‘bloodbath’ and Biden’s actions on the car industry

March 18, 2024

The word du jour in the 2024 presidential campaign is “bloodbath” — specifically, what former President Donald Trump did or didn’t mean when he used the term at a March 16 Ohio rally. President Joe Biden’s campaign team plucked a nine-second clip of Trump saying, “If I don’t get elected, it’s gonna be a bloodbath […]

COVID-19 shots, 11-17-2022

Four years after shelter-in-place, COVID-19 misinformation persists

March 15, 2024

From spring break parties to Mardi Gras, many people remember the last major “normal” thing they did before the novel coronavirus pandemic dawned, forcing governments worldwide to issue stay-at-home advisories and shutdowns. Even before the first case of COVID-19 was detected in the U.S., fears and uncertainties helped spur misinformation’s rapid spread. In March 2020, […]

Florida rainbow flag trans flag on pole in Wilton Manors, Fla., 1-17-2024

Can you ‘say gay’ in Florida schools? Explaining new settlement over LGBTQ+ ‘instruction’

March 14, 2024

Two years after Florida’s governor received national attention over a new law restricting LGBTQ+ instruction in schools, the state reached a settlement with plaintiffs who said the law was unconstitutional. Critics and some media outlets panned the law, nicknaming it “Don’t Say Gay.” LGBTQ+ advocates sued over the measure, saying it was vague enough that […]

Social media accounts use AI-generated audio to push 2024 election misinformation

March 13, 2024

A recent social media post made what appeared to be a surprising announcement about the 2024 presidential race. “Breaking news: Donald Trump has declared that he is pulling out of the run for president,” the narrator said in a Feb. 22 TikTok video, which was viewed more than 161,000 times before TikTok removed it from […]

Robert Hur speaks to House Judiciary Committee, 3-12-2024

Lawmakers shared misleading claims at Robert Hur hearing on Biden classified documents

March 12, 2024

Testifying before Congress, former Special Counsel Robert Hur defended his February report detailing Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents, saying it neither exonerated nor disparaged the current president. House Judiciary Committee members compared and contrasted Biden’s case with former President Donald Trump’s classified documents investigation.     In his report, Hur concluded that criminal charges were not […]

Princess Kate’s altered photo: What experts say happened and how to spot manipulated content online

March 12, 2024

Princess Kate had not been seen in public for weeks when Kensington Palace marked the United Kingdom’s Mother’s Day by releasing a photo of the princess of Wales surrounded by her three smiling children. “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C,” read […]

Paxlovid tablets in New York, 8-1-2022

Why COVID-19 patients who could most benefit from Paxlovid still aren’t getting it

March 11, 2024

Evangelical minister Eddie Hyatt believes in the healing power of prayer but “also the medical approach.” So on a February evening a week before scheduled prostate surgery, he had his sore throat checked out at an emergency room near his home in Grapevine, Texas. A doctor confirmed that Hyatt had COVID-19 and sent him to […]

Showing 493-504 of 8420 items