New York school district halts plan to use humanoid robot amid backlash
Source: US news | The Guardian · Bias: Center Left
Summary
Salamanca City Central says it is pausing project with Realbotix as it addresses concerns including data privacyA New York school district has walked back plans to introduce a humanoid robot at its high school after the proposal sparked backlash from educators and community members.The Salamanca City Central school district announced on 24 July in a social media post that its pilot project with Toronto-based tech company Realbotix had been put on hold “while we work through enhanced student data privacy agreements with the New York State Education Department and continue engaging with our community and stakeholders”. Continue reading...
New York school district halts plan to use humanoid robot amid backlash
Center Left
Salamanca City Central says it is pausing project with Realbotix as it addresses concerns including data privacyA New York school district has walked back plans to introduce a humanoid robot at its high school after the proposal sparked backlash from educators and community members.The Salamanca City Central school district announced on 24 July in a social media post that its pilot project with Toronto-based tech company Realbotix had been put on hold “while we work through enhanced student data privacy agreements with the New York State Education Department and continue engaging with our community and stakeholders”. Continue reading...
Taking to her Instagram, the "Today" show host, 54, said that her family had "done our part" and would "never stop looking for" their 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie.
"I'm coming to today with a very specific message. It has been months since our mom was taken from us. Our family is in agony," she said in a video message.
Over the course of his war with Iran, President Donald Trump has made inflammatory remarks that many have suggested implied his intention to use nuclear weapons. Now a whistleblower from his first term warns that he “watched Donald Trump talk about nuclear weapons like they were presidential toys,” and that “he may be closer to playing with them than you think.”This is according to Miles Taylor, who served as deputy chief of staff at the Department of National Security during Trump’s first administration, at the time famously penning an anonymous article revealing the existence of a resistance movement working within the White House. On Monday, he published a new piece explaining why Trump has a “fixation” with using nuclear weapons. “Last week,” writes Taylor, “the president told Axios he was ‘close’ to ordering a ‘massive attack’ on Iran … The threat had the same ominous feel of his April comments that ‘a whole civilization will die tonight.’ It was an insinuation that he possessed super powers — and might break the world’s nuclear taboo to end the stalemate.” The pause didn’t mean the war was off, however, and Trump told Axios why he thought the war had to continue: “They haven’t received enough pain yet.” “Not enough pain,” notes Taylor. “I’ve heard rhetoric like that from him before. And it wasn’t about Iran.”“Back in 2017,” Taylor explains, “Trump judged that the only way to bring North Korea to heel was to make it suffer. He tweeted furiously at ‘Rocketman’ Kim Jong-un and promised ‘fire, fury and frankly power the likes of which this world has never seen before’ if the hermit kingdom didn’t meet his demands. That was Trump’s first wink-nod to the fact that he possessed an arsenal of nuclear bombs and was ready to use them. Kim answered by threatening to fire missiles at Guam and testing a nuclear-capable missile that could strike the U.S. mainland.”Taylor says the situation escalated so rapidly that Defense Secretary James Mattis began preparing DHS officials for an all-out nuclear war. “For the first time in the Department of Homeland Security’s history, we ran exercises for a potential real-life nuclear strike on American soil, because frankly, we couldn’t rule out that our own president might take us into such an apocalyptic situation.”According to Taylor, the president’s motivation was simple: “Trump wanted to see something blow up, and the rest of us built contingency plans around that desire. Thankfully, he didn’t launch nukes at North Korea. But General Mattis also isn’t at the Pentagon anymore. ‘Pistol Pete’ Hegseth is.”Taylor asserts that “Trump’s nuclear fantasies go way back. When he was a candidate in 2016, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough said a foreign policy adviser had come away from a briefing with Trump rattled, because Trump asked, three separate times, some version of the question: ‘If we have nuclear weapons, why can’t we use them?’ Candidate Trump also told The New York Times he wasn’t sure it ‘would be a bad thing for us’ if Japan built its own nuclear deterrent against North Korea, and he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that Saudi Arabia should have nukes, too, ‘absolutely.’” And “since then, Trump has toyed with nuclear weapons more openly and more recklessly than any American president ever entrusted with the stewardship of the bomb.”Now, amid an “unresolved war with Iran,” warns Taylor, “you get the picture of a president who’s just one mood swing away from putting his finger on the proverbial red button.”Taylor says that Trump’s motivation is not difficult to grasp, writing, “Donald Trump has spent his entire presidency on a power quest, always hunting for the next most powerful thing he can do. And nuclear weapons are at the top of that list. To say that he’s ‘toying’ with extreme powers is probably the wrong phraseology. He’s addicted to power. Very much like it’s an intoxicant. When his own chief of staff, Susie Wiles, told The Atlantic that her boss had an ‘alcoholic’s personality,’ it wasn’t a mere slip of the tongue. That’s how everyone who’s served the man has come to see him … He has an uncontrollable, pathological, junkie-like urge to power.”“If deploying troops to seize foreign leaders and raining missiles on other nations isn’t cutting it anymore,” Taylor concludes. “I worry about where the quest leads next. I’ve written before about how close Trump got to using the bomb the first time. Let’s not forget what Trump reportedly absconded with after he left the presidency: U.S. nuclear secrets. Back in office, the fixation has returned.”
Democratic operative James Carville suggested a new leader for the Democratic National Committee amid reports of infighting and financial catastrophe.Carville recommended David Hogg, gun control activist and previous vice chair, as a replacement for current chair Ken Martin, The Daily Beast reported on Monday.The veteran strategist was recovering from surgery and recorded his podcast in bed on Sunday when he made the pitch."If David Hogg wants to take it over, then, I ain’t stopping you—go ahead, man," Carville said."I did want to...weigh in on two stories I saw,” Carville said, responding to recent reports about mounting pressure on Martin as midterms approach in the fall and fundraising ramps up. “One...was a story on the DNC that basically said it’s dysfunctional. It’s just difficult to do anything with it. And it’s all true," Carville said.The New York Times reported on Sunday that Martin has become increasingly isolated and financially strained, noting a phone-throwing incident with a junior aide that triggered an HR complaint. The DNC is $2 million in debt while vendors have reportedly been asked to delay billing until after the midterms. Despite Democrats' favorable political environment, internal distrust, a botched 2024 election "autopsy," and a widening cash gap with Republicans have fueled fears among party officials that Martin's leadership is faltering."DNC dysfunctional. Water wet. Gravity real," Carville added.Carville argued that new leadership in the organization might help the DNC "be somewhat relevant."Hogg, 26, rose to national prominence as a survivor of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. He briefly served as DNC vice chair from February to June 2025 before his election was voided following a clash over his push to primary incumbent Democrats.
One of the White House's most recent social media posts has gained outsized attention — but likely not for the reasons the administration hoped for. On Sunday night, the White House X account posted a spoof video with major themes of the administration in the style of "Rick and Morty," a popular sci-fi cartoon for adults. 'Your boos mean nothing, I’ve seen what makes you cheer.'Captioned "Hop in ... best dimension yet," the video covers a broad sweep of increasingly fantastic scenes. Reminiscent of the far-out opening credits of "Rick and Morty," the White House's version features some hallmark symbols of the MAGA movement, including but not limited to a MAGA hat, a Diet Coke can, and a floating "1+1+1=3 wins," an apparent reference to the past three presidential "wins" of the Trump administration.The cartoon video shows a number of different scenes, including President Trump and Vice President JD Vance running along the White House colonnade and Trump waving from a balcony of the White House.Then, the scenes get more bizarre. RELATED: Trump approval rating SOARS in new poll
The next scene shows an immigration agent with "Homan" on his name tag handcuffing a winged demon. Before the final scene, there is a cut of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaking at a podium, surrounded by green portals to other dimensions. Schumer then removes his face to reveal that he is a robot underneath a mask. Trump and Vance can then be seen flying through the air in a spaceship being chased by a large dragon with red, laser eyes. The scene cuts to black with a lightning strike, which then forms the word "MAGA" in red lettering.The 36-second video, which is approaching nine million views on X but has gained only a little over 40,000 likes, clearly touched a nerve. While some commenters were pleased with or were pleasantly surprised by the White House leaning into the referential crossovers with popular culture, others were not so impressed. Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) drew a sharp contrast between the fantasy of the video and the increasing costs burdening real families across the country: "People can’t afford gas, groceries, rent, and healthcare and this is the weird embarrassing crap the official White House account is putting out."Others questioned if there is an actual audience for this type of content from official government accounts. Scott Greer, for example, simply asked, "Who is the audience for this?"Another account pointed out that this type of content could potentially be flooding out valuable content from other accounts online: "Babe wake up the White house is posting coal again."Despite some of the negative online comments, White House officials have seemingly held their ground. Kaelen Dorr, the head of digital strategy for the White House, referenced a line from "Rick and Morty" as a comeback: "Your boos mean nothing, I’ve seen what makes you cheer."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Senator Mitch McConnell on Monday released a new 'proof of life' photo amid a prolonged absence from the Senate.
The post McConnell Releases New ‘Proof of Life’ Photo appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters on Sunday that Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin “has my full support” after multiple news outlets detailed an increasingly stressed national party chair struggling with morale. “The chairman has my full support,” the top House Democrat said while campaigning in Pennsylvania, according to NOTUS. “We look forward to our continued partnership.” The…
The move follows a widely panned X post by the mayor in which he put wealthy residents on notice to “check your mailbox when you’re back in the five boroughs.
