The Mississippi House of Representatives passed on Wednesday a bill that seeks to define sex in strictly binary terms, impacting the recognition of transgender individuals’ identities within the state. The Mississippi Women’s Bill of Rights reflects a broader trend among Republican-controlled legislatures in the US to address and restrict the legal acknowledgement of transgender and [...]

Democratic lawmakers in the US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Accountability sent a letter to SpaceX inquiring about the technology company’s potential relationship with Russia. The Wednesday letter stems from allegations that Russia may be using Starlink internet satellites, produced by American-owned SpaceX, in its ongoing war against Ukraine, potentially violating US sanctions. [...]

US lawmakers in the House of Representatives introduced a bill on Tuesday aimed at curbing the influence of social media apps controlled by the US’s foreign adversaries, such as TikTok, which is owned by China-based ByteDance. The bill, Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, comes amid increasing concern from US lawmakers over the [...]

The Alabama House passed a bill and the state Senate unanimously passed another on Thursday that would safeguard access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) following the Alabama Supreme Court decision in LePage v. Mobile Infirmary Clinic, Inc., which classified frozen embryos as children. The House passed HB 237 by a 94-6 majority while the Senate passed SB [...]

A US federal appeals court halted the release of Robert Rundo, an alleged leader of the white supremacist group Rise Above Movement (RAM), on Thursday, reversing a decision by a US district judge in California that had led to his brief release. This decision came following an emergency motion from federal prosecutors, which cited Rundo’s “grave risk [...]

The Wisconsin State Assembly passed a constitutional amendment Thursday to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within state and local governmental entities. Introduced by Republican representatives and cosponsored by select senators, the amendment aims to “prohibit governmental entity discrimination.” Explicitly, the amendment declares: A governmental entity may not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment [...]

A coalition of organizations issued an open letter on Wednesday to the Chair of the UN’s Ad Hoc Committee on Cybercrime, emphasizing “critical flaws” in the latest draft of the UN Cybercrime Convention—the so-called Zero Draft—and urging significant amendments. The coalition warned that without significant amendments, the convention could compromise global cyberspace security and human [...]

In a unanimous decision, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a declaratory ruling Thursday that prohibits the use of AI-generated voices in robocalls. Aiming to combat fraud and prevent election interference, the decision expands upon the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991 to explicitly prohibit AI voice-cloning technologies. The FCC now has the authority [...]

All of Sudan’s three main internet providers have been completely shut down, according to a Wednesday post from internet monitor Netblocks, significantly disrupting communications for individuals within conflict zones and those trying to escape violence. Beginning last Friday, this blackout has led to rising hunger and the looming threat of famine across various areas. The [...]

The Oregon Supreme Court ruled Thursday against ten Republican state senators who staged a record-long walkout in 2023, disqualifying them from seeking reelection. This ruling affirmed the Oregon Secretary of State’s enforcement of Measure 113, a constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2022, to penalize lawmakers with more than ten unexcused absences by barring them [...]