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- Steve Goldstein: AI can make podcasts. But can it make anyone care?
In this edition of Steve Goldstein's column, he assesses the goods and bads of AI. It can now generate podcasts at industrial scale, he observes. But after hearing what Gen Z thought of AI-generated shows, one thing is clear: making content is easy — making people care is much harder. "AI lowers the cost of making content, but it does nothing by itself to increase the value of that content to a listener or viewer; if anything, it increases the noise." Continue Reading → [TheTopNews] Read More.38 mins ago - Senators Unanimously Agree to Go Without Pay During Future Government Shutdowns
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite Senators unanimously approved a resolution Thursday to go without pay during future government shutdowns. This move, which received bipartisan support, is designed to deter future shutdowns by incentivizing lawmakers not to block or stall funding bills, particularly as important deadlines approach. It’s a decision that comes amid a drastic increase in the quantity and frequency of shutdowns, with five in the last 13 years — four of those occurring under President Donald Trump‘s two administrations. The latest partial shutdown over funding for the Department of Homeland Security left TSA agents and other government employees without pay. It lasted for 76 days, ending on April 30. Under this new resolution, which was adopted by voice vote and is set to go into effect after the Nov. 3 midterm elections, the secretary of the Senate would withhold Senators’ pay during shutdowns. While the money would not be accessible to Senators during an active shutdown, it would be kept in an escrow account so that Senators would still receive their full salaries after the shutdown or shutdowns end. “The resolution defines a shutdown as the lapse in funding for one or more federal agencies or departments — which means a partial government shutdown, such as Congress’s failure to fund the Department of Homeland Security for 76 days earlier this year, would result in senators not getting paid for weeks on end,” The Hill wrote in an explanation of the resolution’s terms. “Shutting down government should not be our default solution to our refusal to work out our issues and our differences,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), who sponsored the bill, said in a speech on Wednesday. The Hill reported that Kennedy also expressed his concern his “Senate colleagues on the Democratic side are going to try to shut down government yet again right before the elections to try to create chaos to affect the midterm elections.” When asked why the resolution does not also extend to the House, Kennedy told AP reporters that “the House’s business is the House’s business.”The post Senators Unanimously Agree to Go Without Pay During Future Government Shutdowns first appeared on Mediaite. [TheTopNews] Read More.1 hour ago - Trump Will Reportedly Profit Off of Newly-Renamed Donald J Trump International A...
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke) The Trump Organization will reportedly profit off of the newly-renamed Donald J. Trump International Airport in Florida now that it has been approved to take control of all licensing and merchandising. County commissioners voted 4-3 earlier this month to rename the Palm Beach International Airport after Trump, and have since handed over trademark and commercial rights to the organization, which is led by Donald Trump Jr. “Analysts predict the president is likely to net millions from the unorthodox legal agreement between the county and DTTM Operations LLC, his Delaware-based company that oversees licensing, marketing and intellectual property,” according to reporting by The Guardian. Analysts said such a deal is “unusual for a contract of this nature,” even though it prohibits “direct financial compensation” from items sold at the airport. The report continued: For starters, Trump gets to choose exactly which vendors will manufacture and supply whatever branded merchandise is sold there; meanwhile, the non-exclusive agreement does allow the Trump org to cash in on any of that merchandise sold away from the airport, including on his own online store that already hawks a wide array of Trump-themed wares, from the glitzy to the gaudy. He can also monetize the airport’s new name in any way he sees fit; and can license the trademark to any third party of his choosing. And he has final approval over how his name, image and likeness are portrayed and presented at the airport, meaning any photographs, written descriptions or biographical references to Trump can be produced by or for him with no fear of pushback. Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) drew attention to the article by posting on X that “the real story behind Palm Beach International becoming Trump International is not the renaming. It is the coercion that produced it and the extraordinary terms hidden inside the deal,” adding that “the agreement itself is not a normal honorary naming.” Lost in the news this week: the real story behind Palm Beach International becoming Trump International is not the renaming. It is the coercion that produced it and the extraordinary terms hidden inside the deal. County staff told commissioners that refusing would put state… — Mike Levin (@MikeLevin) May 14, 2026 “The Trump family company retains the right to pick vendors, license the name to third parties, and sell branded merchandise off-site,” Levin continued. “This is not an… [TheTopNews] Read More.2 hours ago - JD Vance Claims Dead People ‘Vote for Democrats’ in Maine Anti-Fraud Speech
Vice President JD Vance claimed dead people “vote for democrats” while giving an anti-fraud speech in Bangor, Maine, on Thursday. The Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which President Donald Trump tasked Vance with spearheading, held its inaugural meeting on March 27, 2026. It has been investigating potential schemes for taking advantage of the government. Vance’s visit to Maine is a pointed one. The state is among the Democratic states — also including Illinois, Minnesota, California, New York and others — the task force has singled out for alleged fraud. Maine is accused of fraud and mismanagement of federally funded Medicaid programs. A report from earlier this year from the Department of Health and Human Services claimed Maine made “at least $45.6 million in improper fee-for-service Medicaid payments” for services provided to children diagnosed with Autism. “I realized that fraud isn’t just about saving money,” Vance said in his speech. “It’s not just about protecting the taxpayers. It’s about protecting you, the money you send to the government and the services that you rely on. So, for once, for the first time in a very long time, you’ve got an administration in Washington, D.C., that is fighting for you, fighting to protect your tax dollars and fighting to put the fraudsters in prison, which is where they belong.” He added that going after fraud is not “hard” because “there is a lot of fraud in the federal government” and “it’s like fishing in a barrel.” “It is unbelievable, unbelievable, how much you have been fleeced by your own government over the past 15, 20, 30 years,” Vance said. “Nobody, nobody, was looking at this. Nobody was asking difficult questions like, for example, are dead people getting food stamps? Okay? Call me old fashioned. I don’t think the dead people eat, so certainly they don’t need food stamps.” Someone from the audience called out, “They vote!” referring to accusations made also by Trump that thousands of deceased people voted for former President Joe Biden in states that Trump lost in 2020. In this case, the likely insinuation is that a relative would have filled out a ballot in the deceased relative’s name. Election experts say that while this occasionally happens, it is not at the scale that would impact the outcome of an election. “Unfortunately, they vote for Democrats, they don’t vote for us, my friends,” Vance said in a response that… [TheTopNews] Read More.2 hours ago - ‘Laughable!’ Jim Jordan Brawls With Left-Wing Prosecutor Over Alleged Illega...
(Screenshots) Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) brawled with Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano (D) at a hearing on Thursday, upbraiding the progressive prosecutor over an illegal immigrant his office released who went on to allegedly commit a murder. According to local ABC7 News Descano’s website included the statements, “Wherever possible, Steve will make charging and plea decisions that limit or avoid immigration consequences” and “If two people commit the same crime, but only one’s punishment includes deportation, that’s a perversion of justice and not a reflection of the values of Fairfax County” until recently. “Mr. Descano, why’d you change your website?” Jordan asked at Thursday’s hearing, repeating the question and rejecting Descano’s plea that he be allowed to “address what you had said earlier.” “Well, sir, your statements about we’re not-, don’t want to prosecute guys is absolutely false. And my policies,” insisted Descano. “She [the sheriff] said the commonwealth’s attorney — that’s you — chose not [Marvin Fernando] Morales Ortez on December 16, and they had to release him, they had to do their job because you wouldn’t prosecute. What happened on December 17th, Mr. Descanso?” “Well, sir, let’s talk about December 16-” began Descano. “That’s the question. What happened on December 17? This same guy murdered somebody! This guy murdered somebody! And I’m asking you, why did you change your website?” interjected Jordan. “Well, do you not want me to talk to you about the case?” asked Descano. “Why did you change your website?” repeated Jordan. “Well, sir, because the website is not my policy. My policy-, you are referring to a campaign web-, a campaign statement!” insisted Descano. “I think the voters might be interested in that,” marveled Jordan. Descano continued to argue that there was a difference between his campaign promises and office policies, while Jordan pointed out that Descano changes his website a week after the House committee sent him a letter about testifying. “Is that coincidental?” he inquired. “Because I could not believe that somebody-, that people were so obtuse that they could not realize what the difference between a campaign statement and an actual office policy is,” shot back Descano. “This is almost laughable! This is your policy!” concluded Jordan. Heated exchange between Rep. Jordan and Fairfax Attorney Descano over Descano's campaign promise to take immigration status into account during criminal proceedings. Descano: "That's not my policy…that is a campaign statement!"… [TheTopNews] Read More.2 hours ago - ‘Disgusting!’ CNBC’s Jim Cramer Torches Trump Over Relentless Attacks on F...CNBC host Jim Cramer blasted President Donald Trump over his treatment of outgoing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Trump has habitually attacked Powell and openly pursued a criminal investigation over the renovation of Federal Reserve buildings. But Powell will finish out his full term this week, and will be succeeded by just-confirmed Trump pick Kevin Warsh. On Thursday morning’s edition of CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, Cramer marked the occasion by gushing praise for Powell and slamming critics, calling Trump’s campaign against him “disgusting” and suggesting it was Trump who “doesn’t know what he’s doing”: CNBC HOST JIM CRAMER: Economy, some parts of the economy are on fire. Some people would say, listen, why would you want to buy something where inflation is increasing? You know what? I’ve read probably 10 articles about what a doofus Powell was. I read a lot of the right-wing press and mainstream press. I have abdedicated public servant who went through some of the toughest times ever with some–. You know, with very different presidents, always with honor, always with dignity, a great American who is slagged? I mean, you know, and I feel badly because, like, who wants to come in and be in the government if you get slagged for the job that he did? By the way, also like a great family guy, always did that that, never wanted that in the limelight, really kept his temper. And most of us would have lost our temper. Most of us would not understand that it was a, you–. Look, you’re doing something that’s above politics, no matter how much they try to drag it down. An actual intellect, understood economics, and, you know, to read these things is like you think that he didn’t know what he was doing. How about Congress not knowing what it’s doing? How about the president’s not knowing what he’s doing? CNBC ANCHOR CARL QUINTANILLA: Are you saying Powell got a raw deal at the end? CNBC HOST JIM CRAMER: No, I’m saying that it’s atrocious what’s happened, the press. Atrocious that they put things on him, where he tried his best. And oh, by the way, was he supposed to figure out what happened with an illness that we had never seen before? How about the Chinese? How’d they handle it? I mean, come on. You know, so I just think he did a great job and I wish him well.… [TheTopNews] Read More.2 hours ago
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