Tuesday Afternoon Update: Fox Settles With Dominion, Wall Street Journal Reporter Denied Russian Bail, Elon Warns About AI

This article is adapted from today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click here.

Fox News Settles With Dominion

Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems said Tuesday that they have reached a settlement agreement just moments before opening arguments were set to begin. The deal ends a months-long legal battle in which Dominion accused Fox of spreading false information about the 2020 election, specifically relating to Dominion voting machines. Fox agreed to pay Dominion $787.5 million.

Wall Street Journal Reporter Detained In Russia

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, the American journalist arrested in Russia in March, was denied bail Tuesday and ordered to be held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison as he awaits his trial. Russian authorities have accused Gershkovich of spying — a claim that both his employer and the U.S. State Department have strongly denied. The Biden administration has said that his release is a top concern and priority. Here’s U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Roger D. Carstens recently addressing the international fiasco:

“We’ve had kind of a full court press within the State Department and the U.S. government writ large”: The U.S. has determined Russia has wrongfully detained WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich.@StateSPEHA says officials are working on bringing both Evan and Paul Whelan home. pic.twitter.com/aW3PhXKSfW

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) April 12, 2023

Taiwan Buying Anti-Ship Missiles

Taiwan will purchase roughly 400 Harpoon land-launched anti-ship missiles — crafted by Boeing — as a measure of protecting its coastal zones against a potential invasion from China. Daily Wire reporter Brandon Drey has more:

The pending agreement comes after Congress approved a deal in 2020. Pentagon officials announced a $1.7 billion contract with Boeing earlier this month. However, the contract did not mention Taiwan as the buyer. This comes as U.S.-China tensions are high, specifically over Taiwan, the self-governed island that China claims as part of its territory. Beijing criticized the deal on Tuesday, saying that it would “undermine China’s sovereignty and security interests.”

Elon Warns About AI

In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Elon Musk revealed he will create a third option to challenge Microsoft and Google’s artificial intelligence platforms, and warned that the technology could cause “civilizational destruction” without proper guardrails.

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.@elonmusk: “[AI] has the potential of civilizational destruction…It wouldn’t quite happen like Terminator…

If we put in regulations after something terrible has happened, it may be too late to…put the regulations in place. The AI may be in control at that point.” pic.twitter.com/CZVDZDPHtk

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 18, 2023

Last month, Musk — who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 and then stepped down from the company’s board in 2018 — registered a firm named X.AI Corp. The move came after he and other experts called for a six-month pause on advanced AI development.

SCOTUS Hears Religious Freedom Case

A dispute over package delivery on Sundays between a Pennsylvania postal worker and the postal service has reached the nation’s highest court and is being considered today.

Gerald Groff is a Christian and told his employer that he could not deliver packages on the Lord’s Day. Lower courts have sided with the Postal Service, saying that a demand for Sundays off meant extra work for other employees and caused tension. Groff argues employers can too easily turn down employees’ requests for religious accommodations, and if he wins, that could change.

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