Publishers sue Meta, claiming it violated copyrights in training AI with their books; The Washington Post, May 5, 2026

 Maegan Vazquez, The Washington Post; Publishers sue Meta, claiming it violated copyrights in training AI with their books

"The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, is the latest in a string of lawsuits brought by publishers, authors, artists, photographers and news outlets aimed at forcing tech companies to compensate them for using their works to train their AI models. The plaintiffs argue in the lawsuit that the AI model’s ability to quickly produce knockoffs and summaries of copyrighted books threatens the livelihoods of publishers and authors.

A Meta spokesperson said in a statement that the company would “fight this lawsuit aggressively.”

“AI is powering transformative innovations, productivity and creativity for individuals and companies, and courts have rightly found that training AI on copyrighted material can qualify as fair use,” the spokesperson said.

The publishers’ complaint states Meta distributed millions of copyrighted works without authorization and without compensating authors or publishers, claiming that Zuckerberg “personally authorized and actively encouraged the infringement.” They also claim that Meta removed copyright notices and copyright management information from the works used to train the AI model, known as Llama."

Even More Authors, Publishers Sue Meta Over Copyright in AI Training: What's Different Now; CNET, May 5, 2026

 Katelyn Chedraoui , CNET; Even More Authors, Publishers Sue Meta Over Copyright in AI Training: What's Different Now

Meta won a previous AI lawsuit brought by authors. Publishers are taking a different route this time.

"New lawsuit, same questions

Copyright is one of the most contentious legal issues around AI. Tech companies like Meta need high-quality, human-created data to build and refine their AI models. Nearly all of this material is protected by copyright. That means tech companies have to enter into licensing agreements or defend their use of the content as fair use under a provision of copyright law.

Meta and Anthropic have both won previous cases in lawsuits brought by authors, successfully defending their fair use. Anthropic agreed to settle some piracy claims with authors for $1.5 billion, or about $3,000 per pirated work. Both judges warned in their decisions that this won't be the result in every lawsuit...

One of the biggest considerations in these cases is whether tech companies' use of copyrighted books will make it harder for human authors to sell their work or otherwise affect the marketplace."

Congress Is Doing Little to Prepare for Potential A.I. Job Losses; The New York Times, May 5, 2026

Ben Casselman and Tony Romm, The New York Times; Congress Is Doing Little to Prepare for Potential A.I. Job Losses

"Economists aren’t sure if or when artificial intelligence will cause widespread job losses. But they do agree on one thing: The federal safety net isn’t ready for such a shock.

The nearly century-old unemployment system, which provides out-of-work Americans with up to 26 weeks of benefits in most states, is unlikely to cover many of the workers who are most at risk of being displaced by A.I., labor experts warn.

Job-retraining programs and other forms of aid designed for an earlier era of displaced workers haven’t been updated for the current threat or, in some cases, have lapsed altogether. And Republicans in Congress last year made it more difficult for people without jobs to receive the food assistance and health care benefits that are meant to be the last line of defense for struggling families.

The bottom line: If droves of Americans are disrupted by technology and turn to the government for help, they may find the aid insufficient — or, worse yet, be ineligible to receive it."

New Mexico proposes $3.7bn fine for Meta and sweeping changes to its social platforms; The Guardian, May 6, 2026

 Katie McQue, The Guardian; New Mexico proposes $3.7bn fine for Meta and sweeping changes to its social platforms

"Meta has returned to court in the US this week for the second phase of a lawsuit brought by Raúl Torrez, New Mexico’s attorney general, following a March verdict that found the company liable for child safety failures and imposed a $375m fine. On Monday, the state petitioned for a legal sanction against the company, a monetary penalty 10 times the original amount, and a sweeping, drastic overhaul of Meta’s child safety protocols.

In the second part of the landmark case, known as the remedies phase, the state is asking for Meta to be declared a public nuisance and for the judge to order the company to pay $3.7bn in an abatement plan. The money would fund programs for law enforcement, mental health services and educators. The state is also requesting that the judge force a series of design changes to Meta’s platforms aimed at improving child safety, including universal age verification, de-encryption of children’s messages, a guardian account linked to every child’s account, and a child safety monitor tasked with holding Meta to account for five years.

The New Mexico department of justice argues that these changes would make Meta’s social networks safer for underage users in the state. Meta, however, says the proposed reforms are unfeasible and could ultimately force it to shutdown its platforms in the state altogether.

The second phase of the trial is expected to last three weeks. Before opening statements on 4 May, Judge ⁠Bryan Biedscheid, said he needed to remain cognizant of free speech protections when evaluating the state’s arguments for Meta to impose the design measures, which he said could amount to “overreach”."

‘Avatar’ Suit Focuses on Hot Topic in A.I. Age: A Character’s Face; The New York Times, May 5, 2026

 Brooks Barnes, The New York Times ; ‘Avatar’ Suit Focuses on Hot Topic in A.I. Age: A Character’s Face

"An actress accused the director James Cameron of stealing her likeness to create an “Avatar” character in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday in California — a case that reflects a core fear among Hollywood performers in the artificial intelligence age: losing control of their own faces.

The actress, Q’orianka Kilcher, also sued Disney, which controls the multibillion-dollar “Avatar” franchise, which started in 2009...

The lawsuit involves Neytiri, the digitally created, blue-skinned warrior princess in Mr. Cameron’s three “Avatar” blockbusters. According to the complaint, Mr. Cameron used a photo of Ms. Kilcher as a teenager — without her knowledge — as the foundation for Neytiri, incorporating her features “directly into his production art” and digital production pipeline.

“Neytiri’s lips, chin, jawline and overall mouth shape” in the trilogy “are Q’orianka Kilcher’s,” the complaint said. “This was not a fleeting inspiration or a vague homage; it was a literal transplant of a real teenager’s facial structure.”

In 2010, Ms. Kilcher, who is also an Indigenous rights activist, met Mr. Cameron by chance at a charity event in Hollywood, where he told her that she was the “early inspiration” for Neytiri’s look, according to the complaint. “She did not take this to mean that her actual face had been replicated,” the complaint said.

Ms. Kilcher is suing now, the complaint said, because of an interview that Mr. Cameron gave to a French media outlet in 2024. In the interview, Mr. Cameron mentions Ms. Kilcher and “points to an image of Neytiri and says unambiguously: ‘This is actually her lower face,’” the complaint said. The interview came to her attention a year later."

Thank you, David Attenborough, for 100 incredible years of life on Earth; The Guardian, May 5, 2026

 Jess Harwood, The Guardian; Thank you, David Attenborough, for 100 incredible years of life on Earth

Behind the White House’s Potential Rethink on A.I.; The New York Times, May 5, 2026

 Andrew Ross Sorkin, Bernhard Warner, Sarah Kessler, Michael J. de la Merced, Niko Gallogly,Brian O’Keefe, Lauren Hirsch and Vivienne Walt, The New York Times ; Behind the White House’s Potential Rethink on A.I.

Artificial intelligence has become a national security concern. That has federal officials rethinking how lightly it should regulate the technology.

"Andrew here. Should there be the equivalent of the F.D.A. for artificial intelligence models? Should there be a government approval process before new models are released?

Those are some of the big questions as the White House weighs an executive order that could increase oversight of new A.I. tools. Will it need congressional approval? How much will the industry push back? More below.

The debate over new A.I. guardrails

For most of his second term, President Trump has embraced a laissez-faire approach to artificial intelligence. Let Silicon Valley do its thing, his administration reasoned, and it would maintain its lead over China and other rivals.

But a report by The Times about the White House potentially taking a heavier hand in overseeing A.I., including reviewing new models before they’re released, underscores how even the Trump administration has to reckon with how powerful these tools are becoming."

Intellectual Property and Brainpower Versus AI in Academic Publish; Academe Magazine, AAUP, Spring 2026

 Kelly Hand , Academe Magazine, AAUP; Intellectual Property and Brainpower Versus AI in Academic Publish

"The concept of transformation is central to US copyright law—which privileges “transformative” uses of copyrighted material in evaluating “fair use”—and emerging case law on AI. It’s worth thinking about what kind of transformation we value as human readers and writers and as beneficiaries of published academic research—particularly as we reckon with piracy in the training of LLMs and the unchecked growth of the AI industry. Considerations about how academic publications enable AI’s transformative processes extend beyond concerns about emotional authenticity important in creative writing to those about intellectual integrity and factual accuracy. 

Authors, editors, and publishers will need to make consequential IP decisions—including those about settlements in lawsuits over AI piracy, invitations to enter into licensing agreements with AI companies seeking to avoid future lawsuits, and editorial policies and guidelines to prevent the misuse of AI in academic research and writing. Some individuals and organizations, including scholarly publications and presses, will encounter opportunities to “cash in.” However, their relatively modest financial gains facilitate the disproportionate enrichment of AI companies that use copyrighted material for training LLMs. Even if that use is transformative in the strict legal sense, it fails to effect the kind of transformation that depends on the uniquely human capacities for thinking, feeling, and complex analysis. Academic journals and university presses must also protect IP—by upholding ethical standards and principles of copyright law—and commit to publishing human-authored works."

F.D.A. Blocked Publication of Research Finding Covid and Shingles Vaccines Were Safe; The New York Times, May 5, 2026

 Christina Jewett , The New York Times; F.D.A. Blocked Publication of Research Finding Covid and Shingles Vaccines Were Safe

"Officials at the Food and Drug Administration have blocked publication of several studies supporting the safety of widely used vaccines against Covid-19 and shingles in recent months, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed.

The studies, which cost millions of dollars in public funds, were conducted by scientists at the agency, who worked with data firms to analyze millions of patient records. They found serious side effects to be very rare.

In October, the scientists were directed to withdraw two Covid-19 vaccine studies that had been accepted for publication in medical journals. In February, top F.D.A. officials did not sign off on submitting abstracts about studies of Shingrix, a shingles vaccine, to a major drug safety conference.

The withdrawal of the studies is the latest step by the administration to try to limit access to vaccines. It has sharply cut research funding for vaccine development, released unvetted information casting doubt on vaccines, and blocked other information supporting their safety, most recently a paper on Covid vaccine effectiveness by career scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Complaint: ELSEVIER INC., CENGAGE LEARNING, INC., HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, INC., MACMILLAN PUBLISHING GROUP, LLC D/B/A MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS, MCGRAW HILL LLC, SCOTT TUROW, and S.C.R.I.B.E., INC., individually and on behalf of others similarly situated, Plaintiffs, v. META PLATFORMS, INC. and MARK ZUCKERBERG, Defendants.; May 5, 2026

 Complaint: ELSEVIER INC., CENGAGE LEARNING, INC., HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, INC., MACMILLAN PUBLISHING GROUP, LLC D/B/A MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS, MCGRAW HILL LLC, SCOTT TUROW, and S.C.R.I.B.E., INC., individually and on behalf of others similarly situated,

Plaintiffs,

v.

META PLATFORMS, INC. and MARK ZUCKERBERG,

Defendants.

Five Publishers and Scott Turow Sue Meta and Mark Zuckerberg; The New York Times, May 5, 2026

 Alexandra Alter , The New York Times; Five Publishers and Scott Turow Sue Meta and Mark Zuckerberg

The class-action lawsuit accuses the tech giant and its founder and chief executive of infringing on authors’ copyrights.

"Five major publishers — Hachette, Macmillan, McGraw Hill, Elsevier and Cengage — and the best-selling novelist Scott Turow have filed a class-action copyright infringement lawsuit against Meta and its founder and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.

The complaint, which was filed on Tuesday morning in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, accuses Meta and Zuckerberg of illegally using millions of copyrighted works to train their artificial intelligence program Llama, and of removing copyright notices and other copyright management information from those works.

The lawsuit asserts that Meta’s engineers relied on pirated books and journal articles to train the program by downloading unlicensed copies through websites like Anna’s Archive, an open source search engine for piracy sites including LibGen and Sci-Hub. The suit also claims that “Zuckerberg himself personally authorized and actively encouraged the infringement.”"

Major publishers sued Meta for pirating millions of books to train its AI; Quartz, May 5, 2026

 Cris Tolomia, Quartz; Major publishers sued Meta for pirating millions of books to train its AI

"Five major publishers and best-selling novelist Scott Turow filed a class-action copyright infringement lawsuit against Meta$META -1.49% and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, alleging the company pirated millions of books and journal articles to train its Llama artificial intelligence models."

House Democrat seeks answers from USPTO head on Board of Peace trademarks; Reuters, May 5, 2026

  Blake Brittain , Reuters; House Democrat seeks answers from USPTO head on Board of Peace trademarks

"The top Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee sent the head of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office a letter on Tuesday demanding more answers about ​his office's alleged role in concealing information about President Donald Trump's Board of Peace.

U.S. Representative ‌Jamie Raskin of Maryland sent 8 questions to director John Squires about the agency's unusual move to seek trademarks for the board's name and logo, pressing for details about the board's structure and funding."

Episcopalians send thousands of origami cranes to Olympia for detained immigrants; Episcopal News Service (ENS), April 30, 2026

 Shireen Korkzan , Episcopal News Service (ENS); Episcopalians send thousands of origami cranes to Olympia for detained immigrants

"Episcopalians from the United States and France folded and donated more than 5,000 origami cranes to the Diocese of Olympia ahead of the church’s Asiamerica Ministries’ annual retreat for Episcopal clergy and lay leaders of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander – AANHPI – heritage.

The cranes were strung together and brought to a shrine in front of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention center in Tacoma, Washington, where the 70 retreat participants gathered to pray for peace and solidarity with detained migrants.

“Each crane sent to us was a prayer, and at the vigil we were all praying together with everyone who folded paper cranes,” the Rev. Jo Ann Lagman, The Episcopal Church’s missioner for Asiamerica Ministries and a Filipina American, told Episcopal News Service. “To me, it was quite healing.”

Lagman noted that some Quakers who are part of an ecumenical Bible study group with Episcopalians in Pensacola, Florida, also made and shipped origami cranes ahead of the April 15-17 pilgrimage and retreat.

The idea to make origami cranes came from Tsuru for Solidarity, a nonviolent, direct-action campaign project of Japanese American social justice advocates. They are working to end immigration detention sites and support immigrant communities by advocating for fair immigration policies and other means.

In Japanese culture, the crane, or “tsuru” in Japanese, symbolizes transformation, healing and nonviolence. Origami “tsurus” are called “orizurus,” and they are frequently used to honor Japanese American victims and survivors of concentration camps during World War II."

Canadian fiddler sues Google after AI Overview wrongly claimed he was a sex offender; The Guardian, May 4, 2026

 Sian Cain , The Guardian; Canadian fiddler sues Google after AI Overview wrongly claimed he was a sex offender

"An acclaimed Canadian fiddle player has launched a $1.5m civil lawsuit against Google, alleging that the online giant defamed him by falsely identifying him as a sex offender in an AI-generated summary of his life and career.

Ashley MacIsaac, a three-time Juno award-winning musician, filed the claim in the Ontario superior court of justice, asserting that Google was liable for the “foreseeable republication” of its AI-generated Overview feature, which previously published defamatory claims that he had been convicted of multiple criminal offences, including the sexual assault of a woman, internet luring involving a child with the intention of sexual assaulting the child, and assault causing bodily harm.

Google’s AI Overview also wrongly stated that MacIsaac had been listed on the national sex offender registry for life, the lawsuit says."

CCAC’s push to sell off library books leaves empty shelves; Pittsburgh's Public Source, May 5, 2026

 Jamese Platt, Pittsburgh's Public Source ; CCAC’s push to sell off library books leaves empty shelves

This year the Community College of Allegheny County culled around 30,000 books from its collection, and library staff claim they had little say. Experts say academic book weeding should be a careful, gradual process.

"The Community College of Allegheny County has culled 35,000 books from its library collection. Some library staff members said they never received a clear explanation for the large and fast-paced “book weeding” — a common process in libraries, but one usually done gradually, according to some library management professionals.

On March 10, CCAC’s website announced an upcoming book sale taking place for one week across the college’s main and branch campuses. Books, DVDs and CDs were available for $1, with proceeds supporting a textbook fund for CCAC students.

“New media, such as electronic media including databases, e-texts and streaming media are in higher demand now as sources of information in community college libraries,” wrote Stephen Wells, CCAC’s provost and chief academic officer, in response to questions from Pittsburgh’s Public Source. “We are shifting resources to provide the resources our students need...

Bryanna Biehl, a CCAC student studying microbiology, worked as a volunteer during the book sale. She said she feels conflicted about the current state of the library. While she found the book sale enjoyable and was glad to increase her book collection, empty shelves on the Boyce Campus in Monroeville upset her. 

“Seeing it after the sale, it’s kind of heartbreaking,” Biehl said. “I frequent the library a lot. I would like a physical space to read … That’s what you expect when you go to the library, but seeing all those empty shelves that used to be full of books, it sucks as a student, as a reader, really.”

According to Jenkins, what remains of the CCAC libraries is a skeleton of its former self. “We don’t really have a real collection,” he said. “The damage that has been done, you can’t heal that.”

Barack Obama on Speaking Out Against Trump and That Racist AI Ape Video: ‘I’d Never Talk About Somebody’s Family in That Way’; Variety, May 4, 2026

Arushi Jacob, Variety; Barack Obama on Speaking Out Against Trump and That Racist AI Ape Video: ‘I’d Never Talk About Somebody’s Family in That Way’

"In a recent interview with the New Yorker, Barack Obama explained his reaction after an AI video was posted to Donald Trump‘s Truth Social account in February that depicted the former president and first lady, Michelle Obama, as apes."

White House Considers Vetting A.I. Models Before They Are Released; The New York Times, May 4, 2026

 Tripp Mickle, Julian E. Barnes, Sheera Frenkel and Dustin Volz, The New York Times; White House Considers Vetting A.I. Models Before They Are Released

"President Trump, who promoted a hands-off approach to artificial intelligence and gave Silicon Valley free rein to roll out the technology, is considering the introduction of government oversight over new A.I. models, according to U.S. officials and people briefed on the deliberations.

The administration is discussing an executive order to create an A.I. working group that would bring together tech executives and government officials to examine potential oversight procedures, according to U.S. officials, who declined to be identified in order to discuss deliberations over sensitive policies. Among the potential plans is a formal government review process for new A.I. models.

In meetings last week, White House officials told executives from Anthropic, Google and OpenAI about some of those plans, people briefed on the conversations said. 

The working group is likely to consider a number of oversight approaches, officials said. But a review process could be similar to one being developed in Britain, which has assigned several government bodies to ensure that A.I. models meet certain safety standards, people in the tech industry and the administration said."

Yoko Ono trademark challenge leaves sour taste for John Lemon beer maker; The Guardian, May 2, 2026

 Kim Willsher, The Guardian ; Yoko Ono trademark challenge leaves sour taste for John Lemon beer maker

"However, last month Picard received a letter from Ono’s lawyers ordering him to immediately stop using the name or he would face a fine for each day he refused.

“At first, I thought it was a fake, some kind of scam,” Picard told the Guardian. “It was only when I went online to check the lawyers really did exist [that I] found that there had been other cases, I wasn’t the only one to have used that pun, and that people had been penalised.

“The lawyers’ letter warned if I didn’t stop selling the beer, I could be ordered to pay €100,000 immediately, and another €1,500 every day until I stopped. That was really scary.”

He added: “We had no idea the trademark John Lemon had been registered, and anyway, we didn’t even think to check.”

Picard said he was surprised Ono would bother with such small beer.

“We’re only a tiny outfit, with me running it and two employees. I explained to the lawyers that we don’t sell in supermarkets. We deliver our bottles ourselves to bars and crêperies in our local area and asked if they would give me time to sell the bottles that had were already labelled.”

After an exchange of letters, the brewery has been allowed to sell its remaining stock of 5,000 bottles of John Lemon beer before 1 July."

‘Living library’: inside the marine biobanks racing to protect ocean species from extinction; The Guardian, May 4, 2026

 Stephanie Convery and Petra Stock, The Guardian; ‘Living library’: inside the marine biobanks racing to protect ocean species from extinction

"These fridges are part of what the university calls its “living library”: a biobank, or long-term storage for at-risk marine life forms. Biobanks act as insurance policies against species extinction, and as research hubs for scientists studying species genetics, growth and resilience in the age of environmental crisis."

A.I. Is a National Security Risk. We Aren’t Doing Nearly Enough.; The New York Times, May 4, 2026

 Dean Ball and Ben Buchanan , The New York Times; A.I. Is a National Security Risk. We Aren’t Doing Nearly Enough.

"We come from different parties and have guided artificial intelligence policy under very different presidents. But we agree: A.I. has become so powerful that, along with its tremendous promise, the technology poses immediate risks to national security. The United States is competing with authoritarian powers for control of A.I.’s future. Yet the country lacks a strong plan to protect the nation from A.I.’s profound dangers.

There are clear steps the government can take that both parties can agree on. But Washington lacks urgency. Unless we change course, A.I. systems will overwhelm the capacity of a distracted and sclerotic U.S. government to manage their development. We believe the United States can avoid this policy failure by quickly embracing a strategic blueprint for A.I. that leaders across the political spectrum can support.

It’s not hype to say that A.I. is likely to be one of the most significant technologies in the history of our species. At the start of Joe Biden’s presidency, A.I. systems could barely put together coherent paragraphs. Today they score above expert humans on a wide variety of tests. We expect that A.I. systems will continue to get a lot better and help researchers to design still more-powerful A.I. systems, accelerating their progress."

A Note to Readers; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 4, 2026

 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; A Note to Readers

[Kip Currier: As a long-time subscriber to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the note below arrived in my Inbox today: a new era for journalism in the Pittsburgh region and Western Pennsylvania.]

"The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, which started The Baltimore Banner four years ago, takes ownership Monday of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to ensure that Western Pennsylvania maintains access to high-quality local journalism. We’re grateful to the Block family for its civic leadership over nearly a century and take seriously our obligation to serve the community with fairness and integrity.

As newcomers to Pittsburgh, we have been careful to fill the organization with top-notch journalists and business leaders from the old Post-Gazette. We'll rely on them to help us get to know this great city and region. We’ll also begin this spring hosting community listening sessions throughout the area to make sure we hear directly from you about what you need and want in your news organization.

Venetoulis was founded in response to the nationwide erosion of local news, with so many newspapers shutting down or being purchased by hedge funds with a single-minded focus on financial returns. We are driven, first and foremost, by a civic mission to bring trusted local reporting to communities that need it most. We’re also determined to create a successful model for local journalism that can be refined in Maryland and replicated here in Pittsburgh — and perhaps elsewhere in the coming years. Progress at The Banner suggests we are on the right path, with strong business growth, an expanding newsroom, and a Pulitzer Prize last year in local reporting.

Over time, you will notice some changes in the PG as we take vital steps to build an even more relevant, compelling, and sustainable news organization that, on its best days, will serve as something of a town square for this community. For example, as a nonprofit organization, Venetoulis does not endorse candidates or, as an institution, take positions on matters of policy. That means we will be ending the Opinion section, though we are committed to vigorously reporting on key issues so that you can be an informed citizen, and we will continue to have columnists. At the same time, being a nonprofit allows us to raise donations from the community, which has proven to be an important ingredient in Maryland for building a resilient news business. We’ll still be coming out twice weekly in print as well as delivering the daily e-edition. We’re committed, as ever, to local news, sports, and investigative work. And we’ll focus on upgrading the experience on the website and app to better appeal to the growing base of digital readers.

We are so excited to begin this journey — and we ask for your advice and honest feedback as we strive to make the new Post-Gazette best serve you and your neighbors. You can reach us at feedback@post-gazette.com."

Poll: The midterms' new big players are pushing agendas that voters don’t fully support; Politico, May 3, 2026

ERIN DOHERTY,  JASPER GOODMAN, JESSICA PIPER,  DANIEL BARNES and BRENDAN BORDELON, Politico ; Poll: The midterms' new big players are pushing agendas that voters don’t fully support

"Deep-pocketed political groups tied to artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency are rapidly reshaping the midterm money landscape — but many Americans are uneasy with the industries behind the spending.

New results from The POLITICO Poll find broad public skepticism about crypto and AI, creating a possible conflict for candidates benefitting from an influx of contributions from the two industries. These groups are pouring millions of dollars into competitive 2026 races to elevate politicians who they believe will support their agendas in Washington.

Meanwhile, Americans have been slow to embrace either technology.

A 45 percent plurality of Americans say investing in cryptocurrency is not worth the risk, even if it can yield high returns, and a 44 percent plurality say AI is developing too quickly, according to the April survey conducted by independent firm Public First.

Nearly half of Americans say they trust a traditional bank with their money more than a cryptocurrency platform, while just 17 percent say the opposite. And two-thirds support lawmakers either imposing strict regulations or setting broad principles for the AI industry."

Planning a World Cup Watch Party at a Bar? The ‘FIFA Police’ Are Lurking; The New York Times, May 2, 2026

Vjosa Isai, The New York Times; Planning a World Cup Watch Party at a Bar? The ‘FIFA Police’ Are Lurking

Some businesses advertising watch parties in Canada’s two host cities are wary of running afoul of FIFA’s trademark, which protects advertising “World Cup” events.

"Sports teams and athletic organizations, such as FIFA, the International Olympic Committee and others, are aggressive about protecting their intellectual property because their names, logos and brands are considered commercial assets."