Family accounts would be mandated for kids in chatbots bill

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan Senate bill unveiled Tuesday would govern kids and teens’ use of artificial intelligence chatbots by leaning on parental controls and would prohibit chatbots from using minors’ data for targeted advertising.

The bill comes ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee markup this week of a separate bill meant to address chatbots’ harms to young users and as members on both sides of the aisle and the Capitol grapple with how to best protect kids online without infringing on freedom of speech.

The bill’s unveiling also comes amid rising concern about AI ahead of the midterm elections and after recent testimony on Capitol Hill from parents of children who died by suicide after online interactions, including with AI chatbots.

Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, sponsored the new legislation with Sens. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, John Curtis, R-Utah, and Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., joining as co-sponsors.

—CQ-Roll Call

Whitmer's '86 45' emblem prompts Michigan GOP to float probe idea

WASHINGTON — Michigan Republicans are suggesting that the U.S. Department of Justice should investigate Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's "86 45" emblem visible in a television interview she filmed, but the five-year statute of limitations under federal law would probably bar any charges related to the 2020 incident.

The Justice Department on Tuesday announced an indictment against former FBI Director James Comey over a photo he posted to social media last year of seashells on a beach arranged to read “86 47,” which prosecutors allege was intended to be a threat to the life of President Donald Trump, the 47th president.

When asked about possibly investigating Whitmer, acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche left the door open to a probe of the Democratic Michigan governor, telling reporters during a Tuesday news conference that “other incidents of threats against the president of the United States, those will be investigated.”

“Every case is different. The facts are different. Who makes the threat matters. What the threat says matters. The question of intent matters,” Blanche said Tuesday. "It's not fair ... to compare, if you did it here, why didn't you do it there?"

—The Detroit News

Westernaires horsemanship group to end all Native American portrayals — including Battle of Little Bighorn

DENVER — The Golden-based Westernaires youth horsemanship organization will end its long-controversial portrayals of Native American culture, including a reenactment of the Battle of Little Bighorn and an Indian dancing program.

The organization’s Board of Directors sent a letter to members, volunteers and alumni last week to alert them to its commitment to halt “all programs that teach and portray Native American dancing, riding or history in all our performances.”

“We have heard the concerns expressed regarding how Indigenous communities have been portrayed in some of our performances,” said the letter, signed by each of the nine board members. “While our intent has always been to celebrate aspects of Western heritage and horsemanship, we recognize that intent does not always equal impact. When any individual — past or present — feels unheard or disrespected, it matters and it deserves our attention.”

The Westernaires board also committed the organization to better listen to diverse perspectives, evaluate programming with cultural awareness, and “evolve in a way that reflects both our values and the community we serve today.”

—The Denver Post

Putin’s WWII parade cuts tanks and missiles for use in Ukraine war

Russia will stage its traditional May 9 parade marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II without heavy military equipment for the first time since 2007, as the war in Ukraine takes its toll on Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s army.

No armored vehicles or missile systems will roll across Red Square during the parade “due to the current operational situation,” according to a Defense Ministry statement published late Tuesday on Telegram. Cadets from military schools and youth military institutions will also be absent, it said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters later that the decision had been taken to minimize potential threats to the event from Ukraine. “The parade will still take place, albeit in a scaled-down format,” he said.

Putin revived displays of Russia’s armored might for the annual Red Square parade in 2008 for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The event has served as a key showcase of the country’s military capabilities for both domestic and international audiences.

—Bloomberg News