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Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DHS Using Drones Capable of Surveillance Amid L.A. Protests
Police arrest dozens of protesters during a protest over immigration raids near the City Hall in Los Angeles, California, on June 11, 2025. Credit - Tayfun Coskun—Anadolu via Getty The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is using drones during the protests in Los Angeles, the department has confirmed, further fueling controversy surrounding the escalating law enforcement response to the demonstrations that broke out as immigration raids occurred throughout the city. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), an agency within DHS, confirmed on Thursday that it is providing 'aerial support' to law enforcement. "Air and Marine Operations (AMO) is providing aerial support to federal law enforcement partners conducting operations in the Greater Los Angeles area. AMO's efforts are focused on situational awareness and officer safety support as requested,' a CBP spokesperson told TIME via email. DHS shared footage of the protests shot with a drone on social media earlier in the week. 'WATCH: DHS drone footage of LA rioters,' the department wrote via an X post on June 10, which included video of cars burning and an apparent explosion accompanied by sinister music. 'California politicians must call off their rioting mob.' The protests in Los Angeles have been predominantly peaceful as they enter their seventh day, media on the ground has reported, though some have escalated as cars have been set on fire and projectiles have been thrown. Despite that, President Donald Trump has deployed thousands of National Guard members and is mobilizing hundreds of Marines to the area, against the wishes of state and local leaders. Local law enforcement has also used crowd control tactics such as rubber bullets and tear gas, and Mayor Karen Bass has declared a state of 'local emergency' and imposed an ongoing 8 p.m. to 6 p.m. curfew. Read More: Veterans Condemn Trump's 'Misuse of Military Power' Amid L.A. Protests Since the protests began on Friday, more than 160 people have been arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The majority of those arrests, according to the New York Times, occurred on Monday, and a majority of them were based on failure to disperse charges. CBP confirmed to 404 media that the drones used by the agency were two Predator drones after the media company reported that drones were spotted flying without call signs where the anti-ICE protests were occurring. Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed reports of the drones in a June 11 hearing with Congress. Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed asked Hegseth if he was prepared for DHS to use drones to 'to detain or arrest American citizens.' 'Every authorization we've provided the National Guard and the Marines in Los Angeles is under the authority of the President of the United States,' Hegseth answered. According to Alejandra Montoya-Boyer, senior director of the Center for Civil Rights & Technology at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, tech groups and civil rights groups alike are "surprised and deeply concerned' by the use of drones, but it is not "necessarily new.' 'CBP has a pretty expansive opportunity to be able to deploy drone technology and other technologies that are able to surveil and track anyone, whether they're crossing the border or in these spaces,' Montoya-Boyer tells TIME. She says 'this isn't necessarily the first time we're seeing this,' but noted that it could still be harmful and 'disproportionately impacting communities of color and immigrants right now.' She says people are often unaware of the extent of land that CBP has access to—100 air miles from any external boundary of the U.S, a border zone that almost two-thirds of the U.S. population lives within. Montoya-Boyer says that the technology used by these drones was created to track border crossings, not to be used to track U.S. citizens at protests. 'The reality is, with the development of these types of technologies, and with appropriations by CBP and DHS, they can be used for domestic surveillance and as needed by an administration that isn't necessarily doing what's usual,' she says. Though the CBP has stated that the drones are focused on 'situational awareness' and 'officer safety,' Montoyta-Boyers says there 'is no reason for us to believe that it is just in the name of law and order' as 'there is an increase, an expansion of surveillance technologies in the name of immigration enforcement being deployed all across the country on the majority of people, whether they're immigrants or not She recommends those who decide to lawfully and peacefully protest to access both the ACLU's and Electronic Frontier Foundation's guides to what protestors' rights are. This is not the first time that drones have been used during U.S. protests in support of law enforcement efforts. Back in 2020, CBP utilized drones at the height of protests in the Black Lives Matter movement spurred by the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. At the time, however, CBP argued that its drones were not being used to 'surveil' protestors, but rather to provide 'assistance to state and locals so they could make sure that their cities and their towns were protected,' according to Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan in a 2020 interview with ABC News. "We were not providing any resources to surveil lawful peaceful protesters. That's not what we were doing," he said. 'We weren't taking any information on law-abiding protesters, but we were absolutely there to ensure the safety of folks there as well as to enforce, and make sure law and order remain.' Contact us at letters@
Business Insider
15-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Tech companies want humans to help level up AI models. What's your price for training them?
Happy almost Friday! It's not TV. It's HBO, HBO Go, HBO Now, HBO Max, Max, HBO Max. The TV brand that brought us "The Sopranos" and "Sex and The City" is rebranding its streamer … again. BI's Peter Kafka has more on all the flip-flopping and why, jokes aside, it's acknowledgment of a deal gone bad. (At least HBO is leaning into the joke.) In today's big story, Meta will pay you $50 an hour to help make its avatars more realistic. Which begs the bigger question: How much would you need to be paid to train AI on something you're good at? What's on deck Markets: The US-China trade deal doesn't mean investors are out of the woods yet. Business: The job market might be the biggest risk no one's talking about. But first, lending a helping hand to AI. If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. The big story Train and gain Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Want to make a quick $50? Just say "Cheese." Meta is paying $50 an hour to record people's facial expressions and small talk to bolster its virtual avatars, writes BI's Effie Webb. It's part of the tech giant's massive bet that the metaverse is the future. Meta's recruiting adults to make its virtual reality avatars as realistic as possible and create a social environment that is "indistinguishable from reality" during virtual interactions. That sounds exhilarating or terrifying, depending on where you sit on the technology adoption scale. What's not up for debate is that plenty of this type of work is going around. Across the tech world, companies are hiring humans to train AI models to act more … human. Tesla previously paid up to $48 an hour to people training its humanoid robots. Meta also has contractors monitoring how "flirty" its chatbots get. The humanization of AI is turning into a nice side hustle for those willing to put in the hours. One woman told BI she made $8,000 in three weeks training AI after hours. But it's not always easy work. Sometimes it can involve stress-testing AI with "harmful" prompts, as Effie previously reported. Sharing your smile is one thing, since most of us don't get paid to flash our pearly whites. (Don't worry. I still think you look great.) But what about training AI on something you're good enough to get paid to do? On the one hand, you could probably demand a higher rate for teaching AI a somewhat proprietary skill. On the other hand, are the short-term gains worth the long-term risks that could come with AI eventually being better at the task than you? Simply put: Do you want to be the turkey setting the table for Thanksgiving? Let me know what you think. They say everyone has a price. What's yours for teaching AI your secret sauce? 3 things in markets Reuters / Lucas Jackson 1. The S&P 500 just flashed an optimistic technical signal. The index moved above its 200-day moving average, which has historically signaled a positive long-term trend. LPL Financial's technical analyst said it could spell a bottom for the market. 2. And Wall Street's fear is subsiding. The index known as Wall Street's fear gauge saw its fastest-ever drop from April 10 to May 12; Wall Street's breathing easy now that the US and China have dialed down tariffs. The index had peaked when fears were high right after Liberation Day. 3. But investors might be declaring tariff victory too early. The US-China deal to temporarily reduce tariffs on Chinese imports to 30% pushed the S&P 500 up 3.2%. However, investors might be getting ahead of themselves for a variety of reasons. 3 things in tech 1. Tariffs have taken a toll on TikTok's US e-commerce business. Four TikTok staffers told BI they attribute the drop-off in US sales to tariffs, which have created cost headaches for merchants. It's one of the many setbacks the social media platform has experienced this year. 2. Waymo just got another recall headache. The company issued a software recall for more than 1,200 robotaxis after several of its cars were involved in barrier collisions, according to a report filed with a federal safety agency. It's Waymo's third recall in over a year, though the last two were voluntary. 3. Amazon robots won't take your job, but they might end the need for it. Amazon said it sees warehouse robots as crucial to "flattening" its hiring curve, according to an internal document obtained by BI. It suggests Amazon could use robots to slow the rate of new hiring rather than replace existing workers. 3 things in business 1. The job market is on the brink of collapse. While unemployment remains historically low, things may not be as tranquil as they seem, writes economist Neil Dutta. From fewer job openings to the uncertainty surrounding Trump's trade upheaval, signs are pointing to higher unemployment and a weaker job market. 2. Behind Ryan Coogler's deal to own "Sinners." The director behind the box-office sensation struck a rare deal with Warner Bros., giving him the rights to "Sinners" in 2050. A veteran entertainment and technology attorney spoke to BI about how Coogler could cash in. 3. The key deals struck during Trump's tour of Saudi Arabia. Companies like Nvidia and Amazon have notched some big wins while Trump has been in the Middle East. Here's a list of what's been announced, from a major chip deal to a planned Saudi AI zone. In other news Trump can't stop talking about the pushback to Qatar's Air Force One offer. We asked Grok why it was bringing up 'white genocide' in unrelated X posts. The AI's answers are messy. Uber has a new plan to get you to use its app more: Cheaper ride and delivery options. What's happening today The Business Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. Grace Lett, editor, in Chicago. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Ella Hopkins, associate editor, in London. Elizabeth Casolo, fellow, in Chicago.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple says searches are shrinking because people are using AI instead. Now Google's stock is tanking.
Google headquarters in Mountain View, California. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images Google has been worrying about losing search share to AI engines like ChatGPT for a couple of years. It looks like that's started to happen, an Apple executive testified in court. Google shares immediately fell. Ever since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in 2022, investors have wondered about the implications for Google. Mainly: What happens to the company if lots of people start using AI engines to answer questions instead of Google's dominant search engine? Now it looks like that might actually be happening. Eddy Cue, an Apple executive, said searches on Apple's Safari browser shrank for the first time ever in April — a change he chalked up to people using AI instead. Cue made that disclosure on Wednesday while testifying in the federal antitrust suit against Google's parent company, Alphabet, because Apple receives more than $20 billion a year from Google to make it the default search engine on Apple devices. He also said Apple would likely add AI engines as search alternatives on its devices over time, Bloomberg reports: [Cue] noted that searches on Safari dipped for the first time last month, which he attributed to people using AI. Cue's testimony neatly explains a major reason that investors have been pouring money into AI companies like OpenAI at increasingly huge valuations: They're hoping that at a minimum, they'll be able to carve out some of Google's ownership of the stock market — the primary reason Google is worth $2 trillion today. That prospect is also what has prompted Google to turn itself into an AI company, by turning conventional searches into queries it answers with its Gemini AI engine. Early stumbles in those efforts generated a lot of mockery — see glue pizza — but Google has stuck with it, insisting that users like the results. On the company's earnings call last month, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said its efforts were working and that its AI engine had helped increase search volume: "Nearly a year after we launched AI Overviews in the US, we continue to see that usage growth is increasing as people learn that Search is more useful for more of their queries," he told analysts.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
How to See February's Snow Moon
Full Snow Moon rises over San Mateo Bridge of San Francisco Bay in San Mateo, Calif., U.S. on Feb. 24, 2024. Credit - Tayfun Coskun—Getty Images The second full moon of 2025, dubbed the 'snow moon' will be at its peak this week. The moon, named after the winter season's heavy snowfall, arrives just as much of the U.S. is expected to be impacted by back-to-back snowstorms. Here's what to know about the snow moon. The snow moon will reach peak illumination Wednesday morning at 8:53 a.m. EST, according to The moon will be below the horizon at this time, so the Almanac's moon guide recommends looking for it on Tuesday or Wednesday night. The moon will peak above the horizon around sunset, and reach its highest point in the sky around midnight. You can view the snow moon with your naked eye, but try stargazing in an area with less light pollution to appreciate its full beauty. If you're not able to catch a glimpse on Wednesday, the moon will also appear full in the days before and after its peak—though with most of the U.S. expected to be impacted by storms this week, some stargazers might find it hard to catch it. Many early Native American tribes kept track of time through phases of the moon, and some of the names were adopted by European colonists. The 'snow moon' was named in reference to the heavy snow that falls during the winter season. Because the season also brought bad weather that made hunting difficult, it was also referred to as the 'Hunger Moon.' The next full moon, named the 'worm moon' will take place in mid-March. Until then, keep an eye out for Venus, the planet named after the Roman goddess of love, which will reach peak brightness on Feb. 14—just in time for Valentine's Day. Write to Simmone Shah at
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
How to See February's Snow Moon
Full Snow Moon rises over San Mateo Bridge of San Francisco Bay in San Mateo, Calif., U.S. on Feb. 24, 2024. Credit - Tayfun Coskun—Getty Images The second full moon of 2025, dubbed the 'snow moon' will be at its peak this week. The moon, named after the winter season's heavy snowfall, arrives just as much of the U.S. is expected to be impacted by back-to-back snowstorms. Here's what to know about the snow moon. The snow moon will reach peak illumination Wednesday morning at 8:53 a.m. EST, according to The moon will be below the horizon at this time, so the Almanac's moon guide recommends looking for it on Tuesday or Wednesday night. The moon will peak above the horizon around sunset, and reach its highest point in the sky around midnight. You can view the snow moon with your naked eye, but try stargazing in an area with less light pollution to appreciate its full beauty. If you're not able to catch a glimpse on Wednesday, the moon will also appear full in the days before and after its peak—though with most of the U.S. expected to be impacted by storms this week, some stargazers might find it hard to catch it. Many early Native American tribes kept track of time through phases of the moon, and some of the names were adopted by European colonists. The 'snow moon' was named in reference to the heavy snow that falls during the winter season. Because the season also brought bad weather that made hunting difficult, it was also referred to as the 'Hunger Moon.' The next full moon, named the 'worm moon' will take place in mid-March. Until then, keep an eye out for Venus, the planet named after the Roman goddess of love, which will reach peak brightness on Feb. 14—just in time for Valentine's Day. Write to Simmone Shah at
