Senators debate liability for ‘rogue’ AI agents

WASHINGTON — In a stance that puts him at odds with much of his party and the White House, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., used a Senate hearing on Wednesday to call for new artificial intelligence regulations, including through his own upcoming legislation that would clarify liability for “rogue” AI hacking incidents.

At the hearing on national security risks from those attacks held by the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee’s Disaster Management, District of Columbia and Census Subcommittee, which he chairs, Hawley asked lawmakers to focus on how AI firms can be held accountable for the actions of their agents.

“At the end of the day, they’re a product, and if you make that product in a reckless kind of way, and that product causes … significant harm and damage — they crash a hospital ER, they shut down a bank so that folks can’t get their money — if that happens, then it’s the people who made it who should be responsible,” Hawley said.

On Tuesday, Hawley announced plans to introduce legislation that would make AI firms liable for reckless design and users liable for reckless deployment. He says the bill would also make it clear that criminal penalties for hacking apply to AI companies or to users who deploy an AI agent to commit crimes.

—CQ-Roll Call

New bill in Congress seeks to investigate toxic dump off California coast

LOS ANGELES — Two members of Congress are ramping up efforts to investigate the consequences of DDT pollution off the Southern California coast — an issue that has horrified scientists and policymakers since they learned that as many as half a million barrels of toxic waste had been dumped into the ocean after World War II.

In a first-of-its kind bill introduced this week in both the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, the “Ocean Protection and DDT Reduction Act” lays out a long-awaited proposal on how to reckon with California’s poisoned marine environment. The legislation has been years in the making and seeks to address many of the concerns raised by Californians and others around the world.

“I was shocked ... I know firsthand how much our communities depend on a healthy ocean — from our fishermen and maritime workers to our tourism and coastal economies. We have a responsibility to protect these waters,” said U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, who introduced the bill with U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and cited The Times coverage of the issue.

“Our hope is to move things forward in a way that is meaningful, in a way that’s done expeditiously, and in a way where we are able to achieve a real, meaningful solution to this problem.”

—Los Angeles Times

After an identity hoax, one Philly educators’ group dissolves and another goes on hiatus

PHILADELPHIA — After being duped by Hannah Gann, one organization closely affiliated with the Philadelphia School District teacher and activist is dissolving, and another is on a two-month hiatus pending a decision about its future.

The moves come after Gann admitted she lied for years about her identity, claiming at times to be Palestinian, Tunisian, and Black — devastating both groups and drawing national attention to her deception. Gann recently admitted to being a white, Jewish woman, with relatives who she said were Israeli settlers.

“After much reflection, Philly Educators for Palestine has made the decision to dissolve,” a statement read. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who participated, supported, organized, learned, taught, and stood alongside us. We are proud of what we accomplished together and of the community that was built through this work.”

The group, which was not affiliated with the Philadelphia School District but whose members taught in the district, began in early 2024, after charter members, including Gann, organized a “teach-in” about Palestinian history and the conflict in Gaza.

—The Philadelphia Inquirer

FlyDubai pilot who tried to crash plane identified as Omani

The FlyDubai pilot who tried to crash the Boeing Co. 737 carrying 174 passengers mainly from Israel was Omani, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, raising questions how he gained permission to fly despite a strict security screening process.

The revelation about the co-pilot’s nationality will put pressure on the airline and security forces to explain how he ended up on the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight despite Oman and Israel having no diplomatic relations, restricting the access of their citizens to each other’s countries.

Netanyahu made the comments in an interview with Fox News on Thursday, a day after the near-catastrophe took place. The prime minister said the attacker underwent radical Islamist indoctrination, but cautioned it was too early to say if he had any links with Iran.

“We have constraints regarding pilots from countries that don’t have diplomatic relations,” Netanyahu said in the interview. “So obviously, he was able to go through that. So there’s a loophole there, how to make sure that we screen pilots in advance.”

—Bloomberg News