News from around the nation.

Federal lawmakers tackle AI-generated 'deepfakes' as election nears; Tropical Storm Debby will strengthen into Category 1 hurricane before making landfall in Florida; Black women ramp up political organizing in Virginia, swing states; Pennsylvania mayor puts bipartisan infrastructure law funding to work.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, August 5th, 2024.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Newly introduced federal laws aim to protect voters from the growing threat of AI-generated political ads.

Manipulated audio of Vice President Kamala Harris' voice spread widely on social media is just the latest example of a so-called deepfake designed to sow confusion ahead of the November election.

Richard Anthony with the advocacy group Public Citizen says disruptive AI content in recent European elections reveals the urgent need for action.

Those incidents are just testing grounds for a big, huge torrent coming our way over the next few months.

Anthony says bipartisan legislation would prohibit the use of AI content for certain political ads and require disclaimers on content substantially generated by AI.

AI robocalls are already illegal after a misleading deepfake of President Joe Biden before the New Hampshire primary.

I'm Catherine Carley reporting.

Meantime, the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission, has also proposed a rule to require clear disclaimers on AI-generated political ads in broadcasting.

The public can submit comments until August 12th.

And Tropical Storm Debbie expected to strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane overnight before making landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida, bringing with it strong winds, significant flooding and power outages.

That from NBC News.

They report that FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, announced Sunday that President Joe Biden had approved an emergency declaration for Florida.

The action authorizes FEMA to coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide necessary equipment and resources.

And next up, Black women are ramping up their political organizing efforts in Virginia and in other swing states across the country.

It's a key demographic for Democrats who have been galvanized by the presumptive nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris as the party's nominee.

Shakiya Cherry Donaldson with the group 1000 Women Strong said in a webinar that voter turnout has dropped among Black women, particularly in 2022.

But this year could be a game changer.

When budgets are decided, when bills are passed, when bills are struck down, where we decide when our foreign dollars are going to go, etc.

Black women have to be a part of every part of this process and our well-being has to be considered.

Cherry Donaldson was part of a recent video call with 44,000 participants rallying for Harris.

The group also raised one point six million dollars in a few hours.

1000 Women Strong is targeting more than a half dozen states, including Virginia, for its get out the vote efforts.

Nationally, Harris has a narrow lead over former President Donald Trump, according to a Reuters Ipsos poll.

I'm Will Waukee.

1000 Women Strong is running programs for voter registration, digital organizing and leadership development this fall.

This is Public News Service.

Next to Pennsylvania, where a city is using funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law to increase safety, prevent crime and improve housing.

Allentown Mayor Matt Turk says these focus topics are where residents are asking his office for solutions.

He says Allentown is enhancing infrastructure investments and utilizing funds from the bipartisan infrastructure act to support various local projects and programs.

We were very happy to wallet technology called Fox Safety Raven, which is a gunshot detection technology and device and play reader system has helped us advance reductions in violent crime in Allentown.

As part of the bipartisan infrastructure law, Pennsylvania is expected to receive about 13.2 billion dollars in federal funding for highways and bridges over five years.

For Public News Service, I'm Danielle Smith.

And next to Connecticut, where local advocates want Governor Ned Lamont to use some of the state's budget reserve to fund social programs.

The state has amassed more than four billion dollar budget reserve in recent years, but the governor is holding on to the money, saying the extra funds will be needed to bail the state out of any future economic trouble.

Norma Martinez, host saying with the nonprofit Connecticut for All, understands that but says the money could make a real difference.

In Connecticut, we saw many families suffer from being underinsured or not insured at all.

There's been a lot of people not being able to afford their rent and even evictions.

Our schools have been using our funds since the pandemic, and now those are ending at the end of the year.

Polls show using these funds to help shore basic safety net programs is widely popular with Connecticut voters.

Sixty-three percent say they want the budget reserves to be used for education, health and human services and other priorities.

Only eight percent want all surplus funding to be spent on paying down state employee pension debt.

A 2024 report finds overall statewide pension debt is close to two trillion dollars.

I'm Edwin J. Vieira.

And finally, our Mike Mullen lets us know public hearings are scheduled this month as Minnesota regulators consider a permit for a proposed pipeline to transport carbon emissions from ethanol plants.

The maze of underground pipes crossing several Midwestern states would be what's described as the largest carbon capture project in the world.

The company behind it wants permit approval for a 28-mile stretch in northwestern Minnesota.

The state just released a final environmental impact statement before that decision is made.

Peg Fershong of the environmental group Cure says they're not satisfied with language like "impacts will be minimal" and need more details.

This is the first of its kind project and we want to get it right.

When asked for comment, the Commerce Department referred to the assessment, which says the project could result in a net benefit in reducing emissions.

This is Mike Clifford and thank you for starting your week with Public News Service.

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