MEREDITH, N.H. (AP) — A company that sent deceptive calls to New Hampshire voters using artificial intelligence to mimic President Joe Biden’s voice agreed Wednesday to pay a $1 million fine, federal regulators said.
Lingo Telecom, the voice service provider that transmitted the robocalls, agreed to the settlement to resolve enforcement action taken by the Federal Communications Commission, which had initially sought a $2 million fine.
The case is seen by many as an unsettling early example of how AI might be used to influence groups of voters and democracy as a whole.
Meanwhile Steve Kramer, a political consultant who orchestrated the calls, still faces a proposed $6 million FCC fine as well as state criminal charges.
The phone messages were sent to thousands of New Hampshire voters on Jan. 21. They featured a voice similar to Biden’s falsely suggesting that voting in the state’s presidential primary would preclude them from casting ballots in the November general election.
Kramer, who paid a magician and self-described “digital nomad” to create the recording, told The Associated Press earlier this year that he wasn’t trying to influence the outcome of the primary, but he rather wanted to highlight the potential dangers of AI and spur lawmakers into action.
If found guilty, Kramer could face a prison sentence of up to seven years on a charge of voter suppression and a sentence of up to one year on a charge of impersonating a candidate.
The FCC said that as well as agreeing to the civil fine, Lingo Telecom had agreed to strict caller ID authentication rules and requirements and to more thoroughly verify the accuracy of the information provided by its customers and upstream providers.
“Every one of us deserves to know that the voice on the line is exactly who they claim to be,” FCC chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “If AI is being used, that should be made clear to any consumer, citizen, and voter who encounters it. The FCC will act when trust in our communications networks is on the line.”
Lingo Telecom did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company had earlier said it strongly disagreed with the FCC’s action, calling it an attempt to impose new rules retroactively.
Nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen commended the FCC on its action. Co-president Robert Weissman said Rosenworcel got it “exactly right” by saying consumers have a right to know when they are receiving authentic content and when they are receiving AI-generated deepfakes. Weissman said the case illustrates how such deepfakes pose “an existential threat to our democracy.”
FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan Egal said the combination of caller ID spoofing and generative AI voice-cloning technology posed a significant threat “whether at the hands of domestic operatives seeking political advantage or sophisticated foreign adversaries conducting malign influence or election interference activities.”
By JONATHAN J. COOPER and ALI SWENSON, Associated Press
PHOENIX (AP) — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will speak Friday “about the present historical moment and his path forward,” his campaign announced Wednesday, fueling growing speculation that Kennedy could drop out and support Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Kennedy’s running mate openly discussed the possibility on a podcast this week, saying the campaign was considering a move to “join forces” with Trump to limit the election chance of Kamala Harris, whose Democratic convention winds up Thursday night in Chicago.
The move would have once seemed unthinkable for Kennedy, a Democrat for most of his life and — as the nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of Robert F. Kennedy — a member of a beloved Democratic dynasty.
Last month, during the Republican National Convention, Kennedy’s son posted and then quickly deleted a video showing a phone call between Kennedy and Trump, in which the former president appeared to try to talk Kennedy into siding with him.
Kennedy will give a speech in Phoenix, hours before Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in neighboring Glendale. A spokesperson for Kennedy, Stefanie Spear, declined to say whether he planned to drop out or why he chose Arizona for his speech.
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After leaving the Democratic primary to run as an independent, Kennedy built an unusually strong base of support for someone running without the backing of a major party. It was unclear exactly where his support was coming from, which worried Republicans and Democrats alike.
But since President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and Democrats coalesced around Vice President Harris as their nominee, Kennedy’s rise has been stunted. It looks increasingly unlikely that he will be able to make the debate stage when Trump and Harris face off next month, a moment Kennedy counted on for momentum and legitimacy. His campaign finances have also been strained.
The news comes a little over a week since a New York judge ruled that Kennedy should not appear on the ballot in the state because he listed a “sham” address on nominating petitions. Kennedy has appealed, but has faced several similar challenges around the country.
On Wednesday, he was in a courtroom in a suburb of New York City, testifying in a trial for another ballot suit in the state, this one backed by the Democratic National Committee, that challenges the signatures collected by his campaign.
During a break in the court proceedings, Kennedy declined to answer questions from reporters about whether he was dropping out.
He’s also facing a likely legal challenge in Arizona, where last week he submitted signatures that may have been collected by a super PAC that supports him, which Kennedy’s critics say is illegal coordination between a candidate and an independent political group.
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Swenson reported from New York. Associated Press writer Cedar Attanasio contributed from Mineola, New York.
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The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Richard N. Velotta | Las Vegas Review-Journal (TNS)
LAS VEGAS — Harry Reid International Airport had the most flight delays of any major U.S. airport in the 2023 fiscal year, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a recent report.
The FAA, which uses data collected from air traffic controllers nationwide, said there were 29,763 flight delays at Reid that fiscal year — more than 9,500 more delays that the second-highest airport, New York’s LaGuardia International Airport. The Reid total also is more than twice the number recorded in the 2022 fiscal year and more than five times greater than the number averaged between fiscal years 2017-19.
A Reid representative said that many factors come into play for the numerous flight delays at Las Vegas’ airport, including a major runway renovation.
“It includes weather conditions, not just in Southern Nevada but across the nation that can create a domino effect with flights arriving and departing at LAS,” said Monika Bertaki, a spokeswoman for the Clark County Department of Aviation.
“Commercially, we’ve had a post-pandemic influx in air traffic at LAS, all while the number of aircraft that can take off and land with a particular configuration remains the same,” she said. “To add to that, the influx of general aviation traffic to the region during peak days and times competes for the number of departures per hour. Lastly, in the spring and summer of 2023, we completed runway improvements to reconfigure four taxiways and shift two runways. During the construction on the runways, portions were closed that reduced the number of departures and arrivals at a given hour.”
Among 30 core airports nationwide, Reid International had the worst performance involving delays of 15 minutes or more. The four worst airports behind Reid were LaGuardia (20,019 delays in fiscal 2023), Newark, New Jersey’s Liberty International (13,729 delays), San Francisco International (12,303) and Denver International (9,570).
The least number of delays in fiscal 2023: Salt Lake City International with 231 delays.
The FAA reported a total 153,312 delays among the 30 core airports.
While delays at Reid International have soared over the past year, the number of delays nationwide have declined by 50.6% from a year ago, the FAA said.
On-time performance has improved even as the number of flight operations nationwide has increased, the FAA said.
The report said the number of operations rose by 3.8% to 12.2 million. An arrival and a departure each count as an operation.
Ten U.S. airports, including Reid, have seen the number of operations grow beyond pre-pandemic 2017-19 levels. Airports that have exceeded pre-pandemic levels include Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Reid, New York’s John F. Kennedy, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Orlando, Honolulu, Washington’s Ronald Reagan National, and Tampa.
Reid is fifth among airport operations with 603,015 trailing Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (762,526 operations), Chicago’s O’Hare International (716,920), Dallas-Fort Worth (675,807) and Denver (647,440).
The FAA has five categories showing the types of delays at the nation’s airports. The agency reported in fiscal 2023 that weather caused 54.5% of delays, traffic volume 21.5%, equipment 6.2%, runway issues 17.8%, and “other” 0.1%.
Reid also experienced the ninth highest number of cancellations at 3,515 in fiscal year 2023. The top airport for cancellations was Denver (6,837) followed by LaGuardia (6,672), Newark (6,440), Dallas-Fort Worth (6,043), Chicago O’Hare (5,669), Atlanta (4,138), New York JFK (4,125), Orlando (3,932) then Reid. The airport with the least number of cancellations: Honolulu (865).
MADELINE ISLAND, Wis. — England’s ancient Arthurian legend is alive and well in northern Wisconsin, albeit with a slight twist.
Those who read Le Morte d’Arthur by 16th century author Sir Thomas Malory will remember that it was prophesied King Arthur, armed with his mighty sword Excalibur, would return from the isle of Avalon at the hour of Britain’s greatest need.
The Isle of Avalon, a mythical spot in the southwest of England, is a long way from the Apostle Islands off the shore of Lake Superior. Every year, thousands of visitors flock to the 22 islands that make up Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to admire the unusual formations of craggy rocks sculpted by nature into a labyrinth of caves, delicate arches and vaulted chambers.
But it’s a safe bet that many of them are unfamiliar with the Ojibwe legend that tribal elders buried sacred scrolls somewhere inside the network of caves that would elude discovery by all but a little boy – who would presumably return one day to guide his people.
I learned the legend from Ojibwe tribal member Mike Wiggins, site director of the Madeline Island Museum, a fascinating repository of artifacts celebrating all the cultures (Ojibwe, French, English and American) who have called this largest of the Apostle Islands home.
An ambitious two-year museum exhibition, “Passages: Ojibwe Migration to the Place Where the Food Grows on the Water,” chronicles the tribe’s journey through the eyes of their ancestors.
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After getting a thorough introduction to the region by Wiggins, I went by boat to see the chiseled formations of Devil’s Island with their honeycomb of caves but, alas, found nothing to indicate the scrolls’ whereabouts.
Madeline Island Museum is only one of the 11 sites managed by the Wisconsin Historical Society.
These sites range from the first to be established (1954), Villa Louis, a fur-trader’s mansion in Prairie du Chien, to the newest addition, Black Point Estate and Gardens in Lake Geneva, a Chicago beer baron’s mansion brought under the Historical Society umbrella in 2005.
I wasn’t able to get to Villa Louis, but I did make it to Black Point, and the adage “getting there is half the fun” was never more true.
The only way for most people to get there is by boat (they do have alternate arrangements for disabled guests; you’ll soon learn why), and the 90-minute round-trip cruise took me past the palatial summer homes of early Chicago titans of industry.
When he built Black Point in 1888, Conrad Seipp wanted a private retreat where he could relax with his family. He discouraged “drop-ins” by erecting it atop a forested hill, where a determined visitor must make his/her way from the boat dock up a winding staircase of 120 steps.
It’s worth the huffing and puffing. The 8,000-square-foot mansion is a fine example of Queen Anne/Victorian-style architecture. The interior is equally impressive with features such as stained-glass windows and an exquisite blue tiled fireplace in the sitting room.
And going down is much easier than the climb up.
Raspberry School at Old World Wisconsin was built in 1896. (Rebecca Werner/Wisconsin Historical Society/TNS)
Old World Wisconsin’s 1860s Pomeranian immigrant farm. (Courtesy Wisconsin Historical Society/TNS)
Old World Wisconsin Four Mile House. The historic site is casually known as the Williamsburg of Wisconsin. (Courtesy Wisconsin Historical Society/TNS)
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Raspberry School at Old World Wisconsin was built in 1896. (Rebecca Werner/Wisconsin Historical Society/TNS)
The third stop on my historical tour was Old World Wisconsin, a collection of structures moved from their original locations throughout the state to the 600-acre site in the community of Eagle.
Adjacent to the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Old World Wisconsin was begun as part of America’s Bicentennial Project in 1976.
You’ll need comfortable shoes as touring more than 60 structures depicting 19th century rural life in the nation’s heartland requires a lot of walking.
Costumed interpreters invite visitors to shake hands with history in buildings such as Four Mile Inn, built in 1853 as a stagecoach stop and tavern; the 1876 general store which once sold everything from bolts of cloth to gunpowder (today’s visitors will have to settle for gunpowder tea), and the one-room 1900 Raspberry Schoolhouse, which, ironically was built in 1896 and could be mistaken for a “Little House on the Prairie” set.
You can learn how to make coffeecake from a recipe dating to 1883; watch a weaver at her loom at the Pomeranian Immigrant Farm, and learn the heritage of Pomeranian, Hessian, German, Scandinavian and African-American settlers in their respective villages.
You need an entire day to thoroughly explore Wisconsin’s version of Colonial Williamsburg.
History doesn’t stop here
Wisconsin is serious about its history as witness plans for the opening of the state-of-the-art History Center in the capital city of Madison in 2027. But who says history has to be just events from the distant past?
If you book a stay at the 4-Star Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, you’ll find activities ranging from golf on two championship courses to a full-service spa and elegant dining in both the Geneva Chophouse and Ristorante Brissago.
At the 4-Star Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, you’ll find activities ranging from golf on two championship courses to a full-service spa and elegant dining in both the Geneva Chophouse and Ristorante Brissago. (Travel Wisconsin/TNS)
Black Point Estate and Gardens in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, is a Chicago beer baron’s mansion brought under the Historical Society umbrella in 2005. (Courtesy Wisconsin Historical Society/TNS)
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At the 4-Star Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, you’ll find activities ranging from golf on two championship courses to a full-service spa and elegant dining in both the Geneva Chophouse and Ristorante Brissago. (Travel Wisconsin/TNS)
What you won’t find is much evidence — except for the hidden bunny logo across from the Chophouse — that the Grand Geneva now occupies what was the first Playboy Club Resort in the United States.
If you’re looking for history with a hot meal, you’ll do no better than the Duck Inn Supper Club outside Lake Geneva in the town of Delavan.
Originally built in 1920 during Prohibition, guests had to covertly “duck in” and “speak easy” to avoid detection from government officials. A trap door (still in existence) led to a basement where gambling and drinking went on, and rumor has it that Al Capone, who owned a property on Lake Geneva, was a frequent visitor.
Go ahead and order a Brandy Old-Fashioned, Wisconsin’s official state cocktail. No one will prohibit you these days.
A view of the town of Bayfield, Wisconsin, from Bayfield Harbor. The walkable town is chock full of galleries, shops and one-of-a-kind restaurants. (Sigrid Knutson/Provided photo/TNS)
OK … enough history
Even the most interesting history requires the occasional break. You’ll find no better spot to chill than the lakeside town of Bayfield, the gateway to Madeline Island. This walkable town is chock full of galleries, shops and one-of-a-kind restaurants such as the St. James Social.
Located in a newly opened boutique hotel, it lives up to its name. The art-filled lobby/restaurant, described by the owners as a social lounge, is the place to mix and mingle.
The chef’s menu, which changes weekly, offers a selection of small plates, artisan pizzas, entrees and desserts.
Passages Exhibit at Madeline Island Museum, which is a fascinating repository of artifacts celebrating all the cultures (Ojibwe, French, English and American) who have called this largest of the Apostle Islands home. (Courtesy Wisconsin Historical Society/TNS)
If you’re looking for unique lodging, no place compares to Queen’s View Bed-and-Breakfast.
Filled to the brim with antiques and collectibles, the Queen Anne-style house was built in 1892 and has a lovely porch overlooking the gardens and plunge pool, with a bird’s eye view of Lake Superior on the horizon.
You’ll feel like you’re spending “a night at the museum,” and you’ll enjoy the antics of the “assistant manager” Coco Bean, a feisty Shih Tzu/bichon mix.
With today’s move toward more authentic travel experiences, a venture into heartland history could be just the ticket.
For more information, go to wisconsinhistory.org or travelwisconsin.com.
