These 'news anchors' are created by AI and they're spreading misinformation in Venezuela
Venezuelan social media has seen a surge in AI generated "people" spreading misinformation about the country's economy. Even the country's president has shared them online. Here's how to spot them and why they are so dangerous.
A well-known Russian military blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky, was killed in an explosion at a cafe in St. Petersburg on Sunday, authorities said.
There are several prominent bloggers like Tatarsky who cover Russia's war in Ukraine for followers on online platforms like Telegram. Some have amassed followings of hundreds of thousands of people.
While Tatarsky was ardently pro-war, he also issued criticism of setbacks in Moscow's campaign a fairly rare phenomenon in the Russian public sphere.
Background and combat experience: Tatarsky's real name was Maxim Fomin.
In 2014, he fought with Russian separatists against Ukrainian nationalists in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, according to Russian state news agency Vesti, citing public sources.
Tatarsky created his Telegram channel in 2019, naming it in honor of the protagonist of Victor Pelevins novel Generation P, according to Vesti. He went on to write several books.
Tatarsky supported the war in Ukraine. He gained popularity online by providing analysis and commentary during Russia's invasion.
Rare criticism: Tatarsky had more than half a million followers on Telegram, and while he was aggressively pro-war, he was sometimes critical of Russian setbacks in Ukraine.
Public criticism of Moscow's war is uncommon in Russia.
In May last year, he told CNN that he was not criticizing the overall operation, rather individual episodes, and that he still believed Russia would achieve its goals in Ukraine.
Nevertheless, he called for broad change in response to the halting progress of Moscow's invasion.
All the areas need to be improved, he said. Each war reveals some drawbacks, shortcomings, or false experiences, experiences that need to be adjusted to the modern realities. So absolutely all spheres need reform."
Tatarsky gained prominence after attending a Kremlin ceremony that marked the annexation of four Ukrainian regions (a move dismissed as illegal under international law by Ukraine and Western allies).
A well-known Russian military blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky, was killed in an explosion at a cafe in St. Petersburg on Sunday, authorities said.
There are several prominent bloggers like Tatarsky who cover Russia's war in Ukraine for followers on online platforms like Telegram. Some have amassed followings of hundreds of thousands of people.
While Tatarsky was ardently pro-war, he also issued criticism of setbacks in Moscow's campaign a fairly rare phenomenon in the Russian public sphere.
Background and combat experience: Tatarsky's real name was Maxim Fomin.
In 2014, he fought with Russian separatists against Ukrainian nationalists in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, according to Russian state news agency Vesti, citing public sources.
Tatarsky created his Telegram channel in 2019, naming it in honor of the protagonist of Victor Pelevins novel Generation P, according to Vesti. He went on to write several books.
Tatarsky supported the war in Ukraine. He gained popularity online by providing analysis and commentary during Russia's invasion.
Rare criticism: Tatarsky had more than half a million followers on Telegram, and while he was aggressively pro-war, he was sometimes critical of Russian setbacks in Ukraine.
Public criticism of Moscow's war is uncommon in Russia.
In May last year, he told CNN that he was not criticizing the overall operation, rather individual episodes, and that he still believed Russia would achieve its goals in Ukraine.
Nevertheless, he called for broad change in response to the halting progress of Moscow's invasion.
All the areas need to be improved, he said. Each war reveals some drawbacks, shortcomings, or false experiences, experiences that need to be adjusted to the modern realities. So absolutely all spheres need reform."
Tatarsky gained prominence after attending a Kremlin ceremony that marked the annexation of four Ukrainian regions (a move dismissed as illegal under international law by Ukraine and Western allies).
Former President Donald Trump is mounting a bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, even as several legal controversies swirl around him.
Two of his potential opponents in the GOP primary who have not yet formally announced candidacies took different tacks when discussing Trump's historic indictment this weekend.
Here is what they had to say:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis attacked Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for indicting a former president on misdemeanor offenses for purely political purposes in a speech Saturday at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference.
That is when you know that the law has been weaponized for political purposes; that is when you know that the left is using that to target their political opponent, DeSantis said.
DeSantis further attacked Bragg at a rally Saturday in Garden City, New York.
This guy is all about politics. He comes in, his whole thing is he doesn't want people to be in jail. He wants to downgrade felonies to misdemeanors," the governor said "Really, really dangerous stuff. And then what does he do? He turns around, does a flimsy indictment against a former president of the United States."
DeSantis said while Bragg is looking to lessen penalties on other offenders, he's looking to charge Trump with a felony for business-related crimes that should be considered misdemeanors.
This guy is doing politics. He has an agenda. That is not the rule of law, DeSantis continued, as the crowd broke into applause that turned into a standing ovation.
Context on Bragg's campaign: Bragg ran for district attorney as a reformer. He has aggressively pursued Trump and other progressive priorities since getting elected, including not prosecuting some low-level crimes and finding alternatives to incarceration for certain offenders.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, one of the few Republican 2024 hopefuls who did not immediately criticize Donald Trump's indictment, said late Friday that the former president shouldnt be the nominee and cant win the 2024 election.
Sununu said on HBOs "Real Time with Bill Maher" that the historic indictment has created a circus.
Asked if he thought Trump was guilty, the governor said: You know what the indictments are? Like, I'm assuming he is, right?"
Sununu said the indictment "only helps" Trump with his supporters, but he doesn't believe the former president should be the GOP's nominee in the 2024 presidential election.
I don't think he's going to be the nominee. He shouldn't be the nominee. He can't win in '24," the governor said. "But this builds a lot of empathy, sympathy, if you will. It solidifies his base."
More from the potential 2024 GOP field: You can read remarks on the indictment from former Vice President Mike Pence, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and other Republicans to watch here.
Daily life has grown "really intense" in the town of Avdiivka, north of the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, as Russian forces fire relentlessly, the head of the city's military administration said Sunday.
"Once we know an air raid siren is on for Donetsk region, we know 90% that Avdiivka will be hit," the leader, Vitalii Barabash, said on national television.
"It is really intense in Avdiivka now, there are lots of assaults around the city, tens of assaults daily," he continued. "(Russians) are firing with everything they have."
Because of weather conditions at the moment, Russian infantry units are carrying out the attacks, Barabash said. Once it gets dry, Russian forces will likely use more equipment.
Moscow's forces shelled the central part of the city with cluster munition Sunday morning, according to the Ukrainian official. At other times, tank, artillery and rocket launcher shelling strike the town.
Eight children remain in the city as their relatives don't want to evacuate, Barabash said. The leader said only 10%, at the most, of the housing in Avdiivka is suitable for living.
"There are no rescuers in the city. They were withdrawn from the city last summer, as they constantly came under enemy fire," he added.
"The State Emergency Service is helping with the evacuation of the wounded. So if an apartment building is struck, even the basements will not save (peoples lives), as there is no equipment to clear the rubble," Barabash warned.
About embattled Avdiivka: Ukrainian officials have warned in recent weeks that Avdiivka is coming under almost non-stop fire, with up to 14 rockets hitting the town daily.
Barabash said late last month "the town is being wiped off the face of the Earth," as authorities struggle to evacuate those who remain there.
About 1,800 civilians are still in Avdiivka, military spokesperson Oleksii Dmytrashkivskyi said on national television Sunday.
The worst of the fighting on the ground in Ukraine is centered on eastern cities, according to officials with both countries' military.
"The fiercest battles continue to be for the areas near the towns of Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Mariinka," the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in an update Sunday.
