Supreme Court to weigh overturning Okla. death row inmate Richard Glossip's conviction

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it will hear arguments this year on whether or not to overturn the murder conviction of John Glossip amid concerns that he received an unfair trial. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 22 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court on Monday announced it will hear arguments later this year on whether to overturn the murder conviction of Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip.

Glossip, convicted of murdering his boss at an Oklahoma City motel in 1998, has come up against the possibility of being executed nine different times as his attorneys argued that he did not receive a fair trial after it was revealed that a key witness against him had an untreated psychiatric condition that was not disclosed to the court.

"We are grateful that the court is providing Richard Glossip the opportunity to argue that Oklahoma should not be permitted to kill him," Glossip's attorney, John Mills said. "We are also grateful that the state's chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Gentner Drummond agrees that Mr. Glossip did not receive a fair trial and his conviction must be reversed."

Drummond last year opened an Independent Counsel review of Glossip's murder conviction and death sentence and the Supreme Court followed by blocking an execution attempt scheduled for May.

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"Public confidence in the death penalty requires the highest standard of reliability, so it is appropriate that the U.S. Supreme Court will review this case," Drummond said in a statement Monday.

Drummond's office noted that an Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals rejected Glossip's April 2023 appeal for a post-conviction relief -- a legal maneuver allowing a defendant to present new evidence after a judgment has been made -- "despite the State's extraordinary admission of error in Glossip's trial."

The Criminal Appeals Court "refused to accept the state's confession of error, instead reaching the extraordinary conclusion that Glossip's execution must go forward notwithstanding the State's determination that his conviction is unsustainable," Glossip's legal representatives said about the April 2023 court decision.

Don Knight, another attorney for Glossip, said the state attorney general's "concession of error is historically unprecedented." Knight went on to say that "two independent investigations cast grave doubts on the reliability" of Glossip's original murder conviction.

Mills noted it took 25 years for Oklahoma "to disclose that the undisputed killer and the prosecution's star witness, Justin Sneed, was lying and that it did not correct his falsehoods for the jury." The state, Mills concluded, "now agrees this failure, and the cumulative effect of other errors in the case, require a new trial" for Glossip.

FOR PROFIT MEDICINE

NYC announces program to forgive $2 billion in medical debt


Mayor of New York City Eric Adams speaks with the press after meeting with members of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in on December 7, 2023. He announced a medical debt plan for New York City on Monday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 22 (UPI) -- A new program introduced by New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasser on Monday seeks to retire some $2 billion in medical debt owed by thousands of residents.

The announcement said the new RIP Medical Debt program would cost the city about $18 million to retire the debt over three years.

The plan centers on program purchasing of bundled medical debt portfolios from hospitals, commercial debt buyers and other providers, and erasing the debt with no further obligations.

To be eligible for the program, individuals must have an annual household income of at or below 400% of the federal poverty line and have medical debt equal to 5% or more of their annual household income.

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"Getting healthcare shouldn't be a burden that weighs on New Yorkers and their families," Adams said in a statement. "Up to half a million New Yorkers will see their medical debt wiped thanks to this life-changing program -- the largest municipal initiative of its kind in the country."

The city said the program will partner with the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City to raise additional funds to cover the medical debt.

"For hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and millions of Americans, medical debt creates anxiety, uncertainty and stress," Anne Williams-Isom, the deputy mayor for health and human services, said in a statement. "New York City's investment through this partnership will help working people and families advance their health and financial well-being so they can thrive, instead of just survive."

The announcement comes on the heels of Adams this month vetoing several sweeping police accountability bills passed by the city council, saying they would make the city less safe, drown police officers in paperwork and increase police overtime pay over time.

BAIT AND SWITCH
FTC: Intuit must stop advertising TurboTax as 'free'


The FTC on Tuesday ordered Intuit to stop advertising TurboTax as free, unless it was free to all users or it clarified who does not have to pay. 

File Photo by Coolcaesar at en.wikipedia.


Jan. 23 (UPI) -- The FTC ordered TurboTax owner Intuit Inc. to cease marketing the tax filing software as free unless it is free for all consumers or Intuit clearly shows the percentage of taxpayers who qualify for the free service.

In the order filed Monday, the FTC said Intuit deceived consumers by falsely claiming Turbotax is free when many consumers must pay to use them.

The agency said if a majority of consumers don't qualify for the free offer, Intuit could state that a majority of consumers don't qualify instead of providing a percentage indicating the amount who do.

If the company chose to display the data showing the percentage of qualifying consumers it must be located near any representations claiming TurboTax is free.

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The FTC order also requires Intuit to clearly and conspicuously disclose all of the terms, conditions and obligations required to qualify for the free tax filing service. If advertisements and marketing appeals for the TurboTax app and service don't have room for the qualifying terms and conditions, Intuit can include a link to the detailed terms and conditions.

The FTC order also banned Intuit from misrepresenting the cost, refund policies or tax filers' ability to obtain a tax credit or deduction or file their taxes online without using the paid TurboTax service. Intuit must compile reports for the next 20 years that show its compliance with the FTC order.

Judge D. Michael Chappell in September ruled Intuit "engaged in deceptive advertising in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act"after FTC officials filed an administrative complaint in the matter in March 2022.

"In fact, most tax filers can't use the company's 'free' service because it is not available to millions of taxpayers, such as those who get a 1099 form for work in the gig economy, or those who earn farm income," Chappell said in his September ruling.

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Appeals court upholds Martin Shkreli's lifetime ban from pharmaceutical industry

HUBRIS

A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a lifetime ban placed on former Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli, who is also known as "Pharma Bro."

 File Photo by Dennis Van Tine/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 23 (UPI) -- A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a lifetime ban on Martin Shkreli working in the pharmaceutical industry and ordered him to pay a multimillion-dollar disgorgement fine for illegally hiking drug prices.

The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled Tuesday that a lower court did not err when it imposed a lifetime ban on the 40-year-old man known by the moniker "Pharma Bro," upholding the original ruling that found his anti-competitive and illegal scheme to be "egregious, deliberate, repetitive, long-running and ultimately dangerous."
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"Given Shkreli's pattern of past misconduct, the obvious likelihood of its recurrence and the life-threatening nature of its results, we are persuaded that the district court's determination as to the proper scope of the injunction was well within its discretion," the court said in its ruling.

In January 2022, a federal district court found that Shkreli had illegally maintained a monopoly over the drug Daraprim, an anti-parasite medication used to treat HIV patients and others with compromised immune systems, for which his company raised its price by 4,000% from $13.50 a tablet to $750.
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As punishment, it imposed a lifetime pharmaceutical ban upon Shkreli and found him liable for $64.4 million in disgorgement.

Shkreli then filed an appeal arguing the district court erred by imposing disgorgement and for banning him from the industry for life, saying the ruling was overly broad and limits his public speech -- arguments the appeals court rejected Tuesday.

"The Second Circuit's decision is a win for consumers seeking affordable, lifesaving medication and clearly demonstrates that corporate executives will be held personally liable for anti-competitive actions that they help orchestrate," Bureau of Competition Director Henry Liu said in a statement.

Shkreli was sentenced to seven years behind bars after being found guilty of securities fraud in 2017. He was released early in 2022.

RECESSION? WHAT RECESSSION!
Dow surpasses 38,000 for first time as Wall Street surge continues

Wall Street's bull market reached new highs on Monday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average surpassed 38,000 for the first time. 

File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Wall Street again reached record territory on Monday, continuing a recent surge that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average climb 138 points to finish above 38,000 for the first time in its history.

The S&P 500 index also posted a new all-time high of 4,850.43 on Monday, rising by 0.22%, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.32% to 15,360.29 in its best finish in more than a year.

It was the third record close for the Dow this year, continuing a trend fueled by expectations of hefty corporate profit margins as the new earnings season kicks off, as well as by hopes for interest rate cuts with inflation cooling.

Technology oriented companies are providing much of the impetus for optimistic earnings expectations, with firms such as Netflix, Verizon and AT&T getting ready to release results in the coming week -- investors are betting on good news from them.

The markets are also reacting to positive news on the consumer sentiment front. On Friday, University of Michigan data indicated consumer sentiment improved dramatically in January, buoyed by expectations of cooling inflation.

The survey found consumer sentiment rose 13%, reaching its highest level since July 2021, while year-over-year consumer sentiment was up 21.4% over January 2023 levels.

The Federal Reserve, meanwhile, has hinted that interest rate cuts could be on the way, although its Open Market Committee is widely expected to hold interest rates steady for the fourth straight meeting when it gathers next week.

SAP announces job buyouts, restructuring plan

Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Germany-based SAP said Tuesday that the company plans to buy out and restructure more than 7% of its workforce of nearly 108,000.

Despite the plans, SAP says it expects to end 2024 "at a headcount similar to current levels."

The company is planning to reposition itself for future growth that is being fueled, in part, by advances being made in the field of artificial intelligence. The move also comes while a number of other companies are taking similar steps by reducing the number of of employees.

In 2022, SAP stock had its best performance since 2012. After its revenue demonstrated consistent increases year after year, the company now is looking toward a future in which it hopes to be more "cloud-centric" like other companies such as Adobe, Microsoft and Oracle.

But SAP said it expects an adjusted operating profit in 2025 of $10.85 billion in U.S. dollars -- or 10 billion euros -- which is 2 billion euros down from previous projections but up by 500 million euros due to "planned efficiencies from the restructuring."

Tuesday's news comes as other companies have launched similar moves, including Google, which recently announced further job cuts, and Amazon, which cut hundreds of jobs at Prime Video, MGM Studios and Twitch.

SAP said their 2024 transformation will "focus on scalability of operations and key strategic growth areas" and that a majority of the nearly 8,000 affected employees will be "covered by voluntary leave programs and internal re-skilling measures."

L.A. Times to slash nearly a quarter of newsroom staff


The L.A. Times announced Tuesday it will lay off 115 people in its newsroom, as the union blasted the 142-year-old newspaper for targeting journalists of color.

 Photo by Mike Nelson/EPA-EFE

Jan. 23 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Times announced Tuesday it will lay off nearly a quarter of its newsroom staff, following a second year of heavy financial losses, as the union blasted the newspaper for targeting journalists of color.

"Today's decision is painful for all, but it is imperative that we act urgently and take steps to build a sustainable and thriving paper for the next generation. We are committed to doing so," L.A. Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong said in a statement.

A total of 115 people will be laid off in one of the largest workforce reductions for the 142-year-old newspaper. The laid-off workers will remain on the payroll through March 25.

While the job cuts include reporters, editors and columnists, the newspaper's union blasted ownership for targeting journalists of color.

"The company has reneged on its promises to diversify its ranks since young journalists of color have been disproportionately affected," the Los Angeles Times Guild said in a statement Tuesday.

"The Black, AAPI and Latino caucuses have suffered devastating losses. Voluntary buyouts could have helped prevent this, but that's not the path the company chose."

Soon-Shiong said the cuts were vital as the L.A. Times could no longer afford to lose $30 million to $40 million a year without building more readership.

"The irony is that a free press isn't free," the billionaire said.

Soon-Shiong and his family bought The Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune from Tribune Publishing in 2018 for $500 million. Before COVID-19 hit, Soon-Shiong increased hiring at both papers. The family sold the San Diego Union-Tribune in July.

On Friday, more than 350 union workers staged a one-day strike to protest the paper's impending job cuts, after 74 newsroom jobs were eliminated in July.

"Slashing a quarter of the newsroom is devastating by any measure -- to our members and their families, to our morale, to the quality of our journalism, to the bond with our audience and to the communities that depend on our work," said the Guild.

"Today has been gutting. But the Guild will not be deterred or intimidated. We will continue to fight for our members and for the future of the Los Angeles Times."

U.N. global migration agency issues urgent appeal for $7.9 billion in funding


A migrant crisis at the United States souther border with Mexico continues to put the federal government at odds with state leaders. 

Photo by Carlos Moreno/UPI | License Photo


Jan. 22 (UPI) -- The global migration arm of the United Nations launched an urgent public appeal Monday, calling for $7.9 billion in funding to aid crisis relief efforts for refugees and displaced populations around the world.

The effort by the International Organization for Migration, dubbed the IOM Global Appeal, calls for donations from governments, private-sector entities, philanthropists and other partners to "create a system that realizes migration's promise as a force for good throughout the world."

"The consequences of underfunded, piecemeal assistance come at a greater cost, not just in terms of money but in greater danger to migrants through irregular migration, trafficking and smuggling," the IOM said in a statement. 

The migration agency relies on voluntary contributions to carry out its global objectives, and demand for funding has increased in recent years due to the rise in climate-related disasters.

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The multi-billion dollar investment package would allow the IOM to safeguard 140 million displaced people and establish secure channels for future global migrations, aligning with the IOM's new five-year Global Strategic Plan.

The IOM pointed to insufficient support for global migration efforts after the U.N. released data last June that showed more than 110 million people worldwide had been forced to abandon their homes since 2022 as war, climate disasters and humanitarian crises led to record-level displacement.

Without funding, refugee populations become vulnerable to violence, exploitation and other dangers, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and disappearances over nearly the past decade, the agency said.

"The consequences of underfunded, piecemeal assistance come at a greater cost, not just in terms of money but in greater danger to migrants through irregular migration, trafficking and smuggling. 

Funding will also help communities that host refugees and expand development work by the IOM to prevent further displacement. 

"Irregular and forced migration have reached unprecedented levels and the challenges we face are increasingly complex," said IOM Director General Amy Pope, who announced the funding goals in Geneva. "The evidence is overwhelming that migration, when well-managed, is a major contributor to global prosperity and progress. We are at a critical moment in time, and we have designed this appeal to help deliver on that promise. We can and must do better."

According to a breakdown of how the money will be distributed, $3.4 billion will go toward "saving lives and protecting people on the move."

Another $2.7 billion is slated to find "solutions to displacement including reducing the risks and impacts of climate change."

Work to chart new migration pathways will cost an additional $1.6 billion, while $163 million will be spent to help the IOM deliver services more effectively in trouble spots around the world.

"This funding will address the large and widening gap between what we have, and what we need in order to do the job right," Pope said. "For this reason, we are for the first time proactively approaching all partners to fund this vital appeal."

Korean open-source AI model interprets pictures

By Jeong Hyeon-hwan & Kim Tae-gyu, UPI News Korea

Korean tech company Kakao unveils an AI model that interprets words and pictures at the same time. Photo courtesy of Kakao



SEOUL, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- South Korean tech giant Kakao has unveiled an open-source artificial intelligence program named Honeybee that can interpret pictures as well as words.

After introducing the program Friday during the Korea Ministry of Science and ICT-hosted AI strategy meeting, Kakao made the large-language app available online.

Honeybee, with its ability to comprehend image and text concurrently, can answer questions involving varied content types, according to the company.

For example, when prompted to create a conversation between two animals in a photo with a cat sitting on the back of a dog, Honeybee produced a dialog in which the cat says, "Hey there, big guy. Thanks for letting me ride you," and the dog responds, "You're welcome, feline friend. I love having you on my back."

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In another example, a user who is shown a photo of two basketball players asks, "How many times did the player on the left win a championship?" and receives an answer from Honeybee.

Kakao has uploaded Honeybee's source code on GitHub, an online software developer platform that enables users to create, store and manage code.

The company said it was sharing the Honeybee program with global developers to contribute to the improvement of multi-modal large-language models.

"In the AI age, the collaboration between corporations and establishment of eco-systems are critical," Kakao CEO nominee Chung Shin-a said during the meeting.

Kakao said the large-language app could prove to become an effective educational tool.

U.S. consultancy Allied Market Research expects the AI-powered education market to grow more than 40% annually over the next decade, from $2.5 billion in 2022 to $88.2 billion by 2032.

POSTMODERN NECROMANCY
Korean firm creates AI avatars for dead loved ones that can converse

By Jeong Hyeon-hwan & Kim Tae-gyu, UPI News Korea

South Korean firm DeepBrain AI has come up with a service for recreating a digital replica of a deceased parent with a picture and short audio clips. Image courtesy of DeepBrain AI



SEOUL, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- South Korea's DeepBrain AI said Tuesday it has succeeded in creating digital avatars of former loved ones that can engage in a two-way communication.

The Seoul-based company said a single photo plus some 10 seconds of the deceased's recorded voice is all that's needed for creating a virtual clone that can converse in real time.

The advantage of AI machine learning will enable an avatar with close similarity to the client's loved one in appearance with synchronized lips, mouth and head gestures.

"Let's say a client wants an avatar of his mother. In the past, we needed around three hours of interview material from when she was alive in order to create a digital replica of the deceased," a DeepBrain AI executive told UPI News Korea.

"But now, we can generate a replica even after the loved one has passed away because all we require with the advancement in AI technology is a picture plus a short audio clip of her voice," she said.

The firm said it planned to team up with memorial halls and funeral service providers in widening its services to more customers. In 2022, it agreed to a partnership with the country's leading funeral service operator Preedlife to offer a similar service.

Asked about the price, the DeepBarain executive said it would depend on various factors of the service provided.

"Currently, we offer the service only in Korean language, but it will be expanded to English and Chinese in the near future," she said.

With AI technology constantly evolving, this is not the first time that a company has recreated people as avatars to enable a connection between the living and the deceased.

But there are also ethical debates about such contact.

"We are in the early stages of such technology, this talking with an AI version of a person. There could be challenges, including ethical ones such as copyright issues," Seogang University Professor Yoon Seok-bin said in a phone interview. "However, it's too early to predict how such controversies might play out down the road."