Where abortion access is seeing restrictions….North Carolina. Yesterday, the state's Republican-led legislature overrode the governor's veto of a bill banning most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. The legislation allows exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or if the mother's life is at risk. However, it also includes other restrictions like requiring that patients have an in-person visit with a doctor before an abortion. The legislature's latest move comes after Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) vetoed the bill over the weekend, keeping abortion legal in the state up until the 20-week limit. Now, Cooper says lawmakers "broke their promises to protect women's reproductive freedom." However, Republicans say the measure is about saving lives. The 12-week ban will now go into effect July 1.
What had senators asking questions…AI. Yesterday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called for regulations to artificial intelligence during a hearing before a Senate subcommittee. OpenAI is the creator of ChatGPT, the chatbot that's helped people write everything from essays to computer code. AI's popularity has raised concerns about what the tech could mean for data security, misinformation, and jobs. Now, Altman is suggesting that a global or US agency be created to license AI companies. It's unclear how lawmakers will proceed following the hearing, but Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said the hearing marked "a critical first step towards understanding what Congress should do." Meanwhile, IBM's Chief Privacy and Trust Officer Christina Montgomery said it was important to regulate risks, not the tech itself. Bank failures. Yesterday, three former banking execs came face-to-face with the Senate Banking Committee — weeks after Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank collapsed. In his testimony, SVB's former CEO Greg Becker said SVB's unwinding was caused by a chain reaction of unforeseeable events. Signature Bank's execs said they believed they were in a "strong position to weather the storm," if the FDIC hadn't stepped in. The execs blamed regulators, the media, and even depositors for the massive bank run that forced them to close their doors. Meanwhile, lawmakers maintained the execs failed to address risk-management problems that were brought up by regulators.
What researchers are talking about…The Black mortality rate. Yesterday, a study found that racial inequalities resulted in an additional 1.6 million deaths among Black Americans, compared to white Americans, between 1999 and 2020. Researchers said the additional deaths represented 80 million years of "potential life lost." Heart disease, cancer, and infant mortality were the largest contributing factors, according to researchers. However, the study also found that COVID — which disproportionately affected Black Americans — was a leading cause of death in 2020 and erased nearly two decades of progress. Now, researchers say "new approaches" to health equity are needed as "current efforts to curb or eliminate mortality disparities have been minimally effective."
What's got parents running to Target…Their return policy.
While Google is doing some spring cleaning…Apple is taking inspiration from its voice notes.
What's another thing men will never understand…Vagina allergies. | 
