Democrats in Maine begin search

for new US Senate candidate

PORTLAND, Maine — Democrats in Maine are beginning a sprint to nominate a new candidate for a pivotal U.S. Senate seat. The drive began after progressive nominee Graham Platner announced he’s withdrawing from the race after a sexual assault allegation. Democrats need to pick a candidate to replace Platner on the ballot by July 27, less than four months before the nominee will face longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race Democrats need to win to take back the chamber.

Potential candidates began to come into focus on Thursday even before a decision has been made by Democrats about exactly when the nominating convention will take place.

Ex-Florida governor candidate

Gillum arrested on drug charges

DAPHNE, Ala. — Former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has been arrested on drug possession charges in Alabama after police say they pulled him over for erratic driving and found marijuana and meth in his vehicle. It’s the latest legal trouble for the ex-Tallahassee mayor, who narrowly lost to Republican Ron DeSantis for governor in 2018 and was once considered a rising star of the Democratic Party.

The 46-year-old was arrested on July 2 in Daphne, about 11 miles east of Mobile on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. He is charged with marijuana possession and unlawful possession of a controlled substance, the Daphne Police Department said. Jail records show he was released on July 3. Information on a lawyer who could speak on his behalf wasn’t immediately available.

Utah revokes license for boarding

school where Paris Hilton was abused

Utah has revoked the license of a boarding school where Paris Hilton says she was abused as a teenager. The state cites multiple noncompliance issues against Provo Canyon School’s Springville campus.

The action took effect Monday. The school has 15 days to request a hearing. Citations include failing to increase staff-to-client ratios, unnecessary restraint, neglecting care and not verifying employee information. Hilton spent almost a year there in the late 1990s and has testified about her experiences and helped pass laws to protect teens.

The state says all services must end by Aug. 6. Provo Canyon School didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Swift, Kelce donated $26M

to charities ahead of wedding

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce donated $26 million to charities ahead of their wedding last Friday at Madison Square Garden.

According to Swift’s publicist, the donations were spread out across 20 local and national charities.

Nine of the selected organizations are based in New York, ranging from the Food Bank For NYC, City Harvest, to Musical Mentors, a nonprofit that connects music teachers with students in need.

France returns 23 Syrian treasures

as French president visits Damascus

DAMASCUS, Syria — France has returned 23 Syrian archaeological treasures after they remained in the country for about 15 years. Their return coincided with French President Emmanuel Macron’s landmark visit to Damascus, the first by a major Western leader since the ouster of Bashar Assad in late 2024.

The artifacts include Roman bronze objects, Byzantine and Islamic-era pieces, and a richly colored mosaic panel. Syria’s former director-general of antiquities and museums, Maamoun Abdulkarim, said the return closes a chapter that stretched across years of war, diplomatic isolation, and failed attempts to retrieve the collection.

AI notetakers promise easy meeting

summaries, but questions linger

NEW YORK — Artificial intelligence notetakers can quickly summarize meetings and create to-do lists, but they raise privacy concerns.

Everything said in a meeting becomes data, which could include confidential information. Attorney Justin Daniels warns that this could compromise attorney-client privilege.

Many professionals worry about data being shared with third parties or used to train AI models. Privacy advocates are also concerned about biometric profiles being created without consent.

Experts suggest checking for AI notetakers in meetings and understanding where data is stored. Some recommend not allowing AI notetakers in sensitive meetings to protect privacy.

News outlets urge judge to sanction

OpenAI in copyright fight

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Times, the Daily News and other media outlets are asking a federal judge to impose sanctions on OpenAI, escalating a legal fight over artificial intelligence and copyright that could shape the future of the news industry.

The newspapers allege the ChatGPT maker is hiding evidence important to what could be a landmark copyright infringement trial over how OpenAI and its business partner Microsoft built their AI technologies using millions of news articles.

At issue is whether AI chatbots are unfairly competing as an information source, siphoning off web traffic without doing the journalistic work it took to gather the news.

The Associated Press