Introduction
Why did these protesters attack police in Atlanta over the weekend? I’ll tell you why.
Plus…
Sound: Biden deepfake: The recommended way forward will be to invoke the Selective Service Act, as is my authority as president.
No – that’s not President Biden. It’s a deepfake.
Those stories and more today on Notice News Daily.
New Police Training Center Attacked by Protesters
Hey everyone, Jonathan here. Happy Tuesday from Notice H-Q in Brooklyn.
Over the weekend, this was the scene at the site of a massive police training center in the works outside Atlanta. Authorities say a coordinated attack took place in protest of a proposed police training facility being nicknamed “Cop City”.
Sound: This was a very violent attack that occurred this evening…this wasn’t about a public safety training center. This was about anarchy and this was about the attempt to destabilize.
Video shows the attackers hit police with fireworks and other crude explosives, and setting equipment on fire before trying to flee. Police called it a coordinated, criminal attack against the cops.
Sound: Actions such as this will not be tolerated. When you attack law enforcement officers, when you damage equipment – you are breaking the law.
After backup arrived, cops detained at least 35 people. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt.
The real name for “Cop City” is the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. First proposed in 2021, officials say the massive, 85-acre facility will train cops and firefighters in a mock city.
But critics worry “Cop City” will be used to train police in urban warfare and further increase the militarization of law enforcement — that is, giving military-style training and equipment to local police.
Environmentalists are also against the facility being built in a forest, though officials say they plan to preserve the forest’s remaining 315 acres of green space.
A fifth straight week of organized demonstrations are planned for the days ahead, but police say they’re still moving forward on the facility.
Headlines
Here’s what else is making news right now.
Video captured the moment another train derailed in Ohio over the weekend. It comes just one month after another train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.
A spokesperson for King Charles confirmed that his son, Prince Harry, and Harry’s wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, have been invited to the king’s coronation in May. But as of Monday afternoon, they haven’t confirmed whether they’ll attend or not.
And…
Sound: whale sound
Scientists have discovered that toothed whales – that includes dolphins, porpoises, and killer whales – actually produce sound by pushing air through their noses.
The discovery was made through sound recording tags and video from an endoscope on whales in captivity.
Deepfakes Are Getting Harder to Spot
Sound: Biden deepfake: The illegal Russian offensive has been swift, callous, and brutal. ((edit)) I have received guidance from general miller, chairman of the joint chiefs that the recommended way forward will be to invoke the selective service act, as is my authority as president. ((edit)) remember – you are not sending your sons and daughters to war, you are sending them to freedom. God bless our troops and god bless Ukraine.
That’s President Biden announcing that U.S. troops will be sent to Ukraine using the Selective Service Act – the draft… only… it’s not real.
It’s a deepfake – a video clip made using AI tools that can mimic the voice and likeness of anybody.
The clip was created by Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit that advocates for conservative politics on high school and college campuses.
They later identified the clip as a deepfake, saying it was a “sneak peek” at what would happen if the draft were reinstated.
But – the clip has since been re-edited by others without that crucial context, and on this one tweet alone, the video was viewed over 8 million times.
Here’s another one that’s been floating around of Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren apparently saying Republicans shouldn’t be able to vote.
SOT: Warren deepfake: Allowing republicans to vote could threaten the integrity of the election and the safety of the electorate ((edit)) for these reasons, it is necessary to restrict republican voting in the 2024 election.
That one isn’t even very convincing, but still, some people fell for it.
As deepfakes continue to improve, it will make it even harder to trust the media — which is already at near-record lows.
A recent Gallup poll says just 7 percent of Americans have “a great deal” of trust and confidence in the media…
And for the first time since Gallup started asking, more people have no trust at all in the media than have a great deal or a fair amount.
But if there’s any silver lining to be had about the rise of deepfakes – it’s that you should be skeptical of what you see and hear, especially on the internet, because social media apps are filled with bad actors.
There are still trusted news sources and institutions – but videos making the rounds online should not be blindly believed, no matter how real they might appear.
Conclusion
That’s it for today – but let’s see how closely you were paying attention. Go take the Notice News quiz on our website noticenews.com.
I’ll be back tomorrow with more from us, Notice News.