Widespread news reports indicate that President Donald Trump’s administration has prepared an executive order to punish states that have passed laws attempting to address harms from artificial intelligence (AI) systems. According to a draft published by news outlets, this order would direct federal agencies to bring legal challenges to state AI regulations that the administration deems “onerous,”  to restrict funding to those states that have these laws, and to adopt new federal law that overrides state AI laws. This approach is deeply misguided. As we’ve said before, the fact that states are regulating AI is often a good thing. Left unchecked, company and government use of automated decision-making systems in areas such as housing, health care, law enforcement, and employment have already caused discriminatory outcomes based on gender, race, and other protected statuses. While state AI laws have not been perfect, they are genuine attempts to address harms that people across the country face from certain uses of AI systems right now. Given the tone of the Trump Administration’s draft order, it seems clear that the preemptive federal legislation backed by this administration will not stop ways that automated decision making systems can result in discriminatory decisions. For example, a copy of the draft order published by Politico specifically names the Colorado AI Act as an example of supposedly “onerous” legislation. As we said in our analysis of Colorado’s law, it is a limited but crucial step—one that needs to be strengthened to protect people more meaningfully from AI harms. It is possible to guard against harms and support innovation and expression. Ignoring the harms that these systems can cause when used in discriminatory ways is not the way to do that. Again: stopping states from acting on AI will stop progress. Proposals such as the executive order, or efforts to put a broad moratorium on state AI laws into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), will hurt us all. Companies that produce AI and automated decision-making software have spent millions in state capitals and in Congress to slow or roll back legal protections regulating artificial intelligence. If reports about the Trump administration’s executive order are true, those efforts are about to get a supercharged ally in the federal government. And all of us will pay the price.

The quickly growing prediction betting market raised fresh capital from Sequoia and CapitalG, according to someone familiar with the deal.

Loretta Lynn made a career out of saying things no one else would. She wrote her songs based on real life experience, and she certainly never held back in speaking the honest truth… which sometimes got her in trouble, though it was a risk she was willing to take. From songs like “The Pill” to one of her most controversial songs “Rated X,” she had a knack for authenticity and saying something that might be unpopular, regardless of the consequences, and that’s what so many of us loved and respected about her. “Rated X” was included on her 1973 Entertainer of the Year album (which she subsequently released after becoming the first female to win Entertainer of the Year in 1972). It would eventually become her sixth #1 country single as a solo artist., A solo write from Loretta, it was released on this date in 1972, though the song didn’t initially sit well with a lot of radio station managers at the time because she addressed divorce and the double standards that men and women faced at the time in a way that was so honest it made people uncomfortable. A lot of them even banned it before they even heard it just because of the title alone. After it started picking up steam and they realized people actually wanted to hear the track, that quickly changed as it shot up the charts.Now, keep in mind this was in the early ’70s, it wasn’t all that common to hear topics like that on the radio at all, especially from a woman’s perspective, and Loretta knew that: “I think it was because, you know, you’re – been a married woman. I think when you write about it, they take it to heart, too, you know, they – people do. So I think that was it. It just starts out, if you’ve been a married woman, things didn’t seem to work out, divorce is the key to being loose and free. So you’re going to be talked about. So that’s exactly how it is, you know?” But of course, none of that crap stopped her from speaking her mind, and she really held nothing back in terms of her feelings about those societal expectations and standards: “And if you’re rated X you’re some kind of goal Even men turnin’ silver try to make But I think it’s wrong to judge every picture If a cheap camera makes a mistake And when your best friend’s husband says to you You’ve sure started lookin’ good You should’ve known he would And he would if he could And he will if you’re rated X.” Ironically though, Loretta has never been divorced, and was married to her husband, Doolittle, until he passed away in 1996. Though they had a famously tumultuous marriage, it’s pretty impressive that she could write such a spot-on, honest song about what it was like to be a divorced woman having never experienced it for herself. Of course, that’s the kind of stuff that made her a legend. It’s funny to think back about how controversial a song like that was at the time compared to what you hear on the radio these days, Loretta always felt that it fit right along with all her other classic tunes: “You know, another old, dirty record from Loretta Lynn.” She will forever be a queen…  The post Loretta Lynn Made History With Her Controversial 1972 Song “Rated X,” Which Was Initially Banned On Country Radio first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

You won’t catch Isaac Gibson and the rest of 49 Winchester performing pre-show rituals before a concert. Isaac of 49 Winchester stopped by the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast to talk to us about how many years it took for 49 Winchester to go “full time,” the story of how Luke Combs bought a t-shirt from their website, the inaugural 49 Winchester show being the first time anyone ever heard him sing live, how their band name came to be, hunting trips that he’s gotten to go on because of his music career and much more. The frontman for 49 Winchester also touched on his approach to the pre-show, and how he handles the entire process leading up to a concert. Gibson admitted that no matter what the show is, or how big the audience, he gets nervous on show days. It’s not a bad thing… he just truly cares about the product that they are putting out there, and wants the fans in the crowd to have a hell of a time seeing 49 Winchester. That can be a lot of pressure, but Isaac says it doesn’t lead him to do anything too special on the days of their concerts: “I don’t really have a routine. Not even like pre-show, like the 15 minutes before the show or anything like that. It’s always just kind of laid back. Everybody kind of understands that’s everybody’s nervous. We’ve been together for 12 years, so we all just kind of know each other’s personality and demeanor and we see when it kind of shifts down into, ‘Oh s**t, we’re about to hit that next gear.’ Then you get out on stage, and it all kind of melts away and you get into that familiar space.” Gibson says that any sort of nerves he feels takes a backseat to the adrenaline rush of going out on stage. And he’s not alone in not having a pre-show routine or ritual. We asked if the band does anything as a group before they head out to put on one of their patented, rocking, rowdy shows, and Gibson said that 49 Winchester’s pre-show ritual is… nothing really at all. Other than a couple of high fives and words of encouragement, the band just knows what they are there to do, and they walk out on stage and take care of business. And not needing a pre-show routine is birthed from the fact that 49 Winchester is such a tight-knit unit: “No, not really. A lot of bands do. I’ve always thought it was cool. But it’s just not anything we’ve ever implemented. We spend so much time together, and we’ve spent so much time together over the last decade plus that we’re just kind of locked in. We all understand what we have to do, and we all understand what’s at stake, and we all understand that our goal every night when we go out is to play the best show that we can possibly play. And leave absolutely nothing in the tank. I think that’s what makes our live show great. But in terms of that pre-show ritual, not really (much) for us. A lot of times it’s just dapping the boys up like, ‘Y’all ready? Let’s get ’em’ kind of thing. Nothing like stand on our head and take a shot of Jack or anything like that.” @whiskeyriff Check out the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast. @49 Winchester #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff Hey, no need to put a pre-show routine in motion if the way things have been done for years is working just fine. Isaac Gibson and the rest of 49 Winchester are already on the same wave length, and there’s nothing they can do in the minutes leading up to the show to get in sync any more than they already are. Pretty impressive, if you ask me. Download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or click here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Cheers, y’all. Audio Video The post 49 Winchester Reveals Why They Don’t Bother With Pre-Show Routines Or Rituals first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

When Bruce Dickinson joined Iron Maiden in 1981 as Paul Di'Anno’s replacement, the band already had some theatrical elements in their shows, the main one being, of course, their mascot Eddie the Head. As the years passed, the band incorporated more elements into their live performances, making the audience’s experience even richer. They were not the first to do that, since similar ideas had already appeared in the 1960s with artists like Arthur Brown, who is one of Dickinson’s heroes. But it was in the 1970s that the American band Kiss took live-show theatrics to another level, creating an extraordinary experience for concertgoers. Over the decades, Bruce has given his opinion on many groups, including the one originally formed by Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, and Paul Stanley. What is Bruce Dickinson's opinion on Kiss Bruce Dickinson already praised Kiss' early records but also criticized the bands during other eras. "Look at a band like Kiss, for example, when they had their make-up, what did you see on stage? Well, you didn't see anything else but four Eddies. They didn't look like musicians anymore, but like clowns. Nobody cared about their musical abilities because they were hidden by the image they were giving of themselves. It's the same with Ozzy Osbourne, although Ozzy's music is worth listening to it! Nobody considers Ozzy like a musician anymore, but like a clown, which is a shame. So, in order to have this character, this clown, and keep our identity as musicians at the same time, we created Eddie," Bruce Dickinson told Enfer Magazine in 1983. Although he didn't say many good things about them previously, a couple of years later he praised the band and said he was happy that the original line-up was getting back together. He said that in an interview with Hit Parader magazine in 1996, when asked to review some music videos from other artists, including the unplugged version of Kiss' Rock and Roll All Nite. "I loved their early stuff. All the guys in my (solo) band are huge fans. In fact they did an entire sound check in South America as Kiss in full makeup. They spent all afternoon putting on Kiss make-up. We're actually thinking about getting dressed up and doing a Kiss gig. I guess since I got a hairy chest I’d be Paul Stanley." Bruce Dickinson continued: "I think it's great that they are putting the gear and make-up back on. But this, I don’t think adds anything to it being unplugged, at least this particular tune. It basically sounds the same as the electric version. It would be a lot cooler if they had the full makeup on," Bruce Dickinson said. Curiously, Iron Maiden was Kiss' opening act in the early 80s, but the band's vocalist was still Paul Di'Anno. At the time, Gene Simmons was very impressed with the band and also with Eddie. He believed that their music and their mascot was a great combination to help them to achieve fame, calling it "the perfect trademark". When Bruce Dickinson had a radio show at the BBC, he interviewed Simmons while Kiss was promoting their album "Sonic Boom" in 2010. Former Bruce Dickinson bandmate was a big fan of Kiss and made him listen to their albums Before replacing Paul Di'Anno in Iron Maiden in 1981, Bruce Dickinson was part of Samson. They did not have a mascot like Maiden, but they did have an unusual drummer known as Thunderstick. He wore various masks and even performed on stage inside a cage. His real name was Barry Graham, and he was a huge Kiss fan. Whenever the band members were at his house, he usually would make them listen to the records of the American band. "Samson nearly always headlined at Heavy Metal Crusades, mainly because our management paid for the shows. And thus the world discovered Barry’s alter ego, Thunderstick. The key to the persona of Thunderstick was not just Barry’s adoration of Kiss, but also of bands like the Residents and Devo, strange bedfellows as far as image went." "Going round to Barry’s house was like being in a surreal suburban Kiss encounter group. The first realization was that the plywood units you were sitting on all contained old 12-inch guitar speakers, and were all connected to industrial-size amplifiers, which in turn were connected to the turntable, and on it, of course, was Kiss," Bruce Dickinson said in his book "What Does This Button Do?". Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons refused to be interviewed by a man with Iron Maiden shirt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbO0cUT8ark Back in 2012, when Kiss was touring in South America, a journalist went to interview them wearing an Iron Maiden shirt, but Gene and Paul demanded that he change into a Kiss shirt. Paul Stanley said: “Kiss is spelled K-I-S-S, this does not spell Kiss , Gustavo. You made a big mistake.” Then Simmons said: "I don't want him wearing an Iron Maiden shirt. We've got a Kiss T-shirt. How about if you were Iron Maiden and we wore Kiss t-shirts, is that okay?" Then Stanley explained that they love Iron Maiden, but they can't give interviews with people using other bands' shirts. "We love Steve, we love Bruce, we love Nicko. We love them all. But you're at a Kiss concert, it doesn't show respect. You're in our house," he said. Gene Simmons already praised Maiden and said it was unbelievable that they were still not inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. When Kiss was formed in New York City in 1973, Dickinson was only 15. By the time he joined Samson in 1979, they already were one of the biggest bands in the world. They have sold an estimated amount of more than 100 million records worldwide. It is a little less than Iron Maiden, which sold more than 130 million.The post Bruce Dickinson’s opinion on Kiss appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

The following article, Jasmine Crockett Dug Herself a Nice Deep Hole: Accused GOP of Receiving Money from Dead Pervert, was first published on Conservative Firing Line. Jasmine Crockett claimed – on the floor of the House of Representatives – that Lee Zeldin, the NRCC, Mitt Romney, and others took money from Jeffrey Epstein. They did. But not from THE Jeffrey Epstein. From a Doctor that happens to have the same name, and the donations were made AFTER the sex offender was … Continue reading Jasmine Crockett Dug Herself a Nice Deep Hole: Accused GOP of Receiving Money from Dead Pervert ...

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