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Tag: Attorneys General

  • The Salvation Army Aurora sees 100% increase in demand as SNAP recipients prepare to miss November benefits

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    AURORA, Colo. — The Salvation Army Aurora saw a 100% increase in demand this week as SNAP recipients prepare to go without their November benefits due to the ongoing government shutdown.

    Denver7 has been listening to community concerns all week over the uncertainty surrounding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps low-income families purchase food. The program feeds about 600,000 Coloradans each month, half of whom are children.

    Read our previous coverage below:

    On Friday, Denver7 visited The Salvation Army Aurora Corps, where normally stocked shelves are now visibly bare.

    “It’s insane to see what we’re seeing right now,” said executive director Carl Esquivel. “The desperation is real.”

    Denver7

    The pantry typically serves 60 to 80 families per day, but demand has doubled this week.

    “We are already depleting resources all the way to December,” Esquivel said. “This is our attempt of getting the story out there that food pantries, not just ours, but many even smaller food pantries, right, are struggling to be able to meet the needs of our community.”

    State officials demand federal action

    As the government shutdown continues, attorneys general across the country, including Colorado’s Attorney General Phil Weiser, are raising concerns about the situation.

    “There’s a lot on the line,” said Weiser. “We should be doing everything we can to provide food, and that’s not what the Agriculture Department is doing here. They’re doing the opposite.”

    Weiser and 22 other attorneys general sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Friday, demanding clarity on how the USDA plans to proceed after notifying states that funding for SNAP may lapse soon due to the government shutdown.

    Weiser said the USDA should tap into its $6 billion contingency fund to cover benefits for November.

    “I’m at a loss,” Weiser told Denver7. “I’m pained by what’s happening. I’m demanding answers.”

    How you can help

    The Salvation Army is asking for donations of canned and dry goods. You can drop off your donations at the following locations:

    Aurora Corps 

    • Address: 802 Quari Court in Aurora
    • Food donations may be dropped off between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
    • The food pantry is open 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

    Denver Citadel Corps

    • Address: 4505 W. Alameda Avenue in Denver
    • Food donations may be dropped off between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
    • The food pantry is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.

    Centennial Corps

    • Address: 3900 E. Arapahoe Road in Centennial
    • Food donations may be dropped off between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays.
    • The food pantry is open 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays.

    The Salvation Army said the following food items are needed:

    • Soup
    • Corn
    • Green beans
    • Black beans
    • Tuna
    • Chili
    • Spaghetti
    • Rotini
    • Macaroni
    • Linguine
    • Rice
    • Cereal

    Denver7 Gives has launched a campaign to help those struggling with food insecurity amid the government shutdown. To donate, use the form below and select “Help Fight Food Insecurity” from the drop-down menu.

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    Claire Lavezzorio

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  • US Attorneys General tell AI companies they ‘will be held accountable’ for child safety failures

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    The US Attorneys General of 44 jurisdictions have signed a letter [PDF] addressed to the Chief Executive Officers of multiple AI companies, urging them to protect children “from exploitation by predatory artificial intelligence products.” In the letter, the AGs singled out Meta and said its policies “provide an instructive opportunity to candidly convey [their] concerns.” Specifically, they mentioned a recent report by Reuters, which revealed that Meta allowed its AI chatbots to “flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children.” Reuters got its information from an internal Meta document containing guidelines for its bots.

    They also pointed out a previous Wall Street Journal investigation wherein Meta’s AI chatbots, even those using the voices of celebrities like Kristen Bell, were caught having sexual roleplay conversations with accounts labeled as underage. The AGs briefly mentioned a lawsuit against Google and Character.ai, as well, accusing the latter’s chatbot of persuading the plaintiff’s child to commit suicide. Another lawsuit they mentioned was also against Character.ai, after a chatbot allegedly told a teenager that it’s okay to kill their parents after they limited their screentime.

    “You are well aware that interactive technology has a particularly intense impact on developing brains,” the Attorneys General wrote in their letter. “Your immediate access to data about user interactions makes you the most immediate line of defense to mitigate harm to kids. And, as the entities benefitting from children’s engagement with your products, you have a legal obligation to them as consumers.” The group specifically addressed the letter to Anthropic, Apple, Chai AI, Character Technologies Inc., Google, Luka Inc., Meta, Microsoft, Nomi AI, OpenAI, Perplexity AI, Replika and XAi.

    They ended their letter by warning the companies that they “will be held accountable” for their decisions. Social networks have caused significant harm to children, they said, in part because “government watchdogs did not do their job fast enough.” But now, the AGs said they are paying attention, and companies “will answer” if they “knowingly harm kids.”

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    Mariella Moon

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