Originally published at: https://peakprosperity.com/daily-digest/nato-considers-missile-strikes-on-russia-ai-combats-conspiracy-theories/
Economy
In Seattle, 33,000 Boeing factory workers have initiated a strike after rejecting a proposed contract that offered a 25% wage increase over four years. The strike, which began after 94.6% of union members voted against the contract, is expected to halt production of Boeing’s jetliners. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service plans to facilitate new negotiations soon. Workers expressed dissatisfaction with the wage offer, citing the high cost of living in the Pacific Northwest and stagnant wages. The rejected contract included $3,000 lump sum payments, reduced healthcare costs, and a promise to build Boeing’s next plane in Washington. However, it did not meet the union’s demands for a 40% pay raise over three years and the restoration of traditional pensions. Boeing’s stock dropped 3.7% following the strike announcement, contributing to a nearly 40% decline for the year. The company is now looking for ways to conserve cash, as the strike will disrupt its cash flow from airplane deliveries. New CEO Kelly Ortberg is working to address workers’ concerns and reach a new agreement. The machinists involved in the strike assemble key models like the 737 Max, 777, and 767, though production of the 787 Dreamliner in South Carolina remains unaffected. Union leader Jon Holden emphasized that the strike is about respect and fighting for the future, reflecting workers’ frustration over past concessions on pensions and healthcare. The last Boeing strike in 2008 lasted eight weeks and cost the company about $100 million daily. Analysts estimate the current strike could cost Boeing around $3 billion, adjusted for inflation and current production rates. The Biden administration has urged both parties to negotiate in good faith to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.
Politics
A coalition of state and local election officials in the U.S. has raised concerns about potential disruptions in the 2024 presidential election due to issues with the nation’s mail system. The National Association of State Election Directors and the National Association of Secretaries of State highlighted ongoing problems with the USPS, including delayed delivery of timely postmarked ballots and undeliverable election mail, which could lead to voters being wrongly marked as inactive. These issues have persisted despite repeated attempts to engage with USPS for solutions. The officials’ letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy emphasized that election mail, including critical information and voter address confirmation cards, has been affected. They urged immediate corrective action to prevent undermining voter participation and trust. In response, USPS asserted its readiness to handle mail-in ballots, citing successful delivery in previous elections and advising voters not to delay mailing their ballots. USPS Director of Election Mail Adrienne Marshall stated the agency’s preparedness for the upcoming election, referencing a consistent delivery rate to 98% of the U.S. population within three days during peak periods. DeJoy acknowledged recent service declines due to operational challenges but expressed confidence in restoring high performance levels. Despite these assurances, the election officials’ concerns remain unaddressed, and they continue to seek improvements to ensure a smooth voting process. The 2020 election saw expanded mail-in voting due to the pandemic, with former President Donald Trump initially criticizing mail-in ballots but later encouraging GOP voters to use all available voting methods in 2024.
Society
AI chatbots may be more effective than humans at persuading conspiracy theorists to reconsider their beliefs. A study published in Science found that interactions with an AI chatbot significantly reduced the strength of conspiracy beliefs among participants, with effects lasting up to two months. This challenges the conventional wisdom that conspiracy theories are resistant to debunking due to motivated reasoning. The chatbot’s success lies in its ability to tailor counterarguments to individual beliefs, leveraging vast amounts of information. Co-author Gordon Pennycook from Cornell University highlighted that the study overturns previous assumptions about the psychological motives behind conspiracy theories, showing that people are responsive to well-presented evidence. The study involved 2,190 participants who believed in at least one conspiracy theory. They engaged in personalized conversations with a large language model (GPT-4 Turbo), which provided factual counterarguments tailored to their specific beliefs. The chatbot’s responses were fact-checked, with 99.2 percent accuracy. Participants first described their conspiracy beliefs and the evidence supporting them. The AI summarized these beliefs and engaged in dialogues, offering precise counterarguments. For example, if someone believed 9/11 was an inside job due to the melting point of steel, the chatbot would present evidence from the NIST report explaining how steel weakens at lower temperatures. After the dialogues, participants showed a 20 percent decrease in their misinformed beliefs, a significant improvement compared to the 1 to 6 percent reduction achieved by other methods. This effect persisted even two months later. While this is a substantial finding, experts caution that two months is not enough to completely eliminate conspiracy beliefs.
Geopolitics
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are pressuring President Biden to allow Ukraine to use long-range European-made cruise missiles to strike deep inside Russia. This comes despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warning that such actions would mean a direct war between Russia and NATO. Starmer is expected to urge Biden to lift the ban on Ukraine using the Storm Shadow missile, which can hit targets 155 miles away. Trudeau has already expressed support for Ukraine using long-range weaponry to prevent Russia from degrading Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. White House spokesman John Kirby stated that there has been no change in US policy regarding Ukraine using Western arms for long-range strikes inside Russia. However, he acknowledged that Moscow’s threats are being taken seriously. Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, warned that allowing Ukraine to target Russia with Western missiles would mean NATO countries are starting an open war against Russia. He emphasized that NATO would be directly involved in military action against a nuclear power, with severe consequences. Putin reiterated that if NATO countries authorize long-range strikes on Russian soil, it would mean their direct participation in the war, fundamentally changing the nature of the conflict. He used the word “war,” which he typically avoids, as Russia still refers to its actions in Ukraine as a “special military operation.” Kirby downplayed Putin’s warning, suggesting that the easiest way for Putin to alleviate concerns about Russian sites’ safety is to withdraw troops from Ukraine. He noted that while the US takes Putin’s threats seriously, they are not new. If the US and UK proceed with authorizing long-range strikes, Russia might escalate by targeting Ukrainian government buildings or declaring a formal state of war, potentially against NATO. The situation remains highly volatile, with the potential for significant escalation if Western countries decide to support Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles against Russia.
Sources
Boeing Turbulence: 33,000 Workers Strike Over Wages, Halting Jet Production
“The last contract we negotiated was 16 years ago, and the company is basing the wage increases off of wages from 16 years ago,” the 45-year-old toolmaker said. “They don’t even keep up with the cost of inflation.”
Source | Submitted by Mysterymet
Election Officials Sound Alarm: USPS Mail Issues Could Disrupt 2024 Vote
A coalition representing state and local election officials across the United States has warned that problems with the nation’s mail system could disrupt voting in some areas, with just weeks to go before the 2024 presidential election.
Source | Submitted by bcoop
Controversial Article Claims Israeli Involvement in 9/11 Attacks
“On September 11, 2004, the New York Times published an opinion piece commemorating the third anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. The article began by acknowledging that key facts about what happened that day continued to be withheld by government agencies: ‘In the three years since 9/11, we’ve begun to understand that it’s possible to know what happened without knowing what happened. It’s the difference between knowledge that is both private and communal. . . and knowledge that is truly public. Some of what we need to know publicly has been provided by the report of the 9/11 commission. Other answers are lacking.’”
Source | Submitted by sand_kitty
AI Chatbots Outperform Humans in Debunking Conspiracy Theories, Study Finds
The work overturns a lot of how we thought about conspiracies.
Source | Submitted by Shplad
Putin Issues Ominous Warning to West, Labels Actions as ‘Act of War’
Vladimir Putin sends chilling threat to West over ‘act of war’ against Russia
Source | Submitted by rhollenb
UK’s Starmer and Canada’s Trudeau Push Biden to Escalate with Russia Despite Putin’s ‘War’ Warning
UK’s Starmer, Canada’s Trudeau, Pressure Biden To Escalate With Russia Despite Putin Warning Of ‘War’ With NATO
Source | Submitted by AaronMcKeon