Portsmith, England - The Chernobyl nuclear power plant meltdown and explosion in 1986 created a radioactive no-man’s land, a 1,000 square mile exclusion zone. According to the Association of Mature American Citizens, experts estimate that the exclusion zone won’t be safe for more than 100 years. 

Gaithersburg, Maryland - The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a plan for prioritizing federal agency engagement in the development of standards for artificial intelligence (AI). The plan recommends that the federal government “commit to deeper, consistent, long-term engagement” in activities to help the United States speed the pace of reliable, robust and trustworthy AI technology development.

Santa Ana, California - A retired Santa Ana Police officer was charged today by a federal grand jury that accused him of violating the civil rights of a man by using unreasonable force during an arrest and then lying about the incident in official reports.

Washington, DC - The Federal Trade Commission is urging consumers affected by Equifax’s 2017 data breach to consider signing up for the free credit monitoring offered as part of the settlement. A new FTC blog post notes that because of high interest in the alternative cash payment under the settlement, consumers who choose this option might end up getting far less than $125.

Washington, DC - Conagra Brands, Inc., a Milton, Pa. establishment, is recalling approximately 32,400 pounds of canned beef products due to a potential processing defect, resulting in the potential survival of bacterial pathogens in the products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Thursday.

Washington, DC - President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will travel to Poland and Denmark from August 31 to September 3, 2019. The President and the First Lady will attend commemorative ceremonies and visit memorial sites in Warsaw on September 1, 2019, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the beginning of World War II.