Transcript
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In Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. A federal judge has ruled that the White House cannot stop funding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The decision comes just days, days before the agency would have run out of money. Judge Amy Berman ruled that the CFPB can continue receiving funds from the Federal Reserve despite the Fed operating at a loss. The order blocks for now efforts by President Trump and Budget Director Russell Vogt to effectively shut down the agency. The man accused of placing two pipe bombs in Washington, D.C. the night before the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot was back in federal court today. Prosecutors say Brian Cole Jr. Should stay in jail while awaiting trial. Is NPR's Rya Lucas reports.
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They also say that after Cole's arrest, he voluntarily spoke to investigators. And they say Cole confessed to building these pipe bombs, to transporting them and planting them. Cole allegedly also told them that he needed to, quote, unquote, speak up for people who felt that the 2020 election, which Donald Trump lost, had been tampered with. And that's interesting because it's really the first hint at a possible motive for coal that we have seen prosecutors put forward in their filings or in their statements in court.
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NPR's Ryan Lucas reporting. Meta is buying an artificial intelligence company called Manus. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, Meta will pay $2 billion for the tech firm, which has ties to China.
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Manus is based in Singapore but has Chinese founders. It became a hot startup after a demo last spring showed how its AI agent can analyze stock portfolios, book vacations and screen job candidates. Meta says it plans to integrate Manus services across all of its social media products like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. It's a latest sign that the battle over the next phase of the AI race is focused AI agents. They are AI tools that can perform real world tasks and serve as a kind of automated personal assistant with little or no human guidance. Microsoft, Apple, Google and Palantir and others are all rushing to develop cutting edge AI agents. A Meta spokesperson says once the deal is complete, Manus services and operations will be shut down in China. Bobby Allen, NPR News.
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Tens of thousands of people protested across Somalia today following Israel's announcement that it formally recognizes this self declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent state. Michael Koloki has more protests took place.