What You Need to Know: Friday, March 15
The RNC shakes up its staffing, Reddit goes public, Google Gemini hallucinates, and Oregon rolls back drug decriminalization
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What is going on with the Republican National Committee?
Why was there a big shake-up at the RNC? On March 8, the Republican National Committee voted to elect a new leadership team. The efforts were undertaken to work “hand in glove” with the Trump campaign, essentially merging operations, according to Politico. Michael Whatley, a trusted associate of Trump, was appointed as the chair, while Laura Trump, Trump’s daughter-in-law, was elected as co-chair of the committee. Trump has long expressed frustration with the previous RNC chair, Ronna McDaniel. To integrate the RNC with the Trump campaign, sixty individuals – many of whom were in senior staff positions – were fired and asked to reapply for their jobs. Trump advisers also claimed that the firing of staff was an effort to cut an “overly bloated” bureaucracy, which they believe “contributed to the party’s cash woes.” In December, the RNC reported having $8 million, a third of the Democratic National Committee funds, according to Politico.
What has the response been? When Fox News host Maria Bartiromo asked Lara Trump what her top priority was as RNC co-chair, she responded, “protecting the vote,” emphasizing the new leadership team's focus on election integrity. Newly appointed Christina Bobb, a former One America News anchor and 2020 election denier, assumed the role of senior council for election integrity, stating, “I look forward to working to secure our elections and restore confidence in the process.” Other conservative voices also chimed in to approve of the new team. Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) celebrated the changes, writing, “MAGA is now in control of the Republican Party!! We will continue to need everyone's help all the way across the finish line!” Founder of conservative organization Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, also chimed in, posting on X, “This is excellent.”
Others expressed disapproval of the vigorous overhaul campaign. RNC member and Vermont GOP Chair Paul Dame stated concern: “I feel right now what’s happening is not an integration; it’s something between a purge and a takeover, and that’s a concern for me.” Others believe that Trump asserted control over the RNC, hoping the organization would vote to pay his legal bills. RNC Committeeman Soloman Yue stated, “‘more than a majority’ of members are in favor of helping offset the bills from Trump’s lawyers.” However, when asked, Trump’s senior advisor, Chris LaCivita, insisted the RNC would not contribute to Trump’s legal fund.
Is Reddit going public?
What’s the story? On Monday, Reddit announced that it plans to go public and list 22 million shares priced between $31 and $34. Standard IPO (“initial public offering,” the term used to describe when a company sells to the public for the first time) procedure indicates that the majority of the shares will go to mutual funds, hedge funds, and other investment groups. However, Reddit plans to offer 8% of the available shares, up to $1.76 million, to “friends and family,” including moderators on Reddit who have been long-term platform users. Critics worry that Redditors, who will be able to sell their shares immediately after purchase, could cause price volatility or a dramatic increase in a stock price followed by a decrease.
How will this impact the platform? Users have expressed disappointment with Reddit’s decision to go public, noting that the platform, mainly unmonetized, is betraying its humble roots in favor of profit. Reddit has struggled to generate revenue through ads, as most of the content relies heavily on free input from users, who moderate and post content. One user commented that “Reddit’s lack of focus on monetization is exactly what makes it so special as a platform,” noting that its IPO signifies an increasing corporatization of the platform.
If you want to hear more about Reddit and its IPO, tune into this episode of Vox’s Today, Explained
What is the controversy with Google’s AI chatbot Gemini?
What is Gemini? In December 2023, Google launched the latest version of their AI chatbot, a multimodal generative AI called Gemini. Gemini is available in three different models, the “most capable” being Gemini Ultra, which enables users, for $19.99 per month, enhanced research and development capabilities. Gemini can respond to questions, process images, videos, and audio, produce images, and streamline workflow by integrating with other Google Workspace products like Gmail, Docs, and Drive.
Why am I hearing about Gemini and its odd images? In the latter half of February, Google suspended Gemini’s image generation capabilities after Gemni responded to prompts such as “the Founding Fathers” and “Viking” with images depicting racial diversity that would not have been historically accurate. Google Senior Vice President Prabhakar Raghvan noted that “Gemini does sometimes ‘overcompensate’ in its quest to show diversity,” stating, “It’s clear that this feature missed the mark. Some of the images generated are inaccurate or even offensive.”
Did Google ban Gemini from answering questions about the upcoming election? On Tuesday, Google confirmed that Gemini would be limited in answering election-related queries out of an “abundance of caution on such an important topic,” an idea first introduced by the platform in December. Voters and those participating in upcoming elections, including in the U.S., India, South Africa, and the U.K., have expressed concern over AI-generated misinformation, specifically its “influence on global elections, as the technology enables the use of robocalls, deepfakes and chatbot-generated propaganda.” Gemini responds, “I’m still learning how to answer this question. In the meantime, try Google Search,” when asked about specific candidates, such as Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Critics claim that Google’s decision to limit information surrounding elections signifies there is possibly a deeper untrustworthy element of AI that should be considered.
If you want to hear more about Google and Gemini, tune into this episode of the New York Times The Daily.
Is Oregon re-criminalizing drugs they previously decriminalized?
What is the history of Oregon’s drug policies? On November 3, 2020, 58.46% of Oregon voters voiced their support for Oregon Measure 110, the Drug Decriminalization and Addiction Treatment Initiative, a policy that decriminalized small amounts of illicit drugs, such as fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin – and expanded services to help those living with addiction. Rather than arrest and prosecute drug users for possession, individuals who are caught using drugs on the street are charged with possession of a controlled substance (a misdemeanor) and charged $100. They are also given a card with the phone numbers of treatment providers and told that if they call the number and receive a health screening, the $100 fine will be paid. The state also devoted $264 million in grants to addiction treatment and outreach programs.
Why is the state re-criminalizing drugs? Since the law took effect in February 2021, police report issuing over 7,600 drug violation tickets. However, data from the behavioral hotline show that only 200 calls to the number on the card have been made, and the majority of tickets went unpaid. Since the decriminalization of drugs, news outlets have reported “rampant public drug use during the fentanyl crisis,” and that public support for Oregon Measure 110 has dwindled. A 2023 Emerson poll found that 64% of Oregonians supported the law's rollback, and 56% wanted a complete repeal. Others pointed to soaring overdose rates since the law took effect in 2021, claiming Measure 110 was doing little to prevent death.
How will this affect drug users? Governor Tina Kotek announced that she plans to approve the state legislature's vote to roll back parts of Measure 110. Police, rather than issuing a fine and the outreach card, will be required to either bring drug users to a judge to be put on probation or place them in a treatment program. Individuals who are repeat offenders “receive longer probation sentences and eventually may have to serve up to 180 days in jail.” The rollback also includes increased funding for mental health and substance abuse programs. Decriminalization advocates have expressed concern with the rollback of Measure 110, claiming that criminalization disproportionately impacts people of color and doesn’t encourage an addict to recover. Supporters of decriminalization also claim that the rise in overdose deaths is not due to Measure 110, but instead say that “the crisis was rooted in the abundance of fentanyl, a lack of social services, the lingering effects of the pandemic, and, especially in Portland, widespread homelessness.” The changes to Measure 110 will go into effect on September 1, 2024.
If you want to hear more about Oregon’s recriminalization efforts, tune into this episode of the New York Times The Daily.