As the new school year kicks in, the debate around student AI use is raging. New York City and Los Angeles school districts have banned most student AI use for a year to study the technology's impact. Microsoft just announced it will commit to new AI guardrails and privacy standards in a new agreement it negotiated with a teacher's union, the AFT. Meanwhile, the union president is asking other tech giants to sign on, notably Google, OpenAI and Anthropic, saying the country needs industry standards in the absence of legislation. The conversation highlights the growing concerns of educators around AI use and privacy protections as the technology becomes mainstream at schools.
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has again been refused permission to compete internationally following a second round of checks after her status as a neutral athlete was revoked. The International Skating Union says Valieva was one of four Russian skaters, all 2022 Olympians, who were deemed not to “satisfy the requirements to participate as Individual Neutral Athletes.” The others are men’s skater Mark Kondratiuk and the ice dance team of Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin. Russia says Valieva and the other skaters are expected to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Five members of a cleaning crew were wrapping up their shift when they were killed as an Amazon cargo jet plowed into their van at the Miami airport. A lawyer for one of the victims, Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit Wednesday. The crew worked for Professional Ocean Service Corporation, which has cleaned planes at the airport for 15 years. The company cleans the inside and outside of private and commercial jets. A union that represents aircraft cleaners says the job is hot, dangerous, and not well-compensated.
FILE - A statute of César Chavez stands in the middle of a plaza at Cesar Chavez Park, honoring the United Farm Workers union founder, March 18, 2026, in Laveen, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
This photo taken with a smartphone shows Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., greeting union members at an Atlanta-North Georgia Labor Council (AFL-CIO) Labor Day lunch in Hapeville, Ga., Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Bill Barrow)
Two air traffic controllers could be fired for leaving the tower at New York’s LaGuardia Airport about an hour early on the night that an Air Canada jet smashed into a fire truck crossing the runway, killing both pilots. A government official familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press about these staffing concerns. Because these two controllers left work early that night, there were only two people left in the tower to direct an unusual flurry of flights while dealing with an emergency on another plane on the ground on March 22. Experts and retired officials said that leaving the airport early when a required break falls at the end of a shift is a common practice nationwide.
Major League Baseball has proposed limiting free-agent signings to several weeks in December and then from early February on. The plan aims to create an offseason transaction flurry similar to the NFL and NBA. MLB presented the idea to the players' association on Thursday, but it hinges on adopting a salary cap system proposed in May. The union has vowed never to accept this system. Union head Bruce Meyer immediately criticized the plan. MLB also suggests lowering the maximum in-season options to the minor leagues and adopting weekly rosters. Teams would be allowed 14 pitchers when the 26-man roster limit is in effect.
A person keeps warm with a blanket while waiting for attention at the emergency entrance of the Barrio Obrero public hospital on the first day of a doctors' union strike for better salaries and conditions in Asuncion, Paraguay, early Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)
Gary Bettman, Commissioner of the National Hockey League, talks to reporters following a negotiating session with the players association in New York, NY., Sept. 16, 1994. The hockey league has been operating without a collective bargaining agreement for a year. Both sides are negotiating with the hope of avoiding the crisis that has struck baseball. The regular season is scheduled to open Oct. 1. (AP Photo/David Karp)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has several programs funded by Congress that lack staff to operate them. These zombie programs include initiatives for Alzheimer’s, smoking prevention and epilepsy. President Donald Trump's Republican administration laid off thousands of employees as a cost-cutting move beginning in April 2025. While some cuts were reversed, many experts remain on paid leave due to ongoing legal battles. Democrats argue this situation violates the law, but there’s limited congressional enforcement. Despite plans to hire more staff, union officials say significant rehiring has not occurred, leaving many programs inactive.
