Technology
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Technology
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What to know about the federal emergency alert test
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The federal government is set to test its emergency alerts Wednesday, but there is no reason for alarm.
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U.S. televisions and cell phones will be bombarded with alerts Wednesday at 2:20 p.m. ET as the federal government test its methods for reaching Americans during emegencies.
The Emergency Alert System is designed to warn Americans of national emergencies over TV and allow the president to speak to them.
And Wireless Emergency Alerts are brief text messages sent to mobile phones to notify Americans of emergencies.
The federal government is set to conduct a test of both systems Wednesday, as mandated every three years by law. The last test was in August 2021.
When you get the alert — and you will — there is nothing you need to do or fear. While bothersome and jarring, the alert is simply a test.
Emergency alert tests have happened without incident for more than a decade, but that hasn’t stopped a flood of conspiracy theories largely tied to debunked claims about COVID-19 vaccines.
“The sole purpose of the test is to ensure that the systems continue to be an effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level,” Jeremy Edwards, FEMA’s spokesperson. wrote in an email this week to the Associated Press.
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Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, I’m Sylvan Lane, joining Rebecca Klar and Julia Shapero — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.
But first, a correction: Yesterday’s issue incorrectly stated Microsoft’s valuation. The company is valued at $2.4 trillion. We regret the error.
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How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:
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The criminal trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried got underway in a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday, as the onetime darling of cryptocurrency faces charges for orchestrating what prosecutors have described as “one of the biggest financial frauds in American history.” The 31-year-old ran the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, once valued at $32 billion, until its high-profile collapse last November. Bankman-Fried was arrested in …
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While the summer brought lower inflation rates, higher jobs rates and boosts of consumer spending, Bloomberg Economics is warning that a recession is more likely than not happening soon. Citing the ongoing autoworkers strike, the return of student loan repayments and the looming threat of a government shutdown after Congress’s short-term spending bill lapses in November, Bloomberg predicted at least a 1 percentage point …
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The Federal Reserve can now be followed on Instagram and Threads. In a news release, the federal agency said it was creating accounts on the two Meta-owned social media platforms to increase “the accessibility and availability of Board news and educational content.” Threads, a text-based conservation social media platform, launched earlier this year, as a rival to X, a social media platform formerly known as Twitter. …
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News we’ve flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:
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Meta news leader steps down
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Meta’s head of news Campbell Brown, a veteran TV anchor, is stepping down from the tech company, Axios reported.
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Chinese startups test self-driving cars in CA
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China-based tech startups are testing self-driving cars in California, NBC News reported.
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Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:
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The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing titled “CHIPS and Science Implementation and Oversight” with testimony from Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET.
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Branch out with other reads on The Hill:
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BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union announced plans on Tuesday to better protect its cutting-edge technologies from foreign snooping that might threaten its economy and security in the wake of repeated warnings that the bloc needs to “de-risk” its relations with China. “Technology is currently at …
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Two key stories on The Hill right now:
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Lawmakers who back U.S. aid to Ukraine are fuming over a serious weekend setback that they say leaves President Biden facing an uphill battle to win … Read more
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A second day has wrapped in former President Trump’s civil fraud case in New York Supreme Court with the GOP 2024 primary front-runner once again … Read more
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You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!
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