Elon Musk

takes stand

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO, world’s richest man and OpenAI’s cofounder, took the stand Tuesday in a high-stakes trial revolving around a bitter feud between himself and former friends Sam Altman and Greg Brockman that could reshape the future development of artificial intelligence.

The bickering billionaires’ early-morning appearances at the Oakland, California, federal courthouse foreshadow what could be a dramatic start to a legal drama that is expected to be brimming with intrigue and potentially embarrassing details about the two tech moguls. The jury was selected Monday and the trial is scheduled to take three weeks.

Ex-adviser

indicted

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former senior adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci has been indicted on federal charges alleging he conspired to hide his communications related to COVID-19 research as the pandemic unfolded. The Justice Department on Tuesday accused 78-year-old Dr. David Morens of using a private email to intentionally circumvent public record laws while employed at the National Institutes of Health.

It accuses him of evading transparency laws while having discussions related to COVID-19 research grants, including an effort to revive a controversial coronavirus grant. Morens faces charges of conspiracy against the United States as well as destruction and concealment of records and aiding and abetting. If convicted, he could face decades in prison.

In congressional testimony, Morens denied attempting to evade federal transparency laws by using his personal email.

Fraud probed

in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal agents have served search warrants in Minnesota in an ongoing fraud investigation of publicly funded social programs for children. No details about possible crimes were disclosed, though armed agents were seen at childcare centers in the Minneapolis area on Tuesday.

Gov. Tim Walz welcomed the action. Minnesota was the site of an immigration crackdown that led to the deaths of two people this year. Before that crackdown, the government brought charges against dozens of people, many of them Somali Americans, who were charged with fleecing a federal program that was meant to provide food to kids.