FIRST AI-WRITTEN NEWSPAPER

An Italian newspaper has said it is the first in the world to publish an edition entirely produced by artificial intelligence. Il Foglio, a four-page conservative liberal daily, will be on newsstands every day from now on, announced its editor, Claudio Cerasa.

“It will be the first daily newspaper in the world on newsstands created entirely using artificial intelligence,” said Cerasa. “For everything. For the writing, the headlines, the quotes, the summaries. And, sometimes, even for the irony.”

He added that journalists’ roles would be limited to “asking questions [into an AI tool] and reading the answers.”

The first issue contained stories about Trump and Putin. The articles were straightforward and clear, with no obvious grammatical errors. However, none of the articles published in the news pages directly quote any human beings.

Source: Angela Giuffrida in The Guardian, Mar. 18, 2025.

EARLY RESPONSES TO PRESIDENT TRUMP

The first 100 days or so of the Trump administration was conspicuous for the absence of major protest demonstrations, such as the 2017 Women’s March early in President Trump’s first term in office.

The current absence is both real and partly illusory. Indeed, a “People’s March of 2025” was held on January 18, and its turnout was lower than in 2017. On the other hand, there are more numerous street protests elsewhere.

According to Harvard political science professor Erica Chenoweth, there have been more than twice as many street protests since January 22 than during the same period eight years ago.

In February alone, Chenoweth’s research team counted over 2,085 protests in the US. These supported federal workers, LGBTQ rights, immigrant rights, Palestinian self-determination, Ukraine, and included demonstrations against Tesla and Trump’s agenda more generally. This compares with 937 protests in February 2017.

In the special elections since the new Trump term began, Republican candidates are not faring as well as in the November elections. This is partly because Trump’s supporters do not turn out as much when he’s not on the ballot. But it’s more than that — Democratic candidates so far have beaten their 2024 margins by an average of more than ten points.

This suggests one thing: Soon after the election, many Trump supporters began feeling “buyer’s remorse.”

RUSSIA MAY RESTART ZAPORIZHZHIA NUCLEAR PLANT

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, and one of four plants Ukraine operated before the war. It now lies within Russian-occupied territory and is essentially a military facility.

During recent US-Russia negotiations in Riyadh, there was some talk about restarting it — a prospect viewed with alarm due to safety concerns.

Earlier in March, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission, which has regularly monitored the site, was routed through occupied territories, accompanied by Russian military forces. Previous missions had passed exclusively through Ukrainian-controlled areas, ensuring neutral and safe inspections.

Experts from Greenpeace Ukraine suspect this may indicate Russia is preparing to reconnect the plant to the power grid. That would pose a risk to Europe and Ukraine, since:

• The plant’s equipment has degraded
• There’s a lack of water for cooling reactors
• There is uncertainty about the nuclear fuel

The plant’s cooling system used to rely on the Kakhovka Dam, which Russia destroyed in June 2023. The plant’s safety depends on that water supply.

If a ceasefire is reached and the plant remains under Russian control, it may still be possible to restore operations.

Source: “Russia Threatens to Restart,” Ukrainian World Congress, Mar. 13, 2025.

UPDATED GERMAN TRAVEL ADVISORY TO U.S.

The Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration has led to the detention and deportation of German citizens at US Customs — even those with valid travel visas.

Lucas Sielaff, a tourist returning from vacation in Mexico, was put in chains and kept in a detention center for 16 days before being allowed to return to Germany.

In another case, a French scientist was denied entry to the US after officials found critical messages about the U.S. administration on his phone.

These incidents have prompted Germany to issue warnings to its citizens regarding safety concerns when visiting the U.S.

Source: Deutsche Welle TV, Mar. 22, 2025.