Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has distanced herself from what she termed "Woke 1" policies, characterizing them as "crazy" and attributing their emergence to the COVID-19 lockdown. In a recent interview with ABC News, Ocasio-Cortez responded to questions about the past positions of Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, whose platform reportedly included calls to abolish police, prisons, ICE, capitalism, and Thanksgiving.
Ocasio-Cortez suggested that the COVID-19 lockdown expanded the "Overton window," a term referring to the range of ideas tolerated in public discourse, thereby enabling more radical policies. She implied that this period facilitated ideas such as disbanding police departments under the guise of a public health crisis.
This pivot marks a notable shift, as Ocasio-Cortez herself has been associated with progressive stances that critics have labeled as "woke." For instance, in 2021, she tweeted that menstruation is not exclusive to women. The congresswoman's current comments suggest a strategic move to moderate her image, particularly in light of potential future political ambitions. The article notes that for someone with presidential aspirations, offering a more tempered reflection on past positions might be a calculated approach to appealing to a broader electorate. The author likens this defense to one that might be used in a public intoxication trial, humorously suggesting "Alcoholism 1 was crazy."
In a separate development, Senator Bernie Sanders has called for a pause in artificial intelligence development, urging companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta to cease operations due to concerns about losing control over the technology. Sanders also proposed a bill requiring major AI companies to transfer 50% of their stock to a public wealth fund, a move the article's author finds contradictory to the call for a pause.
Meanwhile, California has launched a satellite program, developed in partnership with Muon Space, SpaceX, and Google, to detect wildfires from space. This initiative aims to improve early wildfire detection and response capabilities.