Brooklyn man sentenced to six months in jail for making and selling fake OSHA and Buildings Department safety cards
In a city where construction safety can mean life or death, a Brooklyn man gambled with lives by selling fake OSHA safety cards to untrained workers. Benedetto Bonello, owner of National Site Safety LLC, has been sentenced to six months in jail after pleading guilty to falsifying business records and distributing fraudulent certifications. Authorities say the scheme not only violated the law but endangered both workers and the public, sending a clear message: safety fraud will not be tolerated in New York City.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Stockton Macy's worker shot while trying to stop shoplifter
An attempted shoplifting at a Macy’s in Stockton turned violent when a member of the store’s Asset Protection team was shot while trying to intervene. The shooting occurred just after 12:30 p.m. in the store’s parking lot, leaving the employee with a non-life-threatening leg injury. Police are now reviewing surveillance footage and speaking with witnesses, though no suspect description has been released.
CBS News

How cowboy boot brand Tecovas is battling ‘friendly fraud’
As cowboy boot brand Tecovas rides a wave of rapid growth, it's facing a costly hitch: a surge in fraud, especially chargebacks and so-called “friendly fraud.” With luxury boots priced up to $1,000, fraudsters are exploiting lenient return policies to claim refunds while reselling stolen goods. Partnering with fraud-prevention firm Seon, Tecovas is now beefing up defenses to protect its reputation and revenue as online chargeback rates continue to climb across the retail industry.
Modern Retail

NBA Cracks Down on Knock-Offs in IP Lawsuit
The NBA is going full-court press against global counterfeiters, seeking to extend a temporary restraining order and secure a preliminary injunction to freeze the assets of online sellers accused of pushing fake NBA gear. In a motion filed in Illinois federal court, NBA Properties warns that without swift action, the defendants—many allegedly based in China—could move funds offshore to evade justice. The legal battle, tied to a broader anti-counterfeiting push, underscores the league’s aggressive stance on protecting its trademarks and the integrity of its brand.
USA Herald

Walmart takes drastic action to curb growing fraud problem at self-checkout
Walmart is locking down on card skimming with a bold new addition to its self-checkout machines: bright yellow PIN pad guards, dubbed by one employee as a “chastity belt” for the reader. The move follows a wave of skimming incidents at various locations, prompting the retailer to boost security. Shoppers and employees alike are noting the change, with many applauding the added layer of protection against fraudsters.
NY Post

They Didn’t Disappoint You — Your Script Did

Kristin Ziman, Keynote Speaker, Author, DIsruptor

comments@talklpnews.com

I have a friend who is fixated on the word ruminate. Well, he’s not exactly fixated on the word – he’s commiserating over the fact that he can’t stop doing it. He just published a book and anyone who has written a book knows the grueling, soul-sucking process one goes through to bring a book to life. The researching. The writing. More writing. Editing. Revising. Finding someone to publish it. Then more editing and revising from the publisher. It’s a labor of love, but the operative word is labor. Which is why he is struggling to understand why some people in his inner circle haven’t bothered to read it. He’s receiving support and accolades from strangers, but his immediate family is silent.

The only obvious conclusion one can draw is they hate the book.

Or maybe they haven’t gotten around to buying it yet.
Either way, they don’t care enough about him to support him.

Or maybe none of this is true.

Rumination is when your brain decides to clock in for the night shift without telling you. It loops the same conversation, the same hurt, the same “WTF was that about?” moment over and over like a bad Netflix show you didn’t even like the first time.

It’s the friend who never texts back.
The partner who didn’t notice your new hairstyle.
The coworker who took credit for your idea.
The silence after you bared your soul and got… nothing.

So, we fill the gaps with stories.
They must not care.
They’re selfish.
They should’ve known better.

But those are just that—stories.
And more often than not, they’re fiction.

The Rise of Conversational AI: Sesame’s Voice Model Blurs the Line Between Human and Machine

Tom Meehan, CEO CONTROLTEK
comments@talklpnews.com

Sesame’s new Conversational Speech Model (CSM) has people talking—not just because it’s a new AI product, but because of how unsettlingly human it sounds. In the ever-evolving world of artificial intelligence, CSM is sparking excitement and concern, raising questions about what its capabilities mean for the future.

A Leap Toward Human-Like AI
Sesame’s CSM pushes the boundaries of AI-generated speech, creating interactions that feel strikingly natural. Users don’t just recognize its responses as speech—they feel an emotional connection to its voices. This realism stems from a meticulous approach: integrating a vast range of tones, laughter, and conversational “slips” that make the AI sound convincingly human.
While AI-generated voices have existed for some time, they’ve often sounded flat and mechanical. Sesame takes a different approach, using a single-stage model to render both text and audio, resulting in a voice that not only mimics human speech but also engages in fluid, natural conversations—sometimes surpassing the average human in what is commonly called the “Turing test.”

The Double-Edged Sword of AI Realism
Like any advanced technology, Sesame’s CSM poses ethical and security problems. Its hyper-realistic voices could make deepfake phone scams more convincing than ever, eliminating the robotic tones that once served as warning signs. The emotional realism of the model also raises new concerns—users have reported forming attachments to the AI, hinting at a future where human-device relationships become more profound.
Moreover, the model's emotional realism may forge social paths yet untrodden. Accounts of users getting emotionally attached to the AI have us wondering whether our tech interactions could soon be transformed—especially if such reactions lead us, as some suggest, to a new level of interaction with our devices.
One Reddit user shared that their young child became visibly upset when unable to continue a conversation with the AI, reacting as if they had been separated from a real companion. These instances prompt important discussions about the emotional impact of AI interactions and how they might reshape our social dynamics.

What’s Next for AI Voice Technology?
Despite concerns expressed by critics, Sesame is still committed to improving its voice models and making them better. The company wants to provide more language support, enhance the conversation flow, and open-source core elements of its research. A crucial next step will be addressing potential misinterpretations, ensuring the AI understands and conveys figures of speech accurately while mitigating ethical risks.

Sesame's Conversational Speech Model is a powerful step toward a future where AI and humans communicate with ease. But as AI voices become more indistinguishable from real human speech, society must deal with the ethical and security problems that crop up when we can't trust the things we hear anymore. All this makes for a conversation that's more important than ever.
Would you feel comfortable having serious discussions with an AI? Or does a machine conversing this fluidly with humans make you feel uncomfortable? We are only in the initial stages of this dialogue. 

Trucking Stakeholders Amplify Cargo Theft Concerns

 Transport Topics

PODCAST: California’s Workplace Violence Law, Part 3

In this podcast, Sacramento shareholders and co-chairs of the Workplace Violence Prevention Practice Group, Karen Tynan and Robert Rodriguez, discuss the significant changes brought by SB 553, California’s Workplace Violence Prevention Plan Law, and the implications of its draft regulations.

They review specific requirements of the draft regulations and how those requirements may lead to increased costs and overlap with existing requirements such as those in the workers’ compensation system.

 National Law Review

Man arrested after fatal shooting at Amazon facility in Baton Rouge

 WWLTV 4

37 arrested in SF retail theft operations; ice cream, candy among items recovered

Thirty-seven suspects were arrested in connection with three different organized retail theft operations in San Francisco, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) announced in a news release Wednesday.

The retail theft operations happened in the city’s Ingleside neighborhood.

KRON 4

Home Depot theft ring busted by Bay Area authorities

An organized retail theft ring that targeted Home Depot stores across the Bay Area and beyond is no more, authorities said.

On Wednesday, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office announced four suspects were in custody following a months-long investigation.

Silicon Valley

Walmart shooting sends 1 to the hospital, suspect turns himself in

A suspect is in custody after shooting at a Walmart in Gainesville Wednesday night.

Gainesville Police officers and Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the Walmart at Butler Plaza at around 10 p.m. to reports of a shooting.

According to GPD officials, a verbal altercation between two men and a woman began outside of the store.

WCJB 20

Man arrested for throwing explosive device at people near Baltimore Home Depot 

A man is accused of throwing an explosive device at a group of individuals gathered near a Southeast Baltimore shopping center last weekend.

The explosion happened Sunday near the Eastern Avenue entrance to The Home Depot.

On Monday, bomb squad and arson investigators said they had identified a person of interest.

Detectives said they reviewed surveillance footage showing a Toyota Camry pull up to the shopping center parking lot.

CBS News

General manager accused of burglarizing his own restaurant

A burglary at a popular Florida restaurant ended in the arrest of the general manager.

According to police, the general manager of Oak & Stone in Bradenton was taken into custody for burglarizing the restaurant.

William “Billy” Johnson, 43, was taken into custody Tuesday evening.

Earlier that morning, an employee of Oak & Stone arrived to find the restaurant’s entrance unlocked.

The safe was open and its contents were missing, and the cash register had also been forced open.

KCRG

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