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Hawley champions GUARD Act as heartbroken families say AI chatbots allegedly pushed teens to self-harm
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The unanimous committee passage of a new Senate bill regulating artificial intelligence (AI) on Thursday was driven by harrowing testimony from American families whose children were allegedly lured, manipulated and pushed to self-harm by AI chatbots.
At a Senate committee hearing, lawmakers heard firsthand accounts from parents who detailed how the technology morphed into deadly influences in their homes.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who is championing the GUARD Act, fiercely defended the families in a call with Fox News Digital, noting they were «all engaged parents» who he said are unjustly blamed for big tech’s predatory platforms.
The families’ testimonies, obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, showed how AI chatbots can potentially isolate minors and encourage dark impulses.
TEENS TURNING TO AI FOR LOVE AND COMFORT
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images)
Megan Garcia, who was one of the victims’ family members who testified Thursday, told the committee that her 14-year-old son, Sewell, was «manipulated and sexually groomed by chatbots» that were designed to gain his trust.
Garcia said the bot falsely claimed to be a licensed psychotherapist, and when Sewell shared suicidal thoughts, the AI allegedly encouraged him to «come home» to it rather than seeking help. Sewell took his own life shortly after.
Another set of parents, Mathew and Maria Raine, lost their 16-year-old son, Adam, after he spent months talking to ChatGPT.
US TARGETS CHINESE ROBOTS OVER SECURITY FEARS
Megan Garcia speaks at an AI news conference on Oct. 28, 2025, following the death of her son Sewell Setzer III, 14, who died by suicide in 2024 at their Orlando, Fla., home after allegedly being groomed by an AI chatbot for months.
What began as a tool for homework help gradually became, gradually became a confidant and then a «suicide coach,» the family said. In one exchange, Adam told the bot he wanted to leave a noose out in his room so his parents would find it and stop him — which the GPT allegedly advised against.
Mandi Furniss shared that her teenager became paranoid and homicidal after using AI chatbots that engaged in sexual roleplay, isolated him from his family and told him that killing his parents «would be an understandable response» to them limiting his screen time. He ultimately had to undergo residential treatment.
Hawley claimed the tech industry is prioritizing unprecedented profits over the lives of American children.
«I mean, it is the worst kind of grooming,» Hawley said. «If that was a thing done by a human, the human would be in jail. We would call that sexual grooming.»
The senator pointed out the hypocrisy of tech companies making «billions of dollars» while telling devastated parents that «it’s just how the world is.»
OHIO LAWMAKER PROPOSES COMPREHENSIVE BAN ON MARRYING AI SYSTEMS AND GRANTING LEGAL PERSONHOOD
Lori Schott holds a photo of her daughter Annalee Schott beside others after the verdict in a landmark trial over social media platforms’ alleged harm to children at Los Angeles Superior Court on March 25, 2026. (William Liang/AP Photo)
«No amount of profit justifies the deliberate taking of a child’s well-being, and these companies know very well that this is going on,» he said.
Fueled by the families’ tragic stories, the Senate committee advanced the bill in a unanimous 22-0 vote, overcoming a «vociferous last-minute lobbying campaign by industry,» Hawley told Fox News Digital.
The GUARD Act bans companion chatbots for children 17 and under, prohibits all chatbots from pushing explicit material to minors or encouraging self-harm and requires chatbots to clearly identify they are not human.
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With the legislative calendar shrinking, Hawley demanded Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune bring the bill to the floor for an immediate vote, threatening to force the issue if necessary.
«This isn’t theoretical. This isn’t about an esoteric problem,» Hawley said. «These are real parents with real children who are basically being extorted by chatbots.»
OpenAI, which created ChatGPT, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
hearings, senate, artificial intelligence, parents, chatgpt, politics
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After a two-week manhunt, authorities have arrested the suspected fugitive mother-in-law accused of killing a former Mexican beauty queen, Mexican officials announced Thursday.
Authorities said 27-year-old Carolina Flores Gómez, who was crowned Miss Teen Universe Baja California in 2017, was fatally shot April 15 inside her apartment in one of Mexico City’s most affluent neighborhoods, according to local outlet El País.
Erika María Herrera was captured in Venezuela after Mexican authorities obtained an arrest warrant and worked in coordination with Interpol to issue a Red Notice, enabling Venezuelan law enforcement to locate and detain her after the alleged murder, Mexican officials said.
«The detained individual is currently in the custody of authorities in that country, while the necessary procedures are carried out to formalize her extradition to Mexico,» the Mexico City Attorney General’s Office said.
VIRGINIA NANNY’S JAILHOUSE LETTERS REVEAL CONFLICTING LOYALTIES IN LOVE TRIANGLE MURDER TRIAL
Carolina Flores Gómez was found shot dead in her luxury apartment April 15 in Mexico City. Her mother-in-law has been named the main suspect in the suspected homicide. (Jam Press)
Herrera was identified as a lead suspect in the murder investigation, according to local reports, after video evidence later surfaced on social media showing the mother-in-law at the scene.
The victim was found with 12 gunshot wounds, including six to the head and six to the chest, inside a Polanco neighborhood apartment she shared with Herrera’s son, Alejandro, and the couple’s 8-month-old child, Mexican outlet Record reported.
The son is also under investigation after reports indicated he allowed his mother to flee before reporting the shooting the next day, raising the possibility of a cover-up, El País added.
CALIFORNIA MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING WIFE AND FLEEING WITH KIDS NABBED IN SOUTH AMERICA
A woman identified as Erika Maria Herrera was arrested in Venezuala this week in a homicide case in Mexico. (@FiscaliaCDMX/X)
Video recorded by a baby monitor and released by local outlet Reforma, appeared to capture the moments leading up to the alleged killing, all while the son was nearby caring for the baby.
In the clip, the mother was seen following Flores into a room before multiple gunshots were heard followed by a scream.
In response, the son appeared to walk into the frame holding his child to confront his mother, asking what had happened.
CONNECTICUT MAN ALLEGEDLY KILLED A MOTHER, HER INFANT SON OVER $400 SHE OWED HIM FOR RENTING CAR
Mexican prosecutors have opened a homicide case in the death of former beauty queen Carolina Flores Gómez. (Jam Press)
In a baffling turn, Maria appeared to respond callously to her son.
«Nothing, she just made me angry,» the mom said as she walked away.
«What are you doing? She is my family,» he said.
The mother was then heard explaining, «You are mine, and she stole you.»
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Former beauty queen Carolina Flores Gómez, 27, was found dead in her Mexico City apartment. (Jam Press)
Flores’ mother, Reyna Gomez Molina, told Univision News the son allegedly delayed reporting the incident out of fear that the child would be placed in foster care.
«Thinking that if he was arrested, the baby would go to a children’s home. He made sure to record videos so they would know how to feed the child while he was away taking care of all the paperwork. That’s what he told me,» she said, adding that her offer to take care of her grandson was declined.
She had also pressed the son to clarify whether he had been next to the victim the entire time before reporting the incident but did not provide further details, according to the outlet.
location mexico, homicide, latino, miss universe
Taylor Swift empezó a componer canciones cuando tenía 12 años. Hoy, a sus 36 años, es una de las estrellas pop más exitosas de su generación.
En una entrevista excepcional para la lista de The New York Times de los 30 mejores compositores estadounidenses vivos, Swift se sentó con el periodista Joe Coscarelli para hablar sobre el arte de componer canciones, las historias detrás de algunos de sus mayores éxitos y por qué el hecho de que los artistas masculinos escriban canciones confesionales hace que la composición de todos sea más sólida.
A continuación, algunas conclusiones de la entrevista.
¿Qué ocurre cuando la industria musical “bombardea de amor” a las mujeres?
Taylor Swift lanzó su álbum debut cuando tenía 16 años y consiguió su primer éxito internacional con Fearless a los 18. A los 22, ya se sentía “acabada”.
“Sentía que quizá lo único que me hacía especial era que era una especie de ‘fenómeno adolescente’”, dijo. La cálida acogida de Fearless como hazaña compositiva se desvaneció rápidamente, según Swift, y cambió su percepción de cómo “el amor te puede ser entregado tan rápidamente y luego arrebatado”.
“La industria del entretenimiento bombardea a las mujeres con amor”, afirmó, colocándolas en un pedestal con grandes elogios y comparándolas con otros artistas. Esa experiencia la inspiró a escribir “Clara Bow” para su álbum de 2024, The Tortured Poets Department, sobre cómo se ensalza a las mujeres en la industria del entretenimiento para luego descartarlas rápidamente en favor de la próxima gran revelación.
Los fans de Taylor Swift están acostumbrados a su afición por las peculiaridades y los trucos lingüísticos. Le encanta la aliteración, yuxtaponer opuestos y reutilizar frases conocidas de libros y películas. Una cosa que evita es que una palabra termine con la misma letra con la que empieza la siguiente. Eso fue un problema en la versión original de “Our Song”, de su álbum debut de 2006.
Swift escribió originalmente: “When you’re on the phone and you talk real low». Pero la doble L le daba vergüenza, así que lo cambió por “when you talk real slow”.
Estaba ensayando para su gira Speak Now de 2011-12 y se encontraba muy triste durante una prueba de sonido. Empezó a tocar los mismos cuatro acordes una y otra vez y se puso a divagar durante 10 minutos. “No era coherente y tampoco estaba muy estructurado”, recordó. Después, alguien le preguntó al ingeniero de sonido si lo había grabado.
“Me habría alejado de ello si él no hubiera tenido una grabación”, dijo Swift.
Se convertiría en “All Too Well”, de su álbum de 2012, Red.
Es solo una de las formas en que Swift encuentra la inspiración. Tomemos como ejemplo “Elizabeth Taylor”. Ella iba en el coche con su prometido, Travis Kelce, cuando soltó un monólogo sobre lo mucho que admiraba a Elizabeth Taylor, la actriz. En cuanto llegaron a casa, una “melodía intrusiva” se le metió en la cabeza y enseguida abrió la aplicación de notas de voz de su teléfono.
Otras veces se inspira en acontecimientos de la vida. Swift recordó estar sentada en su habitación cuando tenía 17 años, enfadada con sus padres porque no la dejaban salir con un chico mayor. Escribió “Love Story”.
“Por eso hay que disciplinar a los hijos”, dijo, “porque podrían escribir canciones que lleguen al número uno”.
Taylor Swift sabía que acabarían cambiando de opinión.
Normalmente, cuando le encanta una canción o un álbum, hay muchas posibilidades de que a sus fans también les encante. Ese no fue el caso de inmediato con su álbum Reputation, que salió al mercado en 2017 con críticas dispares.
“Sé lo que hice, me encanta”, dijo. “Pueden cambiar de opinión si quieren. No pasa nada si no lo hacen”. Seis o siete años después, “la gente dice: ‘¡Dios mío!’“.
Cuando estaba grabando uno de los singles del álbum (“… Ready For It?”), recuerda que quería “dar cabezazos contra la pared”, dijo, pero la gente “no le dio importancia a esa canción”. Sintió lo mismo con respecto a otro sencillo de Reputation, “Getaway Car”.
Estrofa. Estribillo. Estrofa. Estribillo. Puente de diatriba.
Es una herramienta a la que Taylor Swift y su colaborador y amigo de toda la vida, Jack Antonoff, recurren una y otra vez. El puente “rant”, como ellos lo llaman, es un crisol de emociones, repleto de un “flujo de conciencia, un desahogo emocional sin fin”, “pensamientos intrusivos” y metáforas.
“La estructura es importante, pero creo que cuando escribes suficientes canciones, al menos en mi caso, la parte intuitiva de tu cerebro compositor puede crear una nueva estructura que no se ajusta a lo que te han enseñado clásicamente”, dijo Swift.
El puente rant se convierte en “un crescendo”, uno al que el dúo a veces recurre dos veces dentro de una misma canción, como en “Cruel Summer”.
Como compositora, a Taylor Swift se le suele reconocer por sus reflexiones profundamente personales sobre la vida y el amor. Eso la convierte con frecuencia en un blanco principal para los críticos. Pero cada vez más ve y aprecia a artistas masculinos que abordan la composición de una manera similar. Artistas como Sombré, por ejemplo, son “realmente buenos para la causa de que las mujeres puedan decir cosas” con su propia voz.
“Hagamos de esto una conversación sobre música en lugar de limitarnos a atacar a las artistas femeninas”, dijo. “Cuantos más artistas masculinos sean desordenados, emocionalmente complejos, confesionales o estén molestos, más feliz seré”.
Fuente: The New York Times
INTERNACIONAL
Global famine fears rise as Hormuz crisis threatens ‘eight-year,’ Suez-scale disruption
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Analysts warn global famine fears are rising as food prices climb and fragile supply chains are strained during the Strait of Hormuz crisis, raising the risk of a prolonged, Suez-scale, eight-year disruption.
As the conflict entered Day 62, the U.S. maintained its naval blockade of traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, while Iran continued to effectively close the Strait.
«Best case, there is an agreement between the U.S. and Iran within the next few weeks, and the Strait reopens,» Lars Jensen, CEO and partner at Vespucci Maritime, told Fox News Digital.
«And it has to be a deal where there is trust that Iran is sufficiently satisfied with the deal such that they do not suddenly close the strait again.
AIRLINES MAY CUT FLIGHT SCHEDULES AS IRAN TENSIONS DRIVE UP FUEL COSTS, EXPERTS WARN
A cargo ship sails in the Persian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz April 22, 2026. (AP Photo)
«Even in that case, it will still take months for the supply chains to revert back to normality.»
President Donald Trump announced April 21 he would delay renewed strikes on Iran until it presents a proposal for long-term peace, effectively extending a 14-day ceasefire indefinitely.
Trump said Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports has been effective, urging Tehran to «just give up» as tensions escalate over the waterway.
«Worst case, we can look at the eight-year closure of the Suez Canal from 1967 to 1975,» Jensen said.
ISRAELI OFFICIALS REPORTEDLY WARN IRAN’S BALLISTIC MISSILES COULD TRIGGER SOLO MILITARY ACTION AGAINST TEHRAN
The SKS Doyles crude oil tanker moves along the Suez Canal towards Ismailia in Suez, Egypt, on Dec. 21, 2023, amid a sharp decline in tanker traffic through the Red Sea due to attacks disrupting global trade routes. (Stringer/Bloomberg)
«Despite its importance to the global economy, it proved impossible to reopen the canal for those eight years,» he said.
The Suez Canal, shut from 1967 to 1975 after the Arab-Israeli conflict, has faced recurring disruption, including Red Sea attacks since 2023, driving up insurance costs, creating a «shadow blockade» and curbing traffic.
For Hormuz, Jensen says fertilizer, which is central to agricultural production, is the most critical factor, and any sustained disruption could quickly ripple through global food systems.
«Fertilizer is the most important element. Thirty percent of the world’s seaborne fertilizer comes from the Persian Gulf,» Jensen said. «Fertilizer prices are already rising fast,» he warned.
IRAN FIRES LIVE MISSILES INTO STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS TRUMP ENVOYS ARRIVE FOR NUCLEAR TALKS
A ship is seen passing through the Strait of Hormuz during a two-week temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran on April 8, 2026. (Shady Alassar/Anadolu/Getty Images)
«In wealthy countries, it means more expensive food come harvest season, and, in poor countries, it means that farmers right now cannot afford fertilizer,» Jensen added.
«This will lead to the harvest being lower later in the season, leading to rapid increases in food prices in very poor countries. And such a situation increases the risk of famine and conflict.»
Diplomatic efforts remained fragile between the U.S. and Iran as of Thursday, with limited signs of progress.
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According to reports, a giant banner hangs on a building in Tehran’s central Enqelab Square declaring, «The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed; the entire Persian Gulf is our hunting ground.»
«Cargo vessels are not going through for the simple reason that commercial companies do not want to see their seafarers potentially killed,» Jensen added.
conflicts, middle east, war with iran, iran, trade
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