US civil rights enforcers warn of bias in AI hiring practices - May 13, 2022

The federal government warned that AI technology used to screen new job candidates or monitor worker productivity can unfairly discriminate against people with disabilities. The U.S. Justice Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission jointly issued guidance to employers regarding tools like resume scanners, game-like online tests to assess job skills and video interviewing software. Advocates have asked federal regulators to crack down on AI rules, with 83% of employers now using some form of automated tools to rank candidates for hire. Lawyers for multiple southern states recently went to court to challenge the Biden administration’s plan to lift Title 42, but immigrant advocates say these states are deliberately steering cases to federal judges appointed by former President Donald Trump where they are likely to receive a favorable outcome. More than 20 states have joined the lawsuit seeking to block the administration from ending the pandemic border restrictions, which were put in place in 2020. Title 42 underscores the Trump administration’s lasting political authority but also supports a unified front among Senate Republicans that’s grown in recent weeks. More than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, setting another record in the nation’s escalating overdose epidemic and marking a 15% increase from the year before. A growing share of deaths continues to stem from fentanyl which is often mixed with other drugs, and methamphetamine. The White House recently promoted a national drug control strategy, involving measures like expanding access to treatment and disrupting drug trafficking. The Biden administration is the first to embrace harm reduction through needle exchanges or tools to check drugs for fentanyl – an approach criticized by some as enabling drug users. More than 40 million people left their jobs last year, but many didn’t leave work altogether. People began advocating for higher pay, stable hours and flexibility, and instead of quitting jobs, data shows a nearly