Good morning, NBC News readers.
The FAA has made a call on Boeing jets after Sunday's crash. We take a look at the pitfalls of facial recognition technology. And one man is incredibly grateful he was running late the other day.
Here's what we're watching today.
FAA: It's OK for U.S. airlines to fly Boeing model that crashed twice in less than six months
The Federal Aviation Administration said it has no plans to ground the type of Boeing aircraft that has been involved in two deadly crashes in less than six months.
The FAA's decision comes despite the fact that several other countries — including Australia, China, Indonesia, Mexico and Argentina — have suspended operation of the Boeing 737 Max 8 and 737 Max 9 jets in the wake of an Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people on Sunday.
"All data will be closely examined during this investigation, and the FAA will take appropriate action if necessary," the agency said in a statement.
We're beginning to learn more about some of the victims of the deadly crash. A serviceman with a special interest in researching his family's African roots and two Californian brothers are among the Americans killed.
But one Greek man is incredibly thankful he was running late on Sunday: He was stopped at the gate from boarding the doomed flight.
"I'm slowly coming to terms with what happened and how close it came," Antonis Mavropoulos said in an interview with a Greek broadcaster. "On the other hand, I'm also very upset — I'm shattered — for those who were lost."
A U.N. panel is looking into what North Korean arms dealers are up to in Iran
The United Nations is investigating two North Korean arms companies suspected of operating in Iran in possible violation of international sanctions.
Two North Korean arms firms — which are both blacklisted by the United Nations — are “extremely active in Iran now,” Hugh Griffiths, coordinator of the U.N. panel of experts assessing sanctions on North Korea, told NBC News in an exclusive television interview.
“There's an active investigation into who exactly is at the North Korean Embassy in Tehran and what they're doing there,” Griffiths said.
Meanwhile, according to a top secret U.S. military assessment, North Korea keeps busting sanctions by evading U.S.-led sea patrols.
'It seems a little sketchy': Millions of online photos scraped without consent are fueling facial recognition technology
Facial recognition researchers are sweeping up online photos by the millions on social media and categorizing them by age, gender, skin tone and dozens of other metrics, in an effort to make facial recognition systems more accurate for a wider diversity of faces.
But the researchers generally don’t get people’s consent before using the photos, raising concerns that individuals' faces could be used to power technology that could eventually be used surveil them, legal experts and civil rights advocates say.
“This is the dirty little secret of AI training sets. Researchers often just grab whatever images are available in the wild,” NYU School of Law professor Jason Schultz said.
Plus
- 'He's just not worth it': That's what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had to say about impeaching President Donald Trump.
- Fox News firebrands Tucker Carlson and Jeanine Pirro are standing by their controversial comments even as the cable news channel faces increasing scrutiny.
- Beto O'Rourke heads to Iowa this weekend as all signs point to a 2020 run.
- Members of Congress are working on a legislative fix to reduce carbon monoxide hazards after an NBC News investigation revealed that detectors are not required in federally subsidized housing.
The Church of Safe Injection has a 'radical' mission
What is the gospel according to the Church of Safe Injection? People will use drugs anyway, so society should make sure they do so safely. Church members travel the streets of Maine at night, distributing fresh needles to people who use drugs.
Science + Tech = MACH
Skipper? What skipper? Here's how one busy port is developing robot ships.
Live BETTER
Are eggs good for you or not? We unscramble the truth by talking to a nutritionist.
Quote of the day
"I felt the ground disappear under my feet."
— Antonis Mavropoulos on learning that he was the only passenger who did not board the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed within minutes of takeoff, killing all 157 people on board.
One fun thing
There was a hole in the heart of Billy's donuts — the shop had all the ingredients for success, except customers.
A Cambodian refugee's cream-filled American dream was in jeopardy, until his son’s tweet about his "sad Dad" went viral. Now the donuts are selling like hotcakes.
Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.
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