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Using an algorithm they developed, researchers (Supasorn Suwajanakorn, Steven M. Seitz, Ira Kemelmacher-Shlizerman) from the University of Washington created this realistic video of President Obama from audio clips of his past speeches. (Published 6 hours ago)

Identifying "fake news" may have just gotten more difficult.

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed an algorithm that can take an audio clip and convert it into an artificial video of someone speaking those words.

This week, the team behind the technology released a video of a synthesized President Obama that they created by pulling audio from his past speeches.

These type of results have never been shown before, said one of the researchers, Ira Kemelmacher-Shilzerman, in a statement.

This technology has been around for years, but past attempts yielded more robotic-looking looking results.

If you dont render teeth right or the chin moves at the wrong time, people can spot it right away and its going to look fake, Supasorn Suwajanakorn, another researcher on the project, said in a statement.

The team at University of Washington was able to overcome this by inputting hours of footage of Obama into a special computer system called a neural network. The network then tracked what shape his mouth made depending on which sound he made. Those mouth shapes were then superimposed onto an existing video of the Presidents face. This combination of tactics resulted in a more authentic simulation that takes into account Obamas distinct mannerisms.

While the developers behind this method think it could one day be used as a more efficient alternative to video chatting (streaming audio uses less bandwidth than streaming video), critics are concerned that the potential for abuse outweighs any positive outcomes.

It introduces a new question in viewers and voters minds as to whether what theyre watching is real or whether its created artificially, said Morley Winograd, a Senior Fellow at the University of Southern Californias Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy who studies the intersection of politics and technology in the information age. The last thing we need is more suspicion in our sources of information in our political world these days.

The researchers claim that a new algorithm to help determine whether a video is real or not could be developed by reversing their method and feeding video rather than audio into the neural network. But whether this would be effective in actually stopping the spread of rumors has yet to be determined.

Theres no regulatory scheme that I can think of that would be adequate for policing the internet, said Winograd.

Despite this, the researchers have already taken some precautions to try and ensure their technology will be not be used for sinister purposes.

We very consciously decided against going down the path of putting other peoples words into someones mouth, researcher Steve Seitz said in a statement. Were simply taking real words that someone spoke and turning them into realistic video of that individual.

Published 52 minutes ago

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Researchers Develop Ultra-Realistic Video Simulation of President Obama - NBC4 Washington

Vanity Fair

Week in Fashion: Michelle Obama Is Back Vanity Fair Michelle Obama brought her signature style to the ESPY Awards on Wednesday night. The former First Lady made an appearance wearing a black Cushnie et Ochs dress and became the star of the show (sorry, sports). Elsewhere, Maisie Williams went for a ... Michelle Obama Wore Over $20000 of Bling at the 2017 ESPYs See the Stunning SparklersUs Weekly all 4 news articles »

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Week in Fashion: Michelle Obama Is Back - Vanity Fair

Tickets for the 14th annual Pennsylvania Conference for Women, which will feature First Lady Michelle Obama as keynote speaker Oct. 3 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, have sold out.

Karen Breslau, communications director for the conference, said in a 12:43 p.m. email to the Tribune on Thursday, Ticket sales have surged, with more than 2,000 being sold in the day following the announcement that Mrs. Obama will appear at the Conference on Oct. 3. We are on track to sell out very shortly, with a total audience size of 12,000.

At 1:19 p.m., Breslau informed the Tribune, The Conference just sold out! So please let your readers know.

Obama, wife of former President Barack Obama, led several initiatives during her time in the White House including Lets Move!, which was designed to curb childhood obesity; Joining Forces, to support veterans, troops and their families; Reach Higher, aimed at encouraging youth to pursue higher education; and Let Girls Learn, an international program to help girls around the world gain access to education.

We are honored and thrilled to have Michelle Obama, one of the most respected women in the world, join us at this years conference, Leslie Stiles, board president of the Conference said in a release. With her career-long devotion to improving the lives of children, increasing nutrition awareness and advocating for equal access to education, Michelle Obamas impact clearly extends beyond her White House years.

Before becoming first lady, Obama attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School and became an attorney in her hometown of Chicago. It was at the law firm where she worked that she met her husband.

The Pennsylvania Conference for Women is a nonprofit that provides a day of networking, professional development and an array of keynote speakers to help lead attendees in the areas of business, philanthropy, leadership, finance, media and professional development.

Other keynote speakers include bestselling author and top TED speaker Dr. Bren Brown, bestselling author Shawn Achor and Wall Street executive Carla Harris. Girls Auto Clinic owner Patrice Banks will also speak during a breakout session at the conference.

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Tickets sell out for conference featuring Michelle Obama - The Philadelphia Tribune

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has said former President of the United States Barack Obama could attend his August 26 fight against Conor McGregor.

In an interview with TMZ on the press tour ahead of their bout next month, Mayweather spoke highly of the audience he's expecting the matchup to attract, which included more than one presidential alumni:

He said:"Barack Obama may be there. Donald Trump may be there. I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a star-studded event."

UFC President Dana Whiterecently indicatedincumbent U.S. President Trump could be on the guest list for the megafight and was "100 per cent interested" but added he may not attend as he "feels like he ruins events":

The level of security required for the boxing bout is already likely to be rigorous, but any amount of red tape would be increased substantially if a presidenteither current or formerwas part of proceedings.

Mayweather attended Trump's inauguration in January, perHayley MillerofHuffington Post,but it seems unlikely the leader of the free world will repay the favour in Las Vegas next month.

The fight between McGregor and Mayweather is likely to attract many celebrities.

It would almost require a president's salary to afford entry, too, considering ringside tickets are selling for $10,000 (7,700)at the T-Mobile Arena, perMMA Junkie.

Obama and his family have been granted more freedom in his personal life since leaving the Oval Office, and the 44th President of the United States could feature among what will inevitably be a who's who of the world's biggest names,according to Mayweather.

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Floyd Mayweather Says Barack Obama May Attend Conor McGregor Fight - Bleacher Report

As Democrats move to regroup after last year's bruising election, the party's biggest heavyweights former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have made clear they're not going anywhere.

The former commander-in-chief was returning to the political fray Thursday evening, headlining aprivate fundraiser for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee in Washington, D.C.

The group is led by his former attorney general Eric Holder and aimed at tackling "unfair" gerrymandering.

"Restoring fairness to our democracy by advocating for fairer, more inclusive district maps around the country is a priority for President Obama," Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis said Wednesday.

Before he left the White House, Obama said redistricting would be a top political priority in his post-presidency and admitted he failed to create a sustaining organization around the political coalition that twice elected him to office.

But the appearance could signal the latest step in a gradual return to political life, at a time when his party could use the boost.

The GOP raised nearly $10.9 million in May more than twice the amount collected by Democrats. Not only are Democrats low on cash, they have struggled in a series of congressional special elections this year.

As a private citizen, Obama mostly has worked on causes related to his foundation and future presidential library, avoidingD.C. politics or mentioning President Trump by name. But that could be changing, as he has blasted congressional Republicans attempts to repeal and replace his signature health care legislation.

Clinton, too, is returning to the spotlight by launching a PAC aimed at helping congressional Democratic candidates in the upcoming midterms.

Former California Rep. Ellen Tauscher and aide Kate Merrill also have started a super PAC focused on seven districts in the Golden State that voted for Clinton but ended up voting for a GOP candidate in the House.

Some, though, have questioned whether the two-time failed presidential candidate, who recently slammed the DNC, should have such a starring role.

In May, the former Democratic presidential nominee directed criticism at the DNC and said she inherited nothing from the Democratic Party.

It was bankrupt, it was on the verge of insolvency, its data was mediocre to poor, non-existent, wrong. I had to inject money into it the DNC to keep it going, Clinton said during a question and answer session at Recodes Code Conference in California.

Democrats, it seems, are still mapping out a game plan for 2018.

The party suffered losses in several House special elections this year, reigniting the debate as to whether the current leaders have what it takes to put Democrats back in power.

Particularly painful was Jon Ossoffs 3-percentage-point loss in Georgias 6th Congressional District. More than $23 million was raised across the country in the contest that was billed as a referendum on Trump.

Following the Georgia fail, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., faced renewed calls from party colleagues for her removal from leadership. She also had been linked to Ossoff in multiple Republican ads in the race. But Pelosi continues to hold on, as Clinton and Obama return to the political stage.

Garry Mauro, a strategist who led former President Bill Clintons 1992 campaign effort in Texas, told The Daily Caller that while Hillary Clinton would be well received, it would be ill-advised for her to play the dominant role.

Were not going to win these races because Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton or Nancy Pelosi comes to the state and campaigns, he said. Were going to win it because we represent new leadership and new ideas.

Rep. Seth Moulton, Democrat of Massachusetts, agrees. Moulton has been one of many who have been calling for new leadership.

We're at the worst electoral position that the Democratic Party has been in in decades, he said in an NPR interview. And so when you keep losing like that, you can't keep doing the same old thing.

One up-and-comer is California Sen. Kamala Harris, whose national presence got a boost after Obama told a group of Democrats in 2013 that in addition to being brilliant and tough, Harris was by far, the best-looking attorney general in the country.

Obama later apologized for the comment.

Since then, Harris, in her freshman term, has been dogged in her criticism of the Trump administration. She has voted against 18 of Trumps nominees and has been described as fearless.

But pinning the hopes of the Democratic Party on her shoulders might be a bit premature.

She just got here, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, said when asked about Harris political future as a national figure. What she should do is concentrate on being a good, and possibly a great, United States senator. The rest will either happen or not happen.

Fox News' Mike Emanuel contributed to this report.

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Obama, Clinton return to political fray but can they help Dems? - Fox News