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Rep. Victoria Spartz will run for reelection, reversing decision to leave Congress
Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz announced Monday that she intends to seek reelection for Indiana’s 5th Congressional District, reversing an announcement a year ago that she would forgo another run.
Last February, Spartz said she wanted to spend more time with her family and would not be running in 2024. But the two-term congresswoman now says she doesn’t want her work in the Capitol to end in January. It’s not particularly common for members to reverse their decisions to step away from Congress.
“Looking where we are today, and urged by many of my constituents, I do not believe I would be able to deliver this Congress, with the current failed leadership in Washington, D.C., on the important issues for our nation that I have worked very hard on,” Spartz said Monday in a statement.
Ukrainian-born Spartz faced a tight and expensive race when she first won in 2020, but secured the suburban seat in 2022 with 61% of the vote following a Republican redistricting plan.
“As someone who grew up under tyranny, I understand the significance of these challenging times for our Republic, and if my fellow Hoosiers and God decide, I will be honored to continue fighting for them,” Spartz said in her statement.
The move shakes up the congressional race in which at least nine Republicans have already filed with the Secretary of State to run for Spartz’s seat. As of Monday, no Democrats have filed, according to public postings from the Secretary of State’s office.
Indiana’s congressional delegation will have at least three new members following the fall elections.
In January, Republicans Rep. Larry Bucshon of Indiana and Rep. Greg Pence, brother of former Vice President Mike Pence, both announced their decision to forgo reelection in 2024.
Rep. Jim Banks is running for Indiana’s U.S. Senate seat vacated by GOP Sen. Mike Braun, who is running for Indiana governor.
Indiana’s deadline for candidates to file to appear on the primary ballot is Friday at noon.
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Hearing the voice of Sir Laurence Olivier catch you up on work memos may not offer the same thrill as watching the acclaimed English actor on stage or screen, but it could make your morning commute more interesting.
That’s the vision of artificial intelligence startup ElevenLabs, which this week announced that fans of Hollywood icons such as Judy Garland and James Dean can now listen to the voices of the deceased film stars narrate books, articles and other digital text.
The company said it had reached agreements with the estates of Olivier, Garland, Dean and Burt Reynolds to add their voices to a library of AI-generated voices on ElevenLab’s new Reader App. The product lets users listen to text on your phone, with the actors’ voices available for individual streaming.
ElevenLabs did not provide details about any financial compensation it is offering to the actors’ estates.
“We deeply respect their legacy and are honored to have their voices as part of our platform,” Dustin Blank, head of partnerships at ElevenLabs said in a blog post. “Adding them to our growing list of narrators marks a major step forward in our mission of making content accessible in any language and voice.”
Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland’s daughter and the representative of her estate, said in the post that her family is excited to “see our mother’s voice available to the countless millions of people who love her.”
Using AI to recreate a version of someone’s voice has drawn negative attention after being used in nefarious ways, including the creation earlier this year of a phony robocall from President Joe Biden urging people not to vote in New Hampshire’s presidential primary.
In another incident, actress Scarlett Johansson is May said she was “shocked, angered and in disbelief” after discovering that a voice option on OpenAI’s ChatGPT app sounded like her. Johansson had declined OpenAI founder Sam Altman’s offer to voice ChatGPT’s text-to-speech product. Altman said the voice is not Johansson’s.
AI was a key issue in the SAG-AFTRA strike last year. A new actor contract includes limits on artificial intelligence. Producers for TV and film must get consent from actors to use a digital replica, and performers are also entitled to compensation for using AI to create their virtual likeness.