Media News Daily: Top Stories for 02/04/2026

Ex-Google Engineer Convicted of Stealing AI Trade Secrets for China

A federal jury in San Francisco has found Linwei “Leon” Ding, a former Google engineer, guilty of economic espionage and theft of trade secrets related to confidential AI technology. Ding stole over 2,000 pages of proprietary information between May 2022 and April 2023, uploading them to his personal Google Cloud account. Prosecutors revealed that Ding was in contact with Chinese tech firms and was launching his own AI company in China. The Department of Justice stated Ding intended to replicate Google’s AI technology to build a supercomputer. He now faces up to 15 years per espionage count and 10 years per theft count. (Read More) (Axios Rating)

Don Lemon Denies Charges Tied to Minnesota Church Protest Coverage

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon said he offered to turn himself in before being arrested on federal civil rights charges. The charges stem from his journalistic coverage of a January 18 protest inside Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Lemon was indicted alongside eight others under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. Prosecutors allege he conspired to interfere with the right of religious freedom, though Lemon insists he was present solely as a journalist. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, stated Lemon intends to fight the charges vigorously. (Read More) (The Hill Rating)

Paris Raid Targets X in Ongoing AI and Content Misconduct Probe

French prosecutors, with support from Europol, raided the Paris offices of Elon Musk’s social media platform X as part of a wide-ranging investigation into alleged misconduct linked to its AI tool Grok. The probe began in January 2025 and has since expanded to include possible complicity in spreading child sexual abuse material, algorithmic manipulation, and Holocaust denial, illegal under French law. Officials plan to interview Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino in April. The investigation falls under the EU’s Digital Services Act, the same law used to fine X $140 million last year. (Read More) (Washington Examiner Rating)