This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareHours after President Trump’s about sending the military to the Minnesota protests, Trump called Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.The post put the company in a difficult position, Zuckerberg told Trump, according to people familiar with the discussions. The same message was hidden by Twitter, the strongest action ever taken against a presidential post.To Facebook’s executives in Washington, the post didn’t appear to violate its policies, which allows leaders to post about government use of force if the message is...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareHours after President Trump’s about sending the military to the Minnesota protests, Trump called Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.The post put the company in a difficult position, Zuckerberg told Trump, according to people familiar with the discussions. The same message was hidden by Twitter, the strongest action ever taken against a presidential post.To Facebook’s executives in Washington, the post didn’t appear to violate its policies, which allows leaders to post about government use of force if the message is...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe Justice Department on Wednesday urged Congress to adopt new legislation that could punish Facebook, Google and Twitter for a wide array of harmful content posted online, threatening to erode a long-cherished legal immunity that Silicon Valley says is critical to the future of the Internet.The new legislation would target Section 230, a decades-old portion of law that spares social media sites from being held liable for the posts, photos and videos uploaded to their sites by their users. The proposal would pave the way...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe Justice Department on Wednesday urged Congress to adopt new legislation that could punish Facebook, Google and Twitter for a wide array of harmful content posted online, threatening to erode a long-cherished legal immunity that Silicon Valley says is critical to the future of the Internet.The new legislation would target Section 230, a decades-old portion of law that spares social media sites from being held liable for the posts, photos and videos uploaded to their sites by their users. The proposal would pave the way...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift SharePresident Trump on Thursday signed that could open the door for the U.S. government to assume oversight of political speech on the Internet, a broadside against Silicon Valley that a wide array of critics derided as a threat to free speech.The new directive seeks to change a federal law that has spared tech companies from being sued or held liable for most posts, photos and videos shared by users on their sites. Tech giants herald these protections, known as , as the bedrock of the Internet. But Trump repeatedly has...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift SharePresident Trump on Thursday signed that could open the door for the U.S. government to assume oversight of political speech on the Internet, a broadside against Silicon Valley that a wide array of critics derided as a threat to free speech.The new directive seeks to change a federal law that has spared tech companies from being sued or held liable for most posts, photos and videos shared by users on their sites. Tech giants herald these protections, known as , as the bedrock of the Internet. But Trump repeatedly has...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoGift SharePresident Trump issued a proclamation Monday barring many categories of foreign workers and curbing immigration visas through the end of the year, moves the White House said will protect U.S. workers reeling from job losses amid the coronavirus pandemic.The ban expands earlier restrictions, adding work visas that many companies use, especially in the technology sector, landscaping services and the forestry industry. It excludes agricultural laborers, health-care professionals supporting the pandemic response and food-service...…This article was published more than 2 years agoGift SharePresident Trump issued a proclamation Monday barring many categories of foreign workers and curbing immigration visas through the end of the year, moves the White House said will protect U.S. workers reeling from job losses amid the coronavirus pandemic.The ban expands earlier restrictions, adding work visas that many companies use, especially in the technology sector, landscaping services and the forestry industry. It excludes agricultural laborers, health-care professionals supporting the pandemic response and food-service...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe coronavirus outbreak has devastated the economies of Nevada, Michigan and Hawaii, leaving roughly one-quarter of each state’s workforce unemployed — and illustrating how the shutdown has disproportionately walloped some parts of the country more than others.The three states have been the hardest hit in the nation, according to the Labor Department, which released on Friday its first breakdown of state unemployment rates during the pandemic. The the disastrous, and often uneven, effects of darkened factories, halted...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe coronavirus outbreak has devastated the economies of Nevada, Michigan and Hawaii, leaving roughly one-quarter of each state’s workforce unemployed — and illustrating how the shutdown has disproportionately walloped some parts of the country more than others.The three states have been the hardest hit in the nation, according to the Labor Department, which released on Friday its first breakdown of state unemployment rates during the pandemic. The the disastrous, and often uneven, effects of darkened factories, halted...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai signaled they are open to testifying to Congress as part of lawmakers’ ongoing antitrust probe into the tech industry, while Apple has not yet explicitly agreed to send its leader.The companies’ commitments came in letters sent this weekend to the House Judiciary Committee, which has been , according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an investigation.If lawmakers proceed as planned, the hearing could represent the...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai signaled they are open to testifying to Congress as part of lawmakers’ ongoing antitrust probe into the tech industry, while Apple has not yet explicitly agreed to send its leader.The companies’ commitments came in letters sent this weekend to the House Judiciary Committee, which has been , according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an investigation.If lawmakers proceed as planned, the hearing could represent the...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift SharePresident Trump took to Twitter early Friday to condemn Minneapolis demonstrators as “THUGS,” threaten military intervention and predict local looting could lead to “shooting,” prompting the social-media company to take the unprecedented step of limiting the public’s ability to view and share his tweet.The label Twitter appended -- which the company also added later to a tweet from the White House -- marks the second time in a week the tech giant has taken action in response to Trump’s controversial remarks. Trump and his...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift SharePresident Trump took to Twitter early Friday to condemn Minneapolis demonstrators as “THUGS,” threaten military intervention and predict local looting could lead to “shooting,” prompting the social-media company to take the unprecedented step of limiting the public’s ability to view and share his tweet.The label Twitter appended -- which the company also added later to a tweet from the White House -- marks the second time in a week the tech giant has taken action in response to Trump’s controversial remarks. Trump and his...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareIt would be months before Louis DeJoy took the reins of the nation’s mail system, and the U.S. Postal Service already was mired in crisis.Mail carriers were in revolt, fearful they had few protections against the newly emerging coronavirus. The Trump administration was bearing down on its finances, sending USPS officials scrambling over what they saw as a potential illegal takeover of agency operations. And then there was a looming standoff with Amazon, which privately signaled it could take some of its lucrative delivery...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareIt would be months before Louis DeJoy took the reins of the nation’s mail system, and the U.S. Postal Service already was mired in crisis.Mail carriers were in revolt, fearful they had few protections against the newly emerging coronavirus. The Trump administration was bearing down on its finances, sending USPS officials scrambling over what they saw as a potential illegal takeover of agency operations. And then there was a looming standoff with Amazon, which privately signaled it could take some of its lucrative delivery...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareAs many as 1 million families in North Carolina have fallen behind on their electric, water and sewage bills, threatening residents and their cities with severe financial hardship unless federal lawmakers act to approve more emergency aid.The trouble stems from the widespread economic havoc wrought by the , which has left millions of workers out of a job and struggling to cover their monthly costs. Together, they’ve been late or missed a total of $218 million in utility payments between April 1 and the end of June, ,...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareAs many as 1 million families in North Carolina have fallen behind on their electric, water and sewage bills, threatening residents and their cities with severe financial hardship unless federal lawmakers act to approve more emergency aid.The trouble stems from the widespread economic havoc wrought by the , which has left millions of workers out of a job and struggling to cover their monthly costs. Together, they’ve been late or missed a total of $218 million in utility payments between April 1 and the end of June, ,...WW…

To the naked eye, thousands of users on Facebook are backing Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh.But some of the groups that seem to advocate for his Senate confirmation -- and others that defend Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault in the 1980s -- amassed their followers months or years before Washington’s most politically charged controversy unfolded, according to Facebook’s records, offering yet another sign that public outcry on social media isn’t exactly what it appears to be.…To the naked eye, thousands of users on Facebook are backing Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh.But some of the groups that seem to advocate for his Senate confirmation -- and others that defend Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault in the 1980s -- amassed their followers months or years before Washington’s most politically charged controversy unfolded, according to Facebook’s records, offering yet another sign that public outcry on social media isn’t exactly what it appears to be.WW…