Nation
Meta defends its child safety efforts but critics say the social media giant falls short
CHICAGO | Meta insists it has a long history of protecting its youngest customers as it defends itself against a swath of lawsuits alleging its social media empire harms children. In the latest such instance, the social media giant is fighting allegations in a California federal court that it contributes to the youth mental health […]
Prices soar as Gaza smuggling booms. Officials, soldiers and middlemen are accused of cashing in
CAIRO | Palestinians face inflated prices for groceries and batteries, hospitals have turned to smugglers for medicine and equipment, and Israeli soldiers and other middlemen are accused of pocketing millions of dollars as the smuggling of goods restricted by Israel into the Gaza Strip has boomed, according to an Associated Press investigation based on court […]
United Arab Emirates suspends trade with Iran after coming under renewed missile fire
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates | The United Arab Emirates suspended all trade with Iran on Wednesday after the UAE said it had come under renewed fire from the country — a move that will further isolate the Islamic Republic, which is suffering under U.S. sanctions and a blockade. Incoming ballistic missile fire triggered nationwide warnings […]
WEDNESDAY NEWS IN A RUSH: Top headlines in today’s NewsMinute video
Read more Aurora immigration detention operator misses state tuberculosis health order deadline Read more ICE owes local hospital nearly $4 million for care provided to Aurora immigrant detainees Read more ERBOCES school group to dissolve following state scrutiny over funds
Opening statements set to begin in Meta’s federal trial over child safety
OAKLAND, Calif. | Opening statements are set to kick off Tuesday in a pivotal trial for Meta Platforms in a California federal court, where states are seeking billions of dollars in damages for social media harms to children. Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are seeking a financial penalty that could, in […]
Trump threatens Oman as it works with Iran on a Strait of Hormuz deal, and other Middle East news
U.S. President Donald Trump has again threatened Oman as Iran says it is working with the Gulf Arab country on a plan to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Fully reopening the waterway has been a key U.S. demand. Meanwhile, the 60-day negotiating period to find a peace deal between the United States and […]
Justice Department creates a new pathway to restore gun rights for some convicted of felonies
WASHINGTON | The Justice Department finalized a rule Monday that will pave the way for people who’ve been barred from owning firearms because of criminal convictions to apply to have their gun rights reinstated. The process launched by newly confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche is a victory for Second Amendment advocates who have long pushed […]
US school vaccination rates inch down yet again and exemptions reach record high
NEW YORK | U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates inched down again last year and the share of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted Monday. The fraction of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 4.2%, up from 3.6% the year before. That’s an estimated 155,000 children nationally during the […]
Supreme Court denies Trump plea to overturn E. Jean Carroll verdict
WASHINGTON | The Supreme Court on Monday again rebuffed President Donald Trump’s push to throw out a jury’s $5 million finding that he sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll at a New York City department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her. The Republican president’s lawyers had asked the justices to reconsider their […]
Tropical Storm Lala rakes Hawaii with high winds and rain without making landfall
Hurricane Lala weakened Sunday to a tropical storm after raking Hawaii without making landfall, its heavy rains and winds strong enough to sweep around 100 homes off their foundations on the Big Island, officials said. Gov. Josh Green said no one is believed to have died when the homes washed away. Earlier, a search-and-rescue mission […]