Amid the Capitol riot, Facebook faced its own insurrection
WASHINGTON (AP) - As supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S.
Capitol on Jan. 6th, battling police and forcing lawmakers into hiding, an insurrection of a different kind was taking place inside the world´s largest social media company.
Thousands of miles away, in California, Facebook engineers were racing to tweak internal controls to slow the spread of misinformation and inciteful content.
Emergency actions - some of which were rolled back after the 2020 election - included banning Trump, freezing comments in groups with a record for hate speech, filtering out the "Stop the Steal" rallying cry and empowering content moderators to act more assertively by labeling the U.S.
a "Temporary High Risk Location" for political violence.
At the same time, frustration inside Facebook erupted over what some saw as the company's halting and often reversed response to rising extremism in the U.S.
"Haven´t we had enough time to figure out how to manage discourse without enabling violence?" one employee wrote on an internal message board at the height of the Jan. 6 turmoil.
"We´ve been fueling this fire for a long time and we shouldn´t be surprised it´s now out of control."
It´s a question that still hangs over the company today, as Congress and regulators investigate Facebook´s part in the Jan. 6 riots.
___
Deal seems near on $2T Biden package, though deadline slips
WASHINGTON (AP) - A deal within reach, President Joe Biden and Congress´ top Democrats edged close to sealing their giant domestic legislation Friday, though the day's informal deadline appeared to slip as they worked to scale back the measure and determine how to pay for it.
Negotiations were expected to continue into the weekend, all sides indicating just a few issues remained unsettled in the sweeping package of social services and climate change strategies.
Biden met at the White House Friday with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer joined by video call from from New York, trying to shore up details.
The leaders have been working with party moderates and progressives to shrink the once-$3.5 trillion, 10-year package to around $2 trillion in child care, health care and clean energy programs.
Pelosi said a deal was "very possible."
She told reporters back at the Capitol that more than 90% of the package was agreed to: The climate change components of the bill "are resolved," but outstanding questions remained on health care provisions.
___
FDA says Pfizer COVID vaccine looks effective for young kids
Federal health regulators said late Friday that kid-size doses of Pfizer´s COVID-19 vaccine appear highly effective at preventing symptomatic infections in elementary school children and caused no unexpected safety issues, as the U.S.
weighs beginning vaccinations in youngsters.
The Food and Drug Administration posted its analysis of Pfizer´s data ahead of a public meeting next week to debate whether the shots are ready for the nation´s roughly 28 million children ages 5 to 11. The agency will ask a panel of outside vaccine experts to vote on that question.
In their analysis, FDA scientists concluded that in almost every scenario the vaccine's benefit for preventing hospitalizations and death from COVID-19 would outweigh any serious potential side effects in children. But agency reviewers stopped short of calling for Pfizer's shot to be authorized.
The agency will put that question to its panel of independent advisers next Tuesday and weigh their advice before making its own decision.
If the FDA authorizes the shots, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make additional recommendations on who should receive them the first week of November.
Children could begin vaccinations early next month -- with the first youngsters in line fully protected by Christmas.
___
Baldwin was told gun was 'cold' before movie set shooting
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - As a film crew and actors in Western garb prepared to rehearse a scene inside a wooden, chapel-like building on a desert movie ranch outside Santa Fe, assistant director Dave Halls stepped outside and grabbed a prop gun off a cart.
He walked back in and handed it to the film's star, Alec Baldwin, assuring him it was safe to use because it didn't have live ammo.
"Cold gun," Halls yelled.
It wasn't, according to court records made public Friday.
Instead, when Baldwin pulled the trigger Thursday, he killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza, who was standing behind her.
The tragedy came nearly three decades after Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, died in a similar case, and it prompted horrified questions about how it could have happened again. The executive producer of ABC´s police drama "The Rookie" announced Friday the show would no longer use "live" weapons because the "safety of our cast and crew is too important."
___
EXPLAINER: Texas abortion law gets Supreme Court arguments
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court on Friday allowed a Texas law that bans most abortions to remain in effect for сериалы 2021 онлайн now.
But in an unusual move the justices said they want to hear arguments in the case at the soonest opportunity.
Those arguments at the high court on Nov. 1 will help the justices decide whether the law, the most restrictive abortion law in the nation, should be blocked while legal challenges continue.
The law, known as Senate Bill 8, has been the subject of a series of legal challenges since before it went into effect in September, and it made one previous trip to the high court.
Except for a brief window when a lower court judge blocked it, however, it has remained in place. That has meant that most women in Texas seeking abortions have been unable to get them unless they travel out of state.
Here are some questions and answers about the law, its path through the courts and what happens next.
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE SUPREME COURT DECIDING?
___
Giuliani associate convicted of campaign finance crimes
NEW YORK (AP) - A Florida businessman who helped Rudy Giuliani´s effort to dig up dirt on Joe Biden in Ukraine was convicted Friday of campaign finance crimes, including funneling a Russian entrepreneur's money to U.S.
politicians.
Lev Parnas was on trial for more than two weeks as prosecutors accused him of using other people´s money to pose as a powerful political broker and cozy up to some of the nation´s star Republicans.
One part of the case alleged that Parnas and an associate made illegal donations through a corporate entity in 2018 as they tried to jump-start a new energy company, including a $325,000 donation to America First Action, a super PAC supporting former President Donald Trump.
Another part said he used the wealth of a Russian financier, Andrey Muraviev, to donate to Republicans in Nevada, Florida and other states, ostensibly in support of an effort to launch a legal, recreational marijuana business.
Parnas, 49, was convicted on all six counts after about five hours of jury deliberations.
___
Where are the workers?
Cutoff of jobless aid spurs no influx
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Earlier this year, an insistent cry arose from business leaders and Republican governors: Cut off a $300-a-week federal supplement for unemployed Americans. Many people, they argued, would then come off the sidelines and take the millions of jobs that employers were desperate to fill.
Yet three months after half the states began ending that federal payment, there's been no significant influx of job seekers.
In states that cut off the $300 check, the workforce - the number of people who either have a job or are looking for one - has risen no more than it has in the states that maintained the payment.
That federal aid, along with two jobless aid programs that served gig workers and the long-term unemployed, ended nationally Sept. 6. Yet America's overall workforce actually shrank that month.
"Policymakers were pinning too many hopes on ending unemployment insurance as a labor market boost," said Fiona Greig, managing director of the JPMorgan Chase Institute, which used JPMorgan bank account data to study the issue.
"The work disincentive effects were clearly small."
Labor shortages have persisted longer than many economists expected, deepening a mystery at the heart of the job market. Companies are eager to add workers and have posted a near-record number of available jobs.
Unemployment remains elevated. The economy still has 5 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic. Yet job growth slowed in August and September.
___
Group clings to faith as US works on Haiti kidnapping case
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - A U.S.
religious organization whose 17 members were kidnapped in Haiti asked supporters on Friday to pray and share stories with the victims' families of how their faith helped them through difficult times as efforts to recover them entered a sixth day.
Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries issued the statement a day after a video was released showing the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang threatening to kill those abducted if his demands are not met.
Haitian officials have said the gang is seeking $1 million ransom per person, although they said it wasn't clear if that includes the five children in the group, the youngest being 8 months old.
"You may wonder why our workers chose to live in a difficult and dangerous context, despite the apparent risks," the organization said.
"Before leaving for Haiti, our workers who are now being held hostage expressed a desire to faithfully serve God in Haiti."
The FBI is helping Haitian authorities recover the 16 Americans and one Canadian. A local human rights group said their Haitian driver also was kidnapped.
"Pray that their commitment to God could become even stronger during this difficult experience," Christian Aid Ministries said.
___
EXPLAINER: California proposes limits on community drilling
SACRAMENTO, Calif.
(AP) - An ambitious plan by California regulators to block new oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet (975 meters) of schools and homes is drawing protests from the oil industry and plaudits from environmentalists, who still want the state to go further.
But the plan released Thursday is just a first step, and things are far from settled.
Here's a look at what's in the proposal, how it came about and what's next:
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN UNDER THE PLAN?
It adopted as written, the state would stop allowing new oil and gas wells to be drilled within 3,200 feet of K-12 schools and daycares, homes and dorms, health care centers such as hospitals or nursing homes, and public-facing businesses.
It wouldn't stop existing drilling within those zones but would create more than a dozen new pollution control measures designed to limit the negative health effects for people who live nearby.
___
García, Alvarez help Astros oust Red Sox, reach World Series
HOUSTON (AP) - Rookie Luis García showed the poise of an October ace, Yordan Alvarez stayed hot at the plate and the Houston Astros earned yet another trip to the World Series, beating the Boston Red Sox 5-0 Friday night in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series.
The Astros advanced to the World Series for the fourth time overall and the second time in three seasons.
They won the championship in 2017, a crown tainted by the team´s sign-stealing scandal, before losing to the Washington Nationals in seven games in 2019.
Manager Dusty Baker's team will open the World Series on Tuesday night, either at Dodger Stadium or home against Atlanta.
The Braves lead Los Angeles 3-2 in the NL Championship Series going into Game 6 Saturday night.
García pitched no-hit ball into the sixth inning, leaving to a huge ovation with two outs after a triple by Kiké Hernández. It was an impressive bounce-back performance for the 24-year-old, who started Game 2 and gave up a grand slam in the first inning before leaving with no outs in the second because of discomfort in his right knee.
Alvarez continued his scorching streak, a year after watching at home after surgery to both knees as the Astros came one game shy of reaching the World Series.
The slugging designated hitter had four hits, including a triple and two doubles. He led a Game 5 win with three hits and three RBIs.
AP News in Brief at 12:04 a.m. EDT
por Latonya Matthaei (2021-11-06)
Amid the Capitol riot, Facebook faced its own insurrection
WASHINGTON (AP) - As supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S.
Capitol on Jan. 6th, battling police and forcing lawmakers into hiding, an insurrection of a different kind was taking place inside the world´s largest social media company.
Thousands of miles away, in California, Facebook engineers were racing to tweak internal controls to slow the spread of misinformation and inciteful content.
Emergency actions - some of which were rolled back after the 2020 election - included banning Trump, freezing comments in groups with a record for hate speech, filtering out the "Stop the Steal" rallying cry and empowering content moderators to act more assertively by labeling the U.S.
a "Temporary High Risk Location" for political violence.
At the same time, frustration inside Facebook erupted over what some saw as the company's halting and often reversed response to rising extremism in the U.S.
"Haven´t we had enough time to figure out how to manage discourse without enabling violence?" one employee wrote on an internal message board at the height of the Jan. 6 turmoil.
"We´ve been fueling this fire for a long time and we shouldn´t be surprised it´s now out of control."
It´s a question that still hangs over the company today, as Congress and regulators investigate Facebook´s part in the Jan. 6 riots.
___
Deal seems near on $2T Biden package, though deadline slips
WASHINGTON (AP) - A deal within reach, President Joe Biden and Congress´ top Democrats edged close to sealing their giant domestic legislation Friday, though the day's informal deadline appeared to slip as they worked to scale back the measure and determine how to pay for it.
Negotiations were expected to continue into the weekend, all sides indicating just a few issues remained unsettled in the sweeping package of social services and climate change strategies.
Biden met at the White House Friday with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer joined by video call from from New York, trying to shore up details.
The leaders have been working with party moderates and progressives to shrink the once-$3.5 trillion, 10-year package to around $2 trillion in child care, health care and clean energy programs.
Pelosi said a deal was "very possible."
She told reporters back at the Capitol that more than 90% of the package was agreed to: The climate change components of the bill "are resolved," but outstanding questions remained on health care provisions.
___
FDA says Pfizer COVID vaccine looks effective for young kids
Federal health regulators said late Friday that kid-size doses of Pfizer´s COVID-19 vaccine appear highly effective at preventing symptomatic infections in elementary school children and caused no unexpected safety issues, as the U.S.
weighs beginning vaccinations in youngsters.
The Food and Drug Administration posted its analysis of Pfizer´s data ahead of a public meeting next week to debate whether the shots are ready for the nation´s roughly 28 million children ages 5 to 11. The agency will ask a panel of outside vaccine experts to vote on that question.
In their analysis, FDA scientists concluded that in almost every scenario the vaccine's benefit for preventing hospitalizations and death from COVID-19 would outweigh any serious potential side effects in children. But agency reviewers stopped short of calling for Pfizer's shot to be authorized.
The agency will put that question to its panel of independent advisers next Tuesday and weigh their advice before making its own decision.
If the FDA authorizes the shots, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make additional recommendations on who should receive them the first week of November.
Children could begin vaccinations early next month -- with the first youngsters in line fully protected by Christmas.
___
Baldwin was told gun was 'cold' before movie set shooting
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - As a film crew and actors in Western garb prepared to rehearse a scene inside a wooden, chapel-like building on a desert movie ranch outside Santa Fe, assistant director Dave Halls stepped outside and grabbed a prop gun off a cart.
He walked back in and handed it to the film's star, Alec Baldwin, assuring him it was safe to use because it didn't have live ammo.
"Cold gun," Halls yelled.
It wasn't, according to court records made public Friday.
Instead, when Baldwin pulled the trigger Thursday, he killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza, who was standing behind her.
The tragedy came nearly three decades after Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, died in a similar case, and it prompted horrified questions about how it could have happened again. The executive producer of ABC´s police drama "The Rookie" announced Friday the show would no longer use "live" weapons because the "safety of our cast and crew is too important."
___
EXPLAINER: Texas abortion law gets Supreme Court arguments
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court on Friday allowed a Texas law that bans most abortions to remain in effect for сериалы 2021 онлайн now.
But in an unusual move the justices said they want to hear arguments in the case at the soonest opportunity.
Those arguments at the high court on Nov. 1 will help the justices decide whether the law, the most restrictive abortion law in the nation, should be blocked while legal challenges continue.
The law, known as Senate Bill 8, has been the subject of a series of legal challenges since before it went into effect in September, and it made one previous trip to the high court.
Except for a brief window when a lower court judge blocked it, however, it has remained in place. That has meant that most women in Texas seeking abortions have been unable to get them unless they travel out of state.
Here are some questions and answers about the law, its path through the courts and what happens next.
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE SUPREME COURT DECIDING?
___
Giuliani associate convicted of campaign finance crimes
NEW YORK (AP) - A Florida businessman who helped Rudy Giuliani´s effort to dig up dirt on Joe Biden in Ukraine was convicted Friday of campaign finance crimes, including funneling a Russian entrepreneur's money to U.S.
politicians.
Lev Parnas was on trial for more than two weeks as prosecutors accused him of using other people´s money to pose as a powerful political broker and cozy up to some of the nation´s star Republicans.
One part of the case alleged that Parnas and an associate made illegal donations through a corporate entity in 2018 as they tried to jump-start a new energy company, including a $325,000 donation to America First Action, a super PAC supporting former President Donald Trump.
Another part said he used the wealth of a Russian financier, Andrey Muraviev, to donate to Republicans in Nevada, Florida and other states, ostensibly in support of an effort to launch a legal, recreational marijuana business.
Parnas, 49, was convicted on all six counts after about five hours of jury deliberations.
___
Where are the workers?
Cutoff of jobless aid spurs no influx
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Earlier this year, an insistent cry arose from business leaders and Republican governors: Cut off a $300-a-week federal supplement for unemployed Americans. Many people, they argued, would then come off the sidelines and take the millions of jobs that employers were desperate to fill.
Yet three months after half the states began ending that federal payment, there's been no significant influx of job seekers.
In states that cut off the $300 check, the workforce - the number of people who either have a job or are looking for one - has risen no more than it has in the states that maintained the payment.
That federal aid, along with two jobless aid programs that served gig workers and the long-term unemployed, ended nationally Sept. 6. Yet America's overall workforce actually shrank that month.
"Policymakers were pinning too many hopes on ending unemployment insurance as a labor market boost," said Fiona Greig, managing director of the JPMorgan Chase Institute, which used JPMorgan bank account data to study the issue.
"The work disincentive effects were clearly small."
Labor shortages have persisted longer than many economists expected, deepening a mystery at the heart of the job market. Companies are eager to add workers and have posted a near-record number of available jobs.
Unemployment remains elevated. The economy still has 5 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic. Yet job growth slowed in August and September.
___
Group clings to faith as US works on Haiti kidnapping case
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - A U.S.
religious organization whose 17 members were kidnapped in Haiti asked supporters on Friday to pray and share stories with the victims' families of how their faith helped them through difficult times as efforts to recover them entered a sixth day.
Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries issued the statement a day after a video was released showing the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang threatening to kill those abducted if his demands are not met.
Haitian officials have said the gang is seeking $1 million ransom per person, although they said it wasn't clear if that includes the five children in the group, the youngest being 8 months old.
"You may wonder why our workers chose to live in a difficult and dangerous context, despite the apparent risks," the organization said.
"Before leaving for Haiti, our workers who are now being held hostage expressed a desire to faithfully serve God in Haiti."
The FBI is helping Haitian authorities recover the 16 Americans and one Canadian. A local human rights group said their Haitian driver also was kidnapped.
"Pray that their commitment to God could become even stronger during this difficult experience," Christian Aid Ministries said.
___
EXPLAINER: California proposes limits on community drilling
SACRAMENTO, Calif.
(AP) - An ambitious plan by California regulators to block new oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet (975 meters) of schools and homes is drawing protests from the oil industry and plaudits from environmentalists, who still want the state to go further.
But the plan released Thursday is just a first step, and things are far from settled.
Here's a look at what's in the proposal, how it came about and what's next:
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN UNDER THE PLAN?
It adopted as written, the state would stop allowing new oil and gas wells to be drilled within 3,200 feet of K-12 schools and daycares, homes and dorms, health care centers such as hospitals or nursing homes, and public-facing businesses.
It wouldn't stop existing drilling within those zones but would create more than a dozen new pollution control measures designed to limit the negative health effects for people who live nearby.
___
García, Alvarez help Astros oust Red Sox, reach World Series
HOUSTON (AP) - Rookie Luis García showed the poise of an October ace, Yordan Alvarez stayed hot at the plate and the Houston Astros earned yet another trip to the World Series, beating the Boston Red Sox 5-0 Friday night in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series.
The Astros advanced to the World Series for the fourth time overall and the second time in three seasons.
They won the championship in 2017, a crown tainted by the team´s sign-stealing scandal, before losing to the Washington Nationals in seven games in 2019.
Manager Dusty Baker's team will open the World Series on Tuesday night, either at Dodger Stadium or home against Atlanta.
The Braves lead Los Angeles 3-2 in the NL Championship Series going into Game 6 Saturday night.
García pitched no-hit ball into the sixth inning, leaving to a huge ovation with two outs after a triple by Kiké Hernández. It was an impressive bounce-back performance for the 24-year-old, who started Game 2 and gave up a grand slam in the first inning before leaving with no outs in the second because of discomfort in his right knee.
Alvarez continued his scorching streak, a year after watching at home after surgery to both knees as the Astros came one game shy of reaching the World Series.
The slugging designated hitter had four hits, including a triple and two doubles. He led a Game 5 win with three hits and three RBIs.