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Musk ousts X team curbing election disinformation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:10 GMT

Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter) said overnight that a global team working on curbing disinformation during elections had been dismissed — a mere two days after being singled out by the EU’s digital chief as the online platform with the most falsehoods. Responding to reports about cuts, the tech mogul said on X, “Oh you mean the ‘Election Integrity’ Team that was undermining election integrity? Yeah, they’re gone.”Several Ireland-based staff working on a threat-disruption team — including senior manager Aaron Rodericks — were allegedly fired this week, according to tech media outlet The Information. Rodericks has, however, secured a court order halting disciplinary action over allegedly liking tweets critical of the company, according to Irish media.Vice President Vera Jourová this week warned that EU-supported research showed that X had become the platform with the largest ratio of posts containing misinformation or disinformation. The comp...

Zuckerberg unveils Quest 3 as Meta tries to stay ahead in the mixed reality headset game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:10 GMT

New York (CNN) — Meta is moving forward in its efforts to dominate the AR world with the new and improved Meta Quest 3.Unveiled by CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the company’s virtual Meta Connect event Wednesday, the headset starts at $500 and is a complete redesign of earlier models. The Quest 3, first announced in June, offers improved performance, immersive new mixed-reality features and a sleeker, more comfortable design.With a much stronger processor, higher-resolution display, revamped Touch Plus controllers and a 40% slimmer physique, the Quest 3 is a big step up from its predecessors. The Meta Quest 2 allows for strictly virtual reality, while the Meta Quest Pro has advanced passthrough cameras for seeing your actual surroundings, but it costs a whopping $1,000.Most importantly, the Quest 3 has support for Meta Reality, allowing users to enjoy mixed-reality experiences that blend the real world with the virtual one — for example, you can play...

The home and auto insurance crisis and how to keep your coverage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:10 GMT

By Ryan Brady | NerdWallet“Sheer panic.” That’s what Teddy Mars of Louisiana felt when his homeowners insurance company didn’t renew his policy in early 2023. The last remaining option left him and his family paying more for homeowners insurance than their mortgage.To cover costs, Mars had to dip into his nest egg and withdraw $12,000 from his individual retirement account. “We’re not sitting on a huge mountain of cash here,” Mars says. And opting out of insurance isn’t an option when you have a mortgage.“It’ll break my heart, but I think we’re going to have to leave,” says Mars, who grew up in Louisiana. But with a son in high school, it’s not easy to pack up and leave town. Plus, Mars worries about the saleability of his home. “Who wants to buy a house in our area when they can’t insure it?”Mars’ story is becoming all too familiar among Americans as climate catastrophes tear through the country with greater frequency and ferocity. Combined with inflation and an i...

Patriots rookie Christian Gonzalez recognized for stellar start to career

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:10 GMT

Patriots rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez earned the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month for September, the league announced Thursday.Gonzalez, who was selected 17th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, has 16 total tackles, one sack, one interception and three passes defensed through the first three weeks of his NFL career.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | How JuJu Smith-Schuster feels about role on Patriots through slow start to season New England Patriots | Callahan: Why this change in Mac Jones’ game could spur an upset of the Cowboys New England Patriots | Patriots-Cowboys injury report: Mac Jones gets more help than Dak Prescott on Wednesday New England Patriots | Ezekiel Elliott knows why he’s coming off his best game as a Patriot New England Patriots | Mac Jones feels Patriots’ passing attack can still improve in two key facets Most impressive, Gonzalez has matched up against...

House Republicans make their case for President Biden impeachment inquiry at first hearing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:10 GMT

By FARNOUSH AMIRI, LISA MASCARO and ERIC TUCKER (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans launched their formal impeachment hearing Thursday against President Joe Biden, saying they intend to “provide accountability” as they make their case to the public, their colleagues and skeptics in the Senate.The chairmen of the Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees are using the first hearing of their impeachment inquiry to review the constitutional and legal questions involved. They are trying to show what they say are links to his son Hunter’s overseas businesses, though key witnesses said they do not yet see hard evidence of impeachable offenses.Rep. James Comer, R-Ky, the Oversight chairman, said the lawmakers have “a mountain of evidence” that will show that the elder Biden “abused his public office for his family’s financial gain.”Comer said the panel will continue to “follow the money and the...

Why this week’s mass exodus from embattled Nagorno-Karabakh reflects decades of animosity

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:10 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The exodus of ethnic Armenians this week from the region known as Nagorno-Karabakh has been a vivid and shocking tableau of fear and misery. Roads are jammed with cars lumbering with heavy loads, waiting for hours in traffic jams. People sit amid mounds of hastily packed luggage.As of Thursday, about 70,000 people had left the breakaway region for Armenia. That’s a huge number — more than half of the population of the region that is located entirely within Azerbaijan.Still, it’s not the largest displacement of civilians in three decades of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.After ethnic Armenian forces secured control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territories in 1994, refugee organizations estimated that some 900,000 people had fled to Azerbaijan and 300,000 to Armenia.When war broke out again in 2020 and Azerbaijan seized more territory, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees s...

Last samba in Paris: Gabriela Hearst exits Chloé dancing, not crying, with runway swan song

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:10 GMT

PARIS (AP) — In a bold departure from the somber farewells often seen in fashion, designer Gabriela Hearst literally danced her way out of Chloé at her final show Thursday, radiating pure, unapologetic joy. Rather than poignant goodbyes, Hearst opted for lively samba beats, leaving an indelible mark on the onlookers as she lithely pirouetted past guests carefree alongside one of Brazil’s most reputed Samba schools. It wasn’t just about an exit; it was a celebration. And as the curtains drew on her Chloé chapter, Hearst’s pioneering green legacy remained in sharp focus.Delving into the Spring-Summer 2024 ready-to-wear collections, here are Thursday’s highlights, including when AP caught up with Cher at Givenchy:HEARST’S SWAN SONGHearst, a designer renowned for exploring the boundaries of femininity, bid adieu to Chloé in spectacular style. On Thursday, her final bow with the house celebrated minimalism and sportiness, weaving in her unmistakable touch of modernity.Kicking...

Swiss court acquits former Belarusian security operative in case of enforced disappearances

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:10 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — A court in northern Switzerland on Thursday acquitted a former security Belarusian operative over the enforced disappearances of three of President Aleksander Lukashenko’s political opponents in the late 1990s, said an advocacy group that spearheaded the case.Judges in the northern town of Rorschach said they were not convinced that the defendant, Yuri Harauski, a former member of a Belarusian military unit known as SOBR, was involved in the disappearances.According to the Geneva-based advocacy group TRIAL International, the court ruled that Harauski’s participation in the crimes could not be established beyond reasonable doubt.“The families of the victims remain in a state of uncertainty about the exact circumstances of their loved ones’ disappearances,” said the group.TRIAL International, the International Federation of Human Rights and Viasna — a Belarusian rights group whose founder Ales Bialiatski was a co-winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize — jointly...

Drive a Hyundai or Kia? See if your car is one of the nearly 3.4 million under recall for fire risks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:10 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Nearly 3.4 million Hyundai and Kia vehicles in the U.S. are under recall due to the risk of engine compartment fires and it’s important for drivers to check if their car is one of them.Both the companies and federal regulators are warning owners of the recalled vehicles to park them outdoors until repairs are made. Mail notifications about the recalls won’t begin until November, but owners can check right now to see if their vehicle in on the list — which covers multiple car and SUV models from the model years 2010 through 2019.Here’s what you need to know about the recalls and what to do if your car is impacted by it.Why are these Hyundai and Kia cars getting recalled?According to documents posted this week by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an anti-lock brake control module in recalled vehicles can leak fluid and cause an electrical short, which can touch off a fire whether the cars or being driven, or are parked. Hyundai h...

Shutdown’s shadow, Biden’s speech and arguing the case: Takeaways from the House impeachment hearing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:10 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Thursday are holding the first hearing of their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and their effort to tie the him to the business dealings to his son Hunter. It’s a high-stakes opening act for Republicans as they begin a process that can lead to the ultimate penalty for a president, punishment for what the Constitution describes as “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, said the committee had “uncovered a mountain of evidence” that he said would show how the Democratic president abused his power and repeatedly lied about a “wall” between his political position and his son’s private business dealings. “There was no wall,” Comer said.Republicans have been investigating Hunter Biden for years, since his father was vice president. While questions have arisen about the ethics surrounding the Biden family’s international business, no evidence has emerged so far to pro...