Breaking News

Uncategorized

Meta’s new rules for kids go further after settlement

OAKLAND, Calif. — Kids under 18 will soon see a host of changes to their Instagram and Facebook experiences thanks to a historic $18 billion settlement Meta Platforms reached Wednesday with 48 U.S. states. Besides the money, which will be paid out over a decade, Meta has agreed to strengthen its age estimates to keep kids under 13 off its platforms and teens in age-appropriate accounts, enact a hard limit of two hours a day for users under 18, block kids from the apps from midnight to 6 a.m., and hide “like” counts, among other changes. Meta said the new safeguards will only ...

Jobless applications slip to 203,000

The number of people filing for U.S. unemployment benefits fell last week, remaining at historic lows as layoffs are rare and most Americans enjoy job security. Jobless claims slipped to 203,000 last week from a revised 207,000 the week before, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week ups and downs, ticked up slightly to 205,500. Claims for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them because they can provide early clues of where the job market is headed. For the past year, claims have mostly been ...

Ticker

Iran scrambles to sustain trade amid US threats Iran’s economy is poised for more instability as the Trump administration tries to coerce other countries into ending all financial dealings with the Islamic Republic. A decision by the United Arab Emirates to suspend trade relations with Iran last week kick-started the White House’s latest attempt to isolate Tehran into submission. Iran has few other major trade partners to turn to now. China is the most capable of hindering the U.S. strategy. Russia has a military conflict of its own and probably can’t offer a fellow target of ...

Storms form in Pacific, Atlantic

MIAMI — Tropical Storms Karina and Lowell formed Thursday in the Pacific Ocean, both of which were expected to become hurricanes in the next few days, the National Hurricane Center said. Tropical Storm Karina was located about 825 miles south of the southern tip of Baja California, with maximum sustained winds of around 45 mph, according to an advisory from the Miami-based hurricane center. Tropical Storm Lowell was about 1,765 miles west-southwest of the tip of Baja California, with maximum sustained winds of around 40 mph. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect for ...

Daily Briefing

Nation Texas ICE officer accused in shooting released BROWNSVILLE — Legal experts say an immigration officer’s release from a Texas jail despite a request to return him to Minnesota for prosecution could create a dangerous precedent. Christian Castro was released early Thursday ...

Documents refute RFK Jr. statements on Samoa trip

NEW YORK — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeatedly told lawmakers who held the key to his confirmation last year that a 2019 visit to Samoa before a deadly measles outbreak had “nothing to do with vaccines.” New documents obtained by The Associated Press and The Guardian refute that testimony. Kennedy, then a prominent anti-vaccine activist, preceded the visit with a letter to the Samoan prime minister requesting to study the Pacific island nation’s measles, mumps and rubella vaccines after the deaths of two children who had received them. In the letter, he used the ...