WASHINGTON — A former Facebook data scientist told Congress on Tuesday that the social network giant’s products harm children and fuel polarization in the U.S. while its executives refuse to make changes because they elevate profits over safety. Frances Haugen testified to the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection. She...
More Than 100 Afghans From Music School Flown Out of Country
BEIRUT — More than 100 students, alumni and faculty members of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music have been flown out of Kabul on their way to Portugal, where the government has agreed to grant them asylum, the institute's director said Monday. They were on board a flight carrying 235...
Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram Suffer Worldwide Outage
Facebook along with its Instagram and WhatsApp platforms suffered a worldwide outage Monday that has extended more than three hours. Facebook's internal systems used by employees also went down. Service has not yet been restored. The company did not say what might be causing the outage, which began around 11:40...
Biden Tells GOP to ‘Get out of the Way’ on Debt Limit
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday told Republican senators to “get out of the way” and let Democrats suspend the nation’s debt limit on their own, hoping to keep the U.S. government from coming dangerously close to a credit default as Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell refuses to lend...
Five Dos Palos Fire Victims Identified. Fund to Help Family Started.
DOS PALOS— Authorities have identified five members of a family killed in a house fire in Merced County. The Merced County Sheriff’s Office said the two adult victims were Ruben Andrade, 40, and Juana Yanez, 35, the parents of the three child victims. The children were identified as 1-year-old Hector...
Here’s What’s Required Under California School Vaccine Rules
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday imposed the nation’s first coronavirus vaccination mandate for schoolchildren. But the mandate won't take effect immediately and won't apply to all students. Details of California's Vaccination Mandate — All elementary through high school students in public and private schools must eventually get the shots if...
Giants Beat Padres, Win NL West Title on Season’s Final Day
SAN FRANCISCO — Logan Webb secured his spot in Giants lore with far more than his dominance on the mound. He swung for the fences and sent San Francisco to an NL West title at last, without needing to wait for the rival Dodgers' result on the season's final day....
Most People in US Favor Afghan Ally Refugees: AP-NORC Poll
WASHINGTON — Most people in the U.S. want to see Afghans who worked with Americans offered resettlement in the United States, a new poll shows, confirming support across political divides for former military translators and others struggling to escape Taliban rule. The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public...
Oil at 7-Year High After OPEC+ Decides on Cautious Increase
FRANKFURT, Germany — Oil prices jumped Monday after OPEC and allied oil producing countries stayed with their gradual approach to restoring output slashed during the pandemic, agreeing to add only 400,000 barrels per day in November. The decision Monday by the Vienna-based oil cartel along with non-members including Russia tracks...
Doctors Grow Frustrated Over COVID-19 Denial, Misinformation
The COVID-19 patient's health was deteriorating quickly at a Michigan hospital, but he was having none of the doctor's diagnosis. Despite dangerously low oxygen levels, the unvaccinated man didn't think he was that sick and got so irate over a hospital policy forbidding his wife from being at his bedside...