Twitter began widespread layoffs Friday as new owner Elon Musk overhauls the social platform. The company had told employees by email that they would find out this morning if they had been laid off. The email did not say how many of the roughly 7,500 employees would lose their jobs. Musk...
Around the Country, Schools Clash With Parents Over Student Cellphone Bans
Cellphones — the ultimate distraction — keep children from learning, educators say. But in attempts to keep the phones at bay, the most vocal pushback doesn't always come from students. In some cases, it's from parents. Bans on the devices were on the rise before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since schools...
‘Do Better’: Newsom Pauses $1B in Homelessness Spending
California’s plans to reduce the nation’s largest homeless population aren’t good enough, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday, prompting him to halt $1 billion in state spending for local governments as he seeks to reset the state’s strategy ahead of his expected second term in office. California’s homeless population —...
Christian Monastery Possibly Pre-Dating Islam Found in UAE
An ancient Christian monastery possibly dating as far back as the years before Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula has been discovered on an island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, officials announced Thursday. The monastery on Siniyah Island, part of the sand-dune sheikhdom of Umm al-Quwain, sheds...
CBS, Moonves Must Pay $30.5 Million for Insider Trading
CBS and its former president, Leslie Moonves, will pay $30.5 million as part of an agreement with the New York attorney general's office, which says the network's executives conspired with a Los Angeles police captain to conceal sexual assault allegations against Moonves. Under the deal announced Wednesday by Attorney General Letitia...
Israeli PM Concedes Defeat to Netanyahu in Election
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid's office says he has conceded defeat to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in this week's election. A statement said Lapid congratulated Netanyahu and has instructed his office to prepare an organized transition of power. “The state of Israel comes before any political consideration," Lapid said....
North Korea Keeps up Its Missile Barrage With Launch of ICBM
North Korea fired at least six missiles into the sea on Thursday, including an intercontinental ballistic missile that triggered evacuation warnings and halted trains in northern Japan, adding to a recent barrage of weapons tests that has escalated tensions in the region. The ICBM test was followed by launches of...
Biden Implores Voters to Save Democracy From Lies, Violence
Warning that democracy itself is in peril, President Joe Biden called on Americans Wednesday night to use their ballots in next week's midterm elections to stand up against lies, violence and dangerous “ultra MAGA" election disruptors who are trying to “succeed where they failed” in subverting the 2020 elections. This...
Fed Unleashes Another Big Rate Hike but Hints at a Pullback
The Federal Reserve pumped up its benchmark interest rate Wednesday by three-quarters of a point for a fourth straight time but hinted that it could soon reduce the size of its rate hikes. The Fed’s move raised its key short-term rate to a range of 3.75% to 4%, its highest...
Tony Hawk Uses Skateboarding to Teach Community Organizing
Sara Campos remembers being inspired to start skateboarding after playing Tony Hawk videogames on the California family’s PlayStation 2. Campos, 23, who uses they/them pronouns, never dreamed they would be part of Tony Hawk’s charitable work. But last month, Campos was selected for the first class in The Skatepark Project’s...