RICHMOND, Va. — Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. apologized Monday for a tweet that included a racist photo that appeared on Gov. Ralph Northam's medical school yearbook page decades ago. “After listening to African American LU leaders and alumni over the past week and hearing their concerns, I understand...
Internet Vigilantes Falsely Link Ex-Officer to Teens' Attack
SILVER SPRING, Md. — John Damskey’s nightmare began with his wife getting emails from strangers telling her she should be ashamed of her husband, a retired police officer. Their phones wouldn’t stop ringing with calls from unfamiliar numbers. Some even called his 74-year-old mother. Baffled by the barrage of hate...
Twitter Adds ‘Glorifying Violence’ Warning to Trump Tweet
WASHINGTON — Twitter has added a warning to one of President Donald Trump's tweets about protests in Minneapolis, saying it violated the platform's rules about “glorifying violence." Trump, a prolific Twitter user, has been at war with the company since earlier this week, when it for the first time applied fact...
King Angry at CBS Promo of Interview Questions About Bryant
NEW YORK — In the wake of a social media backlash, CBS' Gayle King says she is embarrassed and angry with how the network promoted part of her interview with WNBA star Lisa Leslie that concerned the late Kobe Bryant. King responded via Twitter on Thursday to address the reaction...
Want to See Packers-49ers? Enter Matt Breida's Ticket Giveaway.
For the eighth time in the past 25 seasons, Green Bay and San Francisco are squaring off in the postseason — this time with a berth in the Super Bowl on the line. No match-up has occurred as frequently in the past quarter-century, with the eighth meeting this week putting...
Facebook Again Refuses to Ban Political Ads, Even False Ones
SAN FRANCISCO — Despite escalating pressure ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Facebook reaffirmed its freewheeling policy on political ads Thursday, saying it won’t ban them, won’t fact-check them and won’t limit how they can be targeted to specific groups of people. Instead, Facebook said it will offer users slightly more control...
The Debate: Can Politicians Block You on Social Media?
Point: Officials Who Block People on Social Media Violate the First Amendment In the social media age, numerous politicians have come under fire for blocking critics from following them on Twitter. The latest is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who recently settled a lawsuit brought by Dov Hikind, a former...
Twitter Removes 5,929 Saudi Accounts It Deems State Backed
NEW YORK — Twitter says it has removed nearly 6,000 accounts it deemed tied to a state-backed information operation in Saudi Arabia. In a blog post Friday, Twitter said the removed Saudi accounts were amplifying messages favorable to Saudi authorities, mainly through “aggressive liking, retweeting and replying.” While the majority of the...
In Reversal, Hallmark Will Reinstate Same-Sex Marriage Ads
NEW YORK — The Hallmark Channel, reversing what it called a “wrong decision,” said Sunday it will reinstate commercials featuring same-sex couples that it had pulled following a complaint from a conservative group. The earlier decision by Crown Media, Hallmark's parent company, to pull several ads for the wedding planning...
Saudi Gunman Tweeted Against US Before Naval Base Shooting
PENSACOLA, Fla. — The Saudi gunman who killed three people at the Pensacola naval base had apparently gone on Twitter shortly before the shooting to blast U.S. support of Israel and accuse America of being anti-Muslim, a U.S. official said Sunday as the FBI confirmed it is operating on the...