WASHINGTON — The conditions for impeaching a president are set out in a passage of the Constitution that is short enough to be a tweet and puzzling enough to be argued over more than two centuries later. In 199 characters, the passage, it so happens, also resembles President Donald Trump’s...
Tesla CEO Musk Facing Defamation Trial for 'Pedo Guy' Tweet
LOS ANGELES — Elon Musk is going on trial Tuesday for his troublesome tweets in a defamation case pitting the billionaire against a British diver he allegedly branded a pedophile. The Tesla CEO will be called to testify early in the case in Los Angeles federal court to explain what...
Did Devin Nunes See What Trump 2020 Team Said About Twitter?
Rep. Devin Nunes' lawsuit against Twitter might have taken a big hit Tuesday from President Donald Trump's 2020 reelection campaign. A statement tweeted by digital guru Brad Parscale on behalf of the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, and other GOP groups stated that Twitter's impact on elections "is insignificant."...
Conan the Dog, Hurt in Terror Raid, Welcomed at White House
WASHINGTON — A U.S. military dog that played a starring role in the raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi seemed oblivious to the praise that President Donald Trump heaped on it Monday at the White House. Conan, a Belgian Malinois, seemed much more interested in the head...
South Dakota's ‘Meth. We’re On It’ Campaign Draws Internet Snickers
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — South Dakota sparked online guffaws Monday by rolling out an anti-drug campaign featuring people saying, “Meth, I’m on it,” and the governor said the backlash proves the effort to raise awareness is working. The nearly $1.4 million campaign aimed at tackling the state’s methamphetamine epidemic includes...
US: Saudis Recruited Twitter Workers to Spy on Critics
SAN FRANCISCO — Saudi Arabia, frustrated by growing criticism of its leaders and policies on social media, recruited two Twitter employees to spy on thousands of accounts that included prominent opponents, prosecutors alleged Wednesday. The complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco detailed a coordinated effort by Saudi government officials...
Twitter Bans All Political Advertisements
SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter is banning all political advertising from its service, saying social media companies give advertisers an unfair advantage in proliferating highly targeted, misleading messages. "While internet advertising is incredibly powerful and very effective for commercial advertisers, that power brings significant risks to politics, where it can be...
California Could Require Parents' OK for Social Media Access
SACRAMENTO — California is considering tightening the rules for children under 13 using social media. The state Senate voted 31-4 on Thursday to require social media companies to first get the consent of a parent or guardian before creating an account for a child the company knows is under 13. Federal...
Mea Gulpa: Firestone Invites Fresnans to Chill With Brewer
Firestone Walker Brewing Company wants Fresno to know it loves having the city as its neighbor. David Walker — president of the company that crafts such brands as 805 and Firestone DBA — is mortified about a disparaging comment made by his brewery's communication director about Fresno over the weekend....
Tech Firms Struggle to Police Content While Avoiding Bias
WASHINGTON — Take the post down. Put it back up. Stop policing speech. Start silencing extremists. That's just a sampling of the intense, often contradictory demands facing tech companies and their social media platforms as they try to oversee internet content without infringing on First Amendment rights. The pendulum has...