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Putting pressure on social media companies to tackle hate and misinformation is a start, but there's more that the centre left can do

The Meta boss has embraced masculinity and abandoned fact-checking and decorum. Is this the future of the tech industry?Years ago the Economist magazine had a striking cover in which Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, was portrayed as a languid clone of the Roman emperor Augustus. This was inspired by stories that Zuck was fascinated by Gus. On honeymoon in Rome in 2012, for example, he took so many photos of the emperor's sculptures that his wife joked it was as if there were three people on the holiday. The couple even named their second daughter August.Explaining his fascination for Rome's first emperor, Zuckerberg told the New Yorker that basically, through a really harsh approach, he established 200 years of world peace... What are the trade-offs in that? On the one hand, world peace is a long-term goal that people talk about today [but] that didn't come for free, and he had to do certain things." Continue reading...

Voters in swing-state Michigan unimpressed with party's election critique and say fundamental shift is neededThe meeting was billed as an opportunity for the voters of Saginaw, Michigan to ask elected Democrats difficult questions about why Donald Trump, and not Kamala Harris, is moving into the White House on Monday.Vincent Oriedo, a biotechnology scientist, had just such a question. What lessons have been learned, he asked, from Harris's defeat in this vital swing county in a crucial battleground state that voted for Joe Biden four years ago, and how are the Democrats applying them? Continue reading...

GoFundMe is now the backbone of American comeback stories. But the people with better connections get lifted up firstI love my landlord. I don't mean that I find him charming, though I do. I mean I moved on to a swath of dirt in Los Angeles county with three ancient cabins on it, and over the course of six years, went from pleasantries in the driveway to saying: Love you Jeri, bye!" on the phone.When I moved into one of the rickety structures on his unlandscaped property in Topanga Canyon, one of the last hippie enclaves just north of the Pacific Palisades, I was the latest in a very long line of tenants. It was a bucolic slice of land and it had to be, because without the scenery, you would notice the three cabins were one good gust away from falling down the cliff.Kelton Wright writes ShangriLogs, a diary from another fire country in Colorado Continue reading...

The old alliances have been swept away, and foreign policy needs to reflect this new realityFriday 20 January2017, Washington DC: overcast skies with the threat of rain for the inauguration of the new president, Donald J Trump. All of Washington was there: former presidents, senior politicians, supreme court justices and, in the seats furthest from the action, the Washington diplomatic corps. But our viewpoint, on the uppermost levels of the temporary amphitheatre erected on the West Front of the Capitol, allowed us to see beyond the stage, all the way down the National Mall; and note that the crowd below looked rather smaller than the 1.8 million estimated to have attended Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration.Trump would say afterwards that the rain stopped, as if by divine intervention, at the moment he began to deliver his inaugural address. We diplomats in the gallery had exactly the opposite impression - that the heavens opened just as the speech started, with Trump's opening words drowned out by the rustle of several hundred plastic ponchos being unfolded and donned (with George W Bush memorably failing to locate the appropriate aperture in his, and resorting to draping it over his head like a collapsed umbrella). Continue reading...

The state's Operation Lone Star inflicted harsh treatment on people crossing the border from MexicoImmigration policy in the United States may be on the verge of a seismic shift, as two new chapters begin: not only is Donald Trump about to start his second term as president but the Texas legislature is convening for a new session - and those events are likely to exert a strong influence on one other.By 20 January, Republicans will hold the governmental trifecta in both the Texas and federal systems, in addition to majorities on their respective supreme courts. State and federal officials in both administrations have touted merciless immigration crackdowns. Continue reading...

Meta's CEO frets that too much feminine energy' is neutering the corporate world. Fear not, this handy guide can helpPlease excuse my feminine energy" for a moment while I give a dainty little shudder. My delicate constitution, you see, has been terribly disturbed by the overpowering masculine energy of two very manly men: Mark Zuckerberg and Joe Rogan. The Meta CEO appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast recently for a very long chat and there was so much testosterone in that studio it's a wonder the walls didn't explode. Continue reading...

A standout for Black generational wealth, the Los Angeles county town also was home to creatives and leaders from Octavia Butler and Sidney Poitier to Eldridge CleaverFor 34-year-old Stephan McGrue and his family, the historic Altadena area has been a haven for decades. McGrue's relatives - some from Haiti, some from Oklahoma - were drawn to Altadena because of its breathtaking scenery and comfortable living, an opportunity to be surrounded by nature at an affordable price.What got our Black families there was being able to feel comfortable and feeling like you are living on top of a hill," McGrue said. It was just a comfortable place where we were able to raise generations of families in a way that most people dream of." McGrue and his family all lived within one mile of each other, forming a rectangle", he said. Continue reading...

Loss of high fructose corn syrup would be a major blow for producers if Trump's health pick is true to his wordIn the farms and fields of Darke and Shelby counties in western Ohio, Donald Trump enjoys near-unfettered support. In the 5 November election, more than 80% of voters here backed the president-elect - the highest rates of any counties in Ohio.But western Ohio is also prime corn growing ground, and with Robert F Kennedy Jr Trump's pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services, many here may find themselves struggling if Kennedy is allowed to reshape America's food industry to his liking. Continue reading...

To admirers, Biden will remain one of the most consequential one-term presidents in US history - to detractors, he was undone by a fatal flawHis back straight, his voice steady, Joe Biden stood at the US Capitol just days after a violent insurrection and declared: Democracy has prevailed." Fast forward three and a half years and America's president cut a different, diminished figure. We finally beat Medicare," he muttered in confusion in Atlanta, Georgia.From the soaring hopes of inauguration day to that grim debate night against Donald Trump, the very public decline of the 46th president had the makings of an American tragedy that paved the way for the return of Trump to the White House. Continue reading...

Unusually late migration season means poultry operations may continue to see H5N1 outbreaks, officials sayMaryland has detected bird flu among three different commercial poultry flocks in the past week, marking the state's first outbreak in more than a year. The discoveries come shortly after the establishment of a joint command with Delaware following the latter state's detection of H5N1 in two other poultry operations.Although the deadly bird flu has circulated in North America since 2022, the past few months have been especially brutal for the poultry industry. More than 20 million egg-laying hens died in the fall, the worst rates since the outbreak began, and egg prices have risen as a result. Continue reading...

The United States' remarkably durable veteran is making his case for Mauricio Pochettino's World Cup squad with 500 days to go before the big show kicks off on home soilOn Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Mauricio Pochettino leads the United States in his fifth match in charge of the aspirational co-hosts of the next World Cup. All of his star players are absent. But the mandate remains the same: prepare the program for a history-making run when the US launch their cause in Inglewood.Given the present timing - the US are set to host friendlies with Venezuela and Costa Rica outside of an official Fifa window - Pochettino's third camp is a youth-driven affair, defined by hopeful talents with an outside chance of making the World Cup team. Potentially, a few could break in. A handful of positions in particular need are worth studying closely: center-back, goalkeeper, an understudy at full-back or two. In light of the team's needs, not to mention the laudable staying power of one particular veteran, a pivotal figure to observe in this off-window affair is that of 37-year-old center-back: Tim Ream. Continue reading...

Three years out from the flag football's debut as an Olympic sport in Los Angeles, few women have seized on the opportunities it's created like Ashlea KlamAshlea Klam won a world championship in flag football - and is in prime position to pursue an Olympic gold medal for the US - without ever having the chance to compete for a state title at her high school. And that is something the 20-year-old from Texas is striving to change with whatever time she can find away from her training and college classes.I think it is just absolutely crazy that I have been able to represent my country at this sport, but I was never able to represent my high school," said Klam, who became a world-class player of a sport debuting at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in large part thanks to a program founded by her parents. When states don't have flag football in their sanctioned varsity sports ... it hurts. It hurts deeply because it's taking away so many opportunities for younger girls to be able to play this sport." Continue reading...

What to know about Trump's inauguration committee - from what rules are in place to how much it has raisedDonald Trump's inauguration committee has raised a record $170m for the bonanza of balls, receptions, parades, dinners and related events that will surround his swearing in as president on Monday.The financial takings - which, with money reportedly still coming in, could reach $200m by inauguration day - outstrips the $106m raised for the returning president's first inaugural in 2017, itself a record at the time. It also far exceeds the $65m donated to Joe Biden's inauguration four years ago. Continue reading...

Thao, 39, removed from office in November recall, accused of key role in sprawling corruption and bribery schemeSheng Thao, the former mayor of Oakland, and three others have been indicted for a slate of federal charges including conspiracy and bribery. The indictment, which was unsealed and announced in California on Friday, is the culmination of an investigation led by the FBI, the US Postal Inspection Service, and the US Internal Revenue Service.Also charged in the indictment were Andre Jones, Thao's longtime romantic partner, and David and Andy Duong, a father-son business duo who own Cal Waste Solutions, the company that picks up the recyclables of Oakland's more than 436,000 residents. The foursome are accused of orchestrating a scheme in which Thao allegedly extended contracts for Cal Waste Solutions, appointed high-level officials who would allegedly help the Duongs' business interests, and bought housing units from another company owned by the Duongs. Continue reading...

Lawsuit filed against Southern California Edison over death of Evelyn Cathirell in Altadena, while extreme winds recedeThe mother of a woman who was killed in the Eaton fire, one of the extensive wildfires that devastated Los Angeles neighborhoods, is lodging a wrongful death lawsuit against Southern California Edison (SCE), the area's power provider.Since the fire began on 7 January, at least 13 other lawsuits have been filed against SCE. But this lawsuit, filed on behalf of Altadena resident Evelyn Cathirell, whose daughter Evelyn Petey" McClendon was found dead in their shared home, appears to be the first death-related one. Continue reading...

Critics call Democratic lawmakers spineless' for joining GOP in making bill potentially big legislative win for Donald TrumpThe US Senate on Friday cleared the way for final approval of a bill that targets undocumented immigrants accused of theft-related crimes, a preview of how Republicans will use their majorities to help Donald Trump deliver on his long-promised border crackdown - and an early test of how Democrats will respond.The Laken Riley Act, named after a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was murdered last year by a Venezuelan national, cleared a key procedural hurdle by a vote of 61-35, with 10 Democrats joining Republicans to advance it. A vote on final passage was scheduled for early next week, making it potentially one of the first pieces of legislation he signs as president. Continue reading...

Officers said pilot had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol before planned flight from Savannah to ChicagoPolice at a Georgia airport arrested an airline pilot on a DUI charge as he was making pre-flight checks aboard a Southwest Airlines flight with bloodshot eyes and reeking of what smelled like alcohol, according to a police report.Passengers had boarded the Southwest Airlines flight from Savannah to Chicago and were awaiting takeoff on Wednesday morning when police boarded the plane and took the pilot away in handcuffs. Continue reading...

Our guide on what to know about the moment Trump becomes 47th US president, including the oath of office and who is attendingDonald Trump, the 45th and soon to be 47th president of the United States, will be inaugurated in Washington on Monday, in an event moved indoors by freezing weather from the Capitol steps where he was first sworn into power eight years ago.Trump will again take the oath of office, and complete an astonishing political comeback. Continue reading...

Sean Curran, who has headed Trump's details for the last two and a half years, will be the agency's new directorAn agent who helped cover Donald Trump when a gunman opened fire at him during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania has been chosen by the president-elect to lead the US Secret Service.

She's past 40 with a knee made of titanium, but Lindsey Vonn's comeback is already bucking expectations and crackling with the promise of a fifth Olympic GamesThere's no denying the nervous apprehension that rippled through the ski racing world after Lindsey Vonn announced her shock comeback in November. She'd walked away nearly six years earlier due to a battered right knee worn down by a string of gruesome crashes and multiple surgeries, no longer able to endure the punishing demands of the circuit. Now she was proposing a return on the wrong side of 40 with a knee made of titanium to a high-risk sport where no woman has ever won a top-flight race past 34 years old.But a funny thing happened on the way to Vonn's humiliation. In the two months since her unretirement, she's finished 14th in a super-G at St Moritz, before improving to sixth and fourth in her next two races at St Anton. Incredibly, she says she feels healthier now than when she called time on her extraordinary career in early 2019. And after only three races, Vonn's chances of competing in a fifth Olympics next year at Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo seem more than plausible. From the NBC point of view, it's a possibility that could be described in industry jargon as manna from heaven. Continue reading...

The agreement reached this week is basically the plan Joe Biden unveiled in May. So much pain, terror and death could have been avoidedWhen news of the ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas first broke on Wednesday, a friend offered the kind hope that now, at last, there could be a sense of joy. I wanted very much to feel that way but, at that moment, I could not - and here's why.For one thing, a mere announcement did not seem enough. When it comes to the Middle East, believe it when you see it" tends to be a good operating principle. Sure enough, there followed 48 hours of hitches and last-minute delays and even now, as I write this and after the Israeli security cabinet approved the deal, it seems like tempting fate to assume everything will run smoothly. Continue reading...

Status of measure enshrining gender equality in law remains ambiguous despite president's declarationJoe Biden announced on Friday that the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered a ratified addition to the US constitution, inserting himself into a long-running legal battle over gender equality just days before he is set to leave office.It is long past time to recognize the will of the American people," Biden said in a statement. In keeping with my oath and duty to Constitution and country, I affirm what I believe and what three-fourths of the states have ratified: the 28th Amendment is the law of the land, guaranteeing all Americans equal rights and protections under the law regardless of their sex." Continue reading...

The close-knit Los Angeles community has been devastated by the fires - but locals have mobilized to help the recoveryBrandon Garner was armed with only a garden hose atop his grandparents' home in Altadena as the flames encircled him.I only thought to leave once," Garner said. He fended off the Eaton fire from engulfing his family's residence last week, livestreaming the feat on Facebook. I just kept saying, God ain't gonna let nothing happen to me.' I got it. He got me. I got the house." Continue reading...

As fires set LA ablaze, some houses are left standing amid ashes thanks to concrete walls, class A wood - and luckWhen last week's fires in Los Angeles set parts of the city ablaze, one viral image was of a lone house in Pacific Palisades that was left standing while all of the homes around it were destroyed.Architect Greg Chasen said luck was the main factor in the home's survival, but the brand-new build had some design features that also helped: a vegetation-free zone around the yard fenced off by a solid concrete perimeter wall, a metal roof with a fire-resistant underlayment, class A wood and a front-gabled design without multiple roof lines. Continue reading...

Democrats should make the next four years of Republican governance as grueling and painful as possibleWhat the 2024 election results made clear is that the Obama coalition is dead. If Democrats are to have any shot at reclaiming power, so too must be the niceties and mores of the Obama era.Yes, Democrats must get mean - ruthlessly, bitterly mean. This is not to say, however, that they need merely to cast aside the former first lady's once-famous, now-infamous messaging mantra. No, what I prescribe is not just a new approach to political discourse but a new theory of opposition party politics.Peter Rothpletz is a freelance writer. Continue reading...

Saginaw county Republicans want new president to target big pharma, healthcare and food - can they rely on him?Saginaw's Republicans were amused by the suggestion that their anger at corporate power in America and the military-industrial complex made them sound like liberals from a bygone age.Yet Lori Patterson, chair of the local Republican party in this crucial region in the swing state of Michigan, was steadfast in her belief that Donald Trump will complete his oft-made promise to drain the swamp". She believes Trump will take on the corporate giants she said wield too much control over US politics and citizens' lives even as the incoming US president assembles a cabinet stacked with billionaires. Continue reading...

Number of families that are still separated remains unclear, and a previous ruling offers separated families few protections from future deportationIn summer 2017, the Trump administration began quietly separating families at the US-Mexico border. Under the zero-tolerance" policy formally announced months later, federal immigration authorities removed children as young as four months old from parents or adults who were seeking asylum. The administration didn't announce any plans for reunification.As Trump 2.0 grows closer and closer, so does the unease of the lawyers and advocates who have spent years locating, representing and reuniting these families. Organizations Justice in Motion, Kids in Need of Defense and the Women's Refugee Commission, along with the global private law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, formed a court-appointed steering committee after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed the 2018 class action lawsuit Ms L v US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to stop separations at the southern border. While a judge halted Trump's policy, some families still remain separated. Continue reading...

Organization faces arguably its biggest test with Trump's return to power with deportation, free speech and immigration on the agendaThe American Civil Liberties Union, a leading defender of rights and freedoms enshrined in the US constitution, has drafted several major lawsuits it is prepared to file should Donald Trump try to wield excessive or unlawful power at the start of his second presidency, which starts on Monday.Cecillia Wang, the ACLU's recently appointed national legal director, said the organisation was fully set, with plaintiffs lined up and legal complaints already written. The incoming president's plans to mass-deport millions of undocumented immigrants, his threats to pursue vendettas against his political enemies and his talk of mobilising the military for domestic purposes, are all squarely in the ACLU's sights. Continue reading...

The Meta boss has ditched his diversity scheme and moved his moderation team. Is he jealous of the attention Musk is getting?

The paper's owner should show up - soon - to hold a town hall with the newsroom, answer questions, and take the heatMore than 400 newsroom staffers at the Washington Post pleaded with the paper's owner, Jeff Bezos, this week to do something about their beloved paper's rapid - and very public - decline.We are deeply alarmed by recent leadership decisions that have led readers to question the integrity of this institution, broken with a tradition of transparency, and prompted some of our most distinguished colleagues to leave, with more departures imminent," an extraordinary letter to Bezos read in part, as first reported by NPR's David Folkenflik. It was signed by some of the Post's most respected names, including the investigative reporter Carol Leonnig and the unofficial dean of DC politics writers Dan Balz.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...

Total number of pardons and commutations issued by US president is now higher than any of his predecessorsJoe Biden, who leaves office next week, announced on Friday he was commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of non-violent drug offences, saying he had now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any predecessor.The US president said in a statement that those benefiting from Friday's action were serving disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy and practice". Continue reading...

The feuds and rivalries within the US president-elect's Maga ecosystem - including some British sympathisersThe task of deconstructing the internal manoeuvrings of the leadership of the Soviet Union was once regarded as little short of a science such was the paucity of information. Today, the court of Donald Trump is perhaps no less enigmatic - but for quite different reasons. Trumpologists trying to keep up with the machinations of the Make America Great Again (Maga) movement and its sympathisers in Britain are faced with a torrent of information via social media posts and podcast rants. Sworn enemies today can easily be the closest of conspirators tomorrow. Steve Bannon has let it be known that he intends to bring down fellow Trump acolyte Elon Musk in time for inauguration day (with days to go). It is no easy task to make sense of it all but here is what we know of the current feuds and rivalries in the Maga ecosystem: Continue reading...

Non-profits rush to assist undocumented immigrants who face deportation threat on top of displacement and job lossAngelica Salas has been shellshocked by the past week.The immigrants' advocate had to flee the Eaton fire as it rushed toward Altadena and Pasadena. But even as she and her family were evacuating their home and checking in on friends and neighbors, Salas was scrambling to organize emergency aid for the hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrant families that her organization serves. Continue reading...

A new three-on-three league will bring some of the best players in the world together for a two-month season. Its backers believe it's just the startInside an old television studio, on an industrial park a few miles from Miami's international airport, an enthralling new show will premiere on Friday. It is opening night for the Unrivaled women's professional basketball league, a production almost two years in the making that is poised to revolutionize the sport.Unrivaled brings together 36 of the best players from the WNBA for a two-month season inside the newly converted building. Six clubs will play each other three-on-three in a round-robin format on a two-thirds sized court over the next nine weeks, until playoffs and a championship game on 17 March. A three-day, one-on-one Queen of the Court" tournament takes place next month. Continue reading...

Trump's second term will be marked by a rare level of influence in Congress and the highest courtDonald Trump will come in to power with a trifecta" of governmental control after his Republican party won the House of Representatives, the Senate and the presidency in the 2024 US election.Control of both chambers of Congress is not uncommon for US presidents. Trump achieved a trifecta in his first term, as did Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Continue reading...

The best weekend in football whirls into action with Kansas City starting their bid for a three-peat and ends with a blockbuster meeting of MVP candidateWhat the Texans need to do to win: CJ Stroud needs to continue his upward trajectory. After turning what would have been an ugly fumble deep in his own half into the beginning of a run of 23 unanswered points against the Los Angeles Chargers last week, Houston's quarterback seemed to shake off his winter blues at the very moment he found Xavier Hutchinson wide open downfield. Stroud needs to trust his instincts in order to compensate for a subpar offensive line, though more importantly he has to have faith in Nico Collins. The receiver will be under blanket coverage from Trent McDuffie and Justin Reid, owing to a lack of any other significant Texans threat downfield, but his remarkable knack of making catches in heavy traffic will be crucial if his team are to keep pace with the Chiefs. Oh, and in games that Collins has 150 or more receiving yards the Texans are 4-0 so just keep it flowing in his direction. Easy. Continue reading...

Former vice-president makes surprise visit to Taipei and predicts that if China annexes its neighbour other Asia-Pacific countries will build nuclear arsenalsMike Pence called on Donald Trump's incoming administration to maintain support for Taiwan against the threat of Chinese annexation during a surprise visit to the capital, Taipei, on Friday.On the eve of Trump's inauguration for his second term as president, his estranged former vice-president said withdrawing or reducing support for Taiwan - as Trump has repeatedly indicated he is considering - would endanger global security and likely spark a new nuclear arms race" in the Asia-Pacific region. Continue reading...

National Weather Service says wind siege has finally ended' and forecasts higher humidity but warns high winds could return next weekAs the battle against the deadly fires in Los Angeles county enters its 10th day, officials are warning evacuees against returning to their homes due to the presence of toxic, hazardous waste and exposed power and gas lines.During a Thursday press conference, Yonah Halpern, principal engineer with LA county public works said that toxins such as asbestos, and mercury can be found in fire debris and that the US Environmental Protection Agency and county fire department will be going house-to-house to assess and remove hazardous materials at no cost to the property's owner. Continue reading...

Indictment comes seven months after FBI raided her home, with formal announcement scheduled to happen on FridaySheng Thao, the former mayor of Oakland, California has been indicted by a federal grand jury, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.The indictment comes seven months after an FBI raid on Thao's home and two months after she was recalled by voters in Oakland. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. You can read more of our coverage of the California wildfires here

Experts say climate crisis was likely responsible for a quarter of the dryness that fueled the fires' rapid spreadAs Los Angeles's deadly wildfires continue to burn, a group of survivors is taking aim at the industry most responsible for fueling climate disasters: fossil fuels.Residents impacted by the blazes lamented during a Thursday conference call losing their homes and communities and called for litigation and policies that could force big oil to pay for the damages. In the coming days, lawmakers will introduce legislation with that aim in mind. Continue reading...