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The son of an Ethiopian academic who was murdered during the country’s ongoing violence has filed a lawsuit against Facebook parent company Meta in Kenya’s High Court, alleging the social media giant is fueling violence and hate across eastern and southern Africa.Abrham Meareg Amare claims in the lawsuit that his father, Meareg Amare Abrha, a Tigrayan professor, was gunned down in November 2021 after he was targeted on Facebook with hateful and inaccurate posts. He said he tried to get Facebook to remove some of the problematic content — including a post with a photo of his father — but he didn’t receive a response until after his father was killed.“If Facebook had just stopped the spread of hate and moderated posts properly, my father would still be alive,” he said in a statement. “I’m seeking justice for millions of my fellow Africans hurt by Facebook’s profiteering — and an apology for my father’s murder.”The lawsuit alleges that Facebook’s algorithms are more likely to promote hateful and violent content because that attracts engagement on the platform.  » Read More

DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis is recalling about 1.4 million pickup trucks worldwide because the tailgates may not close completely and cargo could spill onto the road.The recall covers Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups from the 2019 to 2022 model years. The company, formerly Fiat Chrysler, says it found that striker plates on the pickups may not be lined up right to allow complete closure. Stellantis says it’s not aware of any related crashes or injuries.Most of the recalled trucks are in North America.Dealers will inspect the tailgate striker alignment and adjust it if necessary. Customers will be notified starting Jan. 27. In the meantime, Stellantis says owners should make sure they secure any cargo in the beds. Pickups with “multi-function tailgates,” the Ram 1500 Classic, and trucks with sensors that alert drivers to unsecured tailgates are not affected by the recall, the company says.  » Read More

The company formerly known as Facebook last month cut 13% of its workforce. It continues to find places to reduce annual expenses by millions of dollars. An employee benefit covering things like mental health needs is being cut by $1,000. Meta is taking a large chunk out of an employee benefit that covers things like mental health costs and work-life balance needs.The Life@ benefit funds things that help employees and their families reach "personal and well-being goals," according to a description on its careers page. The company recently told employees the benefit will be cut next year to $2,000, versus $3,000 this year, two employees told Insider.A spokesperson for Meta said the Life@ benefit has been "adjusted" for 2023, adding that, in 2019, the benefit was only $750 per year. "It's still a significant increase even with the reduction," the spokesperson added.This is one of several benefits and perks Meta has taken away or pulled back on over the last few months as it reorganizes and looks to cut costs in the face of slowing revenue growth,  » Read More

CNN  —  Special counsel Jack Smith has subpoenaed Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as part of the Justice Department’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the US Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. Mike Hassinger, public information officer with the Georgia secretary of state’s office, confirmed that Raffensperger’s office has received a subpoena from Smith. “At the request of the Justice Department, we have no further comment,” Hassinger said in an email to CNN. The grand jury activity expands on previous investigative steps the Justice Department has taken to understand efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies in battleground states after the election. Since Thanksgiving, Smith has brought a number of close Trump associates before a grand jury in Washington, DC, including two former White House lawyers, three of Trump’s closest aides, and his former speechwriter Stephen Miller. Smith has also issued a flurry of subpoenas, including to election officials in battleground states where Trump tried to overturn his loss in 2020.  » Read More

Police caught a man accused of stealing hundreds of dollars worth of items from a Tamuning store over the past two months. The stolen items were put up for sale on social media. Kevin Su Cherry is charged with three counts of retail theft and attempted retail theft.  Court documents state the thefts were recorded on surveillance video.Cherry was seen allegedly stealing expensive tools at least four separate times since mid-October. His latest attempt was just last week before a cashier stopped him.Authorities tracked him down after Home Depot employees did their own investigation and found Cherry allegedly selling the stolen items on Facebook.  » Read More

A class-action lawsuit contends that stakeholders in Yuga Labs, the parent company of NFT series Bored Ape Yacht Club and its affiliated digital products, engaged in a conspiracy with celebrities to defraud potential investors. In the complaint, filed Dec. 8 in federal district court in L.A., Yuga partners — including veteran music manager Guy Oseary — are named among the 37 defendants, who include Kevin Hart, Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, Justin Bieber, Serena Williams, Jimmy Fallon, Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg, The Weeknd, Post Malone and NBA star Steph Curry. Also named is Amy Wu, who recently exited troubled cyptocurrency exchange FTX and served as a consultant and board member of the ApeDAO. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages of at least $5 million on behalf of the plaintiffs and the putative class of “all others similarly situated.” Reached by Variety, a Yuga Labs spokesperson said, “In our view, these claims are opportunistic and parasitic. We strongly believe that they are without merit,  » Read More

3:41 AM ETESPN News Services SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Lindsey Scott Jr. threw four touchdown passes to break a Football Championship Subdivision record and ran for two scores as seventh-seeded Incarnate Word rallied to beat second-seeded Sacramento State 66-63 in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs on Friday night.It was the highest-scoring FCS playoff game in history, and Scott, who set a FCS record with his 59th touchdown pass of the season, was the difference as the Cardinals (12-1) handed the Hornets (12-1) their first loss. Incarnate Word will take a nine-game winning streak on its road trip to play No. 3 seed North Dakota State in the semifinals next weekend.Scott, in his seventh season of college football with five teams, surpassed the 57 touchdowns that Jeremiah Briscoe threw for Sam Houston State in 2016. Scott has at least one more game to catch NCAA all-time leader Bailey Zappe of Western Kentucky who threw 62 in 2021. LSU's Joe Burrow had 60 TD passes in 2019.  » Read More

CNN  —  An atmospheric river event, bringing ample amounts of moisture to the West this weekend, will gradually move across the country and bring hazardous weather to millions. The blockbuster storm will begin in the West with heavy snow, gusty winds, and coastal flooding, then move eastward, threatening potential blizzard conditions in the Midwest and tornadoes in the South. “Extreme snowfall is likely across the Sierra and northern California ranges,” on Saturday the Weather Prediction Center said. Adding that, “prolific snowfall rates of 3 inches per hour are expected in the Sierra Nevada accumulating to more than 5 feet through Sunday in some areas.” More than a dozen western states are under winter weather alerts this weekend as the potent storm system moves across the region. Snow will be measured in feet across the Sierras, Rockies, and Cascades. Heavy rain will also be notable up and down the West Coast, particularly in California, where flooding concerns exist through Sunday. An atmospheric river is a plume of moisture which streams in off the Pacific Ocean.  » Read More

Despite worries about inflation and an impending recession, there is at least one sign that some bullish market technical analysts might latch onto. An upbeat golden cross appears to be forming in the Dow Jones Industrial Average  DJIA, -0.90%,  more than nine months after a bearish death cross formed back in March, as the hawkish agenda of the Federal Reserve shattered bullishness on Wall Street. A golden cross occurs when the 50-day moving average for an asset price trades above the 200-day MA, while a death cross, comparatively, is when the 50-day falls below the long-term average. The 50-day moving average for the Dow stands at 32,200.32, at last check Friday afternoon, while the 200-day sits at 32,460.71, a roughly 260-point difference that could be traversed in the coming week or two, based on its current trajectory. FactSet A golden cross would mark the first for the Dow industrials since 2020 of August, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The bullish chart formation also would appear at an odd time for investors,  » Read More

For the second year, members of a popular Loveland-focused Facebook group will be taking donations to give to the city’s unhoused this holiday season. The For the Love – Homeless for the Holiday Drive, which had its inaugural year in 2021, has returned to help collect a variety of items that will then be given to Loveland organizations to go toward the homeless in town. Darrin Williams, creator of the Lovelanders page and an organizer of the event said last year was successful in raising donations and they wanted to bring it back this year. “We reached a lot of people,” he said. For the Lovelanders moderators and organizers, the event is a good way to reach the many Loveland Facebook users and connect them with an event to help others. “It is a good way for people to get involved and utilize that Lovelanders webpage we have to draw attention,” said Bretten MeieSalgado, a page moderator and organizer with the event. “Everything has gotten a lot harder over the last year,” Williams said.  » Read More