Monday, October 25 top stories
It is Monday, October 25. Hope your weekend went well. Ready for today’s top stories?
Several news outlets released information from a huge batch of internal Facebook documents, called “Facebook Papers,” from its whistleblower Frances Haugen, who used to work for Facebook and has since spoken out about what she perceives as extreme dangers with the company. Axios said the reports so far draw three big conclusions. The first is that Facebook is struggling to police content in developing countries or those who speak different languages – the company is unable to control hate speech or misinformation. The second is that Facebook is struggling to attract users under the age of 30. The third is that Facebook does not have a good system in place to detect and stop radicalization or mental health issues in the U.S. The reports make it seem like Facebook is prioritizing growth and engagement instead of being proactive before harm happens.
A Facebook spokesperson said the news stories are showing a false picture of Facebook and that the truth is that they have invested $13 billion and have over 40,000 people to do one job: keep people safe on Facebook.
In California, there are several “atmospheric river” storms that are sending heavy rainfall in many areas. There is also a “bomb cyclone” storm over the Pacific Ocean. A satellite image shows what looks like a large swirling mass of white clouds over the western part of the country. California has dealt with droughts over the summer season so it’s a 180 degrees turn for the state. News images show mudslides, flooded streets, and felled trees. Meteorologists said the rainstorms will head eastwards this week and add to rainfall that’s already pounding the East Coast.
At the Southwood High School in Shreveport, Louisiana, there was a big problem with students fighting each other. Last month in a span of three days, a total of 23 students were arrested for fighting.
A group of about 40 fathers decided to form, “Dads on Duty,” and take turns to go to school and create a strong presence in the hallways, and news reports say it’s worked because there have been no reports of fighting since then. Students said they felt a sense of safety. Other students said they enjoyed the jokes from the fathers. Some students don’t have a father figure in their lives so it’s made an impact. The “Dads on Duty” group said they want to bring this trend to other schools in Louisiana and elsewhere.
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Police in Houston said they got a call on Sunday afternoon from a 15-year-old teenager who said he was in an apartment with two siblings and that a third sibling with them was dead and that his body was in the apartment for a year. When police went to the apartment, they found three siblings who “appear to have been abandoned” and the skeletal remains of a 9-year-old child. Police said the three children appeared to be malnourished, had physical injuries, and were “fending for each other.” Police said the skeleton was “sitting out in the open” and not concealed. The mother of the children and her boyfriend were found by police somewhere else and were questioned but released without any charges. We should know more about this case in the near future.
Here are a few updates on the fatal shooting on the set of the film ‘Rust’ in New Mexico that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. According to news reports, actor Alec Baldwin was practicing drawing a prop gun in a pew in a church building setting. It was right after lunch break and filming had not resumed. An assistant director had indicated that the gun was a “cold gun,” which meant the gun was not loaded with “live” bullets. Alec aimed the gun towards a camera lens. The director, Joel Souza, said he was behind Halyna when he heard a sound like a whip and a loud “pop” and saw Halyna grabbing her stomach, stumbling backwards, and being assisted to the ground with blood on her. Joel saw that he was bleeding from his shoulder from the projectile.
Production of the film is now halted as the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office is investigating. News reports said that prior to the shooting, some crew members complained about lackadaisical safety measures and that some even walked off of the set in protest about payment and housing issues. Police said they would hold a news conference on Wednesday.
Halyna’s husband Matt posted an image of Halyna and their son on Twitter, saying, “Our loss is enormous.” There was a vigil to honor Halyna in Albuquerque on Saturday night.
News reports said there is a coup in Sudan, which is the country directly south of Egypt. The Sudanese military seized power by arresting the acting prime minister and other government leaders. A general announced on television that he is dissolving the country’s government and would set up a new government to lead the country to elections in July 2023. He said the country’s constitution would be rewritten. There were thousands of people who protested the coup in the capital city of Khartoum, some chanting, “The people are stronger, stronger.” At least 12 protesters were wounded.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://twitter.com/Phil_Lewis_/status/1451922943232053250?s=20
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dads-louisiana-high-school-student-violence/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/sheriff-childs-remains-abandoned-siblings-found-home-80766354
https://www.foxnews.com/us/houston-9-year-old-boy-dead-apartment-year-abandoned-brothers
https://news.yahoo.com/warrant-baldwin-practicing-gun-052422920.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/25/entertainment/alec-baldwin-shooting-rust-shooting-monday/index.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/sudans-army-detains-pm-officials-apparent-coup-rcna3688