Facebook Could Face $500 Billion in Fines for Illegally Collecting Biometric Data Through Instagram

Associated Press
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
John Spratt, a former longtime Democratic congressman from South Carolina who successfully pushed for a balanced budget deal in the 1990s but was unseated decades later when his district turned Republican, has died. Spratt died Saturday night at home, surrounded by family, due to complications from Parkinson’s disease, his daughter, Catherine Spratt, said in a post on Facebook. Tributes quickly poured in for Spratt, who represented South Carolina’s 5th District for nearly 30 years.
CNN
Federal response to mysterious drone sightings draws bipartisan criticism
Lawmakers from across the political spectrum on Sunday criticized the federal government’s response to mysterious drone sightings in the Northeast, as officials emphasize there is no evidence of a security threat.
AFP
Israel aims to 'double population' in annexed Golan: PM
The Israeli government approved on Sunday a plan to increase the population of the annexed Golan Heights, while insisting it had no intention of confronting Syria after seizing a UN-monitored buffer zone.On Sunday, his office said the government approved a plan to double the population on the Israeli-held Golan Heights.
CNN
Deadly dog attack in San Diego leaves 1 dead, another injured
A fatal dog attack in San Diego’s Mira Mesa community has left one victim dead and another seriously injured, according to the San Diego Humane Society.The attack involved three dogs and has prompted a swift and ongoing investigation by local authorities.
Associated Press
West Africa regional bloc sets up court for crimes under dictatorship in Gambia
West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS on Sunday approved setting up a special court to try crimes committed in Gambia during its military dictatorship. The court will cover alleged crimes committed under military dictator Yahya Jammeh, whose rule from 1996 to 2017 was marked by arbitrary detention, sexual abuse and extrajudicial killings. Jammeh lost a presidential election in 2016 and went into exile in Equatorial Guinea a year later after initially refusing to step down.
USA TODAY
Firefighters work to contain Franklin Fire as weather cools: See wildfire map
Cooler weather and higher levels of humidity are helping firefighters contain the Franklin fire, which caused thousands of people to evacuate.
CNN
What we know about the mysterious drones reported over the East Coast
Mysterious flying objects overhead. Concern and confusion. And calls for military intervention.
AFP
'We are on it': US official seeks to allay drone sighting concerns
A top US official sought to quell growing concern Sunday over reported drone sightings in the country's northeast, reiterating there was no known security threat as authorities monitor the situation.The criticism has come even from Biden's own party, with top Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer calling Sunday for action to make it easier for federal, state and local authorities to work together to detect and if need be "bring down" any drone seen to pose a threat.
NBC News
Chuck Schumer requests drone detection system for New York, New Jersey as mysterious devices litter the skies
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N
CNN
A suburban police force in New York strip searched nearly everyone it arrested, DOJ says
A suburban New York police department routinely violated residents’ civil rights, including making illegal arrests and using unnecessary strip and cavity searches, according to a new U.S. Department of Justice report.
Politico
Congress grapples over pre-Christmas catch-all deal as government shutdown looms
Top lawmakers had aimed to release bill text over the weekend but hit an impasse over agriculture aid.
AFP
Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 40 Palestinians
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes across the Palestinian territory on Sunday killed at least 40 people, including several children, an Al Jazeera TV cameraman and three rescuers.Later on Sunday, Bassal told AFP that an Israeli strike on a school used as shelter by displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza's main city killed at least 12 people, including a number of children.
Associated Press
California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
The California Department of Motor Vehicles has apologized for an “unacceptable and disturbing” personalized truck license plate that the agency said displayed hate speech related to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. A photo posted on X by the watchdog group StopAntisemitism showed a license plate on a Tesla Cybertruck near Los Angeles that read “LOLOCT7.” The group said the plate seemed to reference Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing hundreds of people and prompting an Israeli retaliation against Palestinians in Gaza.
CNN
Suspect in CEO’s killing hires high-profile attorney as official indicates extradition fight may stop
Luigi Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in Manhattan, has retained a high-profile New York attorney – a development revealed on the same day an official indicated the defendant may soon stop fighting extradition from Pennsylvania, the site of his arrest, to the Empire State.
CNN
UnitedHealth is strategically limiting access to critical treatment for kids with autism
There was a time when Sharelle Menard thought her son would never be able to speak. She couldn’t soothe Benji when he cried, couldn’t read him books he could follow, couldn’t take him out in public. “The screaming, and screaming, and screaming,” she said. “He would get so frustrated because he couldn’t communicate.”
AFP
Brazil's Lula discharged from hospital following emergency surgery
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was discharged Sunday from a Sao Paulo hospital following emergency surgery to treat an intracranial hemorrhage.Lula will remain in Sao Paulo until Thursday, when he will undergo follow-up tests.
CNN
At least 11 dead from Cyclone Chido in French territory of Mayotte, but figure could rise to ‘several hundred,’ official says
The death toll in the French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is “several hundred” and may run into the thousands, the island’s top government official told a local broadcaster Sunday.
Reuters
Greece to scrap some bank fees for retail customers, parliament approves budget
Greece will scrap bank fees and charges for some retail transactions as part of measures to help households cope with a cost-of-living crisis, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday. Addressing Greek parliament, before it approved the 2025 state budget which puts growth at 2.3% next year, Mitsotakis said that Greece will also legislate a 0.5 euro ceiling on money transfers up to 5,000 euros. Greece, he said, plans to scrap charges on transactions with the state and utility companies.
NBC News
‘Political opportunists’ threaten to challenge Republicans who oppose Trump’s picks, says GOP senator
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., on Sunday blasted those who have promised to fund primary challenges against Republican Senators who oppose President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks,calling them 'political opportunists.'
CNN
Netanyahu says he spoke with Trump about need for ‘victory’ in ‘very warm’ phone call
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he had a “very warm” phone call with US President-elect Donald Trump, during which they spoke about the need for Israel’s victory in its war on Hamas in Gaza.

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