Why Amazon and Google could get a boost from Facebook ad boycott
TechCrunch Senior Writer Anthony Ha joins Yahoo Finance's On the Move panel to discuss the latest with company's boycotting Facebook ads, and why Amazon and Google could benefit.
President Biden is giving cybersecurity a high priority with appointments of a "world-class" team of experts with more prominence than before.
There was a lot to see at the socially-distanced inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. From a star-studded line-up of performers to former presidents like Barack Obama and George W. Bush to the inspirational poetry of 22-year-old Amanda Gorman. Yet, memes of Bernie Sanders keeping cozy in his signature brown coat and his now-famous mittens have taken over social media. Memes of Sen. Bernie Sanders at Biden's inauguration have taken social media by storm https://t.co/IN8ihi76fH pic.twitter.com/AuWFy3ppUy— The Hill (@thehill) January 22, 2021 His practical clothing choices for the inauguration were instantly meme-ified after the original photo was published. Speaking on Jan. 21 on Late Night With Seth Meyers, the United States senator from Vermont said he had no idea his sartorial style would ignite worldwide attention. "I was just sitting there trying to keep warm, trying to pay attention to what was going on," he told Meyers. Keeping warm was the name of the game during the inauguration. The Washington Post reports it was the windiest inauguration since President Reagan's second inauguration in 1985. Snow flurries drifted down during Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar's remarks, prompting Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt to joke, "I should've known when Sen. Klobuchar got involved there'd be a touch of snow this morning," in a nod to her snowy presidential campaign announcement in February 2019. According to official measurements taken at Reagan National Airport on Wednesday, the high temperature reached 46 degrees in the nation's capital, which is fitting considering that Joe Biden is the 46th President of the United States. While Sanders said the inauguration brought a tear to his eye, the rest of the world has been shedding tears of laughter over the various memes the moment produced. #BernieSanders, a beautiful thread pic.twitter.com/CkkijxQVX9— Di🥃 (@dixnarrated4u) January 22, 2021 "While the day belonged to Mr. Biden, the meme served as an amusing sideshow," The New York Times noted. "Amid the dark suits and bright coats dotting the Capitol steps, Mr. Sanders was photographed sitting masked, cross-legged and bundled up in a bulky coat and mittens against the frigid weather in Washington, D.C. Soon after, the image, taken by the photographer Brendan Smialowski for Getty Images, began to circulate on social media inserted into a wide array of photographs and scenes from movies and artworks." Sanders told Meyers the best part about the mitten meme explosion is the woman who made the mittens. "What was really nice is the woman who made the mittens lives in Essex Junction, Vermont. She is a schoolteacher and a very, very nice person. She has been somewhat overwhelmed by the kind of attention that is being shown to her mittens," Sanders said. Jen Ellis is second-grade teacher who made gloves on the side. She said she sent Sanders a pair after he lost a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and was surprised to see him wearing them. Ellis tweeted that the mittens were made from repurposed wool sweaters and lined with fleece. She explained the inside liner is made from recycled plastic bottles and told Good Morning America that all of the attention has been a shock. The mittens were "something I made in my craft room with the sewing machine my mom gave me when I was 12 years old made it to the national stage, so I was just flattered." Sanders, who is certainly used to the national spotlight, has taken it all in stride. In an interview with Gayle King on CBS, he said it's all about keeping warm. "In Vermont, we dress, we know something about the cold ... And we're not so concerned about good fashion. We just want to keep warm. And that's what I did." Here are some of the internet's favorite mitten memes: I don't know about you, but this is the winner for me. pic.twitter.com/4e3B0N60N1— Dan Chibnall 🖐🏻 🧼 😷 (@bookowl) January 21, 2021 pic.twitter.com/BYD0gBgaLc— Talleen (@FTalleen) January 22, 2021 Like the Twister movie...but love Bernie meme. https://t.co/DYHqIrn4Ci— RonRoberts.TV (@rrobertswxlab) January 22, 2021 pic.twitter.com/49GLbbm3iH— Stormchasernick (@stormchasernick) January 20, 2021 Planes, Trains and Bernie !!! 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/Yrtpyuo453— Mike the Italian Hawkeye🇮🇹🇮🇹 (@fan_hawkeye) January 22, 2021 I couldn't help but wonder.... if I dated a leftist, would that be right? pic.twitter.com/hyxn8qrCP8— Maddy ☻ (@TheirMaddesty) January 20, 2021 Presenting: Lofi Bernie Sanders. pic.twitter.com/BIKFjaabYO— GOOD (@good) January 20, 2021 "I am once again asking you to complete the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs." #berniemittens pic.twitter.com/DGhoBWEhTI— Rustin Richtarik (@dieseldog97) January 21, 2021 Not me. Us. pic.twitter.com/ec7XgfEl7b— Guy Fieri (@GuyFieri) January 21, 2021 This is my favorite thus far. #Berniememes #berniesmittens #Bernie pic.twitter.com/uoPkYgEIqw— Liz Evans, NBCT (@lizevansnbct) January 22, 2021 Ok I'm proud of this one 🤣#BernieSanders #berniesmittens pic.twitter.com/9wpOGNu2fm— innochantheumbreon (@Inno_and_Rachel) January 21, 2021 pic.twitter.com/WCrYlMq4Ww— innochantheumbreon (@Inno_and_Rachel) January 21, 2021 bernie phone home.#Berniememes #BernieSanders pic.twitter.com/VaMd9qCjxG— Gabi (@g0dsc0mplexx) January 22, 2021 Pruitt and Bernie!😂😂 pic.twitter.com/O8mb7RU9rM— Smokey mt Vol (@smokey_vol) January 22, 2021 Can someone explain to Bernie that is not how you wear a toque? pic.twitter.com/OoG3l9K7gK— iBolski (@i_bolski) January 22, 2021 Philly's take on Bernie: holding down a parking spot #BernieSanders pic.twitter.com/cZxPdRCLpU— DoUntoOthers (@DoUntoOthers5) January 22, 2021 Shoes: model's own. pic.twitter.com/ZwbgEpNspJ— Burton Snowboards (@burtonsnowboard) January 20, 2021 Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
The Senate on Friday confirmed Lloyd Austin as the nation's first Black defense secretary.
Austin is first African American to lead PentagonSenate votes 97-2 after House waives ban on recently ex-officersUS politics live – follow latest updates Lloyd Austin, 67, will oversee 1.3 million active duty men and women in the US military. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/AFP/Getty Images The US Senate has confirmed Joe Biden’s nominee, Lloyd Austin, to serve as secretary of defense, making the retired army general the first African American to lead the Pentagon. The final vote was 93 to 2, with only two Senate Republicans – Mike Lee of Utah and Josh Hawley of Missouri – opposing Austin’s nomination. Austin said in a tweet that it was “an honor and a privilege” to serve as defense secretary, adding that he was “especially proud” to be the first African American to hold the position. Austin, 67, will oversee the 1.3 million active duty men and women who make up the nation’s military. He is the second of Biden’s cabinet nominees to be confirmed, after Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, was confirmed on Wednesday and sworn in by Vice-President Kamala Harris on Thursday. I am enormously grateful for the service and the sacrifices of those who broke barriers before me—and although I may be the first African American Secretary of Defense, it’s my hope that I won’t be the last. pic.twitter.com/cT3fU6whmE— Lloyd Austin (@LloydAustin) January 12, 2021 “In my judgment, there is no question that he is the right person for this job at the right moment, leading the Department of Defense at this moment in our nation’s history,” Biden said as he announced his nomination of Austin for the role last month. He called Austin the “definition of duty, honor and country” and a leader “feared by our adversaries, known and respected by our allies”. Biden said Austin would help renew America’s relationship with allies, frayed by the Trump administration, and orient the defense department to confront threats ranging from potential future pandemics to the climate emergency to refugee crises. Austin’s confirmation comes one day after the House and the Senate passed a waiver to allow him to be confirmed, as he retired from the military less than seven years ago. Retired marine general Jim Mattis was also granted such a waiver to become Donald Trump’s defense secretary in 2017. During Mattis’s confirmation hearing, many Democrats spoke about the need for civilian control of the military, including four current members of the Senate armed services committee who opposed granting the waiver. Among them was the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, a prominent Democrat, who also opposed a waiver for Austin. Austin has sought to allay concerns over his recent service, vowing to approach the role as a “civilian leader” with “deep appreciation and reverence for the prevailing wisdom of civilian control of our military”. The Senate finance committee also unanimously supported the nomination of Janet Yellen for treasury secretary on Friday morning, setting up a final confirmation vote. Republican senator John Cornyn said Yellen, the former chair of the Federal Reserve, would likely be confirmed later in the day.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the House will send the Senate the Trump impeachment article on Monday to start a trial
Capitol Police are investigating an incident in which a Republican lawmaker was blocked from entering the House chamber after setting off a metal detector while apparently carrying a concealed gun. Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., set off the metal detector while trying to enter the chamber Thursday afternoon. The metal detectors were installed after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, which left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer.
Declaring a national emergency unlocks an unwieldy array of presidential authorities. The best time to reform them is when White House is occupied by someone who’s unlikely to abuse them.
A panel of Virginia legislators advanced a bill Friday to remove a statue of Harry F. Byrd Sr., a staunch segregationist, from the state Capitol grounds. The decision to advance the bill comes amid a yearslong effort in history-rich Virginia to rethink who is honored in the state's public spaces. “It is my deep belief that monuments to segregation, massive resistance, and the subjugation of one race below another, like this statue, serve only as a reminder to the overt and institutional racism has and continues to plague our Commonwealth,” the bill's sponsor, Del. Jay Jones, said when introducing the measure.
Judge denies release for 26-year-old accused of taking part in the deadly Capitol attacks then returning to Washington on Inauguration Day
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right party said Friday that Armin Laschet, the governor of Germany’s most populous state, has been confirmed as its new leader. The 59-year-old centrist came first in an online vote by party delegates Saturday, ahead of conservative rival Friedrich Merz. Under German law the election had to be officially endorsed with a postal ballot.
Austin's nomination was approved despite concerns among Democrats and Republicans about appointing another recently retired general.
A rare gold coin made by a noted craftsman in New York in 1787 has sold at auction in Dallas for $9.36 million. Heritage Auctions offered the New York-style Brasher Doubloon on Thursday evening as part of an auction of U.S. coins. Heritage said the sale is the most ever paid for a gold coin at auction and the buyer wished to remain anonymous.
Record low mortgage rates amid the coronavirus pandemic fueled a US housing boom last year, pushing existing home sales to the highest since 2006, according to a survey released Friday.
By the time the community understands just how devastating the bee decline actually is, it may be too late to reverse it.
The Paris Agreement bears the name of the city where world leaders in 2015 negotiated the historic pact to combat global warming.
The fragile Italian government faces another threat of collapsing next week, as the Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s plans to expand his tight majority in parliament were derailed by a mafia investigation involving a possible new ally. Mr Conte survived a confidence vote in the Senate by just a few ballots on Tuesday following the exit of Matteo Renzi’s tiny centrist party from the ruling coalition. But his bid to strengthen his hold on government appears increasingly challenging after one of the small parties he was courting, the centrist UDC, was hit on Thursday by a judicial scandal. Its head Lorenzo Cesa was forced to resign after being notified he was under investigation for alleged links with the powerful ‘Ndrangheta mafia syndicate. According to prosecutors, Mr Cesa allegedly facilitated some ‘Ndrangheta businessmen and was their political “referent.” He has denied any wrongdoing, but said it was his duty to step down and wait for the outcome of the probe. It is part of a broader investigation, led by Catanzaro anti-mafia prosecutors, that has seen 48 people arrested and another 35 placed under house arrest under suspicion of mafia association, money laundering, illicit trafficking and other crimes. The news has rocked Italian politics and cast doubt on the fate of Mr Conte’s negotiations with his possible future allies. The Five Star Movement, one of the senior partners in Mr Conte’s ruling coalition, made clear that negotiating with UDC was not an option anymore. “I feel like saying that the Five Stars will never be able to open a dialogue with subjects convicted or under investigation for mafia or similar crimes,” Foreign Minister and Five Stars’ leader Luigi Di Maio wrote on Facebook.
There were women among the crowd that marched to the Capitol and stormed the building. Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesThe terror inflicted on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 laid bare America’s problem with violent extremism. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies have begun to piece together the events of that day, while attempting to thwart any impending attacks. Scores of people have been arrested and charged over the attack – the vast majority being men. In the wake of these events, there were stories attributing the violence and destruction to “white male rage” “violent male rage” and “angry white men.” But what about the women? To distill the violent insurrection into a tale of angry male rage is to overlook the threat that women in the mob posed to congressional officials, law enforcement and U.S. democracy that day. Long history of women’s involvement Several women have been identified as alleged participants in the events of Jan. 6. Among those women are a former school occupational therapist, an employee of a county sheriff’s office, a real estate broker and a former mayoral candidate. At least one woman is being investigated for her role in organizing the attack with fellow members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia movement. And Ashli Babbit, a female veteran, was shot dead by police while attempting to breach the Senate floor. The women who took part in the siege of the Capitol are part of a long history of women’s participation in extremist violence, both in the United States and abroad. Jessica Watkins, seen here in a photo from the Montgomery County jail, is facing federal charges that she participated in the assault on the U.S. Capitol. Montgomery County Jail via AP Women have buoyed American far-right organizations and causes for centuries. In her recent book on women at the forefront of contemporary white nationalism, author Seyward Darby writes that women are not “incidental to white nationalism, they are a sustaining feature.” Since the late 1800s, women have supported and enabled the terrorist white supremacist organization the Ku Klux Klan, while hundreds of thousands joined its female affiliate, Women of the Ku Klux Klan, and its predecessors. Women helped establish the Klan’s culture, bolstered its recruitment efforts and manufactured its propaganda. Despite its hyper-masculine ideology, which identifies white men as the primary arbiters of political power, women have also held leadership positions within the modern-day Klan. More recently, women have joined the far-right Proud Boys movement, which has openly recruited female foot soldiers. In December, a growing rift between male and female Proud Boys was reported. After experiencing intense sexist backlash from men in the organization, women led by MMA fighter Tara LaRosa began their own group, the Proud Girls USA. To leave one extremist organization in order to form another suggests a deep commitment to the far-right cause. Discounting is dangerous A 2005 study noted a disconnect between the rise in women within American right-wing terrorist organizations and the attention it received from law enforcement. Despite a marked increase in women’s engagement in acts of terror against the state and racial minorities, security officials have largely failed to publicize, search and interrogate women operatives in these organizations, even after they become known to law enforcement. There is also evidence that American far-right women have drawn inspiration and tactical knowledge from women engaged in extremist violence abroad. Evidence from the global war on terror points to the potential dangers of ignoring the growth of violent extremism among women. In Iraq, for example, female terrorists carried out large numbers of deadly suicide attacks against American assets during the U.S. occupation. The rest of the world has since been forced to grapple with the reality of violent women after female terrorists staged lethal attacks in Nigeria, Somalia, Tunisia, the Philippines, Indonesia and France. Recent terror attacks in American cities such as San Bernardino, California, and Las Vegas that featured women among the perpetrators confirm violent women have already inflicted damage on U.S. soil. Ku Klux Klan security guards escort two female members after a Klan meeting in Castro Valley, California, in 1979. AP Photo/PS Gender bias can be deadly In fact, my research suggests that attacks by female terrorists are often more destructive than those executed by their male counterparts. In an analysis of over 2,500 global suicide attacks, I show disparities in the severity of male and female attacks are greatest where gender stereotypes suggest that women are neither violent nor political. Such tropes can blind security officials and civilians to the threat posed by women terrorists, causing them to overlook the potential for female complicity. Female terrorists, including in Iraq, Israel and Nigeria, have been able to deflect suspicion because they were women. My research shows that gender bias can become deadly when it stops effective counterterrorism policies, such as surveillance, searches and interrogations, from being implemented. Additionally, since ordinary citizens played an unusual role in exposing the identities of the Capitol attackers, gender biases among civilians are also relevant. Failure to accept women’s complicity in the Capitol siege and the broader movement may prevent the identification of female offenders and impedes efforts to punish and deter future attacks. American women have been key pillars of support for violent right-wing extremists for centuries. They have been right-wing extremists themselves – racist skinheads, neo-Nazis and Klanswomen. Women are also Oath Keepers, Three Percenters and Proud Boys. They were capitol rioters. To construct an accurate account of the Capitol attack, it’s necessary to ask “Where are the women?” And the answer is, “Right there.”This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Jakana Thomas, Michigan State University. Read more:Misogyny in the Capitol: Among the insurrectionists, a lot of angry men who don’t like women‘The US is falling apart’: How Russian media is portraying the US Capitol siege Jakana Thomas does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
President Biden's coronavirus plan will take time, experts say. Meanwhile, states are running out of vaccine. Latest COVID-19 news.
Protests have swept towns and cities throughout Tunisia for a week, often turning to violence as demonstrators denounce what they say are broken promises from the government, which hasn’t been able to turn around an economy on the verge of bankruptcy. Many protesters are disenfranchised young people, a third of whom are unemployed, taking their voices to the street after being left behind by the country’s leadership. Rights groups say the police have arrested some 1,000 people — many of them minors — for alleged acts of vandalism and theft, while parents and families are now also joining the protests, lobbying for the release of their children.
Compliance with speed rules designed to protect rare whales has increased in recent years but could still be higher, according to a report from the federal government. The slow speed zones are implemented to protect North Atlantic right whales, which number about 360 and are vulnerable to collisions with ships. The National Marine Fisheries Service implemented seasonal, mandatory vessel speed rules in some areas along the East Coast in 2008 to try to help the whales.