SAN FRANCISCO — Over the past few weeks, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook ’s chief executive, and his lieutenants have watched the presidential race with an increasing sense of alarm. Executives have held meetings to discuss President Trump’s evasive comments about whether he would accept a peaceful transfer of power if he lost the election. They watched Mr. Trump tell the Proud Boys, a far-right group that has endorsed violence, to “ stand back and stand by .” And they have had conversations with civil rights groups, who have privately told them that the company needs to do more because Election Day could erupt into chaos, Facebook employees said. That has resulted in new actions. On Wednesday, Facebook said it would take more preventive measures to keep political candidates from using it to manipulate the election’s outcome and its aftermath. The company now plans to prohibit all political and issue-based advertising after the polls close on Nov. 3 for an undetermined length of … [Read more...]

CARDIFF, Wales — President Biden finished three days of meetings with Group of 7 leaders here Sunday lauding new agreements by the world’s leading democracies to collaborate on efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus, combat climate change and counter the growing threat of autocracies with an explicit rebuke of China’s forced labor practices. Biden, who is set to hold a press conference before flying to London for a visit today with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, has sought to convince wary allies in Europe that “America is back” as a global leader after the Trump years saw a retreat toward a more inward-looking, nationalist posture. A G-7 communique released Sunday at the conclusion of meetings on the sandy shores of Carbis Bay featured a section on China emphasizing the group’s shared commitment to responding to “China’s non-market economic practices. It included an explicit rebuke of human rights abuses, “calling on China to respect human rights and fundamental … [Read more...]

Thirty-two people were shot, three of them fatally, Friday into Sunday morning across Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s (D) Chicago. ABC 7 / Chicago Sun-Times reported 24 people were shot, three fatally, Friday through 8:45 p.m. Saturday night. On Sunday morning the Sun-Times noted the total number of shooting victims was up to 32. The first of the three fatalities occurred Friday night about 8:50 p.m. in Brighton Park.  A 20-year-old woman was sitting in the car with her boyfriend when a gunman “yelling gang slogans” approached and opened fire. The woman was shot in the neck and killed. At 1:20 p.m. Saturday a 22-year-old man “was parked on the street in the 600 block of South Wells” when someone in a passing vehicle opened fire. The man was hit with multiple bullets and transported to a hospital, where they pronounced him dead. Shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday morning a 29-year-old woman was shot while “standing on the sidewalk in the 7500 block of South Prairie Avenue.” She … [Read more...]

0 Politics & Government New Haven County's unemployment rate is higher than the Connecticut average. Rich Scinto Posted Reply WALLINGFORD, CT — The latest national unemployment and jobs figures portray a labor market that is moving closer to normal, but the country still has a record number of job openings. The unemployment rate in the Wallingford area has seen a little improvement since the beginning of the pandemic and there was some improvement from March to April, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. New Haven County's unemployment rate was 7.9 percent in April, which was down from 8.4 percent in March. That reflected barely any improvement from April 2020, when the unemployment rate stood at 8.2 percent. New Haven County's April unemployment rate is higher than Connecticut's 7.6 percent rate, according to the latest local figures from the BLS. The United States added 559,000 non-farm … [Read more...]

0 Politics & Government Hartford County's unemployment rate decreased recently. Rich Scinto Posted Reply GREATER HARTFORD, CT — The latest national unemployment and jobs figures portray a labor market that is moving closer to normal, but the country still has a record number of job openings. The unemployment rate in the Greater Hartford area has seen a little improvement since the beginning of the pandemic and there was some improvement from March to April, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hartford County's unemployment rate was 8.1 percent in April, which was down from 8.5 percent in March. That reflected barely any improvement from April 2020, when the unemployment rate stood at 8.2 percent. Hartford County's April unemployment rate is higher than Connecticut's 7.6 percent rate, according to the latest local figures from the BLS. The United States added 559,000 non-farm jobs in May, … [Read more...]

0 Politics & Government There are a record number of job openings in the U.S. labor market; Hartford County's unemployment rate decreased recently. Rich Scinto Posted Reply SOUTHINGTON, CT — The latest national unemployment and jobs figures portray a labor market that is moving closer to normal, but the country still has a record number of job openings. The unemployment rate in the Southington area has seen a little improvement since the beginning of the pandemic and there was some improvement from March to April, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hartford County's unemployment rate was 8.1 percent in April, which was down from 8.5 percent in March. That reflected barely any improvement from April 2020, when the unemployment rate stood at 8.2 percent. Hartford County's April unemployment rate is higher than Connecticut's 7.6 percent rate, according to the latest local figures from the … [Read more...]