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Twitter to pull back from Europe’s disinformation crusade

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:32 GMT

Twitter is on the verge of withdrawing from one of the Europe Union’s efforts to stamp out disinformation.In the coming days, the social networking giant, which is owned by Elon Musk, is expected to end its participation in the bloc’s code of practice of disinformation, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter, who were granted anonymity to speak to discuss internal discussions between the company and the European Commission.The code of practice is a voluntary rulebook that was revamped last year and includes obligations for companies like Twitter, Meta and Alphabet to track political advertising, stop the monetization of disinformation, and provide greater access to these platforms to outsiders. While not mandatory, companies’ participation in the code was designed to help offset some of these firms’ obligations within the separate, and mandatory, Digital Services Act — new social media rules that include fines of up to 6 percent of a comp...

12-year old boy accused of cutting classmate’s hand with razor at Blackstone middle school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:32 GMT

One child needed stitches and another is expected to face charges after police said a 12-year-old boy allegedly cut a classmate with a razor at a middle school in Blackstone on Thursday.Blackstone police said a school resource officer responded around 8:30 a.m. at Frederick W. Hartnett Middle School after being told about a fight between two students. One of the students, age 12, allegedly had a razor and cut the other student’s hand during the incident, according to police.The other student is 11-years-old.The 12-year-old, police added, is expected to be summoned to Milford Juvenile Court at a later date.“The two students are known to each other and police do not have reason to believe that there was any threat against the larger school community,” police said.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Lawmakers leave Washington without a debt limit deal as risk of default grows

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:32 GMT

(CNN) — A debt limit deal is still not yet close at hand for House Republicans and the White House as lawmakers leave the nation’s capital and the risk of a first-ever default grows.With no bill to vote on, House lawmakers are leaving for the Memorial Day weekend, though they will be given 24 hours’ notice to return if and when a deal is reached.Each day that passes without a bipartisan deal to raise the debt ceiling brings the nation closer to default, which could be catastrophic for the global economy and have financial effects on countless Americans.Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Thursday would not guarantee that a deal will pass by June 1, which the Treasury Department has warned could be the earliest possible “X” date for missing debt payments.Instead, he pointed to the GOP House-passed debt bill, despite Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer saying that he won’t bring it to the Senate floor.“There is a bill that has passed the House that sits in the Senate,” he told CNN’s Manu ...

Atlantic hurricane season expected to be near average this year, NOAA says. Here’s how many storms to expect

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:32 GMT

(CNN) — This year’s Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be near average, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.Forecasters at the agency are predicting 12 to 17 named tropical storms, five to nine of which could become hurricanes. They expect as many of four of those could strengthen into major hurricanes – category 3 or stronger.The last time there was fewer than the average of 14 named storms was in 2015. Hurricane season technically begins June 1, though storms have developed before that date in the past.“As we saw with Hurricane Ian, it only takes one hurricane to cause widespread devastation and upend lives. So regardless of the number of storms predicted this season, it is critical that everyone understand their risk and heed the warnings of state and local officials,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said at a news conference. “Whether you live on the coast or further inland, hurricanes can cause serious im...

Woman rescued after fire breaks out in Dorchester building

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:32 GMT

A woman was rescued Thursday after a fire broke out at a building in Dorchester, Boston fire officials said. The Boston Fire Department said crews responded to the scene on Thetford Avenue around 3 p.m.Crews were able to get the woman out of the building as firefighters said they faced heavy flames. Officials said the woman was then taken to a hospital by Boston EMS.Image provided by the Boston Fire DepartmentThe fire department shared photos from the fire response, showing crews pouring water on the charred structure. By 3:30 p.m., officials said heavy fire had been knocked down and the fire had been contained to the rear of the building. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Hit by hate: Vandalism at Scituate home results in swastika, $10,000 in damage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:32 GMT

A swastika was found spray-painted on the roof of a home in Scituate. Police said they received a call May 8, reporting the vandalism to a house on Hatherly Road. When police arrived on scene, officers noticed extensive damage to the house, from broken windows to spray-painted graffiti on the floor, wall and framing. There was also a smashed microwave found at the site, which was under construction.“It’s very scary and to have something like that happen in Scituate is heartbreaking,” a resident said.The damage will cost the homeowners nearly $10,000, a police report said. The incident is still under investigation. “I’ve never ever seen anything to this degree, it’s very sad to hear,” Cristina Curreri, a local business owner said. “When I first heard about it I thought they had it wrong, it’s not actually Scituate it’s somewhere else, because of our wonderful community and town.”Law enforcement said they believe this was an isolated incident and not the work of an organized hate...

Temps turn up into the weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:32 GMT

7Weather- A cool breeze kept temperatures in the 60s today. After a cool start tomorrow, temperatures rebound near 70°. Memorial Day Weekend brings us dry weather, sunshine and 70s – 80s inland. After a seasonably cool day, mainly clear conditions and light wind tonight will help to drop temperatures into tomorrow morning. Morning low temperatures will be in the 40s, so you’ll want the jacket if you’re up around sunrise (5:14 am). High pressure will reign over the region over the coming days. That’ll bring a lot of sunshine starting tomorrow. We’ll have a light northerly breeze. Temperatures will be in the upper 60s/low 70s. Town along the coast will be in the low 60s. The usual cooler spots on the Cape will be in the upper 50s.How about these weekend temperatures?! Towns inland will be in the 70s Saturday. It’ll stay cooler on the coast but still mild. Sunday is our warmest day of the weekend. Temperatures soar to the 80s inland. A southerly wind...

Francisco Alvarez has made his case to stay on 26-man roster as Mets deal with roster crunch

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:32 GMT

CHICAGO — Francisco Alvarez has stated his case.The Mets’ impending roster crunch at the catcher spot has thrust the club’s prized rookie backstop into the spotlight. But his recent play deserves the spotlight as well. Over his last 10 games, the 21-year-old Alvarez has hit .265 with a 1.036 OPS, four home runs and two doubles. He has six homers since he was called up to take the place of Omar Narvaez on the roster April 4.“He’s turned into a pro on us,” said Mets hitting coach Jeremy Barnes.It’s not just his play at the plate, his play behind it has improved greatly. His pop times have improved, his framing has improved and he’s done a good job blocking balls in the dirt. Pitchers have liked throwing to him. Last week in Washington, Max Scherzer told him he was happy to have finally earned a win with him.“I was telling Alvy, ‘I finally got you a good one,’” Scherzer said. “I feel like I can execute and we...

Target on the defensive after removing some products aimed at LGBTQ+

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:32 GMT

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and DEE-ANN DURBIN (AP Business Writers)NEW YORK (AP) — Target once distinguished itself as being boldly supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.Now that status is tarnished after it removed some products aimed at LGBTQ+ and relocated Pride Month displays to the back of stores in certain Southern locations in response to online complaints and in-store confrontations that it says threatened employees’ well-being.Target faces a second backlash from customers upset by the discount retailer’s reaction to aggressive, anti-LGBTQ+ activism, which has also been sweeping through Republican state legislatures. Civil rights groups chided the company on Wednesday for caving to anti-LGBTQ+ customers who tipped over displays and expressed outrage over gender-fluid bathing suits.“Target should put the products back on the shelves and ensure their Pride displays are visible on the floors, not pushed into the proverbial closet,” Human Rights Campai...

Lawmakers break for holiday with debt talks on the brink 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:32 GMT

WASHINGTON — House Republicans are pushing debt ceiling talks to the brink, displaying risky political bravado as they left town Thursday for the holiday weekend just days before the U.S. could face an unprecedented default that could hurl the global economy into chaos.Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he’s directed his negotiating team “to work 24/7 to solve this problem.”McCarthy, R-Calif., said that “every hour matters” in talks with President Joe Biden’s team as they work toward a budget deal. Republican are demanding spending cuts the Democrats oppose, and McCarthy said a deal could come together “at any time.”The White House said negotiations by video conference were ongoing between Biden’s staff and McCarthy’s, with the president assessing that talks remained productive though serious disagreements remained.“The negotiations we’re having with Speaker McCarthy are what the budget will look like, not about defaul...