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FTC proposes strengthening children’s online privacy rules to address tracking, push notifications

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:14 GMT

The Federal Trade Commission is proposing sweeping changes to a decades-old law that regulates how online companies can track and advertise to children, including turning off targeted ads to kids under 13 by default and limiting push notifications. The federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, requires kid-oriented apps and websites to get parents’ consent before collecting personal information of children under 13. COPPA was enacted in 1998, went into effect in 2000 and was last updated a decade ago.“Kids must be able to play and learn online without being endlessly tracked by companies looking to hoard and monetize their personal data,” said FTC Chair Lina Khan in a statement. “The proposed changes to COPPA are much-needed, especially in an era where online tools are essential for navigating daily life — and where firms are deploying increasingly sophisticated digital tools to surveil children.”Children’s online safety advocates applauded the announcement. ...

Chemical leak at Tennessee cheese factory La Quesera Mexicana sends 29 workers to the hospital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:14 GMT

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Twenty-nine workers at a Tennessee cheese factory were sent to the hospital on Wednesday morning after a leak of anhydrous ammonia, Greeneville City Manager Todd Smith said at a news conference.The Greeneville Fire Department was first called to La Quesera Mexicana at 7:15 a.m. when a leak occurred during maintenance on a valve. Six people were hospitalized at the time.“The leak was contained and fixed at that moment. And the scene was certified as safe,” Smith said. However, a second call about a leak came in at 10:01 a.m. A further 23 people were hospitalized and 53 other employees were evaluated for possible illness, Smith said. Anhydrous ammonia can irritate or damage the lungs and burn the eyes and skin. Officials do not yet know if the two leaks came from the same source, Smith said, but the second leak was repaired and there was no risk to the surrounding community. Ballad Health set up incident command centers at Greeneville Community Hospital and J...

New Ontario Liberal leader Crombie looks ahead to 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:14 GMT

New Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie has a big year ahead as she wraps up her time as mayor of Mississauga on Jan. 12. CityNews reporter Richard Southern spoke one-on-one with Crombie at Queen’s Park to see what she is looking forward to moving into provincial politics.The interview has been edited for length and clarity.Richard Southern: Are you going to miss [being Mayor]? I mean, I ask because I don’t want to pre-determine what the voters of Mississauga would do, but there are a lot of experts out there that said, Mrs. Crombie could have had this job for as long as you wanted it. Why are you leaving such a sure thing like that?Bonnie Crombie: Because someone had to. This government is failing. It’s desperate. It’s not focused on the needs of Ontarians. I ask people all the time is your life more affordable today than it was before Doug Ford? And, of course, it isn’t. You see, they’re not focused on the right priorities. They’re not f...

Justice Department sues Texas developer accused of luring Hispanic homebuyers into predatory loans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:14 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department filed its first predatory mortgage lending case Wednesday against a Texas developer accused of luring tens of thousands of Hispanic homebuyers into “bait and switch” sales through platforms like TikTok.The lawsuit focuses on a massive development northeast of Houston, Colony Ridge, that promises homeownership with advertisements in Spanish, but then steers applicants into buying properties without basic utilities by taking out loans they can’t always repay, the Justice Department alleged. The suit said the developer uses high-pressure sales tactics that exploit limited English proficiency.“The impact of this unlawful, discriminatory and fraudulent scheme is devastating,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who oversees the department’s civil rights division. Many buyers found the lots didn’t have basic utilities, or were prone to flooding with rain and raw sewage.Colony Ridge CEO John Harris said in a statement that the lawsuit is...

Planeload of migrants sent to O'Hare Airport by Texas emergency management officials, City of Chicago confirms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:14 GMT

CHICAGO — A private plane carrying approximately 100 migrants into O'Hare International Airport on Tuesday night was chartered by the Texas Department of Emergency Management, a City of Chicago spokesperson confirmed in a statement Wednesday afternoon.According to the statement, on Tuesday at approximately 7:15 p.m., police at O'Hare received a call stating the plane landed and left approximately 100 migrants at Signature Flight, a network that supports private aviation.The flight originated from El Paso, Texas, the statement confirms. The statement also says two unidentified individuals who flew with the plane reportedly fled Signature Flight and left the scene in an Uber prior to the arrival of police.Flight tracking data via flightradar.com indicates the chartered 737 left El Paso on Tuesday at 1:36 p.m. and arrived at O’Hare at 5:49 p.m. After dropping the migrants off at Signature Flight, the plan then flew to San Antonio, Texas.Texas Gov. Greg Abbott boasted Tuesday morning on...

Holiday gas prices reach lowest level since 2020

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:14 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- Americans are seeing the lowest holiday gas prices since 2020."Most Americans are seeing prices below $3," Energy and Investment Senior Advisor Amos Hochstein said.The Biden administration says the drop is because of the president's efforts. “Just about a year and a half ago, we were at $5 a gallon after the Russians invaded Ukraine. That took an enormous amount of effort to bring those prices down," Hochstein said.Hochstein says the price of gas also influences the price of food and travel costs."Bringing those prices down for American consumers, especially ahead of the holidays and into this year was critically important," Hochstein said.Right now, Gas Buddy estimates the national average price of gas is projected to be 80 cents cheaper than just a few months ago, but that could change.Recent attacks from Houthi militants in the Red Sea are raising red flags for companies like BP which just halted all shipments through the region, which could push pric...

Nearly every state saw population growth in 2023: These 8 didn't, Census says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:14 GMT

(The Hill) — The South led the country in population growth in the last year, new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau found, but not every state saw an increase. The South is already the nation’s most populated region but accounted for 87% of the overall growth from July 2022 to July 2023. It was the only region to maintain population growth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the report found.In the last year, the region added more than 1.4 million residents, a 1.1% increase, for a total population of more than 130 million people. The growth can be attributed to migration patterns, the report said.About 700,000 people came to the South through domestic migration, moving from one region to another. More than 500,000 people moved to the South through international migration. This is the safest town in Illinois: report The only state in the region that saw losses over the last year was Louisiana. Texas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina all saw population increase...

Border deal will wait until next year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:14 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Lawmakers in Washington say a deal to address the border crisis will have to wait until next year. “The Senate cannot afford to get this wrong,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday. “There’s no longer any disagreement that the situation at the southern border is unsustainable and requires the Senate to act.” McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) vowed to resume negotiations in the new year. “Make no mistake, the winter recess will be a busy and important few weeks for the U.S. Senate,” Schumer said. “Negotiations will continue around the clock.” For weeks, senators have been at odds on how to pass a package that both funds the war in Ukraine and also meets republicans border policy demands. “We are beyond the breaking point,” Congressman Tony Gozales (R-Texas) said standing in Eagle Pass on Wednesday. “We are already there.” Gonzales says border agents can’t wait until January; they need the help now. T...

Biden emphasizes Black-owned business progress, lead pipe replacement in Milwaukee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:14 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – President Joe Biden spoke at the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce in Milwaukee today. He highlighted, among other things, 4,700 loans valued at $1.5 billion to Black-owned businesses that the Small Business Administration backed in the last fiscal year.“I'm here to celebrate the progress we're making for black small businesses here and around the country,” Biden started. “We're doing it by building the economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down.”In the 2021 infrastructure bill, $15 billion was included to replace lead piping across the U.S. The president toured Hero Plumbing, one of the companies that has been contracted to do the work.Biden claims that the original plan would have taken 60 years to change out all the necessary pipes in Milwaukee.  However, he said his administration proposed a new rule that would “require the water systems in Milwaukee to be fully replaced, every one of them, within ten years.”Wisconsin voted for ...

Colorado Supreme Court blocks Trump from state ballot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:14 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - The Colorado Supreme Court decision to boot former President Donald Trump from their state's 2024 ballot is sparking a political firestorm.Trump is vowing to appeal the Colorado ruling swiftly, setting up a high stake’s decision at the Supreme Court.The 4-3 decision found Trump is constitutionally ineligible to run because he led an insurrection on January 6th.While leaving the White House Wednesday, President Joe Biden said it's up to the courts to determine the merits of the case but says he believes Trump did attempt an insurrection."There's no question about it. None, zero," said Biden.Trump did not mention the ruling at an Iowa rally Tuesday night but continues to call both the 2020 and 2024 elections rigged."Every time the radical left democrats, Marxist communists and fascists indict me, I consider it a great badge of honor," Trump said.His Republican 2024 rivals offered mixed reactions.Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley who is rising in polls, says Tru...