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TikTok propaganda labels fall flat in ‘huge win’ for Russia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A year ago, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, TikTok started labeling accounts operated by Russian state propaganda agencies as a way to tell users they were being exposed to Kremlin disinformation.An analysis a year later shows the policy has been applied inconsistently. It ignores dozens of accounts with millions of followers. Even when used, labels have little impact on Russia’s ability to exploit TikTok’s powerful algorithms as part of its effort to shape public opinion about the war.Researchers at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a bipartisan, transatlantic nonprofit operated by the German Marshall Fund that studies authoritarian disinformation, identified nearly 80 TikTok accounts operated by Russian state outlets like RT or Sputnik, or by individuals linked to them, including RT’s editor-in-chief.More than a third of the accounts were unlabeled, despite a labeling policy announced by TikTok a year ago. The labels, which appe...

1 dead, 5 others injured after crash on Chicago's South Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

CHICAGO — A man was killed and four other people were injured after a crash involving four cars Wednesday night on Chicago's South Side.The crash was reported around 9:15 p.m. near West 83rd Street and West Columbus Avenue.According to the police, a Nissan was traveling northbound on Columbus Avenue and struck a Mazda head on in the intersection of 83rd Street. The driver of the Nissan was taken to the hospital in serious condition. Two men in the Mazda were taken to the hospital in critical condition, where one of them was pronounced dead, according to police.A third vehicle, an SUV, rear ended the Nissan. There were two women in the SUV who were taken to the hospital in fair condition, police said.A fourth car then struck the vehicles at the intersection. The driver of that car was taken to the hospital in good condition.Police are investigating.

Showers late Thursday, storms likely Friday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

Thursday will be mostly cloudy with a wide range in temps and a high of 53. Thursday night will continue to be mostly cloudy. Showers and thunderstorms are possible late with windy conditions. SE 20-25 G40. Low of 50. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Friday will bring a chance of severe weather to the Chicago area along with damaging winds. Tom Skilling reports that modeling puts thunderstorm probabilities at 80% in the 24 hour period covering Friday and Friday night.On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest, most of our area is under a '3' for severe storms on Friday. We have the highest risk for damaging wind gusts, tornadoes also possible. Details, timing, etc. on @wgnmorningnews pic.twitter.com/Oy31TVyRr6— Morgan Kolkmeyer (@MorganKolkmeyer) March 30, 2023Full forecast details at the WGN Weather CenterLatest warnings and watches from the National Weather Service.Strong winds continue to blow into Saturday but a milder Sunday is likely.

2 Army Black Hawk helicopters crash in Kentucky; 'casualties' reported

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

TRIGG COUNTY, Ky. (WKRN) — Multiple casualties were reported after two Fort Campbell Black Hawk helicopters crashed in Kentucky on Wednesday night.Two 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) helicopters crashed at approximately 10 p.m. in Trigg County, Kentucky, near Highway 68, according to Nondice Thurman, Fort Campbell media relations officer.Crewmembers were flying the aircraft -- two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters -- during a routine training mission when an "incident" occurred.According to a tweet from the 101st Airborne Division, the accident resulted in several "casualties." Everything known about the Nashville school shooting, so far In a press release from Fort Campbell, officials said, "The command is currently focused on caring for the servicemembers and their families."Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear tweeted late Wednesday night that "fatalities are expected" in connection with the crash.(WKRN)(WKRN)(WKRN)(WKRN)Kentucky State Police were working with Fort Campbell officials, K...

WWE's WrestleMania extravaganza draws more sponsors to the ring

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — WWE’s WrestleMania, the Super Bowl for the sports entertainment company, arrives this weekend to a massive audience and vastly larger sponsorship revenue as it seeks to establish itself as a serious contender for major dollars from such partnerships.Craig Stimmel, WWE’s senior vice president and head of global sales and partnerships, told The Associated Press in an interview that sponsorship revenue for this year’s event has doubled to more than $20 million, a record for any WWE event.Those numbers are critical in light of the return in January of Vince McMahon, the founder and majority shareholder of WWE, who said the sports entertainment company could be up for sale. 2 Army Black Hawk helicopters crash on training mission in Kentucky; ‘fatalities are expected’ There are numerous rumors circulating about who might be willing to buy WWE and for how much, and it's unknown if anyone has stepped forward with a bid yet. But the company's broadening presence everyw...

Clouds and spotty rain not hurting the warm up

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Not a whole lot of sunshine expected today but with a stout southerly flow, we won't need it for today's warm up.Today will feature on & off light rain mixed in with mainly cloudy skies. Afternoon highs will warm well into the 70s and low 80s, above average for this time of year. Breezy winds out of the southeast will reach sustained speeds of 15-25 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.Unseasonably warm Thursday afternoonA strong Pacific storm passing to our north will drag a cold front through our area late in the day tomorrow. This front has the potential to trigger isolated storms and showers along and east of I-35 late day, but not severe weather is expected at this time.Unfortunately, the risk of severe weather does look significant for areas to our north.Severe weather outbreak likely on Friday for most of the Mississippi Valley an mid-SouthAfternoon highs will spike ahead of this front, likely to bring record-tying warmth to the Austin-metro Friday afternoon. (An...

Hundreds of Texas crime survivors to rally for safety and justice at Capitol

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Hundreds of crime survivors and the families of crime victims will rally at the Texas Capitol Thursday afternoon to advocate for increased victim support and reforms that are meant to break the cycle of crime. “Communities most harmed by violence need support to heal and feel safe again,” Terra Tucker, the Texas director for the Alliance for Safety and Justice, said. What the group is calling forThe group, called the Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, are demanding lawmakers to fund the state's first trauma recovery center. Some of these centers are operational across the country, and the group said it is a proven model to help victims heal in the wake of a crime. “That's why hundreds of Texas crime survivors will rally at the Capitol today and urge elected officials to invest in solutions that prioritize recovery as well as redemption to improve our collective safety," Tucker said. The group is also calling on lawmakers to tackle the root causes of crime. It i...

Costco to open Kyle warehouse Thursday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

KYLE, Texas (KXAN) -- Get out the forks and knives out for the famous rotisserie chickens. Costco opens its newest location in Kyle during a community event on Thursday at 7 a.m. The City of Kyle says the 152,000 square-foot warehouse is located at 19806 IH-35. That is in the Dry River District Development between the Interstate 35 Frontage Road and Kyle Crossing. According to the city announcement, the Kyle Costco is the first in Hays County, the 37th in Texas, the 585th in the U.S. and the 850th worldwide. “Watching this project evolve from a long-awaited want in our community, into actual construction and now completion is just another example of how the City of Kyle is changing and growing,” Kyle Mayor Travis Mitchell said the city statement. “We are excited about what the addition of Costco means for Kyle’s economy and we will continue striving to attract quality employers and retailers so that residents can live, work and ...

Austin ISD to hold public meeting on slowing down superintendent search

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Independent School District wants your input in Thursday night's meeting about the search for a new superintendent.As KXAN reported Monday, the president of Board of Trustees, Arati Singh, wrote a letter addressed to the AISD community that said the board is calling a special meeting March 30 to, “discuss the possibility of slowing down our search for our district’s next superintendent.” The letter also said the board would consider a contract extension with Matias Segura, the district’s interim superintendent, through June 30, 2024.“The district is focused on improving the systems to meet students’ most pressing needs and giving those systems time to take root,” Singh said in the letter. “Thursday’s meeting will give us a chance to consider a revised process and timeline, hear from our community, and hold a vote if we choose to do so.”The district says Thursday’s meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the board meeting room at the AISD Central Office, which i...

Letters: Don’t tax Social Security until benefits surpass what we paid in

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

Don’t tax some of itWorkers contribute a portion of their gross income to Social Security throughout their working lives. If the worker lives long enough, the worker will begin receiving portions of that contribution back as a Social Security benefit.  A person should not be taxed on the benefit until the total of the benefits equals the total of the contributions. Once that threshold is reached, any further benefits would be taxable income.The Social Security Administration already knows what each person’s lifetime contributions are and it knows what each person’s benefits are. The taxable portion of the annual benefit and the non-taxable portion of the remaining lifetime contribution could be reported on the SSA-1099 statement that social security recipients already receive.It should be noted that only the worker’s contribution would be a non-taxable benefit. It should also be noted that when a worker dies, the worker’s undistributed lifetime contribution, if any, would rema...