Month: December 2020

On Wednesday, Texas and nine other states sued Google with accusations it of working with Facebook Inc in violation of antitrust law to boost its online advertising business. The states asked that Google compensate them for damages and sought “structural relief.” The nine states that joined Texas are Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, South Dakota, North Dakota, Utah and Idaho

The lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of Texas, asks a judge to find Google guilty of breaking antitrust law and to order the violations to stop. It also accused Google of working with Facebook. The two companies compete heavily in internet ad sales and together capture over half of the market globally.

A Google spokeswoman said the company will defend itself from the lawsuit’s “baseless claims in court.” She added: “Digital ad prices have fallen over the last decade. Ad tech fees are falling too. Google’s ad tech fees are lower than the industry average. These are the hallmarks of a highly competitive industry.”

Texas AG announces multistate lawsuit against Google

Via abcnews.go.com

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced a multistate lawsuit against Google for the…

12/16/2020 6:41 PM

 

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Fashion designer Peter Nygard was arrested in Canada on allegations he sexually assaulted dozens of people, including minors, over the course of decades. Authorities took Nygard into custody Monday in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York said Tuesday that the 79-year-old Nygard used his fashion empire’s influence to recruit women and minor girls for his and his friends’ “sexual gratification.” Prosecutors said the alleged crimes took place over a 25-year period in the Bahamas, Canada and the United States. Prosecutors said Nygard and his associates forcibly sexually assaulted some of the women and girls or drugged them to ensure their compliance. The United States has requested Nygard’s extradition from Canada.

Nygard faces two counts each of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation for purpose of prostitution; and one count each of racketeering conspiracy; conspiracy to commit sex trafficking; sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud or coercion; transportation of a minor for purpose of prostitution; and transportation for purpose of prostitution and illegal sexual activity.

Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard arrested on federal sex charges

Via www.nbcnews.com

He was picked up Monday in his native Winnipeg on a nine-count indictment.

12/15/2020 5:05 PM

 

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President-elect Joe Biden has chosen former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg as his transportation secretary.

Buttigieg, who competed with Biden for the democratic presidential nomination before dropping out and endorsing him, would be the first LGBTQ Cabinet secretary if confirmed by the Senate. The Transportation Department will have a central role in shaping and carrying out Biden’s infrastructure plans. The department distributes hundreds of billions of dollars in federal highway funding and regulates aviation, railroads and busing. 

Buttigieg was once near the front of the pack for the Democratic nomination, regularly polling ahead of many other long-established members of the Democratic Party. 

Biden to nominate Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary

Via www.nbcnews.com

Biden will tap the 38-year-old one-time presidential rival to lead a key agency in the push to…

12/15/2020 2:59 PM

 

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Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have officially received 306 electoral votes to be elected president and vice president. The Electoral College cast votes Monday, following weeks of President Donald Trump continuing to cast doubt on the election process.

California cast its 55 electoral votes in favor of Biden and Harris on Monday afternoon, pushing them above the 270 vote total required to be elected president and vice president, respectively. Hawaii was the final state to cast its votes, giving them a total of 306 votes, with 232 votes going to Trump. In the key swing states of Georgia and Pennsylvania, a total of 36 votes were cast for Biden and Harris. Electors in Nevada also cast their six votes for Biden in a virtual meeting. The Nevada Supreme Court had just rejected a Trump lawsuit alleging the election results were “rigged.”

The Electoral College vote came after all 50 states and Washington, D.C., certified their votes and named slates of electors. Those electors met Monday in locations chosen by each state legislature and cast one vote for president and another for vice president on paper ballots.  The Senate will convene on Jan. 6 presided over by Vice President Pence, in which they will count the votes, followed by the inauguration on Jan. 20.

‘Time to turn the page’: Electoral College makes Biden victory official

Via www.nbcnews.com

The president-elect is expected to speak later Monday after surpassing 270 electoral votes for…

12/14/2020 7:05 PM

 

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According to the New York Police Department, police shot and killed an armed suspect who allegedly opened fire outside a Manhattan cathedral as carolers sang on the steps of the church. 

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said that none of the carolers or people nearby were injured or killed in the incident which took place outside of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on 112th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Shea told reporters at a news conference that the carolers were ending their singing around 3:45 p.m. when an unidentified man opened fire near the doors of the church. Police responded immediately and opened fire at the suspect, who was struck in the head and killed, the commissioner said.

Two semi-automatic firearms were recovered from the scenee, as well as a bag allegedly contained gasoline, rope, wire, multiple knives, a Bible and tape. The NYPD said the investigation is ongoing.

Man killed after opening fire outside New York City cathedral

Via www.nbcnews.com

The shooting occurred after a Christmas concert at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

12/13/2020 6:07 PM

 

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The CEO of the federal government’s vaccine initiative Operation Warp Speed said during a news conference held by the US Food and Drug Administration that the first COVID-19 vaccines will be distributed safely. 

Gen. Gustave Perna said, “I am absolutely, 100 percent, confident that we are going to distribute safely, this precious commodity this vaccine needed to defeat the enemy, Covid. Many of you want to know who will receive the first vaccine. And while I leave that up to the experts at the Health and Human Services organization, I remind you of this: Nearly 100,000 Americans have already rolled up their sleeves and participated in clinical trials across America. They were the true first recipients of the vaccine.” The news conference came after the FDA issued an emergency use authorization of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Perna said shipping containers with the vaccine are already being packed at a Pfizer facility and that he expects the vaccine to arrive at 145 sites across the United States on Monday. Another 425 sites are expected to receive the vaccine on Tuesday and the final 66 sites will receive it on Wednesday, completing the initial delivery of Pfizer vaccines. The Pfizer vaccine has met the FDA’s criteria for an emergency use authorization and that “totality of the available data provides clear evidence” that the vaccine “may be effective in preventing COVID-19.”

COVID vaccine delivery begins in the U.S. as cases surge

Via www.cbsnews.com

More than a million doses of the coronavirus vaccine are making their way through America as…

12/13/2020 6:33 PM

 

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