Education Secretary Linda McMahon touts Columbia University’s $200M settlement ‘template’
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Columbia University’s $200 million-plus discrimination settlement with the Trump administration is laying the groundwork for a culture of accountability, Education Secretary Linda McMahon shared in an interview with Fox News Digital. President Donald Trump’s administration is celebrating what it considers a “historic settlement” with the university that has become the epicenter of protests rejecting the war in Gaza since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. “I’m very pleased that we were able to bring those negotiations to a close and have an excellent working agreement now with Columbia. They knew they had an antisemitism problem,” McMahon said ahead of her remarks at the National Governors Association (NGA) Summer Meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The settlement not only combats antisemitism on college campuses, it takes measures to remove discriminatory hiring practices and enhance campus safety, the education secretary explained. TRUMP SECURES $221M COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SETTLEMENT OVER ALLEGED CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS “This agreement is going to be an excellent template for other universities to be able to use as well,” McMahon said. COLUMBIA PROFESSORS DEMAND ANSWERS AS WHITE HOUSE FINALIZES NEGOTIATIONS WITH IVY LEAGUE UNIVERSITY Several Jewish leaders have spoken to Fox News Digital about the “existential threat” they say Jewish New Yorkers are facing since 33-year-old socialist Zohran Mamdani became the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City. During the primary campaign, Mamdani’s refusal to condemn the phrase “Globalize the intifada” and recognize Israel as a Jewish state triggered accusations he was antisemitic. He has since said he would discourage others from using the phrase and has continuously affirmed his commitment to condemning the rise of antisemitism in New York City. Yuval David, a Jewish advocate and advisor, told Fox News Digital that Mamdani, as mayor, would “enable, and more importantly, empower antisemitic protesters.” In light of the Columbia University settlement, Fox News Digital asked McMahon if the Trump administration was worried about a surge in antisemitism on New York City college campuses if Mamdani is elected in November. “We didn’t discuss that as part of what we were doing. We weren’t looking at a specific incident that might occur in the future,” McMahon explained. But the education secretary said what is most important in Columbia University’s settlement is that it will “lay the groundwork, so regardless of what incidents may or may not occur, you’re prepared for it.” McMahon said Columbia now has a “great working relationship” with the New York Police Department (NYPD). The settlement includes Columbia’s commitment to “enforcing strict rules against disruptive protests, prohibiting masked protests and maintaining trained security officers and ongoing cooperation with the New York Police Department.” “They won’t hesitate to bring them in to make arrests,” McMahon warned. “There will be consequences. People will be expelled. They’ll be suspended. If there’s criminal activity, they can go to jail. “The accountability factor of this agreement is incredibly strong, and that’s the message we intend to send, that students on campus need to be in an environment for study.”
Decision to remove West Point crest from chapel Bibles reversed by secretary of the Army
EXCLUSIVE: The secretary of the Army has ordered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to restore the school’s crest on the Bibles at the West Point Cadet Chapel, reversing a Biden-era decision to not include the crest when replacing the Bibles. “Since the founding of West Point and before, generations of cadets, officers, and Soldiers have drawn strength and inspiration from God’s word,” Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll said in a Friday statement to Fox News Digital. “The decision to remove the Academy’s historic crest from the Bibles in the Cadet Chapel is yet another example of the previous administration pushing far-left politics into our military institutions. I am directing West Point to reverse this decision immediately and restore this important symbol of Duty, Honor, Country.” WEST POINT BIBLE CREST CONTROVERSY SPURS PENTAGON LAWSUIT FROM CONSERVATIVE WATCHDOG Driscoll’s statement comes after Fox News Digital first reported that a conservative judicial and government watchdog group had filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit Tuesday against the Department of Defense over documents regarding why the crest was absent from the new Bibles. A spokesperson for West Point declined to provide comment to Fox News Digital on Friday. Judicial Watch first submitted a FOIA request in December 2024 seeking records related to the Bibles, after the MacArthur Society, a group for West Point graduates concerned about potential politicization at the military academy, notified them of the removal of the crest from the Bibles. WEST POINT DECISION TO CUT ‘DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY’ FROM MISSION STATEMENT UNDER FIRE AGAIN’ When asked for comment about the new Bibles, a spokesperson for West Point told Fox News Digital that the chapel’s Bibles now feature the name of the military academy. “The bibles purchased for the West Point Cadet Chapel are emblazoned with ‘The United States Miliary Academy, West Point, New York,’” the spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital Wednesday. Judicial Watch filed the original FOIA request to learn more about the decision, due to concerns that the military academy is seeking to eliminate ties with what the group labels “traditional values.” But after receiving no response for the documents, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense for the documents Tuesday. “Judicial Watch’s heavy lifting gets results,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a Friday statement to Fox News Digital. “Goes to show again how our lawsuits exposing corruption can fix corruption. The US Army and West Point can’t go wrong in honoring God.” HEGSETH QUIPS ‘99.9%’ OF DEI INITIATIVES ARE GONE FROM THE MILITARY UNDER TRUMP’S WATCH The Pentagon told Fox News Digital that it does not comment on pending litigation. Combining religious content or symbols with military material has faced backlash historically. In 2012, all four branches of the military pulled approval for a military series of Holman Christian Standard Bibles that had been sold in military exchanges amid concerns that the series indicated that the Bible served as the official religious text of the military services, according to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. The West Point crest has undergone several iterations but historically has included an eagle above the school’s mascot, the Black Knights. West Point is one of several U.S. military academies that train students to become military officers.
Trump team ‘pissed off’ with Kemp over candidate pick in Georgia’s Senate GOP primary battle
President Donald Trump’s political team and top advisers to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia apparently aren’t on the same page when it comes to the key southeastern battleground state’s Republican Senate primary. The race is crucial for Republicans aiming to expand their Senate majority, as Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is running for re-election in a state that Trump narrowly carried in last year’s election, is viewed by the GOP as the most vulnerable Democrat seeking re-election in next year’s midterm elections. Kemp, a popular two-term conservative governor whom Trump had heavily criticized in the past, was courted by national Republicans to take on Ossoff. But Kemp, who is term-limited, announced earlier this year that he would pass on a 2026 Senate run. Sources in Trump’s political orbit and Republican sources in Georgia confirm to Fox News that there was an agreement between the president’s political operation and Kemp’s political team that they would work together to find a candidate that they could all unify behind to take on Ossoff in the Senate race. FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP HOUSE ALLY TO LAUNCH SENATE BID NEXT WEEK IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE Those sources also confirm that Kemp and Trump – the ultimate kingmaker in GOP politics – met two weeks ago to discuss the Senate race in Georgia. But when the governor floated the name of former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, a source close to the president’s political team said “they were told to stand down, because Trump’s team wasn’t ready to move forward on anybody.” And when Kemp and his team did move forward with Dooley, it upset Trump’s advisers, who, according to sources, were “already pretty annoyed” that Kemp had passed earlier this year on taking on Ossoff in the Senate race. POPULAR GOP GOVERNOR PASSES ON SENATE BID IN 2026 “We had a deal to work together,” a top political source in the Trump orbit told Fox News on Friday. “Kemp went out on his own – which has frustrated and pissed off Trump orbit.” The source added that “the best option for the GOP in Georgia was and is Brian Kemp. Unfortunately, he has chosen the path of the weak, and – instead of leading – has decided to circumvent and self-anoint a candidate no one has heard of and the president hasn’t met.” “The operation that delivered the win in Georgia was the Trump organization – not a faux operation – it’s hard to see it rallying behind the blind ambition of someone more interested in 2028 than in 2026,” the source said, in a not-so-veiled reference to Kemp’s potential interest in seeking the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. But a source close to the governor told Fox News that it’s factually not true that they were told to stand down on Dooley. And the source added that Kemp meant what he said that he wants to work with the president and his team and remains that way. Kemp’s political team first floated the Dooley trial balloon about two months ago. A longtime Georgia-based Republican strategist said the reaction in the Peach State among Republicans “was very negative.” Dooley, who is the son of former longtime University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, is close with Kemp, who is a longtime friend. And Dooley has hired two top Kemp political advisers to help with his potential Senate campaign. A Republican source in Georgia says a decision by Dooley on whether he’ll run could come as early as next week. Republican Rep. Mike Collins, a Trump ally and supporter in the House, will announce his candidacy for the Senate next week, sources with knowledge told Fox News Digital on Friday. Republican Rep. Buddy Carter, who for a decade has represented a district in coastal Georgia, launched a Senate campaign in the spring. Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King also announced a run, but ended his bid on Thursday. Trump and Kemp have a turbulent political history. Trump backed the then-Georgia secretary of state in his successful 2018 campaign for governor. But during the two years after his 2020 election defeat to former President Joe Biden, which included a razor-thin loss in Georgia, Trump attacked Kemp for failing to overturn the election results in his state. Trump toned down the criticism in 2022 after Kemp crushed Trump-backed former Sen. David Perdue in the state’s GOP gubernatorial primary, as Kemp successfully cruised to re-election to a second term as governor. KEMP SPEAKS OUT AFTER TRUMP FLIPS AND PRAISES THE GEORGIA GOVERNOR But last summer, amid the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump went on a 10-minute tirade against Kemp at a rally in Atlanta just blocks from the Georgia State Capitol. Trump blamed the governor not only for failing to overturn the 2020 vote count but also for not stopping a county prosecutor from indicting the former president for his attempts to reverse the results. Trump quickly changed his tune on Kemp days later, and praised the governor in a social media post “for all of your help and support in Georgia, where a win is so important to the success of our Party and, most importantly, our Country.” Kemp, in a Fox News Digital interview a few days later, downplayed Trump’s tirade against him, calling it a “small distraction that’s in the past.” As Dooley moves closer to launching a campaign, Collins is just days from declaring his candidacy. Collins, a businessman who founded a trucking company, is in his second term representing Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, which includes a large swath of urban, suburban, and rural areas between Atlanta and Augusta. The conservative lawmaker, who’s the son of the late Republican Rep. Mac Collins of Georgia, has been moving closer to launching a Senate campaign for weeks. Collins was an early backer of the president, supporting him as Trump first ran for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2016 cycle. Collins at the beginning of this year reintroduced the Laken Riley Act, which mandates that undocumented immigrants charged with
AOC broke house rules to attend ritzy Met Gala in ‘tax the rich’ dress, ordered to pay up
New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has found herself in the red, owing thousands of dollars to a Black-owned, female-led accessories brand after breaching the House “Gift Rule.” The violation stems from not paying the full market value for items she donned at the 2021 MET Gala, where she famously wore the “Tax the Rich” dress, and accepting free admission to the event for her fiancé, Riley Roberts. Tickets to the Met Gala cost at least $30,000, the Associated Press reported. It is unclear whether Ocasio-Cortez purchased her own ticket. The House Ethics Committee released its report on Friday, finding that although Ocasio-Cortez “proactively took steps” to comply with the Gift Rule in relation to her Met Gala appearance, she failed to fully comply. AOC SLAMS PROGRESSIVE CRITICS FOR ‘LYING’ ABOUT HER IRON DOME STANCE IN DEFENSE BILL FIGHT The committee found evidence suggesting that the designer, Brother Vellies, may have lowered costs in response to statements from Ocasio-Cortez’s staff, and that payments to vendors were significantly delayed, according to the report. In several cases, payment did not occur until after the investigation was initiated, the committee noted. The report also concluded that members of AOC’s staff were “overly reliant” on the vendors themselves to ensure her compliance with the Gift Rule, despite the vendors’ countervailing incentives to ensure she would be able to promote their goods and services. AOC’S CONSTITUENTS WEIGH IN ON PRESIDENTIAL RUN, RECALL HER STUNNING 2018 POLITICAL UPSET However, the committee said it did not conclude that the alleged underpayments had been “intentional,” instead placing the blame on a campaign staffer who handled payment discussions. AOC herself blamed her staff while speaking with investigators in March 2023, saying she did not know of any unpaid expenses related to the dress she had worn and stylists who prepared her for the gala, Fox News Digital previously reported. “I just never, ever, ever would have allowed that to happen, knowing what I have learned,” Ocasio-Cortez said at the time. “But I wasn’t privy to the invoices, wasn’t privy to the ones that had been sent.” Based on its findings, the committee determined it would be appropriate for the Democrat to make additional payments from personal funds to compensate for the fair market value of certain expenses. MAXINE WATERS CAMPAIGN TO PAY $68K FOR VIOLATING CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS No sanctions will be imposed, so long as she donates the $250 value of Roberts’ Met Gala meal to the Costume Institute and pays Brother Vellies an additional $2,733.28 for the fair market value of the accessories she received in connection with the gala. After the committee receives confirmation that the payments were completed, it said it will consider the matter closed. Ocasio-Cortez, the Costume Institute and Brother Vellies did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
UK’s Starmer faces mounting pressure to recognise Palestinian state
More than 200 lawmakers in the United Kingdom have called on the British government to recognise a Palestinian state, as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take concrete action amid Israel’s war on Gaza. Some 221 MPs from across the political spectrum signed an open letter on Friday calling on Starmer’s Labour government to recognise a Palestinian state in advance of a United Nations conference on Palestine next week. “We are expectant that the outcome of the conference will be the UK Government outlining when and how it will act on its long-standing commitment on a two-state solution; as well as how it will work with international partners to make this a reality,” the letter reads. “Whilst we appreciate the UK does not have it in its power to bring about a free and independent Palestine, UK recognition would have a significant impact due to our historic connections and our membership on the UN Security Council, so we urge you to take this step.” Parliamentarians from nine political parties were among the signatories, Labour MP Sarah Champion said, including Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP, and the Greens. The letter comes as public anger is growing in the UK and around the world over Israel’s continued bombardment and blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has spurred a deadly starvation crisis. 221 MPs, from 9 parties, have sent a joint letter to the Prime Minister & Foreign Secretary urging them to recognise Palestine as a state now pic.twitter.com/b2hbX2XCGR — Sarah Champion (@SarahChampionMP) July 25, 2025 Advertisement It also comes a day after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognise the State of Palestine at the UN in September. “Consistent with its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the State of Palestine,” Macron said in a social media post on Thursday. “I will make this solemn announcement before the United Nations General Assembly this coming September. The urgent priority today is to end the war in Gaza and to bring relief to the civilian population.” Macron’s announcement drew the ire of Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the move “rewards terror”. But Netanyahu has faced widespread condemnation for Israel’s continuing assault on Gaza, which has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians since it began in October 2023. Israel’s blockade of the enclave has caused a deepening humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations and top human rights groups reporting that many Palestinian children are now suffering from severe malnutrition and at risk of death. In a statement on Friday, Starmer said “the appalling scenes in Gaza are unrelenting”. “The continued captivity of hostages, the starvation and denial of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, the increasing violence from extremist settler groups, and Israel’s disproportionate military escalation in Gaza are all indefensible,” he said. But Starmer stopped short of announcing plans to recognise a Palestinian state, instead saying he was working “on a pathway to peace in the region”. “That pathway will set out the concrete steps needed to turn the ceasefire so desperately needed, into a lasting peace,” he said. “Recognition of a Palestinian state has to be one of those steps. I am unequivocal about that. But it must be part of a wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis.” Reporting from a protest outside Starmer’s residence in London on Friday afternoon, Al Jazeera’s Milena Veselinovic said demonstrators expressed “outrage” at the British government’s stance amid the dire situation in Gaza. “Many of them feel powerless, so one of the only things they can do is gather here, make as much noise as they can, and hope that it will be noticed by the people in power,” she said. “They want Keir Starmer to do more with the power that he has, and with the influence that he has, to put an end to this.” In addition to recognising a Palestinian state, the British government has faced growing calls to sanction Israel and impose an arms embargo against the country. Advertisement Veselinovic said Starmer is in “a difficult diplomatic situation” as he prepares to meet United States President Donald Trump, who was travelling to Scotland on Friday. She explained that Macron’s announcement added pressure on the UK, which is a close ally of both France and the US, to also recognise a Palestinian state, but noted that Trump has criticised the French president’s move. “It does seem like a gulf is emerging here over what the European stance is overall, which is much more aligned with what UN aid agencies are saying is going on on the ground in Gaza, and the American position, which seems to nearly 100 percent back whatever is the Israeli government’s version of events is,” she said. “And in the middle of that is Keir Starmer, who wants to maintain good relations with both sides.” Adblock test (Why?)
Pentagon freezes out DC think tanks in new move, citing ‘America last’ concerns
The Pentagon has suspended participation in all think tank events until further notice, departing from a history of dialogue with Washington’s civilian national security realm. The move is an attempt “to ensure the Department of Defense is not lending its name and credibility to organizations, forums and events that run counter to the values of this administration.” “Going forward, no DOD official will attend events by America Last organizations that promote globalism and hate (President Donald Trump),” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson wrote on X. In the future, the Defense Department (DOD)’s Office of Public Affairs will conduct a “thorough vetting” every time an official is invited to a conference to decide whether the event advances Trump’s agenda. HEGSETH ORDERS SWEEPING ARMY OVERHAUL AND CONSOLIDATION AIMED AT COUNTERING CHINA AND GOLDEN DOME CAPABILITIES Such security events often are funded by foreign governments or defense contractors and serve as a space for such players to push a message or a product they sell to key officials and for defense officials to put out a message of their own from the U.S. government. The move comes after the Pentagon yanked its officials from participation in the Aspen Security Forum — a gathering of defense-minded industry leaders and researchers. Wilson had said the secretary’s office believed that event “promotes the evil of globalism, disdain for our great country, and hatred for the President of the United States.” Several top military officials had been scheduled to speak at the event. HEGSETH ABRUPTLY PULLS PENTAGON OFFICIALS FROM ‘GLOBALIST’ ASPEN CONFERENCE Historically, defense secretaries have participated in defense conferences and think tank events like the Munich Security Conference or the Reagan Defense Forum. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Hegseth skipped out on the Munich Security Conference but attended the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in May. Aspen previously told Fox News Digital, “For more than a decade, the Aspen Security Forum has welcomed senior officials – Republican and Democrat, civilian and military – as well as senior foreign officials and experts, who bring experience and diverse perspectives on matters of national security. We will miss the participation of the Pentagon, but our invitations remain open.”
US military expands enforcement role at Mexican border under Donald Trump
United States troop deployments at the border with Mexico have tripled to 7,600 and include every branch of the military – even as the number of attempted illegal crossings plummets. In addition, President Donald Trump has authorised funding for an additional 3,000 Border Patrol agents, offering $10,000 signing and retention bonuses. The military mission at the border is guided from a new command centre at a remote Army intelligence training base located alongside southern Arizona’s Huachuca Mountains. There, a community hall has been transformed into a bustling war room, where battalion commanders and staff use digital maps to pinpoint military camps and movements along the nearly 3,200-kilometre (2,000-mile) border. Until now, border enforcement had been the domain of civilian law enforcement, with the military only intermittently stepping in. But in April, large swaths of the border were designated militarised zones, empowering US troops to apprehend immigrants and others accused of trespassing and authorising additional criminal charges that can mean prison time. The two-star general leading the mission says troops are being untethered from maintenance and warehouse tasks to work closely with US Border Patrol agents in high-traffic areas for illegal crossings – and to deploy rapidly to remote, unguarded terrain. “We don’t have a [labour] union. There’s no limit on how many hours we can work in a day, how many shifts we can man,” said Army Major-General Scott Naumann. “I can put soldiers out whenever we need to in order to get after the problem, and we can put them out for days at a time. We can fly people into incredibly remote areas now that we see the cartels shifting [course].” Advertisement The Trump administration is using the military broadly to boost its immigration operations, from guarding federal buildings in Los Angeles against protests, to assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Florida. There are also plans to hold detained immigrants on military bases in New Jersey, Indiana and Texas. Dan Maurer, a law professor at Ohio Northern University and a retired US Army judge advocate officer, said that Trump is aiming to follow through on his campaign promise to crack down on undocumented border crossings. “It’s all part of the same strategy that is a very muscular, robust, intimidating, aggressive response to this – to show his base that he was serious about a campaign promise to fix immigration,” said Maurer. “It’s both norm-breaking and unusual. It puts the military in a very awkward position.” Adblock test (Why?)
Players hits back at FIFA and Infantino after Club World Cup
FIFA and its President Gianni Infantino have been criticised for the expanded Club World Cup in the domestic off season. The global football players’ union has hit back at FIFA and its President Gianni Infantino, saying their autocratic style of leadership was harming the rights of its members. “Football needs responsible leadership, not emperors,” the FIFPRO network said on Friday after a meeting of 58 national player unions responded to FIFA pursuing its agenda with unofficial player representatives. “It needs fewer autocratic monologues and more genuine, inclusive and transparent dialogue,” the union added. FIFA announced two weeks ago that it reached a consensus on key issues after Infantino hosted a group of mostly non-recognised officials in New York before the Club World Cup final. The latest rift between soccer’s governing body and its players’ unions flared while the European Commission in Brussels is considering a formal complaint against FIFA. It was filed by FIFPRO’s European division and national leagues in Europe against FIFA’s style of governance and decision-making. FIFPRO said FIFA’s core agenda included an overloaded global match calendar with too many games for elite players, a lack of physical and mental recovery periods and extreme playing conditions. Players at the monthlong Club World Cup in the United States, who played in the heat of daytime games to appeal to worldwide TV audiences, reported feeling dizzy and unwell. The 63-game tournament backed by Saudi Arabian money was lucrative for clubs, especially in Europe, though FIFA added it to the schedule without formally consulting players. Advertisement The tournament, FIFPRO said, was “celebrated by President Infantino despite being held under conditions that were extreme and inappropriate for any human being, demonstrating a troubling insensitivity to human rights, even when it concerns elite athletes. “FIFPRO reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to protecting the rights of men and women players – rights which are being seriously undermined by commercial policies imposed by its autocratic system of governance,” the Netherlands-based union said of FIFA. “This is a model that puts the health of players at risk and sidelines those at the heart of the game,” FIFPRO said, adding it was “unacceptable for an organization that claims global leadership to turn a blind eye to the basic needs of the players”. FIFA was approached for comment. FIFPRO has not had a formal working agreement with FIFA since the previous one expired in 2023. Adblock test (Why?)
Meta to suspend political advertising in the EU as transparency law looms
The social media giant follows Alphabet, Google’s parent company, which made a similar decision in November. Meta will suspend political and social issue advertising on its platforms in the European Union starting in October. Facebook and Instagram’s parent company announced the new policy change on Friday, citing legal uncertainty about the bloc’s new rules on political advertising. The Silicon Valley-based social media giant is following in the footsteps of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, which made the same decision in November. The EU legislation, called the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation, which will apply from October 10, was prompted by concerns about disinformation and foreign interference in elections across the 27-country bloc. The law requires Big Tech companies to clearly label political advertising on their platforms, who paid for it and how much, as well as which elections are being targeted, or risk fines up to 6 percent of their annual turnover. “From early October 2025, we will no longer allow political, electoral and social issue ads on our platforms in the EU,” Meta said in a blog post. “This is a difficult decision – one we’ve taken in response to the EU’s incoming Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation, which introduces significant operational challenges and legal uncertainties,” it said. Meta said the EU rules would ultimately hurt Europeans. “We believe that personalised ads are critical to a wide range of advertisers, including those engaged on campaigns to inform voters about important social issues that shape public discourse,” it said. Advertisement “Regulations, like the TTPA, significantly undermine our ability to offer these services, not only impacting effectiveness of advertisers’ outreach but also the ability of voters to access comprehensive information.” Meta’s Facebook and Instagram are currently being investigated by the European Commission over their suspected failure to tackle disinformation and deceptive advertising in the run-up to the 2024 European Parliament elections. The EU probe is under the Digital Services Act, which requires Big Tech to do more to counter illegal and harmful content on their platforms or risk fines of as much as 6 percent of their global annual turnover. ByteDance’s TikTok is also in the EU crosshairs over its suspected failure to tackle election interference, notably in the Romanian presidential vote last November. Meta’s political advertising has long been a concern in the United States, as well. Last week, CEO Mark Zuckerberg settled a lawsuit brought on by shareholders over alleged privacy violations. The suit alleged that the company failed to comply with a Federal Trade Commission settlement in 2012 in efforts to protect consumer privacy. The lawsuit came amid the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal in which the social media giant gave user data to the firm – without their consent – for political advertising purposes. Adblock test (Why?)
Texas GOP Rep. Giovanni Capriglione admits affair, denies abortion allegations
A conservative news site published an interview with a woman who alleges a 17-year affair with the Southlake representative, who said this week he wouldn’t seek reelection.