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Musk’s ‘X’ testing $1 per year fee to post

October 18, 2023
Elon Musk’s social media platform X has announced a test subscription method called “Not a Bot” that will charge users in two countries $1 per year to post content on the platform. Starting on Tuesday, Oct. 17, new users in New Zealand and the Philippines will have to pay the annual $1 USD fee.
- New Zealand: $1.43 NZD per year.
- Philippines: ₱42.51 PHP per year.
According to X officials, the test program aims to reduce spam, bot activity and manipulation on the platform. While the new test program requires an annual fee for new users to post, they can opt out of the subscription and create a free “read-only” account.

“This new program aims to defend against bots and spammers who attempt to manipulate the platform and disrupt the experience of other X users,” The X announcement said. “We look forward to sharing more about the results soon.”

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1714437136575807979?s=20

The implementation of the “Not a Bot” subscription comes about a month after Musk announced his platform would be moving to a small subscription-based model. The September announcement in a streamed discussion with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came with a lot of backlash from users and critics.

Musk said the logic behind the “Not a Bot” subscription is that a small fee may keep users from creating bot accounts, which he said only cost a fraction of a penny to set up.

The “Not a Bot” subscription plan is separate from X’s premium subscription plan for $8 per month, which gives users a verified blue check mark and allows them to edit posts, among a few other features.

The “Not a Bot” subscription is a test, and the platform will share information about results soon.
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X to deal with widespread Hamas-related misinformation or face EU fines

October 12, 2023
Elon Musk’s social media platform X reported that the company took down hundreds of Hamas-related accounts and thousands of misleading posts following Hamas’ deadly terrorist attack on Israel. On Tuesday, Oct. 10, the European Union sent a letter to Musk demanding that X address illegal content and misinformation about the attacks within 24 hours or face penalties under the EU’s strict Digital Services Act that was recently enacted. The penalties could include fines in the billions.

Following the terrorist attacks by Hamas against 🇮🇱, we have indications of X/Twitter being used to disseminate illegal content & disinformation in the EU.

Urgent letter to @elonmusk on #DSA obligations ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/avMm1LHq54
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) October 10, 2023

NBC News tech correspondent Jake Ward explained the firestorm of misleading information circulating on social media following the attacks.

“There is just this proliferation of misleading content, and when it is not just made up,” Ward said. “It is out of context or out of time; this video of an attack by Israeli forces on Gaza is, in fact, that, what it purports to be, but it is from May, not from this current set of attacks.”

A post reportedly seen by more than 800,000 people on X included a video of U.S. military aircraft said to be heading to Israel with equipment. The problem, according to BBC journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh, is the video was taken in 2019.

It is the most recent example of social media’s uphill battle in thwarting the dissemination of misinformation.

“The past few days have just been this vivid lesson in the fact that you literally cannot trust what social media feeds you these days,” Ward said.

X CEO Linda Yaccarino responded to the EU Wednesday, Oct. 11, saying the company has “redistributed resources and refocused internal teams who are working around the clock to address this rapidly evolving situation.”

Everyday we're reminded of our global responsibility to protect the public conversation by ensuring everyone has access to real-time information and safeguarding the platform for all our users. In response to the recent terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas, we've redistributed… https://t.co/VR2rsK0J9K
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) October 12, 2023

However, the sheer number of posts makes it hard for the social media company to keep up. Yaccarino wrote that the company has already moved to take down or label tens of thousands of posts that break the company’s rules on violent speech, manipulated media and graphic media.

In response to Yaccarino’s letter, the EU said it would analyze the measures X is taking and will consider next steps.

The seemingly nonstop wave of misinformation comes just a week after X announced it was scaling back the teams of people patrolling misinformation.

“X, as you mentioned, is really the locus of so much of this stuff because they have cut back so many of their teams,” Ward said on NBC. “Their elections integrity team, their trust and safety teams, all of those have been scaled back.”

X is not the only platform dealing with misinformation about the Hamas attacks. In a similar letter to Facebook’s parent company, Meta, the EU gave Mark Zuckerberg 24 hours to respond with measures that his social media platform is taking to counter the spread of misinformation about the attacks under the same Digital Services Act. The act forces major social media companies to remove illegal content from their platforms.

A Meta spokesperson said that its teams are working around the clock and teaming up with third-party fact-checkers to “limit the spread of misinformation.”
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Social media traffic to news outlets collapses as platforms change links

October 6, 2023
New data shows that America is consuming “headline news.” That means an increasing number of those who see a story on social media will read a headline and caption then keep scrolling instead of clicking into the article.

The number of clicks on news links has dropped by around 80% since 2020. On Facebook, traffic to news websites fell by almost 100 million. X, formerly Twitter, saw a similar decline in users clicking external links.

As a result of this trend, news organizations are starting to rethink their audience research methods.

A majority of people receive their news from social media, however, that reach has been reeled in by Big Tech. According to The Wall Street Journal’s review of internal emails, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told his team to “demote” news content visibility in 2021 following “endless claims about political bias and censorship.”

This algorithm change created a shrinking visibility of links and a fall in the number of news clicks.

According to Meta’s most recent quarterly content report, 93.8% of all posts viewed during the first quarter of 2023 did not include a link to a source outside of Facebook. Only 6.2% of posts seen in news feeds included an outside link.

While Facebook is steering away from news content, X is taking a different approach. Earlier this year, more people were clicking on news content on X than they were on Facebook.

Elon Musk has said he wants to capitalize on people going to X for news, but he wants to keep his users on the platform rather than having them follow external links.

Early in October, X removed news headlines from posts. After the change, users can see the photo of a link and a caption, but they can no longer see the headline.

Musk said this is to optimize time spent on X. The move will help his business, but potentially hurt news organizations reliant on clicks for traffic and revenue.

Musk is also encouraging users to become “citizen journalists” by livestreaming on his platform. He aims to make users less reliant on traditional news.

Even though social media users are clicking on news links less, they are still sharing them — on both Facebook and X. A study by Columbia University found that 59% of news links shared in posts are never looked at by the person who shared it.

The media is trying to find its footing within the shifting landscape, however social media networks are limiting their reach, and the news that users do see, they often do not read.

The media industry is feeling the effects of the algorithm changes. There has been a record number of media job layoffs this year. With the 2024 elections nearing, it remains to be seen if voters will choose to visit news sites or if the trend of headline news being enough will continue.
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Musk makes cuts to X election integrity team

September 28, 2023
Elon Musk’s X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, is reportedly cutting its disinformation and election integrity team in half just weeks after posting new positions to help combat foreign interference. In an Aug. 29 blog post, X announced the expansion of the election integrity team.

“We’re currently expanding our safety and elections teams to focus on combating manipulation, surfacing inauthentic accounts and closely monitoring the platform for emerging threats,” the blog read.

According to the tech-focused media outlet The Information, four employees in X’s Dublin office were let go, including the head of the team, Aaron Rodericks. The report cites an anonymous source familiar with the situation.

How much of the team has been cut has not been released. Though Musk seemed to confirm the news about cutting half of the election integrity team in a post on X.

“Oh you mean the “Election Integrity” Team that was undermining election integrity? Yeah, they’re gone,” Musk said in a post.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1707147926789554422?s=20

This comes as criticism of X’s handling of misinformation on its platform from the European Union grows. According to the EU’s Digital Services Act: Application of the Risk Management Framework to Russian disinformation campaigns, mitigation measures implemented by social media platforms didn’t work in stopping Russian propaganda.

“During the first year of Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, social media companies enabled the Kremlin to run a large-scale disinformation campaign targeting the European Union and its allies, reaching an aggregate audience of at least 165 million and generating at least 16 billion views,” the report read. “Preliminary analysis suggests that the reach and influence of Kremlin-backed accounts has grown further in the first half of 2023, driven in particular by the dismantling of Twitter’s safety standards.”

On Wednesday, Sept. 27, the Deputy Executive Director of the nonprofit Tech Oversight Project, Kyle Morse, said ever since Musk took the helm, the social media platform has been a place where disinformation and hate have lived.

“Since taking charge of X, Elon Musk has used the platform to foment antisemitism, hate speech, and disinformation — playing into the hands of bad actors like Russia, China, and Iran. Decimating their election integrity team — on top of last year’s firings — means that X will continue to be a toxic hellscape that people and advertisers should avoid,” Morse said.
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Lawsuit: Twitter helped Saudi Arabia crack down on dissent

September 6, 2023

Saudi Arabia has reportedly used Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formally Twitter to prosecute people expressing their dissent over the government, using tweets as evidence to sentence some citizens to death. A lawsuit filed earlier in 2023 alleges Twitter helped the Saudi government send its citizens to prison over anti-government rhetoric that they posted online.

Allegations added to the lawsuit outline ties between Saudi Arabia and Twitter under former CEO Jack Dorsey. The lawsuit was first filed back in May.

Allegations in the lawsuit stem from incidents that occurred prior to Musk taking over the company.

The lawsuit was filed by Areej al-Sadhan, the sister of a man who was “disappeared” by the government and later sentenced to 20 years in prison based on tweets he made that were critical of the government.

The lawsuit accuses Twitter of helping Saudi Arabia spy on and track down those who spread dissent online. In the lawsuit, al-Sadhan alleges Twitter assisted the efforts by oversharing users’ personal data at the Saudi government’s request.

Twitter works with the governments of the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. However, according to the lawsuit, Twitter discloses more data at a much higher rate to Saudi Arabia.

The lawsuit alleges Twitter did little to prevent a Saudi operative who worked for Twitter in 2014 from outing anti-government users to officials. That operative was convicted in 2022 in an espionage scandal that went on for years. It’s unknown how many Saudis the operative turned in.

The lawsuit alleges Twitter has a blind spot for Saudi Arabia given its complicated ties to the wealthy nation. A Saudi prince purchased a massive stake in the company years ago, well before Musk took over, which has grown over the years.

That prince now owns the second most shares of Twitter. His stake is worth about $2 billion.

While the allegations in the suit stem back years, the Saudi government is reportedly still using the platform to prosecute citizens. A human rights watch group recently reported a man was sentenced to die based on tweets, retweets and YouTube activity.
Musk threatens to sue Anti-Defamation League, teases more Twitter Files

September 5, 2023
More Twitter Files could arrive as soon as next week, and the Anti-defamation League (ADL) could soon be slapped with a defamation lawsuit from Elon Musk. This, according to Musk himself, who made a series of posts on X over the weekend.

“Since the acquisition, The @ADL has been trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic.” Musk said. “Our U.S. advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by@ADL (that’s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter!”

Since the acquisition, The @ADL has been trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023

The ADL published a report back in May of 2023 accusing the social media platform of hosting an array of antisemitic tweets. The ADL cited more than 2,000 accounts that were reinstated by Musk under his free speech campaign when he acquired Twitter.

One account in support of Musk’s ADL lawsuit is the well-known Libs of TikTok account. Libs of TikTok took things a step further, calling for Musk to release more Twitter Files regarding any communications from the ADL about removing or censoring certain accounts.

“Please consider releasing all communications and providing full transparency on the ADL & all other organizations who have pushed to censor certain accounts on Twitter/X,” Libs of TikTok said on X. “Sincerely, Thousands of users who have been suspended, throttled, silenced, and shadow banned.”

Dear Elon,

Please consider releasing all communications and providing full transparency on the ADL & all other organizations who have pushed to censor certain accounts on Twitter/X.

Sincerely,

Thousands of users who have been suspended, throttled, silenced, and shadowbanned. pic.twitter.com/ZcvoBSvR84
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 4, 2023

Musk said a giant data dump would clear the air, hinting that his team could potentially release those files. As for the lawsuit, Musk said it would be ironic to sue the ADL for defamation, but it would also be the reasonable course of action.

In an emailed statement, the ADL said it is “unsurprised yet undeterred that antisemites, white supremacists, conspiracy theorists and other trolls have launched a coordinated attack on our organization.” The organization added “this type of thing is nothing new.”
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GOP debate goes on, minus Trump: The Morning Rundown Aug. 24, 2023

August 24, 2023
The first GOP presidential debate is in the books, with former President Donald Trump as a notable absence. This story highlights the Morning Rundown for Thursday, Aug. 24, 2024.

The eight candidates who took center stage on Wednesday night, Aug. 23, took hard stances on issues like abortion, the war in Ukraine and former President Trump’s indictments. The candidates aimed to focus on the future of the party, rather than distractions from the past.

All candidates took an anti-abortion stance into the debate. The contrast among candidates surrounded the role the federal government should play in the matter.

Some, including former Vice President Mike Pence said the government should ban abortion outright. He argued abortion is a moral issue, not a state one.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) said he would enact a 15-week ban. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said he would enact a six-week ban at the national level, something he already did in Florida.

“You gotta do what you believe is right. I was proud to sign the heartbeat bill,” Gov. DeSantis said. “What the Democrats are trying to do on this issue is wrong to allow abortion up to the moment of birth.”

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, the only woman on the stage, said she does not support a national abortion ban. She asked her colleagues to find middle ground on an issue Republicans have lost ground on in swing states.

“Can’t we all agree we’re not going to put a woman in jail or give her the death penalty if she gets an abortion,” Haley asked. “Let’s treat this like a respectful issue that it is and humanize the situation and stop demonizing the situation.”

The candidates were asked about the U.S. funding Ukraine in its war with Russia. Both DeSantis and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy said they oppose more funding, saying that money should be spent keeping America safe. Former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), former Vice President Pence and Haley disagreed.

“Anybody who thinks we can’t solve problems here in the United States and be the leader of the free world has a small view of the greatest nation on earth,” Pence said.

About an hour into the debate, moderator and Fox News anchor Brett Baier brought up “the elephant not in the room.” It was a reference to Trump, who is facing charges in four different cases.

“If former President Trump is convicted in a court of law would you still support him as your party’s choice. Please raise your hand if you would,” Baier requested. All candidates raised their hands except for former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) and former Gov. Christie.

Christie said “someone has to got to stop normalizing” Trump’s conduct, saying his alleged actions are beneath the Office of the President of the United States. Meanwhile, Ramaswamy called Trump the best president of the 21st century.

Former Vice President Pence defended his decision to not overturn the 2020 election despite alleged requests from Trump to do just that. DeSantis agreed former Vice President Pence did his duty on Jan. 6, 2021, but added that the 2024 election is about January of 2025 and it’s time to look ahead.

Trump, meanwhile, took part in a prerecorded interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that was posted to the social media site X just before the GOP debate started. The interview has garnered more than 135 million views as of early Thursday morning. It should be noted that X measures every person who saw the video in their timeline, not how many people actually watched it.

Trump has said due to his poll numbers showing him ahead of all other candidates he did not need to participate in the GOP debate. In the 46-minute interview, Trump went into further detail on his reasoning to skip it.

“Do I sit there for an hour or two hours, whatever it’s going to be and get harassed by people that shouldn’t even be running for president,” Trump asked. “Should I be doing that?”

Trump called former Gov. Hutchison “nasty,” said Christie is running “solely on the basis of ‘let’s get Trump’” and labeled DeSantis as “done-zo.”

Trump told Carlson he is disappointed in Pence for not sending the 2020 election results back to the states. Pence has said repeatedly he lacked any authority to do so.

The debate and interview came as Trump was expected to surrender to authorities in Georgia Thursday, Aug. 24., on charges he attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state. Trump faces 13 charges including racketeering and conspiracy to commit forgery and false statements.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had given Trump and 18 other co-defendants until noon on Friday, Aug. 25 to turn themselves in. Trump lawyer and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani surrendered Wednesday.

He was booked and released with his bond set at $150,000. That’s just under the $200,000 bond set for Trump.

Attorneys Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell also turned themselves into the Fulton County Jail on Wednesday.
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First 2024 Republican debate field set: The Morning Rundown Aug. 23, 2023

August 23, 2023
The field is set for the first 2024 Republican primary debate, and rescuers rushed to help a group of children dangling from a cable car. These stories and more highlight the Morning Rundown for Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.

First 2024 Republican primary debate set for Wednesday night

Eight Republican candidates vying to become the next president of the United States are set to take part in the first Republican primary debate of the 2024 cycle Wednesday night. Those confirmed by the Republican National Committee (RNC) to be on the stage in Milwaukee include:
- Gov. Ron Desantis (R-FL)
- Tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy
- Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)
- Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley
- Former Vice President Mike Pence
- Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND)
- Former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ)
- Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR)
The candidates all met the RNC’s polling and donor requirements to qualify for the debate. They all received at least 1% in three national polls, or a mix of national and early state polls. They also accrued a minimum of 40,000 donors, with 200 in 20 or more states.

Upon verification of those requirements, each candidate had to sign the GOP loyalty pledge expressing their commitment to the eventual Republican nominee. Four candidates were disqualified from participating based on these requirements, including:
- Michigan businessman Perry Johnson
- Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder
- Miami Mayor Francis Suarez
- Former Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX)
Each of these candidates have voiced their disagreement with the RNC’s decision, with Johnson posting to X “the debate process has been corrupted, plain and simple.” Johnson and Elder have said they plan to sue the RNC over being left off the stage.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, chose to sit out the debate. He has reportedly recorded a sit-down interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. The interview was set to air as counterprogramming, with the debate being broadcast on Carlson’s former network.

Former President Trump has said he does not need to be part of the debate given his massive lead in recent polls. Trump is expected to turn himself into authorities in Georgia on Thursday, Aug. 24 on charges of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state.

U.S. secretary of commerce to visit China

Another top U.S. official is headed to China to discuss the two countries’ commercial relationship. Both countries confirmed Tuesday, Aug. 22 that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo will visit China from Aug. 27-30. While China said the trip was at the invitation of the Chinese minister of commerce, the U.S. has not confirmed if that was the case.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Raimondo’s trip will be an opportunity for the U.S. to explain President Joe Biden’s recent executive order putting investment restrictions on some Chinese tech industries. Other U.S. officials who have traveled to China in the summer of 2023 include Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

UPS workers ratify new contract agreement

UPS workers have overwhelmingly voted to ratify a new five-year contract agreement. The proposed new workers contracts were first reported in late July of 2023.

The tentative deal avoided a significant strike. It includes significant pay increases over the lifetime of the contract, with a 48% increase for its part-time employees and a push to add more full-time workers.

Passengers rescued from suspended cable car in Pakistan

Cameras caught the terrifying moments as eight people, including six children, were left dangling inside a cable car nearly 1,000 feet above a river after one of its cables snapped. Rescuers were able to save all of those on board, despite a helicopter above producing high winds that threatened the rescue mission.

One child was airlifted to safety before officials suspended use of the helicopter. Hours later, officials were able to deploy a zipline to the car and pull everyone to safety.

These makeshift cable cars are meant to make transportation easier, especially for students heading to school. However, the cars are often made from scrap metal and can lack proper maintenance.

Study: Daily aspirin prevents second heart attack

Research shows taking a daily aspirin can prevent a heart attack in adults who have survived an earlier heart attack or stroke. But a new study suggests only about 40% of people worldwide who have previously suffered a heart attack are taking aspirin.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Because of this, the study recommends people with a history of problems to take aspirin as “secondary prevention” – reducing the risk of an additional heart attack or stroke.

Available research has showed the benefits far outweigh the risks, according to the study’s authors. Some countries have far less access, with only 16 percent of people with prior heart attacks taking aspirin in low-income countries. In the U.S., the percentage is closer to 65%, meeting the goal of the World Health Organization.

StubHub: College football ticket sales through the roof

Ticket exchange company StubHub has released its college football preview, with a list of the most in-demand teams and games for the 2023 season. Alabama, Michigan and Notre Dame round out the top three in-demand teams. The most in-demand game is a Sept. 23 meeting between Notre Dame and Ohio State.

Nationally, college football ticket sales are up over 50% compared to 2022. Penn State football ticket sales are up 150% compared to 2022.
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X expands team that polices misinformation ahead of 2024 election

August 18, 2023
The first Republican presidential debate is on Aug. 23, and just as the country prepares for a contentious 2024 election year, X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, is making its own preparations ahead of the election cycle. The company is now hiring as it looks to add employees to its Trust and Safety team. In other words, X is upping the platform’s policing of potential misinformation in users’ posts.

X is reexamining how it labels, makes notes to or removes posts that potentially are fake, misleading or harmful. When Elon Musk took over Twitter, he did so with the promise of it being a safe space for free speech. He quickly gained supporters and critics.

Musk’s supporters rallied behind him in a time when social media censorship was rampant during the last presidential election year in 2020. Posts about the COVID-19 pandemic and Hunter Biden’s laptop scandal were slapped with a label or censored entirely.

Some supporters of Musk’s mission to free speech are now skeptics. They are closely watching what new rules X will ask users to abide by and whether what the platform deems as misinformation could impact an election. Critics of Musk’s rhetoric to roll back censorship argued the same consequence – influence over an election – if the platform doesn’t ramp up its efforts to eliminate misinformation.

Artificial intelligence has picked up steam since the last election cycle which is creating worry that “deepfakes” could mislead voters.

Everything X plans to do with its soon-to-be beefed-up Trust and Safety team is not fully clear right now. But according to the New York Post, the platform will be bringing back content moderators. The platform had cut 80% of its staff after Musk’s takeover.

There are full-time openings that include the head of civic integrity. The company is also hiring contractors to assist specifically for election-related content, according to the report.

X officials have vowed not to censor news outlets, as happened to the New York Post in 2020 over its Hunter Biden laptop coverage under the old Twitter management. The social media site will also unlock a new “community notes” feature for political ads, which allows users to provide context to any post or flag it for review if it looks fake.

The decision on what content should be censored or not can be highly subjective, which means decisions the new X team makes will likely be scrutinized. But it won’t be the first time the platform has faced backlash over post censorship revolving around a presidential election.

This will be the first U.S. presidential election since Musk’s takeover, but censorship decisions earlier this year involving the close election in Turkey had X’s owner under fire. The company censored posts that were critical of incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the Turkish government threatened to shut Twitter down in the country if it didn’t censor hundreds of tweets from four users accounts.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1657422401754259461

“The choice is to have Twitter throttled in its entirety or limit access to some tweets. Which do you want,” Musk tweeted in response.

It won’t be the last time Musk and his X team find themselves balancing free speech rights and fear of misinformation.
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Maui wildfires deadliest in US in 100+ years: The Rundown Aug. 14, 2023

August 14, 2023

The Maui wildfires have now become some of the deadliest in United States history, and cameras captured a plane crashing during an air show. These stories and more highlight The Rundown for Monday, Aug. 14, 2023.

Maui wildfires deadliest in U.S. in more than a century

The wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui are now the deadliest the U.S. has seen in more than 100 years. The death toll has increased daily since the fires first broke out nearly a week ago.

At least 96 people have died in total. Hundreds of people were still unaccounted for as of early morning on Monday, Aug. 14.

Nearly 3,000 structures were destroyed as the blaze traveled with the help of 60 mph winds. Not only is it the worst U.S. wildfire in more than a century, it’s also Hawaii’s largest natural disaster ever.

Recovery efforts are expected to exceed $6 billion. The death toll is expected to continue to go up as search and rescue teams go door-to-door to find those missing.

Residents on some portions of the island said there were no evacuation warnings until it was too late. An investigation into the response efforts of local officials, led by the state’s attorney general, is underway.

Russian ruble falls to 17-month low against dollar

The Russian ruble has hit a 17-month low against the U.S. dollar on Aug. 14, as the war in Ukraine pressed on. The ruble, now worth less than one penny, has lost nearly 40% of its value this year. The Bank of Russia has blamed this on the country’s shrinking balance of trade.

The news comes after a Russian warship fired warning shots at a cargo vessel in the Black Sea on Sunday, Aug. 13. The incident marked the first time the country has fired on a merchant ship beyond Ukraine since exiting the U.N.-brokered grain deal in July of 2023.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said the shots were fired to force the cargo vessel to stop after it didn’t respond for an inspection. One Ukranian official called the warning shots “a clear violation of international law.”

Also on Monday, Aug. 14, Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched missiles and Iranian-made drones at Odessa overnight. Three supermarket employees were injured. On Sunday, Aug. 13, seven people were killed due to Russian shelling in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.

Russia announced it will be equipping its new nuclear submarines with hypersonic zircon missiles. Earlier in 2023, Russian president Vladimir Putin said the country would start supplies of the missiles as part of Russia’s efforts to boost its nuclear forces.

Hunter Biden Lawyers: DOJ backed out of plea deal

In a late court filing on Sunday, Aug. 13, lawyers for Hunter Biden said the Justice Department reneged on the plea deal that would have resolved the tax and gun charges against him. In the filing, Biden’s team said prosecutors had proposed and largely dictated the language in the plea deal.

At a July hearing, Biden had expected to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges as part of the agreement. He ended up pleading not guilty after the judge raised questions about the deal.

Federal prosecutors in Delaware have said Biden may be headed for a criminal trial after the plea negotiation broke down. On Friday, Aug. 11, Attorney General Merrick Garland named U.S. Attorney David Weiss a special counsel in the investigation. Weiss, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, has been investigating Biden since 2019.

Fighter jet crashes during air show, pilots eject into lake

A plane unexpectedly went down during an air show over Michigan. Two pilots were able to eject from the aircraft by parachute and were able to safely land in a lake.

https://twitter.com/danphillips46/status/1690821669206523905

The aircraft eventually crashed at a nearby apartment complex. No injuries were reported.

The aircraft was a Russian fighter jet on display at the “Thunder Over Michigan” air show. The Federal Aviation Administration has begun an investigation into the cause of the crash.

FTX founder’s bail revoked over witness tampering

Sam Bankman-Fried is no longer on house arrest. The founder of the now-bankrupt crypto-exchange company FTX will remain in jail until his criminal trial begins Oct. 2.

A judge revoked Bankman-Fried’s bail, saying he attempted to tamper with witnesses at least twice. Since Bankman-Fried’s arrest in December of 2022, he’s been out on a $250 million bail. He has been staying at his parent’s house in California.

Zuckerberg: ‘It’s time to move on’ from Musk cage fight

The highly anticipated cage fight between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk could be just a pipe dream after Zuckerberg accused Musk of not agreeing to a day and time to fight. Zuckerberg said Musk “isn’t serious” and that “it’s time to move on” from the idea of a fight.

Musk wrote on his social media platform X on Aug. 11 that the cage fight would take place. He said it would be livestreamed on X and Meta, with all proceeds going toward charities.