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Meta ordered
to pay $25B
(AP) -- A state judge has ordered Meta to pay New Mexico $25 billion for deceiving users about privacy on Facebook, marking the biggest fine ever against the tech giant. Judge Francis J. Mathew said in Wednesday’s ruling that Facebook’s conduct was intentional and executives consistently misled users.
New Mexico’s attorney general said it should be seen as a warning to tech companies that they will be held accountable. A state jury in September found Meta responsible for millions of violations of state consumer protection laws. The violations stem from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where user data was harvested for political ads during the 2016 election.
Meta is appealing the verdict.
Epstein attorney
stands accused
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- New Mexico’s attorney general is suing Jeffrey Epstein’s attorney and accountant. A lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn of concealing Epstein’s sex trafficking operation at his ranch near Santa Fe.
The lawsuit also seeks to stop them from accepting any payments from the disgraced financier’s estate. Attorney General Raúl Torrez accused Indyke and Kahn of being aware of sexual abuse of girls and young women at Epstein’s Zorro Ranch. Indyke worked as Epstein’s attorney for roughly two decades.
A lawyer for Indyke and Kahn says they knew nothing about abuse and that they “emphatically reject” the state’s allegations.
Pope won’t
need treatment
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Leo’s doctors confirm that his lung cancer was localized, and no further treatment is needed. The Vatican released a statement Wednesday.
Pope Leo returned to the Vatican on Saturday after having the lower lobe of his right lung removed. The surgery confirmed he had lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. His personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, said tests on the tissue removed during surgery confirmed the initial diagnosis and that the cancer had not spread.
A subsequent oncology assessment confirmed no further treatment is necessary.
Chemical tank
leak in Ohio
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- A chemical tank rupture in Toledo, Ohio, forced hundreds of residents to evacuate and others to shelter in place due to the potentially toxic leak. City leaders were allowing the chemical to vent instead of trying to stop the leak.
They said sending in first responders would be even more dangerous. The tank contains a chemical used in plastics and paints. Officials warned it may be explosive, but they said the situation had continued to improve Wednesday afternoon.
Some residents felt irritation in their eyes and throats and one sheriff’s deputy who responded went to a hospital after not feeling well.