Controversial commentator Katie Hopkins has been permanently suspended from Twitter for violating its hateful conduct policy, the social media giant said.
Ms Hopkins, who had more than one million followers, was previously suspended in January for a week.
But Twitter said her latest ban is permanent.
The social network did not, however, say which tweets Ms Hopkins had posted, to result in the ban.
“Keeping Twitter safe is a top priority for us – abuse and hateful conduct have no place on our service and we will continue to take action when our rules are broken,” it said.
The cited hateful conduct policy bans promotion of violence or direct written attacks and threats on other people, based on a wide range of personal characteristics such as race, gender or sexual orientation.
Ms Hopkins is well-known for both her media appearances and controversial right-wing viewpoints.
She has been re-tweeted by US President Donald Trump on several occasions.
Twitter has recently taken a firmer line against Mr Trump himself over tweets it says break its policies.
The US President has seen warnings placed on some of his tweets and others hidden from general view, although they remain online.
But leaving such tweets up in the public interest is an exception Twitter makes for world leaders – other accounts like Ms Hopkins’ risk being suspended when they break Twitter’s rules.
Workers at Bed Bath & Beyond call centers in multiple states received notices this week that their jobs are being eliminated this summer.
The home goods retailer informed employees at its Ocoee, Florida, call center that more than 220 people would be let go on Aug. 22, according to a letter dated Tuesday and obtained by HuffPost. A separate email from a manager acknowledged an “unsettling†announcement that had left employees with “concerns, fear and disbelief.â€
A question-and-answer document provided to employees referenced mass layoffs at three other locations in the U.S. A spokesperson for Bed Bath & Beyond did not immediately respond to questions from HuffPost about the layoffs, including how many workers in total were let go.
The Salt Lake City-based NBC affiliate KSL TV reported earlier this week that nearly 300 workers at the company’s Layton, Utah, call center were told they would lose their jobs as of Aug. 15.
The other two sites referenced in the Q&A obtained by HuffPost appear to be in New Jersey and Massachusetts. Bed Bath & Beyond is based in New Jersey.
Your role is comprised of work that is transitioning to a third party. Bed Bath & Beyond to its call center workers
Setting aside the record sales at grocery stores, the retail sector was hit hard by the coronavirus, with brick-and-mortar shopping slowing dramatically amid stay-at-home orders. While online retailers continued to grow, companies like Bed Bath & Beyond that rely on sales in physical stores saw a historically sharp drop-off in business this spring.
Sales are now bouncing back, however, with retail sales shooting up 17% in May as states open back up.
But there appears to be little hope that the call center jobs will return with the economy. In the Q&A for employees, the company said the jobs were being outsourced to a “third party†― and that the work will be done “at their offices overseas.â€
The document went on to explain the decision in language that’s probably familiar to the many thousands of call center workers who have lost their jobs in recent years and watched their companies send them to places like the Philippines:
Your role is comprised of work that is transitioning to a third party. The new partner has advantages in technology, automation, and expertise that will allow us to reset our cost structure more efficiently. Based on our need to better align our current cost structure with the current state of the business, this was a difficult decision that we needed to make.
The workers were told they could continue working and remain on payroll until their termination date, at which point they would receive severance pay based upon their length of service to the company.
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OTTAWA — The federal government has approved the NHL’s proposal of a cohort quarantine approach for players entering Canada, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Friday.
The cohort quarantine, which keeps players separate from the general public, would allow the NHL to bypass the traditional 14-day quarantine for anyone entering Canada.
That removes a potential hurdle to the candidacy of Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver as “hub†cities if the league is able to return to play later this summer.
Freeland said the cohort quarantine would involve regular screening. It would be crucial that the directives of medical officers are closely followed, she added.
The three Canadian cities, along with Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Minneapolis/St. Paul, are in the running to be hub cities.
The NHL plans to start training camps for the 24 remaining teams on July 10 and hopes to resume play later in the summer.
A federal judge on Friday is expected to approve Pacific Gas & Electric’s plan to exit bankruptcy, a crucial step in efforts to overhaul a utility whose equipment was involved in some of the worst wildfires to ravage California in recent years.
If the judge confirms PG&E’s bankruptcy plan before the end of June, the company would be allowed to take part in a $20 billion state fund to help cover liabilities from future wildfires started by the company’s transmission lines and other equipment.
But even with that financial shield, reorganized finances and new management, PG&E will face daunting challenges. The company’s operations stretch across a 70,000-square-mile service area that appears increasingly vulnerable to wildfires because of climate change. And it is not clear whether the company, which has been repeatedly cited for negligence, is up to the enormous task of making its transmission system safer.
But ending the bankruptcy process would at least clear the way for payments to victims of the wildfires. Approval of the company’s restructuring plan, which Judge Dennis Montali of U.S. Bankruptcy Court has said he is likely to grant at a hearing on Friday, would authorize $13.5 billion in compensation for about 70,000 homeowners and businesses for their losses in fires started by PG&E’s equipment in recent years.
Half of that compensation will be in PG&E stock, which will be managed in a trust. PG&E said last week that the victims’ trust fund would own 22.19 percent of the company once the utility leaves bankruptcy.
Under its bankruptcy plan, the company would pay its bondholders what they are owed, and its existing shareholders would continue to own a big chunk of PG&E, an unusual outcome in Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases like this one. Usually, shareholders are left with nothing or a tiny percentage of the restructured company.
PG&E sought bankruptcy protection in January 2019 — the second time it has done so in the last two decades — after amassing an estimated $30 billion in liabilities from wildfires. The fires included the state’s most devastating, the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed scores of people and destroyed the town of Paradise.
Some residents and local officials in Northern California had called for the state to take over PG&E and turn it into a utility owned by governments or its customers. But those efforts gained little traction and the PG&E that emerges from bankruptcy will continue to operate as an investor-owned company. That allows the company to raise capital on stock and bond markets.
The restructured PG&E will have a larger debt than when it went into bankruptcy. As a regulated utility, it will in theory be able to shoulder that bigger financial burden. But if PG&E’s equipment is again involved in large wildfires or other disasters, its finances might come under strain, even with the protection of the state wildfire fund, which lawmakers created to help investor-owned utilities.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and state regulators have signed off on the company’s reorganization plan, a prerequisite for the company’s participation in the fund. Access to the fund will give investors some confidence in PG&E’s ability to withstand multibillion-dollar damage claims in the future.
In negotiations with PG&E, Mr. Newsom got executives to agree that the state could take it over if the utility failed to fulfill its obligations under the bankruptcy plan. The company recently appointed a new interim chief executive and overhauled its board to satisfy the governor.
On Tuesday, PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter for starting the Camp Fire. The company and the district attorney of Butte County agreed that PG&E will pay a $3.5 million penalty and give the county $500,000 to cover its investigation. A state judge approved that agreement on Thursday after hearing from people who lost loved ones in the fire.
PG&E’s guilty plea could influence a federal judge overseeing PG&E’s probation arising from its felony convictions in a 2010 gas pipeline explosion near San Francisco. That judge, William H. Alsup, has the power to impose new penalties on the company for violating its probation.
Separately, the California Public Utilities Commission has levied a nearly $2 billion penalty against PG&E for defective maintenance and needless deaths from wildfires in 2017 and 2018.
The company’s critics say PG&E and its shareholders have gotten away with a relatively light punishment from regulators, lawmakers and the courts given the deaths and destruction the utility has caused.
Mark Toney, executive director of the Utility Reform Network, which represents consumers, said policymakers ought to come down hard on the company if its equipment is again implicated in wildfires and other disasters.
“PG&E has been given plenty of chances and has bungled them all,†he said. “There should be no more chances for PG&E.â€
California’s wildfire season, which started this month, is expected to be longer and more intense this year, state officials have said.
It’s important to get back to play and this is what we like to do the most. Special circumstances when you arrive at the stadium and there’s no fan, no atmosphere. But I think we are still looking forward to an intense game.
The most important thing is going back to what made us strong and the behaviours we have shown. I think nobody knows exactly what the level is at the moment. We had a short preseason, only one test. So it will be very interesting to see who adapts quicker to the intense game.
As soon as possible, as much as possible has been the slogan for the past nine games. If we have a good start here, it helps massively. More than 100 days without a premier league game, waiting for playing again means you’re really hot for showing what you can do and how you can play and my players, they are fit and hopefully we see them playing their best.
A YouTube spokeswoman, Andrea Faville, said that Mr. Saladino’s video had received less than 5 percent of its views this year, and that it was not being widely recommended by the company’s algorithms. Mr. Saladino recently reposted the video to Facebook, where it has gotten several million more views.
In some ways, social media has helped Black Lives Matter simply by making it possible for victims of police violence to be heard. Without Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, we might never have seen the video of George Floyd’s killing, or known the names of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery or other victims of police brutality. Many of the protests being held around the country are being organized in Facebook groups and Twitter threads, and social media has been helpful in creating more accountability for police.
But these platforms aren’t just megaphones. They’re also global, real-time contests for attention, and many of the experienced players have gotten good at provoking controversy by adopting exaggerated views. They understand that if the whole world is condemning George Floyd’s killing, a post saying he deserved it will stand out. If the data suggests that black people are disproportionately targeted by police violence, they know that there’s likely a market for a video saying that white people are the real victims.
The point isn’t that platforms should ban people like Mr. Saladino and Ms. Owens for criticizing Black Lives Matter. But in this moment of racial reckoning, these executives owe it to their employees, their users and society at large to examine the structural forces that are empowering racists on the internet, and which features of their platforms are undermining the social justice movements they claim to support.
They don’t seem eager to do so. Recently, The Wall Street Journal reported that an internal Facebook study in 2016 found that 64 percent of the people who joined extremist groups on the platform did so because Facebook’s recommendations algorithms steered them there. Facebook could have responded to those findings by shutting off groups recommendations entirely, or pausing them until it could be certain the problem had been fixed. Instead, it buried the study and kept going.
As a result, Facebook groups continue to be useful for violent extremists. This week, two members of the far-right “boogaloo†movement, which wants to destabilize society and provoke a civil war, were charged in connection with the killing of a federal officer at a protest in Oakland, Calif. According to investigators, the suspects met and discussed their plans in a Facebook group. And although Facebook has said it would exclude boogaloo groups from recommendations, they’re still appearing in plenty of people’s feeds.
Hairdressers and barbers will be reopen on June 29, and gatherings of up to 50 people indoors is allowed after the government brought forward a series of relaxation measures.
aoiseach Leo Varadkar said that after studying advice from the National Public Health and Emergency Team (NPHET), Cabinet approved the rephasing of the road map.
Mr Varadkar said that, apart from some exceptions, most things are now being moved to phase three beginning on June 29.
These include the reopening of churches and places of worship, gyms, cinemas, leisure facilities, hairdressers, beauticians and barber shops.
Mr Varadkar also said that all sporting activities, including close contact sports, can recommence.
While people are still advised to work from home if they can, mass gatherings of people will be limited to 50 people indoors and 200 people outdoors in phase three.
This will rise to 100 people indoors and 500 people outdoors on July 20.
Speaking at Government Buildings in Dublin, Mr Varadkar said: “As a country, we got through this without giving way to despair by looking out for each other and by staying hopeful.
“The spirit of hope proved to be contagious has brought us to where we are now, ahead of schedule, able to accelerate the opening of our society and our economy.
“I’m making this announcement today to give people time to prepare so the places can be ready to reopen.
“But we all need to stay careful. It will not be as it was before the start of the pandemic.
“For now sports will take place with very limited numbers of spectators.
“We are making progress but this announcement comes with terms and conditions. The virus hasn’t gone away, we’re all still susceptible.
“As our country is reopened in a controlled and measured way, personal responsibility will become more important than ever before.
“So we’re asking people to consider four things before making a decision about doing something and at all times evaluate the risk for yourself and to others.
“These four things are – distance, activity, time, and environment or Date for short.
“Distance – always try to stay two meters apart from somebody else if possible.
“Activity – wash your hands regularly, wear a face covering on public transport or in a crowded indoor place like a supermarket.
“T for time. The length of time and the amount of time you spend with a person or group increases your risk, and the environment, always bear in mind that a closed poorly ventilated indoor space is much riskier than being outdoors.
“Taking responsibility means not entering your place if you see that is packed. It means leaving somewhere, even if you’re having a good time, if you’ve been there for too long.
“It means exercising judgment and self control.â€
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on a Dublin Bus in Dublin city centre encouraging passengers to wear face masks on public transport (Niall Carson/PA)
PA
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on a Dublin Bus in Dublin city centre encouraging passengers to wear face masks on public transport (Niall Carson/PA)
Mr Varadkar said there is more work to do and said the next road map will be for economic recovery.
He said the public need to show the same “determination and ambition†in leading economic recovery and creating new jobs.
“Many people have asked how quickly can we bounce back, and how long will it take before our economy returns to where it was before,†he added.
“The truth is we cannot know for sure. Some have asked whether there’s a limit to what we can achieve. My answer is that limit does not exist.
“We’ve been here before and we know the way we know what needs to be done and the next road map will be a road map for economic recovery, the National recovery plan.â€
On Friday, Ireland’s coronavirus death toll rose to 1,714 after a further two deaths were announced by the NPHET.
There were 13 new confirmed cases of the virus in Ireland, taking the total to 25,368 since the Covid-19 outbreak began.
Taylor, who was black, was shot eight times by officers who burst into her Louisville home using a no-knock warrant during a March 13 narcotics investigation. No drugs were found at her home.
A letter the chief sent to Hankison said the officer violated standard operating procedures when he “wantonly and blindly fired 10 rounds into the apartment of Breonna Taylor.â€
The letter says he fired the rounds “without supporting facts†that the deadly force was directed at a person posing an immediate threat.
“In fact, the 10 rounds you fired were into a patio door and window which were covered with material that completely prevented you from verifying any person as an immediate threat or more importantly any innocent persons present,” the letter states.
I find your conduct a shock to the conscience,” Schroeder said in the letter. “Your actions have brought discredit upon yourself and the Department.â€
Sam Aguiar, an attorney for Taylor’s family said the move was overdue.
“It’s about damn time. It should have happened a long time ago, but thankfully it’s at least happening now,†Aguiar said. “This is an officer that’s plagued our streets and made this city worse for over a dozen years. … Let’s hope that this is a start to some good, strong criminal proceedings against Officer Hankison, because he definitely deserves to at least be charged.â€
The warrant to search Taylor’s home was in connection with a suspect who did not live there. Police used a “no-knock†search warrant, which allows them to enter without first announcing their presence. Louisville’s Metro Council recently voted to ban the use of no-knock warrants.
The release in late May of a 911 call by Taylor’s boyfriend marked the beginning of days of protests in Louisville, fueled by Taylor’s death and the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.
Beyonce recently joined the call for charges against the officers involved in Taylor’s shooting. The superstar said in a letter to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron that the three Louisville police officers “must be held accountable for their actions.â€
For as long as she can remember, Katie Rappaport has enjoyed asking that question whenever she noticed that a family member or friend had drifted into deep thought.
She was referring to James Strickland, also 33, and their “unforgettable conversation,†as she put it, that took place in October 2018 in Mr. Strickland’s Nashville apartment.
Three months earlier, they began dating in New York after matching on two apps, Hinge and the League. At the time, Mr. Strickland was busy with an internship at an investment banking firm in New York that was a part of his studies at Vanderbilt, where he was a year away from earning an M.B.A.
When Mr. Strickland returned to Nashville, he sent Ms. Rappaport four enormous balloons, together spelling XOXO, as well as 50 additional balloons to her office in Lower Manhattan, as a way of demonstrating just how much he missed her.
Ms. Rappaport was soon heading to Nashville, sitting with Mr. Strickland on his sofa. They talked about religion — she’s Jewish, he’s Roman Catholic — and their mutual love of the outdoors, where both enjoy fly-fishing. And they discussed their love affair with New York City. She grew up in Indianapolis and worked with disadvantaged youth in rural Ohio through AmeriCorps and later at Ohio State University, and he lived in Tallahassee, Fla., and in several other areas of the state before arriving in New York by way of Nashville.
At some point during their long chat, Ms. Rappaport noticed that Mr. Strickland had drifted into deep thought, and instinctively, she sprung into action. “Tell me what you’re thinking,†she said.
He did not mince words, creating the kind of conversation starter that neither could have possibly imagined at that point of their brief relationship. “I have been thinking about what it would be like to marry you,†he told Ms. Rappaport. She could only stare back in stunned disbelief and say, “Are you asking me to marry you?â€
He told her he was, but just not at that time in their lives.
“Ask me again,†she said.
He obliged, and they both agreed to let that precious moment serve as a verbal commitment to one another and that one day, they would indeed get married.
On June 21, 2019, Mr. Strickland got down on one knee and proposed to Ms. Rappaport at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France.
They spent the next two days in Beaulieu-sur-Mer on the French Riviera, drinking champagne and celebrating.
The couple initially chose to be married June 6, 2020 at Newfields, a 152-acre campus that houses the Indianapolis Museum of Art. They had already sent out invitations for 250 guests. But because of restrictions created by the coronavirus, the couple, who were able to save the date, moved their wedding ceremony and reception to the home of the bride’s parents in Indianapolis.
Rabbi Brett Krichiver officiated before the couple and 16 members of their families.
Shortly after they were married, the newlyweds went outside and rode bicycles, and were saluted by neighbors, some hoisting glasses of wine, others tossing flower petals in their direction.
When asked what she was thinking while bike riding in her wedding dress, the groom pedaling beside, the bride said, ‘‘I was thinking that I could not have imagined a sweeter ending to our wedding day.â€
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