V-J Day 'Kiss' photo stays on display as VA head reverses department memo that would've banned it
The Veterans Affairs secretary is reversing a department memo that aimed to ban VA displays of the iconic โV-J Day in Times Squareโ photograph showing a Navy sailor kissing a woman he did not know on the streets of New York at the end of World War II.
Man charged with attacking police in Times Square, vilified in Trump ad, was misidentified, DA says
A Venezuelan man who became the subject of national attention for allegedly kicking a police officer in Times Square, then flipping off news cameras on his way out of court, was cleared of wrongdoing on Friday.
Brawl between migrants and police in New York's Times Square touches off backlash
A video showing a group of migrants brawling with police in Times Square has touched off a political furor and renewed debate over a long-standing New York City policy that limits cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities.
New Year's Eve sweeps across the globe, but wars cast a shadow on 2024
New Yearโs Day arrived to cheers from thousands in New Yorkโs Times Square where a sparkling crystal ball descended to start 2024 with hope for some, even as the worldโs ongoing conflicts subdued celebrations and raised security concerns across the globe.
New York can enforce laws banning guns from 'sensitive locations' for now, U.S. appeals court rules
New York can continue to enforce laws banning firearms in sensitive locations, a federal appeals court ruled Friday in its first broad review of a host of new gun rules passed in the state after a landmark Supreme Court ruling last year.
NYPD officer cites 'courtesy cards,' used by friends and family of cops, as source of corruption
A New York City police officer is speaking out against the use of โcourtesy cardsโ by friends and relatives of cops, accusing department leaders of maintaining a sprawling system of impunity that has fueled both reckless driving and racist traffic stops.
Striking Hollywood writers vow not to picket Tony Awards, opening the door to some kind of show
Striking members of the Writers Guild of America have said they will not picket next monthโs Tony Award telecast, clearing a thorny issue facing show organizers and opening the door for some sort of Broadway razzle-dazzle.
Wave of sex abuse lawsuits seen as NY opens door for victims
Sexual assault victims in New York are getting a one-time opportunity to sue their abusers under a new law expected to bring a wave of litigation against prison guards, middle managers, doctors and prominent figures including former President Donald Trump.
Suspect in attack on Asian American woman in NYC is arrested
Police said Brandon Elliot, 38, is the man seen on surveillance video kicking and stomping the woman near Times Square on Monday. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the attack โabsolutely disgusting and outrageousโ and said it was โabsolutely unacceptableโ that witnesses didnโt help the woman. Two lobby workers, described by their union as doormen, were seen on video witnessing the attack but failing to help Kari. This year in New York City, there have been 33 hate crimes with an Asian victim as of Sunday, police said. Joo Han, the deputy director of the Asian American Federation, called the plainclothes patrols a โknee-jerk responseโ that ignored misgivings she said many people in Asian communities have about law enforcement.
New York City launches push to vaccinate theater workers
After the virus descended on New York, the only sounds in the streets were wailing ambulance sirens. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)NEW YORK โ New York City is taking steps toward the reopening of the city's theaters, creating vaccination and testing sites for stage workers in a bid to restore a key part of New York's draw. Itโll be staffed by workers from the theater industry. The city also plans for a mobile unit that will serve off-Broadway theaters and pop-up testing sites at or near theaters. โVaccination and testing sites for theatre workers are a great step towards recovery and bringing Broadway back," said a statement from The Broadway League.
Facebook to label vaccine posts to combat COVID-19 misinfo
With vaccination against COVID-19 in full swing, social platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter say theyve stepped up their fight against misinformation that aims to undermine trust in the vaccines. And their efforts to weed out other types of COVID-19 misinformation often with fact-checks, informational labels and other restrained measures, has been woefully slow. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)LONDON โ Facebook is adding informational labels to posts about vaccines as it expands efforts to counter COVID-19-related misinformation flourishing on its platforms. โFor example, weโre adding a label on posts that discuss the safety of COVID-19 vaccines that notes COVID-19 vaccines go through tests for safety and effectiveness before theyโre approved," Zuckerberg said. And their efforts to weed out other types of COVID-19 misinformation โ often with fact-checks, informational labels and other restrained measures, has been woefully slow.
Facebook moves to dismiss federal, state antitrust suits
FILE - This March 29, 2018, file photo shows the Facebook logo on screens at the Nasdaq MarketSite, in New York's Times Square. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)Facebook has asked a court to dismiss state and federal antitrust lawsuits that accuse it of abusing its market power in social networking to crush smaller competitors. The antitrust suits, filed in December by the Federal Trade Commission and 48 states, are seeking remedies that could include a forced spinoff of the social networkโs popular Instagram and WhatsApp services. In an emailed statement, James said Facebook is โwrong on the law and wrong on our complaint." Lawmakers and consumer advocates have accused Facebook of anticompetitive behavior, most starkly in buying up aspiring smaller rivals like Instagram and WhatsApp and by copying competitors.
Judge approves $650M Facebook privacy lawsuit settlement
FILE - This March 29, 2018, file photo shows the Facebook logo on screens at the Nasdaq MarketSite, in New York's Times Square. A federal judge on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021 approved a $650 million settlement of a privacy lawsuit against Facebook for allegedly using photo face-tagging and other biometric data without permission of its users. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)SAN FRANCISCO โ A federal judge on Friday approved a $650 million settlement of a privacy lawsuit against Facebook for allegedly using photo face-tagging and other biometric data without the permission of its users. U.S. District Judge James Donato approved the deal in a class-action lawsuit that was filed in Illlinois in 2015. Nearly 1.6 million Facebook users in Illinois who submitted claims will be affected.
Facebook signs pay deals with 3 Australian news publishers
(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)CANBERRA โ Facebook announced on Friday preliminary agreements with three Australian publishers, a day after the Parliament passed a law that would make the digital giants pay for news. Facebook said letters of intent had been signed with independent news organizations Private Media, Schwartz Media and Solstice Media. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the new Australian law was critical to the deals that Australian media businesses were negotiating with the two gateways to the internet. News Corp. Australia executive chairman Michael Miller said last week that his company had pay negotiations with Facebook. I think the door is still open,โ Miller told a Senate inquiry into Australian media diversity.
Unfriended no more: Facebook to lift Australia news ban
Facebook said on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, it lift its ban on Australians sharing news after a deal was struck on legislation that would make digital giants pay for journalism. Google also had threatened to remove its search functions from Australia because of the proposed law, but that threat has faded. AdโThere is no doubt that Australia has been a proxy battle for the world,โ Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said. The legislation was designed to curb the outsized bargaining power of Facebook and Google in their negotiations with Australian news providers. โWeโre restoring news on Facebook in Australia in the coming days.
Facebook steps up vaccine misinfo efforts. Will it work?
FILE - This March 29, 2018 file photo shows the Facebook logo on screens at the Nasdaq MarketSite, in New York's Times Square. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)A inoculation efforts for the coronavirus ramp up around the world, Facebook says itโs going all in to block the spread of bogus vaccine claims. Among Facebookโs new targets: claims include that vaccines arenโt effective or that theyโre toxic, dangerous or cause autism, all of which have been thoroughly debunked for both the coronavirus vaccine and any other vaccine. AdIn the fall of 2020, the company banned advertisements that discourage vaccinations โ with an exception carved out for advocacy ads about government vaccine policies โ but at that time it didn't ban unpaid posts by users. Itโs not clear if Facebookโs newly-expanded policy will be more effective than its past attempts to clamp down on COVID and vaccine-related misinformation.
'A long two days': Major storm pummels Northeast with snow
Although the heaviest parts of the storm had moved through the metropolitan area by Monday evening, lighter snow showers were expected to continue virtually all day Tuesday, forecaster James Tomasini said. โWeโre looking at a long two days here,โ New York Gov. Across the Northeast, many coronavirus vaccination sites closed Monday. AdHundreds of flights and many trains and were canceled, and aboveground New York City subway service stopped at 2 p.m. In recent days, a storm system blanketed parts of the Midwest, with some areas getting the most snow in several years.
UK opens formal investigation of Facebook's Giphy takeover
The U.K.'s competition watchdog launched a formal investigation on Thursday Jan. 28, 2021 into Facebook's purchase of Giphy over concerns it will stifle competition for animated images. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)LONDON โ The U.K.'s competition watchdog launched a formal investigation on Thursday into Facebook's purchase of Giphy over concerns it will stifle competition for animated images. The watchdog started examining the deal last year, shortly after Facebook announced its plan to acquire Giphy in a deal reportedly worth $400 million. โWe will continue to fully cooperate with the CMAโs investigation," Facebook said in a statement. Half of Giphyโs traffic comes from Facebookโs apps, which also include Messenger and WhatsApp, Facebook said when it announced the deal.
AP sources: Michael Strahan tests positive for COVID-19
FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017 file photo, Former New York Giant Michael Strahan poses for a picture at the opening of "NFL Experience" in Times Square, New York. Pro Football Hall of Famer and Good Morning America host Michael Strahan has tested positive for COVID-19 and is self-quarantining, according to people familiar with the situation. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)Pro Football Hall of Famer and โGood Morning Americaโ host Michael Strahan has tested positive for COVID-19 and is self-quarantining, according to people familiar with the situation. Strahan, who also provides analysis on the โFox NFL Sundayโ pregame show, appeared remotely during last Sundayโs NFC championship game. The 49-year-old Strahan has been absent from the ABC morning show all week and it remains uncertain when he will be on again.
Facebook's oversight board to rule on Trump ban
Facebooks quasi-independent oversight board will decide whether the companys decision to ban Trump indefinitely from its platform for inciting his supporters to storm the Capitol was the right one. ,(AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)OAKLAND, Calif. โ Facebook is passing the buck for its indefinite suspension of former president Donald Trump to a quasi-independent oversight board, setting up a major test of the recently established panel. But it said it's referring the matter to the oversight board for what it called an โindependent judgmentโ on upholding the decision. The first four board members were directly chosen by Facebook. CEO Jack Dorsey defended his companyโs Trump ban in a philosophical Twitter thread last week, saying that resulting risk to public safety created an โextraordinary and untenable circumstanceโ for the company.
Morgan Stanley profits rise 48%, helped by strong markets
FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2011, file photo, the Morgan Stanley logo is displayed on its Times Square building, in New York. Morgan Stanley saw its fourth-quarter profits surge 48% from a year earlier, as the Wall Street bank benefited from the markets upward swing and investors jubilation for tech stocks and IPOs late last year. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ Morgan Stanley saw its fourth-quarter profits surge 48% from a year earlier, as the Wall Street bank benefited from the marketโs upward swing and investors jubilation for tech stocks and IPOs late last year. Like its primary competitor Goldman Sachs, who also saw a massive profit increase, Morgan Stanley saw a surge of revenue in its core investment banking and trading operations. Morgan Stanley has a large business taking companies public, and several large tech firms went public in the last three months of the year.
EU court opinion leaves Facebook more exposed over privacy
Any EU country's privacy watchdog can take legal action against companies like Facebook over cross-border violations of the bloc's strict privacy rules, an adviser to the European Union's top court said Wednesday Jan. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)LONDON โ Any EU country can take legal action against companies like Facebook over cross-border violations of data privacy rules, not just the main regulator in charge of the company, a top court adviser said Wednesday. The advice from the European Court of Justiceโs Advocate General Michal Bobek potentially paves the way for an onslaught of fresh data privacy cases across the EU, experts said. In Facebook's case, it's the Data Protection Commission in Ireland, where the company's European headquarters is based. Businesses could also face a bigger compliance burden responding to more privacy cases in multiple EU markets, because it would be easier for people to file complaints to their local privacy watchdog, said Cillian Kieran, CEO of privacy compliance startup Ethyca.
Homebound viewers boost New Year's Eve ratings; a CNN high
NBC was the highest-rated broadcast network last week, averaging 4.6 million viewers in prime time. Fox News Channel had 1.7 million viewers, CNN had 1.6 million, Hallmark had 1.42 million, MSNBC had 1.4 million, HGTV had 1.3 million and TNT had 1.2 million. ABCโs โWorld News Tonightโ won the evening news ratings race, averaging 9.75 million viewers. College Football Bowl Studio, ESPN, 16.1 million. College Football Playoffs Semifinal, ESPN, 13.4 millionCollege Football Bowl Studio, ESPN, 13.5 million.