Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban: How The App Could Survive In The U.S. Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban: How The App Could Survive In The U.S.
Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban: How The App Could Survive In The U.S. The Supreme Court has upheld a new law that could ban TikTok in the U.S. unless its Chinese parent company divests from the very popular video-sharing social media app. The justices said the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" doesn't violate the First Amendment, according to the court's decision on Friday, Jan. 17. The ruling allows for TikTok to potentially be banned in the U.S. as early as Sunday, Jan. 19. TikTok, which has more than 170 million users in the U.S., has come under scrutiny over fears that ByteDance could allow the Chinese gov…
Maryland FBI Agent Tricked Aspiring Models, Raped Them At Tattoo Parlor: Indictment Maryland FBI Agent Tricked Aspiring Models, Raped Them At Tattoo Parlor: Indictment
Maryland FBI Agent Tricked Aspiring Models, Raped Them At Tattoo Parlor: Indictment The FBI special agent from Montgomery County accused of sexually assaulting multiple women has been indicted on a host of charges, authorities announced. Eduardo Valdivia, 40, also known as "Lalo Brown," was arrested late last year following an investigation into reports of rape and other offenses at the Gaithersburg tattoo studio he owns, according to the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office. Valdivia owns DC Fine Line Tattoos on the 9800 block of Washingtonian Boulevard, where the alleged assaults occurred. Initially, two women came forward reporting sexual abuse, leading to Valdi…
Man Kicked Out Of Nightclub Convicted Of Parking Garage Murder In Maryland (VIDEO) Man Kicked Out Of Nightclub Convicted Of Parking Garage Murder In Maryland (VIDEO)
Man Kicked Out Of Nightclub Convicted Of Parking Garage Murder In Maryland (Video) The shooter who opened fire into a group of people and killed a man after getting kicked out of a nightclub in Montgomery County has been convicted, authorities announced. Ramone Christopher Ramsay, who has no known address, was found guilty of murder and other charges by a jury in connection to the murder of 21-year-old Baltimore resident Kymani Elijah Bailey in July 2023. Kymani Elijah Bailey Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office At approximately 2:40 a.m. on July 8, 2023, officers were called to the Montgomery County Public Parking Garage 3 in the 900 block of Silver Sprin…
FDA Approves ZYN Nicotine Pouches For Sale, Restricts Ads Targeting Teens FDA Approves ZYN Nicotine Pouches For Sale, Restricts Ads Targeting Teens
FDA Approves ZYN Nicotine Pouches For Sale, Restricts Ads Targeting Teens The Food and Drug Administration has authorized the sales of 20 types of ZYN nicotine pouches amid concerns about children and teens using the products. The decision allows ZYN nicotine pouches to be legally marketed in the U.S. to adults aged 21 and older, the FDA said in a news release on Thursday, Jan. 6. The small natural fiber pouches are designed to be placed between the gum and lip. The FDA said the pouches contain substantially lower levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes and most smokeless tobacco products, reducing risks of cancer and other serious …
Teen Trading, Selling Child Porn Facing 38 Charges In Charles County: Sheriff Teen Trading, Selling Child Porn Facing 38 Charges In Charles County: Sheriff
Teen Trading, Selling Child Porn Facing 38 Charges In Charles County: Sheriff A teenager in Maryland is facing dozens of charges for allegedly storing and sharing child pornography that depicted some victims around the age of 10, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office. Multiple tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) resulted in a 16-year-old being charged on a juvenile offense report with possession and distribution of child pornography. According to the sheriff's office, investigators were initially tipped off in September 2023 by NCMEC through a cloud storage provider, who said that a user was storing illicit files i…
Meta To Cut 5% Of Lowest-Performing Workers, Zuckerberg Braces For 'Intense Year': Reports Meta To Cut 5% Of Lowest-Performing Workers, Zuckerberg Braces For 'Intense Year': Reports
Meta To Cut 5% Of Lowest-Performing Workers, Zuckerberg Braces For 'Intense Year': Reports Meta will cut thousands of employees in the latest move for the controversial company that owns platforms like Facebook and Instagram, according to reports. An internal memo sent to Meta workers said five percent of low-performing employees will be terminated, Bloomberg News reported. The company that also owns WhatsApp and Threads has more than 72,000 employees, according to Meta's most recent quarterly report. A five-percent reduction would mean about 3,600 people could lose their jobs. "I've decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster,…
'Everything's Gone': Deadly LA Wildfires Destroy Hundreds Of Homes, Causing Apocalyptic Scenes 'Everything's Gone': Deadly LA Wildfires Destroy Hundreds Of Homes, Causing Apocalyptic Scenes
'Everything's Gone': Deadly LA Wildfires Destroy Hundreds Of Homes, Causing Apocalyptic Scenes As wind-whipped wild fires spreading over thousands of acres ravage Los Angeles, many have shared their devastating experiences on social media, including a host of celebrities. The first blaze erupted late Tuesday morning, Jan. 7, in the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood.  Since then, hundreds of homes have been reduced to ashes, entire neighborhoods destroyed, and thousands evacuated. Over 1,000 structures and 25,000 acres have been destroyed. Panicked motorists abandoned vehicles in streets as they rushed to flee the inferno in apocalyptic scenes that seemed like something in…
Meta Drops Fact-Checking Program Ahead Of Trump's White House Return, Company Says Meta Drops Fact-Checking Program Ahead Of Trump's White House Return, Company Says
Meta Drops Fact-Checking Program Ahead Of Trump's White House Return, Company Says Meta is dismantling its third-party fact-checking program in the U.S. and aims to bring back political content as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, the company said. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the changes in a video statement on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The company that owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, will replace its fact-checking program with a Community Notes system similar to the one implemented on X (formerly Twitter). Zuckerberg said the new system's goal is to reduce bias and restore free expression. "Fact-checkers have be…
'People's Choice:' Baby Hippo That Took Social Media By Storm Gets Name After Heated Vote 'People's Choice:' Baby Hippo That Took Social Media By Storm Gets Name After Heated Vote
'People's Choice:' Baby Hippo That Took Social Media By Storm Gets Name After Heated Vote What's in a name?  After a spirited global contest, the people have spoken: Richmond Metro Zoo’s baby pygmy hippo now has a fitting moniker. Poppy. The newborn entered the world on Monday, Dec. 9, and has quickly captivated local residents and animal lovers alike, taking off on social media after being transferred to the zoo family on Christmas Eve. Hippo hooray and Merry Christmas Eve! We’re thrilled to welcome a precious baby pygmy hippo to the zoo family - just in... Posted by Metro Richmond Zoo on Tuesday, December 24, 2024 More than 116,000 votes from 165 countries narr…
Livvy Dunne, Pittsburgh Pirates’ Skenes, Chandler At New Orleans Bar Before Attack Killed 15 Livvy Dunne, Pittsburgh Pirates’ Skenes, Chandler At New Orleans Bar Before Attack Killed 15
Livvy Dunne, Pittsburgh Pirates’ Skenes, Chandler At New Orleans Bar Before Attack Killed 15 LSU gymnast and social media influencer Livvy Dunne, along with her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, and Pirates Pitcher Bubba Chandler were in New Orleans hours before the deadly pickup truck attack that killed 15 people early Wednesday, Jan. 1. Dunne, a native of Bergen County, New Jersey, shared photos on social media of herself, Skenes, and Chandler enjoying the New Orleans nightlife. In one image, the group is seen inside a bar, smiling and seemingly enjoying their evening. Shortly after, Dunne posted another photo of New Orleans with a broken heart emoji, indicating h…
Maryland ESPN Legend Van Pelt Goes Head-To-Head With Dave Portnoy Over Hairline Roast Maryland ESPN Legend Van Pelt Goes Head-To-Head With Dave Portnoy Over Hairline Roast
Maryland ESPN Legend Van Pelt Goes Head-To-Head With Dave Portnoy Over Hairline Roast ESPN legend Scott Van Pelt wasn’t about to let Barstool Sports CEO Dave Portnoy get a head start on mocking a college athlete’s hairline. During the Pittsburgh Panthers’ Thursday, Dec. 26 game against the Toledo Rockets, Portnoy zeroed in on offensive lineman Ryan Baer’s thinning locks after a grueling six-overtime showdown.  “This 6OT game just blessed us with this hairline,” Portnoy said of the 22-year-old athlete. “How old are college kids again?” The viral tweet racked up 9.6 million views, but Brookeville, MD's Van Pelt—who has embraced his own baldness with pride—wasn’t here for…
Maryland Man Facing Decades Behind Bars For Deadly Drug Deal Gone Wrong: State's Attorney Maryland Man Facing Decades Behind Bars For Deadly Drug Deal Gone Wrong: State's Attorney
Maryland Man Facing Decades Behind Bars For Deadly Drug Deal Gone Wrong: State's Attorney A 22-year-old Maryland man is facing decades in prison after being convicted of murdering Walter Woods during a drug deal gone bad in Montgomery County, the state's attorney's office announced. Javier Reyes, 22, of Silver Spring, was found guilty of felony murder and use of a handgun in a crime of violence in connection to the death of the 20-year-old Takoma Park resident last year. Prosecutors say that on March 7, 2023, Reyes and Woods met at a neighborhood park on Hampshire Green Lane in Silver Spring to conduct a drug deal.  Officers responding to a 911 call for the sound of gunsho…