Meta exposes foreign plot to divide Americans

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:38 GMT

Meta exposes foreign plot to divide Americans Someone in China created thousands of fake social media accounts designed to appear to be from Americans and used them to spread polarizing political content in an apparent effort to divide the U.S. ahead of next year's elections, Meta said Thursday.The network of nearly 4,800 fake accounts was attempting to build an audience when it was identified and eliminated by the tech company, which owns Facebook and Instagram. The accounts sported fake photos, names and locations as a way to appear like everyday American Facebook users weighing in on political issues.Instead of spreading fake content as other networks have done, the accounts were used to reshare posts from X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that were created by politicians, news outlets and others. The interconnected accounts pulled content from both liberal and conservative sources, an indication that its goal was not to support one side or the other but to exaggerate partisan divisions...

Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and bench bolster Warriors key win over Clippers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:38 GMT

Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and bench bolster Warriors key win over Clippers SAN FRANCISCO — Seven Warriors scored in double-digits in the Warriors’ 120-114 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night at Chase Center. Golden State moves to 9-10 in a key win coming off a disastrous meltdown loss in Sacramento.Without Chris Paul, Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II due to injury, the Warriors found contributions from every corner of their bench and kept the pace to hold a lead throughout most of the game. Klay Thompson scored 22 points, including 10 straight within 1:30 minutes to create some separation mid-way through the fourth quarter.A star-studded Clippers team hit timely shots to keep themselves in reach until the end, but Golden State was firing on all cylinders. Steph Curry led the way with 24 points, but Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski were key contributors off the bench.Kuminga had 17 points and six rebounds finishing a plus-13 while the rookie Podziemski scored 13 points and was a plus-12. The Warriors had a total 30 assist...

Dublin wig shop catering to cancer patients vandalized for 15th time

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:38 GMT

Dublin wig shop catering to cancer patients vandalized for 15th time DUBLIN, Calif. (KRON) -- A wig shop in Dublin that caters to cancer patients has been vandalized.The suspect could not get inside this time, but the business has been a frequent target for thieves."They tried to pry this metal out to get the window out," said Valley Rags and Wigs owner Janie Mecham.Fortunately for Mecham, her decision to harden her windows is paying off. The suspect who vandalized her business, Valley Rags and Wigs, early Tuesday morning, could not get inside and took off empty-handed.Still, Mecham says the repairs are costly. How many of these In-N-Out secret menu items do you know? "It's horrible. You just feel violated," said Mecham.A Dublin police officer is investigating the case, Mecham said, and they may have tracked down a license plate number associated with the suspect.Mecham hopes the crime is solved, unlike others in the past captured on surveillance video. She has been in business for more than 30 years and says her shop in Lamps Plus Plaza has been b...

Suspect arrested after dog was dumped inside Rio Vista recycling bin, died at shelter

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:38 GMT

Suspect arrested after dog was dumped inside Rio Vista recycling bin, died at shelter (KRON) -- A Fairfield man was arrested in connection to the death of a dog that was left on the side of a road in unincorporated Rio Vista, the Solano Sheriff's Animal Control Services (SSACS) announced Thursday on Facebook. Officials say the dog was dumped in a recycling bin on Sept. 18.Animal Control located the dog on the side of the road where it was nearing death, according to SSACS. The dog was rushed to Solano County Animal Shelter where the owner was located. Abandoned puppies at Hayward grocery store recovered by police Unfortunately, the dog died at the shelter. "The decision was made to humanely euthanize the animal to end the dog’s suffering," SSACS said.Authorities investigated to find the suspect. FLOCK safety cameras were used to figure out a time frame for when the dog was dumped in the recycling bin. A vehicle associated with the suspect was identified. An Animal Control officer was then able to locate the suspect in their Fairfield residence.The suspect, who was ...

Bay Area city among most popular Spotify Wrapped 'Sound Town' cities

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:38 GMT

Bay Area city among most popular Spotify Wrapped 'Sound Town' cities (KRON) -- Many Spotify users look forward to their "Wrapped" every year, when the app tells people which artists and songs they've listened to most throughout the calendar year.This year, Spotify added a "Sound Town" to its annual recap. This matches users to "the city that has the most similar taste profile to yours," according to Spotify. Several towns were frequently seen as answers, including Berkeley, CA. Spotify associated artists including SZA, Lana Del Rey and Smino with the East Bay city. According to NBC News, 0.3% of all Spotify users got Berkeley as their Sound Town. The most popular Sound Town was San Luis Obispo with 0.8% of all users. How many of these In-N-Out secret menu items do you know? Burlington, VT and Cambridge, MA were other popular answers. Spotify tweeted "hey besties" at Berkeley, Burlington and Cambridge on Wednesday. Spotify Wrapped is always a popular discussion topic on social media, and X users joked about moving to Berkeley based on their Sound T...

The Israeli military says fighter jets are striking Hamas targets in Gaza after weeklong truce expired

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:38 GMT

The Israeli military says fighter jets are striking Hamas targets in Gaza after weeklong truce expired JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says fighter jets are striking Hamas targets in Gaza after weeklong truce expired.Source

Marial has 18 points and 10 rebounds to help Oregon State pull away from UC Davis 71-59

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:38 GMT

Marial has 18 points and 10 rebounds to help Oregon State pull away from UC Davis 71-59 CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Chol Marial came off the bench to score 18 points and grab 10 rebounds and Oregon State pulled away from UC Davis for a 71-59 win on Thursday night, ending a three-game losing streak.Dexter Akanno added 16 points and Jordan Pope 15 for the Beavers (4-3), who made 16 of 18 free throws in the second half and 24 of 28 for the game.Daivs was 15 of 21 from the line in the second half and 17 of 25 for the game, which had 50 fouls, 32 in the second half.Kane Milling led the Aggies (3-3) with 11 points and Leo DeBruhl had 10. Davis, fifth in the country forcing 19 turnovers a game, forced 22 — with Elijah Pepper getting five steals — but couldn’t capitalize with just 14 points. The Beavers scored 16 points off 18 Aggie miscues. Pope and Akanno hit 3-pointers and Marial converted a three-point play in a 14-0 run that turned a 37-30 Davis lead into a 44-37 Beaver lead midway through the second half. The Aggies missed eight-straight shots before ending the scoring ...

Pro Picks: Disrespected Eagles will “upset” the 49ers in an NFC championship rematch

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:38 GMT

Pro Picks: Disrespected Eagles will “upset” the 49ers in an NFC championship rematch Pro Picks is a weekly column where AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi shares his picks for upcoming games. For all previous Pro Picks, head here.___Bust out the dog masks, Philly.The Eagles (10-1) are home underdogs against the San Francisco 49ers (8-3) in an NFC championship rematch on Sunday.Despite coming off impressive comeback wins over Kansas City and Buffalo, the Eagles are just the second team in the last 20 years to be a home underdog with at least a .900 winning percentage and have their starting quarterback healthy in Game 12 or later. The only other one was Pittsburgh vs. New England in 2005 AFC championship. The Patriots won that one. Jalen Hurts has played at an MVP level for Philadelphia but he’s facing a tough defense that’s ranked fifth overall.The 49ers and Brock Purdy are healthy and playing at a high level following a three-game losing streak. San Francisco is a 2 1/2-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.Pro Picks planned to take the 49ers b...

Israel announces resumption of combat in Gaza Strip as truce with Hamas expires

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:38 GMT

Israel announces resumption of combat in Gaza Strip as truce with Hamas expires Palestinians line up for food in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, during a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)(AP/Hatem Ali) Palestinians line up for food in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, during a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)(AP/Hatem Ali) JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military said it had resumed combat operations in the Gaza Strip minutes after a temporary truce with Hamas expired Friday, blaming the militant group for breaking the cease-fire.The truce expired at 7 a.m (0500 GMT) Friday. The halt in fighting began a week ago, on Nov. 24. It initially lasted for four days, and then was extended for several days with th...

Nazem Kadri scores in OT to lift Flames past Stars, 4-3

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:38 GMT

Nazem Kadri scores in OT to lift Flames past Stars, 4-3 CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Nazem Kadri scored at 1:01 of overtime to give the Calgary Flames a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.The puck deflected off Kadri as he drove toward the net on a play that was reviewed for goaltender interference.Calgary tied it with 2:41 remaining in regulation when defensemen MacKenzie Weeger lofted a shot from the blue line past screened goalie Scott Wedgewood.Fellow defensemen Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev also scored for Calgary and Jacob Markstrom assisted on the winner and made 13 saves. The Flames are 6-3-1 in their last 10 and 10-10-3 overall.Mason Marchment twice for Dallas, the second on a penalty shot to give the Stars a 3-2 lead early in the third period. Thomas Harley also scored for Dallas, while Wedgewood made 32 saves. The Stars are 13-5-3. On the penalty shot, Marchment ripped the puck by Markstrom’s glove after Tanev hauled down Marchment on a breakaway up the middle.Dallas successfully challenged Mikael Backlund’s a...