Mark Zuckerberg fact-checking; Palisades wildfires : NPR

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Today’s most important news

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced yesterday that the company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, will stop working with third-party fact-checkers. The company created these broad partnerships after the 2016 presidential election in order to slow the spread of false information. Meta’s move comes as Republicans, on their way to power, are discussing cracking down on technology companies. The 2020 election and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated backlash to the feature among conservatives, who expressed it as a form of censorship.

• 🎧 Meta will replace its fact-checking software with a “community feedback” software similar to Elon Musk’s X programwhere users write and rate notes that appear next to a particular post, says NPR’s Bobby Allen arrives first. Restrictions on topics such as immigration and gender identity will also be lifted. Allen says it’s an exaggeration to say these measures represent a major reversal. Zuckerberg stated this Speech is censored on Meta platformsa claim he has previously fought against. The more lax rules come after several developments, including Meta’s $1 million donation to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund.

The annual winter breathing season is upon us in full force. People love to travel for vacation, but the bad news is that they often come home with a nasty bug.

• 🎧 It’s not just the flu that’s on the riseaccording to NPR’s Rob Stein. RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, spreads at high levels. The coronavirus has also begun to resurface. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says this year’s winter will likely be like last year unless a new variant of the coronavirus emerges. Stein says That’s still not as great as it means Many children miss school, parents miss work, and grandparents and other vulnerable people end up in hospital or perhaps die. The human pneumonia virus is receiving attention due to the increase in respiratory diseases in China, but the World Health Organization says the increase is within the expected range for this time of year.

At least three wildfires have burned more than 4,000 acres of land in Southern California, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate. The flames are being driven by Santa Ana winds through the area. The city of Los Angeles declared a state of emergency last night, as winds fueled the rapid spread of wildfires. Here’s what we know about the wildfires currently spreading.

• 🎧 “Right now, I can see a really weird orange glow on the horizon to the north, and that is the Palisades Fire, which is the largest right now.” says NPR’s Liz Becker, who is in Los Angeles. There was one big fire yesterday evening, but it seems as if a new one will pop up every hour, Baker says. He has become a Firefighter’s continuous beating game. Many buildings were burned, including some lifeguard stations on the beach, showing how strong the winds were blowing into the ocean.
• ➡️ More than 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate in Los Angeles County The Palisades Fire also burned through the community. See photos from the evacuation.
• ➡️ You can find the latest Information about the extent of forest fires and the damage caused by them NPR network station LAist.

Deep dive

President Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act during an event in the East Room of the White House on Monday in Washington, D.C.

Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

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Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

President Biden has signed a new law aimed at increasing Social Security payments for nearly 3 million current and former government employees. The law, known as the Social Security Fairness Act, repeals provisions that previously limited benefits for those receiving other pensions. Specifically, it repeals the windfall elimination and state pension offset provisions, which were designed to prevent beneficiaries from “double dipping” in retirement benefits when they collect state or local pensions.

• 🖊️ Unions representing public service workersincluding teachers, firefighters and police officers, say the provisions unfairly punish them.
• 🖊️ Individuals affected by the requirement to eliminate surprises can expect this The average monthly increase is $360, while some spouses affected by state pension compensation may receive an average monthly increase of $700. Both increases are expected to occur by December.
• 🖊️ The benefits will grow over time In line with the cost of living adjustments approved by Social Security.
• 🖊️ No immediate action is required by beneficiaries. People who think they may be eligible should make sure their mailing address and direct deposit information are up to date with the government.

Life advice

Finding lost items doesn’t mean “looking harder.” There is an art and science to that.

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Anastasia Sudenko/Getty Images

When items disappearLooking harder is not the answer; There is an art to that. the Life kit The public knows this well. After a Podcast episode On this subject, many letters Life kitStrange Queen with useful techniques for searching for lost things. Here’s a collection of the tips she was sent:

• 🔍 For a lost wallet: Find the last transaction you made, then go to where you last spent money to search.
• 🔍 Using a flashlight can help. The beam can force you to focus on a limited area at a time.
• 🔍 If you start cleaning and putting things back In its right place, you may find your missing item.
• 🔍 Look carefully at the most visible area. You may miss it.

See the full list Tips and tricks here.

3 things you should know before you go

Zebrafish larvae seen through a microscope at the Institut Pasteur laboratory in Paris in 2023.

Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images

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Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images

1. A team of researchers has discovered that ketamine can alter the circuitry of the zebrafish brain To persevere in adversity. This may help explain how the drug helps people with depression.
2. William H. Dorsey’s previously lost, untitled watercolorwhich represented black wealth and high culture in 19th-century Philadelphia, could be now Viewed at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The painting was found at a thrift store. (via Why?)
3. McDonald’s says it’s changing some inclusion standards She will no longer set “ambitious representation goals.” The restaurant chain is the latest big company to step back from some of its diversification practices.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nouwen.