Housing

Facebook will change its algorithms to prevent discriminatory housing advertising and its parent company will subject itself to court oversight to settle a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday. In a release, U.S. government officials said it had reached agreement with Meta Platforms Inc., formerly known as Facebook Inc., to settle the lawsuit filed simultaneously in Manhattan federal court. According to the release, it was the Justice Department’s first case challenging algorithmic discrimination under the Fair Housing Act. Facebook will now be subject to Justice Department approval and court oversight for its ad targeting and delivery system. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams called the lawsuit “groundbreaking.” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke called it “historic.” Ashley Settle, a Facebook spokesperson, said in an email that the company was “building a novel machine learning method without our ads system that will change the way housing ads are … [Read more...] about Facebook and U.S. sign deal to end discriminatory housing ads

A house has collapsed sparking the evacuation of several properties as two people - including a teenager - have been rushed to hospital. An 18-year-old man was airlifted to Royal Preston Hospital "suffering major trauma" and a woman was also taken to the Royal Blackburn for assessment, authorities said. Burnley Police, Lancashire Fire and Rescue and North West Ambulance Service are at the scene on Sefton Terrace. Two people were rescued by neighbours, the fire department said. It is unclear what caused the explosion. This is a mostly residential area a short distance from Burnley Manchester Road train station. Have you been affected by this incident? [email protected] Two people have been taken to hospital ( Image: Lancs Live) Ambulance services conveyed two patients to the hospital ( Image: Lancs Live/MEN Media) A Lancashire Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: "We're currently dealing with an explosion in a house on Sefton Terrace, … [Read more...] about Teen airlifted to hospital with major injuries after two rescued from house explosion

Analysts from the University of Virginia Center for Politics, who predict the probable outcomes of U.S. House of Representatives races, released three new predictions on Wednesday, moving all of them in favor of Republican candidates. The University of Virginia Center for Politics shifted their House predictions in favor of the Republicans in three congressional districts. The districts the Center for Politics reassessed were: Alaska’s Special Election to fill the state’s at-large congressional seat, vacant by the passing of Rep. Don Young (R), went from “Likely Republican” to “Safe Republican.” Rep. Michelle Steel (R) in California’s 45th Congressional District went from “Toss-up” to “Leans Republican.” Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D) in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District went from “Safe Democrat” to “Likely Democrat.” The biggest surprise from the latest rating changes might be Wexton’s congressional district. Breitbart News previously reported that Wexton was one of … [Read more...] about Analysts Shift Multiple House Predictions In Favor of Republicans

After uncharacteristically switching off her Instagram channel for a number of days, Britney Spears is now back on the platform after fan concern. The pop star deactivated her account just days after her wedding to Sam Asghari. Her fans speculated about the reason she turned away from Instagram, but they needn't have worried as Spears returned with exciting news she couldn't wait to share. Within hours of returning late on Wednesday, Spears had posted about her new hairstyle and her new house. "Haven't been on my honeymoon yet," the 40-year-old wrote in her first post since returning to Instagram, "got married and moved into a new house around the same time ... not the smartest thing to do." Spears' post was littered with emoji to share how she was feeling as she wrote. "It's so weird I wake up and everything is new, new pool, new kitchen, new bed, I think I'm in shock!" Spears continued, "Figuring out a couple of things, I definitely like being outside but I also like … [Read more...] about Britney Spears returns to Instagram with new look, house amid fan concerns

The rising cost of buying a house in America has been further emphasized by an unearthed advert from the 1950s showing the comparatively low prices of property in that period. In a week where data showed housing affordability in the U.S. at a 15-year low , with mortgage payments higher than rent in 45 of America's 50 largest metropolitan regions, a tweet by glory_manz has further highlighted the difficulties facing homebuyers today. Captioned: "They really had it easy back then", the newspaper advert featured in the tweet centers around a development at Westwood Lake, Southwest Miami, Florida , where, according to the copy, "more than 600 homes" were "built and sold" in the space of seven months. The advert, created by real estate and land investment firm The Mackle Company, goes on to list two-bedroom properties at $7,450 or for monthly payments of $47.92. Three-bedroom properties, meanwhile, are priced at $7,900 or $49.74. At the time of writing, the post had been … [Read more...] about Advert showing 1950s house prices stuns internet: ‘Had it easy back then’

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 WASHINGTON (AP) — A lack of clear, concise and consistent messaging about the seriousness of the novel coronavirus in the earliest months of its spread created a false sense of security among Americans that the pandemic would not be serious and resulted in inaction early on across the federal government. That was the assessment of Dr. Deborah Birx, who served as the COVID response coordinator under former President Donald Trump and testified for the first time Thursday before a House panel about her time in the Trump administration. “It wasn't just the president, many of our leaders, were using words like ‘we could contain,' and you cannot contain a virus that cannot be seen," Birx said. “And it wasn't being seen because we weren't testing." Birx appeared before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, whose partisan divide was evident throughout the hearing as … [Read more...] about Birx describes a White House divided on COVID response

New home sales increased by less than expected across the U.S. last month, after a slump in April, according to data released today by the Census Bureau. Sales of new single-family houses in May were 10.7 percentage points above the revised total of 629,000 in April, when new home sales plunged 16.6 percent month-on-month to their lowest level since April 2020, as costs continued rising for both home builders and potential buyers. May's new home sales were still 5.9 percent below the May 2021 estimate of 740,000. Why Are New Home Sales Stalling? First-time buyers are being squeezed out of the market, as a combination of soaring mortgage rates, the limited inventory available, soaring inflation and record-high home prices—34 percent higher now than two years ago—is hitting them hard. Buying a house is simply not affordable for many people at the moment. Mortgage rates are at their highest levels since 2008, after the average 30-year rate rose from 3.1 percent to 6.28 … [Read more...] about Are we heading for a housing market crash? What home sales data reveals

Republican Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde introduced legislation Wednesday that would eliminate the federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition. The legislation, a copy of which was first obtained by the Daily Caller, has 49 cosponsors in the House. The bill is titled the RETURN (Repealing Excise Tax on Unalienable Rights Now) our Constitutional Rights Act and pushes back against the excise tax that is applied at the manufacturer level for every firearm and all ammunition sold in the U.S. Currently, the excise tax is 10% on the sale of pistols and revolvers and 11% on the sale of all other types of guns as well as cartridges. The legislation also comes as Democratic Virginia Rep. Don Beyer introduced legislation to impose a 1,000% tax on semi-automatic weapons. “Democrats gearing up to tax firearms into oblivion simultaneously enjoy the perks of armed Capitol Police — or armed private security. Of course, some of these same lawmakers also radically call to defund and dismantle … [Read more...] about EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Introduce Legislation To Eliminate Federal Excise Tax On Guns, Ammo

Ukrainian artillery reportedly hit a hangar on a farm that was housing Russian armored vehicles. The footage appears to show a farmhouse with Russian troops present. The area is then repeatedly shelled, with multiple buildings being hit and Russian armored vehicles reportedly being destroyed. The images were obtained Tuesday evening from the 45th Separate Artillery Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The footage was also shared by the Strategic Communications Department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who said: "Morning would not be morning without fried Russians." They signed off with the well-known slogan "Slava Ukraini!", which means "Glory to Ukraine!" in English. Zenger News contacted Russian and Ukrainian officials for comment but had not received a reply at the time of writing. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is calling a "special military operation." Wednesday marks the 119th day of the invasion. The General Staff of the Armed Forces … [Read more...] about Ukrainian artillery hits farm housing Russian armored vehicles

The House Armed Services Committee voted Wednesday to increase Pentagon fiscal year 2023 defense spending by $37 billion, with one lawmaker attributing the increase to the Russia-Ukraine war, Chinese aggression and rising inflation. Democratic Representative Jared Golden of Maine sponsored the amendment, which was approved by a 42-17 vote and increases top-line spending that surpasses the White House's proposed $773 billion in Department of Defense spending aimed at keeping pace with China. If successful, the amendment would increase national defense spending from about $802 billion to $839 billion. It falls short of the approximate $847 billion in National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) top-line spending approved by a 23-3 Senate Armed Services Committee vote on June 16. "We need only look to world events in Ukraine, read reports regarding China's plans and actions in the South China Sea , or simply read the latest headlines about Iranian nuclear ambitions and North … [Read more...] about House pushes extra $37 billion in defense to combat China, inflation