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A28 u.s. news
Diamars 24 mei 2022

Cooler weather helps firefighters battling New Mexico blaze

MORA, N.M. (AP) — this year.
Firefighters in New Mex- Wildfires have broken out
ico who are battling the this spring in multiple states
nation’s largest active in the western U.S., where
wildfire said Monday that climate change and an en-
cooler weather helped during drought are fanning
them prevent the blaze the frequency and intensity
from growing as nearly of forest and grassland fires.
3,000 firefighters worked The number of square miles
to strengthen and increase burned so far this year is far
their firebreaks. above the 10-year national
average.
Authorities also took stock Fire crews continued to make
of the ecological impact of progress toward cordoning
the blaze in a survey of burn off a wildfire on the outskirts
severity and soil damage in of a U.S. national security re-
areas that may be prone to search station at Los Alamos,
extreme erosion and lengthy New Mexico. That fire in the
deforestation. wooded Jemez Mountains
The blaze that started near- was 85% encircled by clear-
ly seven weeks ago in the ings and barriers that can stop
Rocky Mountains foothills a wildfire from spreading
remained just 40% contained further, U.S. authorities said.
Monday. Fire crews were In southwestern New Mex-
helped over the weekend by kilometers) of timber, grass- that burned in recent weeks, The fire is among five active ico, a fire that is burning
water-dropping helicopters land and brush and evacu- including public and private large fires in the state and through portions of the Gila
and aircraft and cooler tem- ations have been place for land. among 14 nationally, accord- National Forest triggered
peratures, but warmer weath- weeks. About one-firth of the area ing to the National Inter- new evacuations on Sun-
er was expected Monday. On Monday, the U.S. For- experienced high-severity agency Fire Center. day in rural areas, as emer-
The blaze started as two fires est Service released a survey burning that can lead to heavy The New Mexico fire ac- gency crews labored to pro-
and burned into one large of vegetation and soil dam- and even dangerous erosion. counts for nearly 60% of tect homes and outbuildings
conflagration. Flames have age across 118 square miles ( Trees in those areas will take the 536 square miles (1,388 from advancing flames.q
consumed more than 484 465 square kilometer) of the many years to recover with- square kilometers) consumed
by wildfires in the U.S. so far
square miles (1,253 square Sangre de Cristo Mountains out planting.

Appeals court: Florida law on social media unconstitutional

lar decision by a Florida fed- potential run for the 2024 and Unfair Trade Practices
eral district judge on the law, GOP presidential nomina- Act. It would also allow indi-
which was signed by DeSan- tion. He was the first gover- vidual Floridians to sue social
tis in 2021. It was part of an nor to sign a bill like this into media companies for up to
overall conservative effort to law, although similar ones $100,000 if they feel they’ve
portray social media com- have been proposed in other been treated unfairly.
panies as generally liberal in states. The bill targeted social me-
outlook and hostile to ideas One of those, in Texas, was dia platforms that have more
outside of that viewpoint, allowed to go into effect by than 100 million monthly us-
especially from the political the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of ers, which include online gi-
right. Appeals, and the tech compa- ants as Twitter and Facebook.
“Some of these massive, mas- nies involved there are asking But lawmakers carved out an
sive companies in Silicon Val- for emergency U.S. Supreme exception for the Walt Disney
ley are exerting a power over Court review on whether to Co. and their apps by includ-
our population that really has block it. No decision on that ing that theme park owners
no precedent in American was immediately released. wouldn’t be subject to the
history,” DeSantis said dur- The Computer & Com- law.
By CURT ANDERSON overreach for DeSantis and ing a May 2021 bill-signing munications Industry As- The law would require large
Associated Press the Republican-led Florida ceremony. “One of their ma- sociation, a nonprofit group social media companies to
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Legislature to tell the social jor missions seems to be sup- representing tech and com- publish standards on how it
(AP) — A Florida law media companies how to pressing ideas.” munications companies, said decides to “censor, deplat-
intended to punish so- conduct their work under the However, the appeals panel the ruling represents victory form, and shadow ban.”
cial media platforms like Constitution’s free speech ruled that the tech compa- for Internet users and free But the appeals court rejected
Facebook and Twitter is guarantee. nies’ actions were protected, speech in general — especial- nearly all of the law’s man-
an unconstitutional viola- “Put simply, with minor ex- with Judge Newsom writing ly as it relates to potentially dates, save for a few lesser
tion of the First Amend- ceptions, the government that Facebook, Twitter, Tik- offensive content. provisions in the law.
ment, a federal appeals can’t tell a private person or Tok and others are “engaged “When a digital service takes “Social media platforms exer-
court ruled Monday, deal- entity what to say or how to in constitutionally protected action against problematic cise editorial judgment that is
ing a major victory to say it,” said Circuit Judge expressive activity when they content on its own site — inherently expressive. When
companies who had been Kevin Newsom, an appoin- moderate and curate the con- whether extremism, Rus- platforms choose to remove
accused by GOP Gov. Ron tee of former President Don- tent that they disseminate on sian propaganda, or racism users or posts, deprioritize
DeSantis of discriminat- ald Trump, in the opinion. their platforms.” and abuse — it is exercising content in viewers’ feeds or
ing against conservative “We hold that it is substan- There was no immediate re- its own right to free expres- search results, or sanction
thought. tially likely that social media sponse to emails Monday af- sion,” said CCIA President breaches of their commu-
companies — even the big- ternoon from DeSantis’ press Matt Schruers in a statement. nity standards, they engage in
A three-judge panel of the gest ones — are private ac- secretary or communications As enacted, the law would First-Amendment-protected
Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Cir- tors whose rights the First director on the ruling. De- give Florida’s attorney gener- activity,” Newsom wrote for
cuit Court of Appeals unani- Amendment protects.” Santis is running for reelec- al authority to sue companies the court.q
mously concluded that it was The ruling upholds a simi- tion this year and eyeing a under the state’s Deceptive