Page 28 - bon-dia-aruba-20221004

A28 US NEWS
Diamars 4 OctOber 2022

High court will hear social media terrorism lawsuits

(AP) — The Supreme mostly under Section 230 of The other case the court
Court said Monday it will the Communications De- agreed to hear involves Jorda-
hear two cases seeking to cency Act, while the other nian citizen Nawras Alassaf.
hold social media com- was allowed to proceed. He died in the 2017 attack
panies financially respon- on the Reina nightclub in
sible for terrorist attacks. The court, which began its Istanbul where a gunman af-
The cases are seen as an new term Monday, is expect- filiated with the Islamic State
important test of the fed- ed to hear arguments in the killed 39 people.
eral law that generally cases this winter with deci-
makes internet companies sions before the court recess- Alassaf’s relatives sued Twit-
exempt from liability for es for the summer, usually in ter, Google and Facebook for
the material users post on late June. aiding terrorism, arguing that
their networks. the platforms helped the Is-
One of the cases the justices lamic State grow and did not
In the cases the court agreed will hear involves Nohemi ater. Gonzalez died in an at- recruit potential support- go far enough in trying to
to hear, relatives of people Gonzalez, a 23-year-old U.S. tack at La Belle Equipe bistro. ers. Gonzalez’s relatives said curb terrorist activity on their
killed in terrorist attacks in citizen studying in Paris. The that the company’s computer platforms. A lower court let
France and Turkey had sued Cal State Long Beach student Gonzalez’s relatives sued algorithms recommended the case proceed.
Google, Twitter, and Face- was one of 130 people killed Google, which owns You- those videos to viewers most
book. They accused the in Islamic State group attacks Tube, saying the platform likely to be interested in The cases are Reynaldo Gon-
companies of helping terror- in November 2015. The at- had helped the Islamic State them. But a judge dismissed zalez et al. v Google, 21-1333,
ists spread their message and tackers struck cafes, outside group by allowing it to post the case and a federal appeals and Twitter et al. v Mehier
radicalize new recruits. One the French national stadium hundreds of videos that court upheld the ruling. Taamneh, 21-1496.
of the cases was thrown out, and inside the Bataclan the- helped incite violence and

Police: 5 California killings may be work of serial killer

rately in recent months, for information leading to an anybody holding any gun or people involved in the vio-
shooting them to death arrest in the slayings, which actually committing a crime,” lence. “To be honest, we just
alone in the dark, and po- date back to July 8. Authori- Silva said in a phone inter- don’t know,” he said. “This
lice are baffled as to why ties also released a grainy still view Monday. person or people who are out
the victims were targeted. image of a “person of inter- doing this, they are definitely
est,” dressed all in black and Still, the available footage, very bold and brazen.”
None of the men were wearing a black cap, who ap- as well as ballistics evidence,
robbed or beaten before their peared in videos from several link the five killings, he said. Police said the victims were
killings — which all took of the crime scenes. All five men were shot by a each walking alone or in a
place within a radius of a few handgun, though it’s not yet parked car when they were
square miles — and none The latest killing occurred clear if it was the same gun killed in the evening or early
appear to have known each shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday, used in each crime. morning in the city of 320,000
other, Stockton Police Offi- when a 54-year-old man was “It definitely meets the defi- residents about 50 miles (80
cer Joseph Silva said Monday. shot in a residential area just nition of a serial killer,” Silva kilometers) south of the state
The shootings also do not north of downtown. said. “What makes this differ- capital, Sacramento.
seem to be related to gangs or None of the shootings have ent is the shooter is just look-
drugs, either. been captured by video cam- ing for an opportunity and The ages of the victims range
(AP) — A serial killer may eras and no firearms have unfortunately our victims from 21 to 54; four of the
have ambushed five men Stockton police on Friday an- been recovered. were alone in a dark area.” men were Hispanic and one
in central California sepa- nounced an $85,000 reward “We don’t have any video of There may even be multiple was white.
Tillerson testifies at corruption trial of Trump adviser

(AP) — Rex Tillerson, mation on how Trump ad- The former Exxon Mobil
who served a turbulent ministration officials viewed CEO is the highest-profile
term as secretary of state a UAE-led blockade of neigh- witness so far at the federal
under former President boring Qatar. Tillerson testi- trial of Barrack, a billionaire
Donald Trump, was called fied he had advised Trump private equity manager and
as a government witness not to engage with the UAE Trump confidant who’s ac-
Monday at the trial of a on the issue, saying, cused of secretly working as
Trump ally accused of a foreign agent for the UAE.
leaking intelligence to the Tillerson also described one
United Arab Emirates. encounter with Barrack Barrack, 75, has pleaded not
where he “called over to my guilty to that charge, along
Tillerson testified that he office … and expressed an in- obstruction of justice and U.S. would stay in the 2015 administration — to advance
barely knew the defendant, terest in an ambassadorship,” false statements counts. agreement to restrict Iran’s the interests of the UAE.
Tom Barrack, once the chair- he said. But Trump didn’t In 2018, Trump dumped Til- nuclear efforts, a deal Til- The efforts included help-
man of Trump’s inaugu- embrace the idea, “so that lerson via Twitter, abruptly lerson favored. Trump an- ing arrange an Oval Office
ral committee, or anything was the end of it,” he said. ending the service of a Cabi- nounced in 2018 that the meeting between Trump and
about his relationship with net secretary who had report- U.S. was withdrawing from Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince
the UAE. Instead, he spelled On cross-examination, Til- edly called the Republican the agreement. Sheikh Mohammed bin Za-
out how he would meet with lerson acknowleged having president a “moron” but re- yed Al Nahyan in 2017.
Trump on a regular basis to disagreements with Trump, fused to step down, deep- So far, prosecutors have re- At the same time, UAE of-
discuss foreign policy, em- but stayed clear of criticizing ening disarray within the lied on a trove of emails and ficials were consorting with
phasizing that the sensitive the former president. He said Trump administration. other communications they Barrack, the energy-rich Gulf
conversations were supposed they sometimes played “good say demonstrate how Bar- state rewarded him by pour-
to stay confidential. cop-bad cop” in their public Trump and Tillerson clashed rack’s “unique access” to ing millions of dollars into
Prosecutors have alleged Bar- statements about adversaries on several foreign policy is- Trump to manipulate his his business ventures.
rack provided inside infor- like South Korea. sues, including whether the campaign — and later his