Yesterday, Facebook announced that it would provide the U.S. Congress with more than 3,000 politically themed ads that were purchased with russian accounts during last year's presidential campaign. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that he cares deeply about the democratic process and wishes to protect its integrity. Zuckerberg's announcement came after two weeks of controversy. Facebook announced on September 6th that russian agents had bought ads during the campaign. They admitted nearly 450 Russia-linked accounts had been made in which fictional people posed as American activists. After the initial admission, the social media giant had angered congressional investigators by showing only a small sample of the ads which had attacked Hillary Clinton or praised Donald J. Trump. As is expected, President Trump claimed that reports of Russian ads on Facebook were a hoax, and again pointed an accusing finger at Hillary Clinton.
A company in Florida is scrambling to re-hire its employees that were fired for failing to report to work during Hurricane Irma and its aftermath. 'Lee Health' which is a hospital company, had an emergency preparedness plan in case of hurricanes. It puts essential employees in two groups, one of which is switched out after a certain amount of time so the other group can take over the shift. Many of the employees that were let go had either followed recommendations to evacuate with their families or had pre-planned trips during Irma. The company's spokeswoman, Mary Briggs said that the hospital does offer its employees the opportunity to shelter in their building, along with their families and pets, during a major storm. Briggs also said that employees who have already contacted their supervisors and communicated that they couldn't be at work will be re-hired.
The fire in the Columbia River Gorge has slowed down because of the week's rains but isn't out quite yet. Some officials say that most of the fire is still smoldering and smoke can be seen in the area, according to residents. Fire crews are still monitoring the perimeter and extinguishing some hots spots. The debate over what to do next is just heating up however.
- KBOO