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cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/31043595

The Office of Independent Investigations is a state cabinet-level office tasked with reviewing law enforcement’s use of deadly force. The agency was activated on Dec. 1 and was notified by the Vancouver Police Department about Gunderson’s killing at 11:31 p.m. on Dec. 4. The first OII investigators arrived at the scene shortly after midnight, with 15 ultimately joining the initial response.

But OII isn’t yet responding to police killings in most of the state. Instead, the agency that’s been four years in the making is rolling out in phases.

Having broken up Washington into six regions, OII will, for now, solely respond to killings in Region 1, stretching from the state’s southwestern border with Oregon to the northernmost tip of the Olympic Peninsula. The split is based on the historical frequency of police killings. Region 2 covers Pierce County and Region 3 covers King County.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/31043062

On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to decide whether to block lawsuits that Honolulu filed to seek billions in damages from oil and gas companies over allegedly deceptive marketing campaigns that hid the effects of climate change.

Now those lawsuits can proceed, surely frustrating the fossil fuel industry, which felt that SCOTUS should have weighed in on this key "recurring question of extraordinary importance to the energy industry" raised in lawsuits seeking similarly high damages in several states, CBS News reported.

As the cases move forward, Honolulu maintains that it will not seek damages for interstate pollution or try to regulate emissions. It is instead challenging the fossil fuel industry practice of promoting its products "without warning" of climate change effects, which was allegedly "abetted by a sophisticated disinformation campaign" that Honolulu argued was "deliberately concealing and misrepresenting the climate-change impacts of their fossil-fuel products."

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/27061208

This is not your grandparent’s gentrification, but rather a hyper-gentrification fueled by concentrated wealth driving up land and housing costs, expanding short-term rentals, and treating housing like a commodity to speculate on or a place to park wealth. The billionaires are displacing the millionaires, and the millionaires are disrupting the housing market for everyone else.

Our report found that billionaire-backed private equity firms have wormed their way into different segments of the housing market to extract ever-increasing rents and value from multi-family rental, single-family homes, and mobile home park communities. For instance, Blackstone has become the largest corporate landlord in the world, with a vast and diversified real estate portfolio. It owns more than 300,000 residential units across the U.S., has $1 trillion in global assets, and nearly doubled its profits in 2021.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/24246359

Summary

Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta would move trust and safety teams to Texas to address concerns of "liberal bias," but ex-employees say such teams have been operating in Texas for over a decade.

Critics claim this move is largely symbolic, tied to Zuckerberg's recent alignment with Donald Trump, including ending Meta's fact-checking program.

Former staff allege Meta has cut corners on content moderation by outsourcing to contractors in Texas, a cost-saving trend since company layoffs in 2022.

Meta has not clarified the scope of the changes or employee impact.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/24245615

Summary

President Biden announced student loan forgiveness for 150,000 additional borrowers, raising the total to over 5 million under his administration.

The latest beneficiaries include borrowers defrauded by schools, individuals with disabilities, and public service workers.

Biden emphasized his focus on expanding pre-existing forgiveness programs after his broad plan was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2023.

Conservatives and Trump argue the efforts overstep executive authority and unfairly shift costs.

Biden called the initiative a fulfillment of his promise to reduce financial barriers to education.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/24253213

Summary

House Republicans are considering a 20% cut to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, impacting over 22 million households, as part of a $5 trillion deficit reduction plan.

The proposed changes to SNAP would save $247 billion over a decade by rolling back a Biden-era increase tied to the USDA's "thrifty food plan."

Critics argue the cuts could harm vulnerable populations and reduce demand for food production, while Republicans view the changes as a way to curb spending and encourage employment.