(WASHINGTON) — Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine has sued Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for allegedly failing to protect consumer data following the Cambridge Analytica data leak.
“The evidence shows Mr. Zuckerberg was personally involved in Facebook’s failure to protect the privacy and data of its users leading directly to the Cambridge Analytica incident,” Racine said in a statement about the lawsuit released Monday. “This unprecedented security breach exposed tens of millions of Americans’ personal information, and Mr. Zuckerberg’s policies enabled a multi-year effort to mislead users about the extent of Facebook’s wrongful conduct.”
He added, “This lawsuit is not only warranted, but necessary, and sends a message that corporate leaders, including CEOs, will be held accountable for their actions.”
The lawsuit alleges that Zuckerberg was “responsible for” and “had the clear ability” to control Facebook operations and enabled Cambridge Analytica to use consumer data. The lawsuit alleges that third-party firms like Cambridge Analytica got data from 87 million Americans and half of District of Columbia residents.
Racine filed a lawsuit against Facebook in December 2018 for the data leak and is bringing this suit following evidence found during that litigation, according to the attorney general.
Facebook has faced previous government scrutiny over the data leak to Cambridge Analytica. In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission fined Facebook $5 billion over the incident, and required the company to abide by new restrictions aimed at instituting greater accountability in decisions that affect user privacy.
The Cambridge Analytica leak, which several news outlets reported in 2018, concerned the London-based firm gaining access to user data in 2015 and using it to aid the presidential campaign of Donald Trump.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Cambridge Analytica filed for bankruptcy and began insolvency proceedings in the U.S. not long after the scandal broke.
Britney and Sam in 2018; Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for GLAAD
During her conservatorship, Britney Spears complained that she wasn’t allowed to enjoy all that Las Vegas had to offer, despite the fact that she was headlining a super successful residency there. Well, she spent this past weekend making up for lost time.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Britney, fiancé Sam Asghari and Britney’s agent Cade Hudson spent the weekend staying at Resorts World Las Vegas, which projected her image Saturday night on the side of the resort facing the strip, along with the message, “Resorts World Loves Britney.”
“She loves the property and we love having her,” Resorts World President Scott Sibella said Sunday.
During their weekend, Britney, Sam and Cade had dinner with Vegas star Jeff Beacher at the Aria resort and also visited XS Nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas, where Marshmello was headlining.
Britney documented her weekend on Instagram, writing, “Thank you Cade and @resortsworldlv for inviting me !!!! Or wait … did I invite myself ??? Either way thanks for showing me such a good time!”
A source tells Page Six, “There’s a world of difference between Vegas under her conservatorship and Vegas as a free woman, and she gets to experience it with a new set of eyes now.”
Resorts World has managed to entice Celine Dion, Katy Perry and Carrie Underwood to its properties for big-bucks residencies in the past year. Could Britney be next? She’s said that she’s not interested in performing, but you never know.
Harry and Mick in 2015; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TDF Productions
Even back when Harry Styles was in One Direction, his resemblance to a young Mick Jagger was often mentioned. He’s since played on that resemblance, portraying the Rolling Stones front man on Saturday Night Live and allegedly taking inspiration from Jagger’s ’70s-era outfits. However, Jagger doesn’t really think he and Harry have much in common at all.
Asked by The Times of London if he feels that he’s inspired Harry, Jagger said, “I like Harry — we have an easy relationship,” but points out, “I mean, I used to wear a lot more eye makeup than him. Come on, I was much more androgynous.”
Jagger goes on to say, “And he doesn’t have a voice like mine or move on stage like me; he just has a superficial resemblance to my younger self, which is fine — he can’t help that.”
While Jagger may insist he was “much more androgynous” than Harry, the legendary singer never wore a dress on the cover of Vogue.
TIME has released its list of the100 Most Influential People of 2022, and among them are Emmy winner Zendaya, multiple Oscar nominee Andrew Garfield, Simu Liu and now-former SNL star Pete Davidson.
As always, each of this year’s class was hailed by their colleagues: Emmy winner Sandra Oh praised Shang-Chi star Liu; legendary director Martin Scorsese hailed his Silence star Garfield; rapper Jack Harlow praised Davidson; and director Denis Villenueve honored his Dune star Zendaya.
Scorsese described tick…tick…BOOM!‘s Garfield as “a remarkable artist, one of the greats of his generation.”
Villenueve lauded Zendaya as “timeless, and she can do it all,” and an “an autonomous creative force herself. A cultural icon in the making. A person driven by pure inspiration, empathy, and respect for her craft, who uses authenticity as a new superpower.”
Authenticity was also a key to Davidson’s power, Harlow explained: “Pete’s appeal to the world has everything to do with his authenticity. He doesn’t try to hide the person that he is.”
Harlow added, “We don’t have another one of him. He’s daring, thoughtful, and simply hilarious. And he’s only 28. An icon with so much more left to accomplish.”
Oh said of Liu, “It’s been amazing to see how beautifully he’s balancing representing our community and staying true to himself.” She added, “Simu has been working hard to get through closed doors, and now he wants to hold those doors open for others.”
Other honorees this year were Oscar winner and Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi, The Batman‘s Zoë Kravitz, and And Just Like That… star and executive producer Sarah Jessica Parker.
Guns N’ Roses‘ scheduled headlining set at Florida’s Welcome to Rockville festival over the weekend was canceled due to extreme weather.
In a tweet following the announcement, guitarist Slash called the cancellation a “massive disappointment.”
“We were really looking forward to the show,” Slash wrote. “But the weather had other ideas. We sympathize with all you guys who got rained out along with us, it f***ing sucks. Another time, sooner than later!”
Welcome to Rockville, which takes place in Daytona Beach, was besieged by bad weather throughout the festival. Before GN’R got canceled Saturday, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported that Friday’s schedule was also cut short by weather, forcing sets by Korn, Skillet and Breaking Benjamin to be scrapped, as well.
For U.S. GN’R fans, the cancellation is especially tough, given Welcome to Rockville was the only announced stateside date on the band’s calendar for 2022. The “Welcome to the Jungle” legends are set to return to the road in June for a European tour, followed by trips to South America, Mexico and Australia later in the year.
(TULSA, Okla.) — Justin Thomas stunned fans on Sunday, coming from behind to win the 2022 PGA Championship at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
After starting the day down seven strokes, Thomas, 29, rallied and bested Will Zalatoris in a three-hole playoff to take home the title, his second PGA championship.
But before the spotlight shifted to Thomas, many were watching Tiger Woods, who ended up dropping out of the tournament Saturday following a career-worst round.
Woods, 46, withdrew from the competition after three rounds, posting a 9-over 79.
Despite a strong early start, it appeared Woods’ right leg, which he had surgically repaired following a car accident last year, was bothering him as the tournament progressed.
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 21, 11:42 am
Biden signs $40 billion Ukraine aid bill into law
President Biden signed the $40 billion Ukraine aid bill into law Saturday, the White House announced in a press release.
The bill provides supplemental emergency funds to Federal agencies to respond and provide assistance to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Biden on Twitter for the aid.
“The leadership of US, President Biden & the American people in supporting Ukrainians fight against the Russian aggressor is crucial. Look forward to new, powerful defense assistance. Today it is needed more than ever,” Zelenskyy said.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Max Uzol
May 21, 10:44 am
Russian Foreign Ministry publishes list of Americans banned from entering Russia
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday published a list of American citizens who are barred from entering the Russian Federation on a permanent basis.
Russia said the move was in retaliation for anti-Russian sanctions currently imposed by the U.S.
The list published on the ministry’s website comprises 963 U.S. citizens, including President Joe Biden.
May 20, 5:00 pm
More than 40 countries to take part in next Ukraine Contact Group meeting
More than 40 countries will be represented at the second meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group, formed last month to coordinate international support for Ukraine, according to Pentagon press secretary John Kirby.
Monday’s meeting “will allow us to continue to dip into a process to get Ukraine, or at least to make other nations available and knowledgeable about what Ukraine needs as the fight is ongoing,” Kirby told reporters during a briefing Friday.
More than 40 nations attended the first meeting both virtually and in-person at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. New countries will attend the second, which will be strictly virtual, Kirby said.
“There are some countries that have shown an interest in participating that weren’t in the first meeting,” said Kirby, who called the first iteration “a true global community” of countries in NATO and beyond.
May 20, 3:41 pm
Russian Ministry of Defense claims it has taken complete control over Azovstal steel plant, Mariupol
Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed Friday it has taken complete control of the Azovstal plant and Mariupol from the Ukrainian forces, expelling them from the port city.
The underground facilities of the plant, in which the Azov National Regiment militia were hiding, came under the complete control of Russian forces, the ministry claimed.
The commander of the Azov Regiment was reportedly taken out of the territory of the plant in an armored car, the ministry said.
Russia claims 2,439 Ukrainian servicemen have laid down their arms and surrendered since May 16.
May 20, 1:10 pm
Russia to cut off Finland’s natural gas Saturday morning
Gasum, Finland’s natural gas company, announced Friday that it was informed its imports from Russia’s Gazprom Export will be cut off on Saturday at 7 a.m. local time.
The move by Russia comes days after Finland submitted its application to join NATO.
“It is highly regrettable that natural gas supplies under our supply contract will now be halted. However, we have been carefully preparing for this situation and provided that there will be no disruptions in the gas transmission network, we will be able to supply all our customers with gas in the coming months,” Gasum CEO Mika Wiljanen said in a statement.
Gasum will supply natural gas to its customers from other sources though the Balticconnector pipeline, which connects Finland with Estonia, the company said in a statement.
Gasum said its gas-filling stations in the network area will continue in normal operation.
May 20, 8:57 am
US-supplied howitzers to Ukraine lack accuracy-aiding computers
Dozens of artillery systems supplied by the United States to Ukraine were not fitted with advanced computer systems, which improve the efficiency and accuracy of the weapons, ABC News has learned.
The M777 155mm howitzers are now being used by the Ukrainian military in its war with Russia.
The Pentagon did not deny that the artillery pieces were supplied without the computers but said it had received “positive feedback” from the Ukrainians about the “precise and highly effective” weapons.
That positive sentiment was echoed by a Ukrainian politician, who spoke to ABC News on condition of anonymity. However, the politician also expressed frustration that the artillery pieces had not been the fitted with the digital computer systems.
Artillery is currently playing a crucial role in the fighting across eastern Ukraine, as Russia continues its offensive in that part of the country. U.S. officials recently confirmed that all but one of the 90 howitzers promised to Ukraine had now been delivered, along with tactical vehicles used to tow them.
If fitted to a howitzer, the digital computer system enables the crew operating the weapon to quickly and accurately pinpoint a target. Howitzers without a computer system can still be fired accurately, using traditional methods to calculate the angle needed to hit a target.
Modern computer systems, however, rule out the possibility of human error. Why the artillery pieces supplied to Ukraine did not have the digital targeting technology installed is unclear. The Pentagon said it would not discuss individual components “for operational security reasons.”
-ABC News’ Tom Burridge and Luis Martinez
May 20, 6:58 am
1,700 Ukrainian soldiers likely surrendered from Mariupol plant, UK says
As many as 1,700 Ukrainian soldiers have likely surrendered from the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works plant in war-ravaged Mariupol this week, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defense.
“An unknown number of Ukrainian forces remain inside the factory,” the ministry said Friday in an intelligence update. “Once Russia has secured Mariupol, it is likely they will move their forces to reinforce operations in the Donbas.”
For weeks, Ukrainian fighters and civilians were holed up inside the sprawling industrial site as the remaining pocket of resistance to Russia’s relentless bombardment of Mariupol, a southeastern Ukrainian port city strategically located on the Sea of Azov between eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region and the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula. Russia claimed Thursday that 1,730 Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered in Mariupol over the previous three days, while Ukraine confirmed Tuesday that more than 250 had yielded in the initial hours after it ordered them to do so.
Mariupol is the largest city that Russian forces have seized since launching an invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24. Its complete capture gives Russia total control of the coast of the Sea of Azov as well as a continuous stretch of territory along eastern and southern Ukraine.
“Staunch Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol since the start of the war means Russian forces in the area must be re-equipped and refurbished before they can be redeployed effectively,” the U.K. defense ministry said. “This can be a lengthy process when done thoroughly.”
“Russian commanders, however, are under pressure to demonstrably achieve operational objectives,” the ministry added. “This means that Russia will probably redistribute their forces swiftly without adequate preparation, which risks further force attrition.”
May 20, 6:42 am
Belarus says nearly 28,000 Ukrainians have arrived since Russian invasion
Nearly 28,000 Ukrainian citizens have arrived in Belarus since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to the Belarusian State Border Committee.
“Between 6 a.m. on February 24 and 6 a.m. on May 20, a total of 27,868 Ukrainian citizens arrived in Belarus, including 15,793 who crossed the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, 10,563 by transit through Poland, 1,305 through Lithuania, and 207 through Latvia,” the committee said in a statement Friday.
In the past 24 hours alone, 154 Ukrainian citizens arrived in Belarus, including 120 via Poland, according to the committee.
Belarus shares a land border with both Ukraine and Russia, and is Moscow’s main ally.
May 19, 8:07 pm
Biden to sign Ukraine aid bill while abroad
President Joe Biden will sign the $40 billion Ukraine aid bill while he’s in Asia, a White House official said.
“The president does intend to sign the bill while he’s on the road so that he can sign it expeditiously,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One while en route to the region Thursday evening. “The modalities of that are being worked right now so that he can get it and sign it.”
The bill, which passed the Senate earlier Thursday with bipartisan support, will need to be flown to the region so that Biden can sign it. The practice of flying bills to presidents for signature dates back to the Truman administration, but this is a first for Biden.
Biden departed for South Korea Thursday and will visit Japan later in the week during his first trip to Asia as president.
TIME magazinerevealed its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world Monday, naming Mary J. Blige, among others.
Writing about each of the list members are guest contributors — fellow stars and entertainers — who speak about the contributions of the honorees.
Writing about Blige’s career and accomplishments is fellow hip-hop artist Nas,who says, “Mary came up the way we all did. She was a voice for us, but she wasn’t like other R&B artists at the time. She became a household name early because she was a hip-hop artist who also sang. The industry needed someone like that. The streets wanted that. Pop culture wanted that.” He continued, “And when Mary came onstage at the Super Bowl halftime show this year, she got one of the loudest responses … She carved out a lane for herself, and now she can feed the people more than just music.”
This list includes 48 other women, such as Zendaya, Quinta Brunson, Zoë Kravitz and Oprah Winfrey, who, falling under the “Titans” category, makes the list for the 10th time.
Writing about Winfrey is Michelle Obama, who highlights the talk show host’s ability to connect with anyone and everyone.
“When Oprah connects with something — a person, a book, a song, an idea — she makes sure to shine her light on it. She validates it. She anoints it … That’s why no matter where you go, everyone knows her name. And all of it makes me wonder: maybe her success isn’t rooted in the fact that she found a common denominator that unites us all. Maybe Oprah is our common denominator.”
Others on the list include Ketanji Brown Jackson, Jon Batiste, Issa Rae, Jazmine Sullivan and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Eric Church‘s headlining show at Madison Square Garden was made even more impressionable with the presence of Ashley McBryde.
When Eric’s backup singer, Joanna Cotten, tested positive for COVID and announced she was unable to perform during the final night of The Gather Again Tour, the Chief knew just who to call to fill in. Ashley held her own inside the massive arena, where she sang backup for Eric in front of a crowd of more than 17,000 people. Videos captured by fans show her harmonizing on his chart-topping hits “Springsteen” and “Hell of a View,” along with a cover of Bruce Springsteen‘s “Thunder Road.”
“When the Chief @ericchurchmusic calls from @thegarden, you answer,” Ashley wrote in the Instagram caption accompanying photos from the special night. “Thanks for answering,” the headliner replied, adding in a statement, “when Joanna had to sit this one out, we immediately knew who to ask. Ashley is meant for arena stages, and she’ll be headlining her own show at MSG soon.”
This is one of many times the two have collaborated. Eric invited Ashley onstage to sing “Bible and a .44” with him in Chicago in 2017 during his Holdin’ My Own Tour. They also performed “The Snake” at the 2019 ACM Awards, and Ashley joined Eric during his medley of hits at the 2022 ACM Awards.
Halsey has inadvertently created a viral TikTok moment by claiming that their record label is forcing them to create a viral TikTok moment.
In a TikTok posted on Sunday, we see Halsey frowning as a song — presumably the one they want to release — plays in the background. The text reads, “Basically, I have a song that I love that I want to release ASAP, but my record label won’t let me.”
The text continues, “I’ve been in this industry for eight years and I’ve sold over 165 million records and my record company is saying I can’t release it unless they can fake a viral moment on TikTok.”
“Everything is marketing and they are doing this to every artist these days,” the text concludes. “I just want to release music, man and I deserve better tbh. I’m tired.”
In the comments, fans were indignant on Halsey’s behalf, while a few joked, “plot twist this is the viral tiktok they planned.”
Then, Halsey posted receipts: A video of themselves listening to someone who presumably works at their label, telling them how the TikTok rollout should go. When the label guy asks Halsey why they look upset, they say, “Honestly, I just hate this. It sucks.” “Oh, I know,” he replies. “I hate it.”
The text over the video reads, “I wish I was kidding lol.”
When a fan wrote in the comments, “What counts as ‘viral’ tho?” Halsey replied, “It’s like…if it doesn’t get a certain amount of views or likes or [whatever] they will just keep making me make videos and push [the song’s release] back until they’re happy.”
“Reverse psychology this IS the marketing scheme,” another fan commented.
So far, according to Variety, Halsey’s label hasn’t commented.
