On the calendar: U.S. Sen.-elect John Kennedy says he’ll resign as Louisiana state treasurer on Jan. 3, the same day he’s sworn into his new elected office in Washington, The Associated Press reports. Kennedy today says he’s working his final weeks as treasurer, rather than leaving early, because he still has work to do in the position. He also preferred the special election to be held on the October ballot, rather than an earlier March ballot. Kennedy says the later election date will give people time to consider running, to launch a full campaign and to tell Louisiana voters their ideas for the office. After Kennedy’s resignation, his top assistant Ron Henson will lead the office until a treasurer is elected.
Unreal: Facebook has unveiled a series of experiments to keep misinformation and false articles from being disseminated across its site, The New York Times reports. The company is trying maneuvers such as making it easier for its 1.8 billion members to report fake news and is creating partnerships with outside fact-checking organizations to help it more clearly indicate when articles are false. Facebook has taken most of the heat for the spread of fake news during the presidential campaign. The company is in a tricky position with the tests. Long regarded as a neutral place where people can freely post, read and view content, Facebook has confronted questions about its moral obligations and ethical standards in what it presents. Read the full story.
A closer look: Verizon is exploring a price cut or possible exit from its pending $4.83 billion acquisition of Yahoo, after the company reported a second major email hack affecting as many as 1 billion users, Bloomberg reports. A person close to the matter tells Bloomberg a legal team led by Verizon General Counsel Craig Silliman is assessing the damage from the breaches and is working toward either killing the deal or renegotiating the Yahoo purchase at a lower price. One of the major objectives for Verizon is negotiating a separation from any future legal fallout from the breaches. Verizon is seeking to have Yahoo assume any lasting responsibility for the hack damage, the person tells Bloomberg. Read the full story.
