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👋 Hi friends,
Welcome to the latest edition of Newley’s Notes, a weekly newsletter containing my recent Wall Street Journal stories, must-read links on tech and life, and funny dog videos.
Image of the week, above:
A misty Hong Kong, seen from Victoria Harbour last night.
My WSJ latest:
My newest story, an exclusive out Wednesday: Guns Offered for Sale in Facebook Groups Devoted to Religious Extremists in India
It begins:
Facebook users have offered for sale on the platform handguns, rifles, shotguns and bullets to members of a forum devoted to an extremist Hindu organization with a history of violence in India.
Eight posts, some of which had been up since April, caught the eye of Raqib Hameed Naik, the founder of a group that monitors attacks against religious minorities in India. He began reporting them to Meta Platforms Inc. in late January as contravening the company’s publicly stated policy that prohibits private individuals from buying or selling firearms or ammunition on Facebook platforms.
Facebook declined to remove them, saying the posts didn’t violate the company’s rules, according to responses from the company that The Wall Street Journal reviewed.
After the Journal inquired about the posts, Facebook on Tuesday removed them, saying they ran afoul of the company’s policies.
Here are 10 items worth your time this week:
1) 🎈The Pentagon says it’s shot down four flying objects over the U.S. That comes after the downing last week, off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, what the government called a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon.
2) 🇨🇳 In recent hours China has fired back (sorry) by saying the U.S. has sent balloons into its airspace more than ten times over the last year, though it didn’t offer evidence.
3) 🎤 Beyoncé won a Grammy for best dance/electronica album for “Renaissance,” breaking the record for the most Grammy wins – 32– in history.
4) 🏀 LeBron James became the NBA’s all-time highest scorer, surpassing the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
5) 💻 How Microsoft’s Bing search engine is harnessing AI and, just maybe, poised to challenge Google.
6) 🚋 Fun travelogue: What it’s like to ride an Amtrak train 43 hours from Chicago to Los Angeles.
7) 🐔 RIP Bob Born, the candy company executive who gave the world Peeps.
8) 📷 Twitter thread: “Portraits famous photographers have taken of their partners.”
9) ⚖️ I was unaware there’s a new – and popular – “Night Court” reboot, complete with John Larroquette.
10) 🌍 What did Earth look like hundreds of millions of years ago? Check out this interactive globe.
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🦴 Dog-related video of the week:
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💡 Quote of the week:
“Change before you have to.” – Jack Welch
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👊 Fist bump from Hong Kong,
Newley