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Meta to pay $17 billion over teen safety lawsuit filed by dozens of states

Parents hold pictures of their deceased children during a protest against social media platforms outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

By Susan Ferrechio - The Washington Times

Meta agreed to pay states up to $17.1 billion and implement new safety features for teen social media users to settle a landmark case that accused the tech titan of pushing harmful content to children.

Trump’s tariffs shrank the trade deficit. They also raised your prices

President Donald Trump, center, walks from Marine One to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., en route to South Carolina on Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) **FILE**

By Jeff Mordock - The Washington Times

President Trump’s aggressive tariff policies have shrunk the U.S. trade deficit but also helped push up consumer prices - a mixed economic record that threatens to come at a high political cost for Mr. Trump and his Republican Party.

President Donald Trump, center, walks from Marine One to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., en route to South Carolina on Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) **FILE**

Trump’s tariffs shrank the trade deficit. They also raised your prices

By Jeff Mordock - The Washington Times

A person smokes marijuana in lower Manhattan outside the first legal dispensary for recreational marijuana in New York on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) **FILE**

‘Scromiting’: Marijuana study warns users of ‘scream-vomiting’

By Sean Salai - The Washington Times

Residents swim as cargo and commercial vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)

Iran says the Strait of Hormuz stays closed until the U.S. meets its terms

By Vaughn Cockayne - The Washington Times

Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., arrives at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters to discuss the 2024 election and President Joe Biden's candidacy Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Democrat Debbie Dingell: Don’t ask me about Hasan Piker

By George Caldwell - The Washington Times

The Michigan State Capitol is photographed, May 24, 2023, in Lansing, Mich. Democrats hope to restore their slim majority in the state House of Representatives Tuesday, April 16, 2024, when voters will fill two vacant seats in suburban Detroit. In District 13, Democrat Mai Xiong faces Republican Ronald Singer. In District 25, Democrat Peter Herzberg faces Republican Josh Powell. The chamber deadlocked at a 54-54 tie in November when two Democratic members won mayoral elections. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

Michigan Democrat denounced U.S. ‘primacy,’ defended Chinese government

By George Caldwell - The Washington Times

Happening Now

Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., arrives at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters to discuss the 2024 election and President Joe Biden's candidacy Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Democrat Debbie Dingell: Don’t ask me about Hasan Piker

By George Caldwell - The Washington Times

The Michigan State Capitol is photographed, May 24, 2023, in Lansing, Mich. Democrats hope to restore their slim majority in the state House of Representatives Tuesday, April 16, 2024, when voters will fill two vacant seats in suburban Detroit. In District 13, Democrat Mai Xiong faces Republican Ronald Singer. In District 25, Democrat Peter Herzberg faces Republican Josh Powell. The chamber deadlocked at a 54-54 tie in November when two Democratic members won mayoral elections. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

Michigan Democrat denounced U.S. ‘primacy,’ defended Chinese government

By George Caldwell - The Washington Times

Motorcyclists pass a billboard depicting U.S. President Donald Trump with hands around his neck beneath the words "Revenge is inevitable" in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran’s affordable terror-for-hire network built to outlast the war

By Vaughn Cockayne - The Washington Times

Rescuers carry a victim of flash flooding to safety along the Trishuli River in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Nearly 1,000 missing in Nepal and Tibet after floods caused by a glacial collapse 1 minute ago

Associated Press

Commentary View all

Real villains are restaurant owners who won't pay their employees a living wage. Illustration by Alex Hunter of The Washington Times

I’m done tipping, and you should be too

By Joseph Curl

Amazon Web Services data center is visible on Aug. 22, 2024, in Boardman, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

It’s the economy, stupid

By Michael McKenna

Iran's future cannot be made in Washington. Illustration by Alex Hunter of The Washington Times

Iran’s future cannot be made in Washington

By Carla Sands

South Korea's anti-faith fandango. Illustration by Alex Hunter of The Washington Times

South Korea’s anti-faith fandango

One World Trade Center is seen at The Staten Island September 11th Memorial on the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Remembering 9/11 — when you’re too young to remember it

By Jess Hamilton

Culture View all

Actor Tim Curry arrives for the premiere of the movie "Kinsey" at the Beekman Theater in New York Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2004. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

‘Rocky Horror’ star Tim Curry dies at 80

By The Washington Times AI News Desk

Harry Styles appears in the press room at the 65th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Pop singer Harry Styles starts 30-show residency at Madison Square Garden

By Juliet La Sala - The Washington Times

Prince Harry, and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, arrive for an event, during a visit to Bondi Beach, Australia, April 17, 2026. (Jonathan Brady/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Prince Harry and wife Meghan arrive in Britain as they make a fresh start

Associated Press

Parents hold pictures of their deceased children during a protest against social media platforms outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Meta to pay $17 billion over teen safety lawsuit filed by dozens of states

By Susan Ferrechio - The Washington Times

View all

Residents swim as cargo and commercial vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)

Iran says the Strait of Hormuz stays closed until the U.S. meets its terms

By Vaughn Cockayne - The Washington Times

U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Daryl Caudle, talks to selected journalists during his visit in Tokyo, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi, File)

Adm. Daryl Caudle: Deployments to the Middle East compete with Navy’s leverage on China

By John T. Seward - The Washington Times

Along NATO's eastern flank, from Finland to Poland, allied nations are bracing for what officials call Russia's "next phase" — a hybrid war of drones, cyberattacks, and sabotage that rarely makes headlines but never stops. Washington Times reporter John T. Seward traveled the border to see it firsthand.

Video
Europe’s new frontline: NATO’s border states combat Russian aggression, prepare for escalation

Trump and the Iran war illustration by Linas Garsys / The Washington Times

Commentary
Make Iran another failed Middle East state

By Bill Gertz - The Washington Times

Trump Central View all

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to media at a housing development in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada’s Doug Ford renews threat to stop electricity exports to U.S.

By Tom Howell Jr. - The Washington Times

President Donald Trump speaks during a back to school event in the Rose Garden of the White House, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump floats renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America

By Tom Howell Jr. - The Washington Times

President Donald Trump is pictured during the playing of the national anthem at the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

Trump and Vance to keynote Republicans’ midterm convention in Texas

Associated Press

Motorcyclists pass a billboard depicting U.S. President Donald Trump with hands around his neck beneath the words "Revenge is inevitable" in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Approval of Iran war hits record low

By Mary McCue Bell - The Washington Times

Campaign 2026 View all

An election worker sorts vote-by-mail ballots at the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Office for the Florida primary election in Doral, Fla., Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Democrats file new challenge to Trump postal service election plans

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times

Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., gestures to Gov. Henry McMaster, R-S.C., at a news conference for her campaign a day ahead of the special GOP Senate runoff to replace her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

Video
Trump-endorsed Darline Graham beats back Norman in South Carolina Senate GOP runoff

By Susan Ferrechio - The Washington Times

Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., arrives at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters to discuss the 2024 election and President Joe Biden's candidacy Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Democrat Debbie Dingell: Don’t ask me about Hasan Piker

By George Caldwell - The Washington Times

Vice President JD Vance speaks during a visit to Compotech, a composite technology company, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Brewer, Maine. (AP Photo/Gabe Souza)

Vance pushes anti-fraud message on campaign trail for Paul LePage in Maine

By Lindsey McPherson - The Washington Times

Politics View all

Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., arrives at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters to discuss the 2024 election and President Joe Biden's candidacy Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Democrat Debbie Dingell: Don’t ask me about Hasan Piker

By George Caldwell - The Washington Times

Olivia Konar holds a banner with names of young people who advocates say died as a result of social media outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. Her sister Coco Konar died in 2022 when she was 17. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Lawmakers, parents call Meta settlement ‘first step’ to protecting kids online, urge Congress to act

By Lindsey McPherson - The Washington Times

A Flock Safety license plate reader is seen along a public road, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

Republicans are split on Flock’s AI-powered surveillance. Here’s who’s on each side

By Mary McCue Bell - The Washington Times

President Donald Trump, center, walks from Marine One to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., en route to South Carolina on Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) **FILE**

Trump’s tariffs shrank the trade deficit. They also raised your prices

By Jeff Mordock - The Washington Times

Dive Deeper View all

A data center built by the Markley Group looms over a ballpark and residential neighborhood in Lowell, Mass., on June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt O'Brien)

Data centers turn toxic for voters, become political cudgel in 2026 races

By Seth McLaughlin - The Washington Times

Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chair Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, left, talks with ranking member Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., right, before the start a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh,File)

Will Congress finally set national NIL rules for college athletes?

By Mary McCue Bell and Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times

President Donald Trump speaks as he tours the ballroom construction around the outside of the White House, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) ** FILE **

Supreme Court allows Trump to keep building his ballroom — for now

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times

A customer shops at a Grocery Outlet store in Pleasanton, Calif., on Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Terry Chea, File)

‘Trickflation’ sells less food at a higher price in containers that look bigger

By Sean Salai - The Washington Times

National View all

Hennepin County attorney Mary Moriarty holds up a document containing charges against ICE agent Christian Castro during a news conference at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, on Monday, May 18, 2026. (Renée Jones Schneider/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP, File)

Judge won’t order Texas to turn ICE officer over to Minnesota for prosecution

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times

A bald eagle perched on a tree branch in a forest. File photo credit: Wirestock Creators via Shutterstock.

$20,000 reward offered for information leading to conviction in Louisiana bald eagle shooting

By Brad Matthews - The Washington Times

A person smokes marijuana in lower Manhattan outside the first legal dispensary for recreational marijuana in New York on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) **FILE**

‘Scromiting’: Marijuana study warns users of ‘scream-vomiting’

By Sean Salai - The Washington Times

Travelers line up at a TSA checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Customs agents arrest three Senegalese, seize 1,170 pounds of illegal drug khat at Chicago O’Hare

By Brad Matthews - The Washington Times

World View all

Rescuers carry a victim of flash flooding to safety along the Trishuli River in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Nearly 1,000 missing in Nepal and Tibet after floods caused by a glacial collapse

Associated Press 1 minute ago

In this July 8, 2016, photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese missile frigate Yuncheng launches an anti-ship missile during a military exercise in the waters near south China's Hainan Island and Paracel Islands. Ahead of the 2021 annual Congress meetings, China is continuing its military buildup and recently passed a law authorizing its coast guard to use force to remove foreign presences in what it considers Chinese waters and islands. (Zha Chunming/Xinhua via AP) **FILE**

State blasts China for building new military base on disputed reef

By Bill Gertz - The Washington Times

U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Daryl Caudle, talks to selected journalists during his visit in Tokyo, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi, File)

Adm. Daryl Caudle: Deployments to the Middle East compete with Navy’s leverage on China

By John T. Seward - The Washington Times

Residents swim as cargo and commercial vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)

Iran says the Strait of Hormuz stays closed until the U.S. meets its terms

By Vaughn Cockayne - The Washington Times

Sports View all

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) works out during the team's NFL football joint training camp with the Baltimore Ravens, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Commanders’ beleaguered line struggles in joint practice with Ravens

By Liam Griffin - The Washington Times

Scottie Scheffler speaks during a news conference at the Tour Championship golf tournament, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Scheffler winning big at home and on PGA Tour as season comes to an end at Tour Championship

By Doug Ferguson - Associated Press

LIV Golf season-long champion captain Jon Rahm, of Legion XIII, poses with the trophy after the final round of LIV Golf Indianapolis, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Westfield, Ind. (Montana Pritchard/LIV Golf via AP)

LIV Golf begins laying off employees while downsizing to restructure without Saudi funding

By Doug Ferguson - Associated Press

FILE - Maryland head coach Mike Locksley encourages his players before an NCAA football game against Northern Illinois, Sept. 5, 2025, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Mike Buscher, File)

Will nonprofits benefit from college athletes being eligible for big time payments?

By Alex Daniels and The Chronicle of Philanthropy - Associated Press

Higher Ground View all

Historian and author Frank Cogliano joins Billy Hallowell to unpack the complicated legacy of one of America’s most influential Founding Fathers.

Video

God, Country and the American Story: Thomas Jefferson’s most misunderstood beliefs

A Gideon Bible sits on a table in Phoenix, Sunday Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)

The Gideon Bible has been a steady presence in U.S. motel rooms for over 100 years

By Luis Andres Henao - Associated Press

Christian Orthodox pilgrims hold up candles during the Holy Fire ceremony, at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Jerusalem, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean, File)

Spending the night locked inside Jerusalem’s holiest church with clergy and pilgrims

By Giovanna Dell'Orto - Associated Press

South Korea's anti-faith fandango. Illustration by Alex Hunter of The Washington Times

Commentary
South Korea’s anti-faith fandango

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Motorcyclists pass a billboard depicting U.S. President Donald Trump with hands around his neck beneath the words "Revenge is inevitable" in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran’s affordable terror-for-hire network built to outlast the war

By Vaughn Cockayne - The Washington Times

Rescuers carry a victim of flash flooding to safety along the Trishuli River in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Nearly 1,000 missing in Nepal and Tibet after floods caused by a glacial collapse 1 minute ago

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Olivia Konar holds a banner with names of young people who advocates say died as a result of social media outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. Her sister Coco Konar died in 2022 when she was 17. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Lawmakers, parents call Meta settlement ‘first step’ to protecting kids online, urge Congress to act

By Lindsey McPherson - The Washington Times

U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., exits the grounds at Delaney Hall, an ICE detention facility, May 9, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, File)

Court green-lights most of DOJ’s prosecution against Dem congresswoman in ICE clash

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times

Residents swim as cargo and commercial vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)

Iran says the Strait of Hormuz stays closed until the U.S. meets its terms

By Vaughn Cockayne - The Washington Times

In this Nov. 7, 2012 photo, U.S. and Chinese national flags are hung outside a hotel during the U.S. presidential election event, organized by the U.S. embassy in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) **FILE**

‘Hackers for hire’: How a Chinese group hid its attacks on U.S. infrastructure

By Mary McCue Bell - The Washington Times

U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Daryl Caudle, talks to selected journalists during his visit in Tokyo, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi, File)

Adm. Daryl Caudle: Deployments to the Middle East compete with Navy’s leverage on China

By John T. Seward - The Washington Times

Hennepin County attorney Mary Moriarty holds up a document containing charges against ICE agent Christian Castro during a news conference at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, on Monday, May 18, 2026. (Renée Jones Schneider/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP, File)

Judge won’t order Texas to turn ICE officer over to Minnesota for prosecution

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times

A screen in the Maryland House Chamber displays votes during the third reading of a proposed constitutional amendment Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in Annapolis, Md., that would allow a redrawn congressional map. (AP Photo/Mingson Lau)

Maryland judge stops redistricting from going on November ballot; Democrats move to appeal

By Matt Delaney - The Washington Times

A Secret Service agent, July 20, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)

Secret Service officials placed on administrative leave over potential misconduct

By Mary McCue Bell - The Washington Times

A Flock Safety license plate reader is seen along a public road, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

Republicans are split on Flock’s AI-powered surveillance. Here’s who’s on each side

By Mary McCue Bell - The Washington Times

Democratic Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner speaks during a primary election night event in Philadelphia, Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Philadelphia D.A. vows to keep piece of Trump’s White House ballroom ‘after we all blow it up’

By The Washington Times AI News Desk

Parents hold pictures of their deceased children during a protest against social media platforms outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Meta to pay $17 billion over teen safety lawsuit filed by dozens of states

By Susan Ferrechio - The Washington Times

Flowers adorn the lawn in front of the Massachusetts State House in Boston on July 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) **FILE**

Democratic pols charged with COVID fraud in Massachusetts

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times

A person carries a shopping bag in Philadelphia on Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) **FILE**

Inflation index prized by Fed holds steady in July

By Tom Howell Jr. - The Washington Times

Former mail carrier in Georgia sentenced for stealing over $1 million in checks, gift cards

By Brad Matthews - The Washington Times

President Donald Trump, left, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe speak as they depart following a cabinet meeting at Camp David, near Thurmont, Md., Friday, July 31, 2026. (Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP)

CIA chief’s visit to Moscow related to resolving Ukraine war, Trump says

By Tom Howell Jr. - The Washington Times

A mugshot of Zymire Hughes. (Credit: Philadelphia Police Department)

Man who wore ‘Chucky’-like mask and terrorized Philadelphia residents captured in Las Vegas

By Matt Delaney - The Washington Times

Graduates in a commencement ceremony. File photo credit: EduLife Photos via Shutterstock.

The government threatens to cut aid to schools whose degrees don’t pay off

By Sean Salai - The Washington Times

Oklahoma Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei delivers his closing remarks at a televised debate in Tulsa, Okla., Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. (Jake Ramsey/Oklahoma Watch via AP)

Businessman Mike Mazzei wins the GOP nomination for Oklahoma governor with Trump’s endorsement

By John Hanna - Associated Press