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1. Why was Facebook down?
I'm sure we don't have to tell you that Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp were essentially inoperable Monday afternoon. So why did it happen?
"Our engineering teams have learned that configuration changes on the backbone routers that coordinate network traffic between our data centers caused issues that interrupted this communication," Facebook’s VP of Infrastructure, Santosh Janardhan said. "This disruption to network traffic had a cascading effect on the way our data centers communicate, bringing our services to a halt."
While the explanation is vague, the company says there is no evidence that data was compromised.
2. Ex-Facebook employee bringing sharp criticisms to Congress
Facebook's outage came just a day after Frances Haugen, a former product manager on Facebook’s civic integrity team, shared documents that were the basis of an explosive series of articles in the Wall Street Journal. The reports revealed that the company knew its products can cause meaningful harm — including negatively impacting the mental health of teens — but it still has not made major changes to fix such problems.
Among the allegations she leveled at Facebook was that the company bears responsibility for the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, because it reversed some of its safeguards against misinformation after the 2020 election.
On Tuesday, she will testify before a Senate subcommittee in a hearing titled "Protecting Kids Online", about the company's research into Instagram's effect on the mental health of young users.
3. Florida first lady Casey DeSantis diagnosed with breast cancer
Gov. Ron DeSantis called his wife's breast cancer diagnosis "the most difficult test of her life," but said she would have his and their entire family's "unwavering support."
No other details about her diagnosis have been released, but it's estimated that about one in eight U.S. women, about 13 percent, will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lifetime.
There is huge concern about what impact the pandemic will have on future breast cancer cases. The CDC reports a more than 80 percent decrease in screenings during the pandemic.
4. Florida is only state not to submit school Covid-19 relief funding plan
Florida was allocated more than $7 billion from the American Rescue Plan to support "students' health and safety and address their social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic," and two-thirds of that allocation was released in March.
The remaining $2.3 billion in funding can't be distributed until Florida submits a plan to the Federal Government showing how the money would be spent.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' office said that "at this time, no district has articulated a need for funding that cannot be met with currently available resources."
5. Florida passes New York for third-most coronavirus deaths in U.S.
Florida residents' coronavirus deaths are the third most in the nation, surpassing New York, which was the epicenter during the height of the pandemic, as both have amassed more than 55,000 fatalities.
During the height of the pandemic, New York reported as many as 800 deaths daily, as well as 7,695 weekly on April 12. Florida, meanwhile, reported 240 deaths that entire week. In June 2020, Florida ranked 11th for most deaths.
After Florida's first two deaths were announced one year ago March 6, which is 576 days ago, the state has averaged 97 deaths each day, or 679 a week.
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On This Day In History
On October 5, 2017, The New York Times publishes a detailed investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against film producer Harvey Weinstein. The bombshell report led to Weinstein’s eventual arrest and conviction on charges of rape and other sexual misconduct. It has since become recognized as one of the defining early moments of the #MeToo movement.
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