Small plane crashes in Iowa, killing all 4 people on board
Facebook ends forced arbitration of sexual misconduct claims
Facebook is dropping a requirement for mandatory arbitration of sexual misconduct allegations, acceding to a demand recently pressed by other Silicon Valley tech workers.
Google made a similar change on Thursday, a week after thousands of employees briefly walked off their jobs to protest how the company handled sexual-misconduct allegations against prominent executives.
The move at Facebook means that employees no longer have to submit to private arbitration, which kept misconduct allegations secret and sometimes allowed abusers to continue their behavior. Employees can now press their claims in court. Facebook will also require executives at director level and above to disclose any dating relationships with employees.
Democrat declares win in House over California’s Rohrabacher
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – Democrat Harley Rouda declared victory Saturday over Republican U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in a closely fought congressional contest in Southern California.
However, votes continue to be counted in Orange County, California’s 48th District, and The Associated Press has not declared a winner in the race.
Rouda, 56, said his lead has increased over Rohrabacher since the election and he’s confident he defeated the Republican. Rohrabacher’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Rohrabacher, 71, is seeking a 16th term.
Kentucky has fewer coal jobs than when Trump took office
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky has fewer coal jobs today than when President Donald Trump took office two years ago, despite his promises to reinvigorate the coal industry.
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports coal employment averaged 6,550 in Kentucky in the first quarter of 2017 when Trump was sworn in. The estimated average in the July-throughSeptember quarter this year was 6,381. That’s according to the state Energy and Environment Cabinet.
The number of coal jobs varies from quarter to quarter in Kentucky, but overall there has been no sustained increase. Numbers have remained far below 2011 when Kentucky coal jobs topped 18,000.
Nationally, there were about 1,900 more coal jobs in October than when Trump took office. Studies have shown the biggest factor in the decline of coal is the rise in natural gas.
GUTHRIE CENTER, Iowa – Authorities say a small plane crashed in central Iowa Friday evening, killing all four people on board, including a teenage girl.
Guthrie County Sheriff’s Deputy Jesse Swensen said the plane was reported missing shortly after it took off from the Le Mars Municipal Airport in northwestern Iowa. He said the wreckage was found Saturday morning in a cattle pasture southwest of Guthrie Center, which is about 115 miles southwest of Le Mars.
Airport manager Tom Mullally confirmed Saturday that there were three men and a 16-year-old girl on the plane. He declined to release their names or discuss what may have caused the crash.
Erdogan: Saudi officials, others heard tapes of writer’s death
ANKARA, Turkey – Officials from Saudi Arabia, the United States, Germany, France and Britain have heard audio recordings related to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey’s president said Saturday.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also told reporters that Saudi Arabia had to “act fairly” and disclose those responsible for the Oct. 2 killing of The Washington Post journalist to rid itself of “suspicion.”
Saudi officials “know for certain who among the 15 is the killer or are the killers,” Erdogan said. He was referring to an alleged 15-member assassination squad that Turkey believes was sent to kill Khashoggi.
—From wire reports