US needs a national action plan to stem the tide of plastic pollution

Lightweight, durable, versatile and relatively cheap to make — plastic seemed like a miracle. In 1950. global production was near zero, but by 2019 manufacturers worldwide were churning out about 460 million metric tons of it. Today, it's hard to find a product without plastic. As it proliferated in our world, so did the negative impacts of this “miracle.”   As we make, use and discard plastic, it’s piling up all over our planet. It chokes our lakes, rivers and streams. Roughly

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Meta revenue drops $28.8 billion in second quarter

Meta Platforms but its total revenues fall in the second quarter amid a downturn in the economy and increased competition for digital advertisers. Total revenue for Meta was $28.8 billion in the second quarter ending June 30, according to the earnings report released Wednesday, down one percent from the second quarter in 2021. The soci

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Hillicon Valley — Feds fight Meta's foray into VR

The Federal Trade Commission is taking on Meta’s attempt to expand in the virtual reality sector with a lawsuit aimed at blocking the tech giants’ acquisition of a VR company with a popular fitness app.   In other news, a Senate panel advanced two bills aimed at increasing safety and privacy protections for kids and teens online.   This is Hillicon Valley, detailing all you need to know about tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Send tips to The Hill’s 

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Black voter support plummets for Supreme Court: poll

Support for the Supreme Court has plummeted among Black voters after justices overturned the constitutional right to abortion, according to a new HIT Strategies BlackTrack poll released Wednesday. Prior to the reversal, approval of the Supreme Court among Black voters was 63 percent in March. But this month, that approval rating plunged to 42 percent, an all-time low for the public opinion research company’s polling.  The drop in support came after the court saw its highest approval rating from Black voters during Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation process as t

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Defense & National Security — Former Pentagon chief disputes Jan. 6 claims

Former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said that then-President Trump gave no orders to deploy National Guard troops ahead of Jan. 6, 2021.   We’ll talk about Miller’s testimony. Plus, we’ll look at the Pentagon’s plan to allow wounded Ukrainian soldiers to be treated at a U.S. military facility in Germany.   This is Defense & National Security, your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, I’m 

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