Twitter Cuts, Powerball Record, and America's Happiest Places

Twitter Cuts Begin

Sweeping job cuts at social media giant Twitter began yesterday, a move which came at the direction of new owner and CEO Elon Musk, who closed his acquisition of the company one week ago. Musk called the cuts necessary to improve Twitter's financial position, separately saying the company has seen a significant short-term revenue drop as advertising partners paused spending on the platform. 

The extent of the firings at the roughly 7,500-employee company wasn't specified, though earlier reports suggested up to half of the staff may be let go. A number of laid-off staff responded with a class-action lawsuit, alleging it violated both federal and California state laws by failing to provide adequate warning ahead of a mass firing (WARN Act 101). 

Reports suggest Musk has called on the remaining staff to develop plans to cut up to $1B in annual operating costs, including potential reductions in server and cloud services.

Historically, 10% of Twitter users have been responsible for more than 90% of tweets. See more vital statistics on the platform here.

UK teen finds retired police officer's stolen medal at bottom of river. (More)

Alabama woman sets aside part of every paycheck to give to strangers. (More) 

Pennsylvania students grow produce for community living in food desert. (More)

A 12-year-old trick-or-treater refills a home's empty bowl with her own candy. (More)

... and "House of 1,000 Pumpkins" raises money for cancer research. (More)

Decades later, a woman who was in a car accident meets her rescuer. (More)

Indian village takes digital break every day to help people talk to each other. (More) 

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Bookkeeping

> US banks processed $1.2B in likely ransomware payments in 2021, report finds.

> Survey finds 79% of Americans say the economy is very important when deciding who to vote for in the 2022 congressional elections. 

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Best of the Week: Your Thanksgiving dinner menu could be in trouble.

Historybook: "Gone with the Wind" actress Vivien Leigh born (1913); Writer Sinclair Lewis is first American to win Nobel Prize for literature (1930); Franklin D. Roosevelt is first and only US president elected to third term (1940); Saddam Hussein is sentenced to death (2006); Google unveils Android (2007).