WA and ID attorneys general press Congress for social media warning labels
Washington’s Bob Ferguson, Idaho’s Raul Labrador and forty-one other attorneys general from around the country are urging Congress to adopt warning labels for social media platforms.
In a letter to federal lawmakers, the bipartisan group pleaded for user warnings to be applied to algorithm-driven social platforms, such as Facebook and TikTok.
The warnings are modeled on those that have appeared on cigarette packages since the mid-1960s. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for the social media labels in an op-ed this summer, but only Congress can authorize them.
In their message to Congress, Ferguson, Labrador and their counterparts argued social media has helped fuel a mental health crisis among young people, and that social media companies are unwilling to fix the problem themselves. They acknowledged the proposed labels would be but one step in addressing how social media use affects young people.
To date, Congress has drafted no legislation for the warning labels. Some state-level laws regulating kids’ social media use are being challenged in court.
Spokane mayor proposes prosecutor to focus on opioid cases
A new prosecutor focused on the opioid crisis in Spokane may be coming to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Washington’s Eastern District.
In a press release Tuesday, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown announced her proposal for a new Special U.S. Assistant Attorney position, created through a combination of city and federal resources.
The job would concentrate on prosecuting narcotics offenses, specifically for “high-level drug dealers and traffickers” and what Brown calls the “upstream” aspects of the opioid epidemic.
City councilmember Jonathan Bingle, who has previously said the city isn’t doing enough to enforce existing drug policies, said in an email that the idea is “promising” and that it could have “some great dividends” for the city.
The proposal now goes to the city council for approval.
New statue to represent Washington in U.S. Capitol
For years, a sculpture of the 19th century missionary Marcus Whitman has represented Washington State in the Capitol. But it will be soon be replaced by a representation of a leading voice for Native fishing rights in the state, the late Billy Frank.
The artist Haiying Wu is crafting two nine-foot statues.
“One’s going to be in D.C. and one’s going to be in the Capitol building in Olympia,” Wu told SPR News.
Wu said he expects to finish the sculptures by the end of October. The Washington D.C. version is expected to be installed next spring.
He brought a four-foot replica to Marmot Arts Space in Kendall Yards, where he said people can come and see it for a few weeks.
Wu said the process of creating the Billy Frank statue has taken more than two years and included consultations with members of Frank’s family.
Each state is entitled to send two statues to the Statuary Hall collection. Frank’s likeness will join a bronze sculpture of architect and medical care advocate Mother Joseph Pariseau, which has resided in the Capitol since 1980.
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Reporting was contributed by Brandon Hollingsworth, Owen Henderson and Doug Nadvornick.