This Week’s Under-reported News Summary March 27, 2019

Compiled by Bob Nixon

  • Slow reconstruction leaves Mosul, Iraq at risk for ISIS' return
  • Facebook overhaul to address targeted ads for housing, loans, jobs
  • Racism permeating pot legalization efforts in New York, Georgia

• Nearly two years after Islamic State fighters were driven out of Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, despair and frustration are building.

(“Mosul: Does slow reconstruction risk return of ISIS,” Christian Science Monitor, March 13, 2019)

• Facebook agrees on March 19 to overhaul its lucrative targeted advertising system, addressing accusations that landlords, lenders and employers use the platform to discriminate.

( “Facebook agreed to overhaul targeted advertising for jobs, housing and loans ads,” Washington Post, March 19, 2019; “Facebook faces fresh questions over when it knew of data harvesting,” The Guardian, March 17, 2019)

• The legacy of racism, a key element in the War on Drugs, is complicating initiatives to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in states like New York and Georgia.

(“Legal pot: why minorities say they’re being left out of the money,” Christian Science Monitor, March 20, 2019)

This week’s News Summary was narrated by Richard Hill. 

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