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A landmark bill that would hold Big Tech firms like Meta responsible for online child safety has hit a roadblock in the Senate and critics are pointing the finger at Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

The Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA would impose a legal duty of care on social media firms to protect minors from harassment, bullying, anxiety and sex abuse or face enforcement action by the Federal Trade Commission.

The bill has 69 cosponsors across the political spectrum in the Senate, including Schumer and co-lead sponsors Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). In a surprising twist, Snap, X and Microsoft broke ranks with the tech industry to say they support the measure.

Meta hasn’t taken a firm public stance on KOSA specifically, though the company has said it supports federal regulation on online safety. When asked about an older version of the bill on Capitol Hill earlier this year, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said the company could support it with some changes.

Some of the bills proponents, including parents whose children were victims of online abuse, remain optimistic that KOSA will become law before the end of the year. However, others have grown exasperated by Schumers failure to schedule a floor vote despite the clear bipartisan support.

I cannot understand why hes not bringing it to the floor, said Mary Rodee, a New York resident who lost her 15-year-old son Riley to suicide in 2015 after he was targeted in a sextortion scheme on Facebook.

I just have to keep being like, okay, I guess thats not the plan. But that all seems like its a political dog-and-pony show.

Calls to pass the bill gained steam earlier this year after a bombshell Senate hearing in which Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg issued a stunning apology to the families of victims of online child sex abuse. The Facebook and Instagram owner currently faces a federal lawsuit from dozens of states who allege its addictive apps have exposed children to harm and fueled a youth mental health crisis.

Rodee said the apology rang hollow — and lawmakers shouldn’t have allowed it.

You gave Mark Zuckerberg a stage to apologize to us that he didnt deserve,” Rodee said. “To me, that never should have happened. I have distrust in all of it.

Meta did not immediately return a request for comment.

As The Post has reported, KOSA is one of several bipartisan online safety bills on the table — and the one considered most likely to become law. It was introduced in the Senate last year, with companion legislation coming to the House in April.

Schumer has insisted KOSA is a top priority and sought to move the bill through unanimous consent, a fast-tracked process to pass legislation as long as no senator objects. Doing so would allow the Senate, which is running short on remaining floor time ahead of the 2024 election, to avoid a lengthier roll call vote.

In a floor speech last week, Schumer said some senators still had blocks on the bill and said the Senate must pursue a different legislative path to get this done if terms cant be reached.

One key objector is Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who is not expected to drop his opposition. Paul’s office didn’t return requests for comment.

Theyve already got moms whove had tragedies with their kids coming up to me, but someone has to have the guts to read the bill, see whats wrong with it, Paul recently told the Huffington Post. If they want it unanimously, they have to negotiate.

Another is Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who, sources said, has sought assurances that KOSA would not weaken Section 230, a controversial statute that shields tech firms from liability for third-party content posted on their platforms. Wyden was one of the statute’s original co-authors.

“There have been productive discussions on KOSA,” a Wyden aide said. “Its moving in the right direction. He has not yet lifted his hold.”

In the meantime, Parents for Safe Online Spaces, whose bereaved members lost children to online harm, has pressed Schumer to act.

Over Fathers Day weekend, the group placed billboards in Times Square urging the senator and other lawmakers to save kids lives by passing KOSA. The parents also recently sent a letter reminding Schumer that hed promised to hold a vote by June 20 a deadline that has come and gone.

Theres definitely some frustration, a source close to the situation told The Post. I think the ads and the letter that the parents sent last week kicked that office into another gear. Its frustrating that didnt happen sooner.

Schumer’s office did not return multiple requests for comment.

KOSA faced another setback after the House Energy and Commerce Committee abruptly canceled plans Thursday to mark up the bill the final step before a floor vote in the lower chamber. Advocates are pushing for the markup to be rescheduled after a July 4 recess.

Outside of Congress, the bill has its share of opponents, including the ACLU and the digital advocacy group Fight For The Future. The latter has described KOSA as a dangerous censorship bill that would give the government unprecedented control over the internet.

Chamber of Progress, a Big Tech-funded trade group, argues the bill will force tech firms to over-moderate the internet.

A Blackburn spokesperson noted that KOSA has the wide support of conservatives across the board including the Heritage Foundation, America First Policy Institute, the Ethics and Public Policy Center and dozens of other organizations.

Senator Blackburn has fought for years to protect our children online and looks forward to seeing KOSA signed into law, the spokesperson said.

Despite the remaining hurdles, the bills backers say they are optimistic that it will ultimately be passed.

Rodee, who was part of a group of parents that met with Schumer about KOSA in May, said his office has been responsive about the bills status, even if progress has been slowed than shed hoped.

I have been very furious at Schumer, but I will say, they communicate very well with me, said Rodee. His chief of staff will get on the phone any time I need to be talked down. I do really sense that theyre working on it.

Blumenthal praised Schumer for leading negotiations with the Senate holdouts and said he was confident based on my conversations with the top Democrat that we are going to get this bill done.

Its remarkable that the parents have gotten things this far, said Josh Golin, executive director of the online advocacy group Fairplay and co-founder of ParentsSOS. I cant even quantify how much were outspent and outgunned by the tech industry.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the wildly popular photo app “strive(s) to promote a safe and age-appropriate experience on TikTok through robust safety policies and parental controls, a neutral age-gate, and a team of more than 40,000 safety professionals.

“There are a range of potential options that can further youth safety online, and we welcome Congress’ participation in that discussion.”

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Panthers-Hurricanes Game 5 preview: Can Carolina force another game?

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Panthers-Hurricanes Game 5 preview: Can Carolina force another game?

All signs pointed to the Florida Panthers finishing off the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4, but the Canes kept the series rolling with a 3-0 win on Monday.

Will the Panthers finish the story in Game 5? Or will the Hurricanes send the festivities back to South Florida again?

Here are matchup notes heading into Wednesday’s Game 5 from ESPN Research, as well as betting intel from ESPN BET:

More on Game 4: Recap | Grades

Matchup notes

Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes
Game 5 | 8 p.m. ET | TNT

The Panthers’ odds to win the series are now -1600, adjusted from -5000 heading into Game 4. The Hurricanes’ odds have shifted to +750 (adjusted from +1500) after their win. The Panthers’ odds to win the Cup are now +105 (previously -110), while the Canes’ are now +1800. Sergei Bobrovsky is the leading Conn Smythe candidate in this series at +200, followed by Aleksander Barkov (+800).

Game 4 was the Canes’ first win in the round since Game 7 of the 2006 Eastern Conference finals against the Buffalo Sabres, snapping a 15-game conference finals losing streak. It was the longest losing streak in NHL playoff history for a team in the round preceding the Stanley Cup Final. The Hurricanes are now 4-4 all-time in Game 4s when trailing 3-0 in a best-of-seven series.

Frederik Andersen made 20 saves for his fifth career playoff shutout, his second with the Hurricanes. He joins Cam Ward (four), Kevin Weekes (two) and Petr Mrazek (two) as goaltenders with multiple playoff shutouts in Whalers/Hurricanes Stanley Cup playoffs history.

Carolina’s Logan Stankoven scored playoff goal No. 5 in the second period. He joins Erik Cole (six in 2002) and Warren Foegele (five in 2019) as the only rookies in Whalers/Hurricanes history to score at least five goals in a single Stanley Cup playoffs year.

Sebastian Aho scored an empty-net goal in the third period, his 32nd career playoff tally. That extends his own franchise record for career goals in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Panthers were shut out for the second time this postseason; both games were at home — the other instance was Game 6 of the second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Florida went 0-4 on the power play in Game 4, and the team is now 0-8 with the man advantage in the last two games of this series after going 4-for-5 in Games 1 and 2.

Though he hasn’t scored a goal in the past two games, Sam Bennett has a team-leading nine this postseason. That is two shy of the franchise record in a single playoff year, currently held by Matthew Tkachuk (2023) and Carter Verhaeghe (2024).


Scoring leaders

GP: 16 | G: 6 | A: 9

GP: 14 | G: 5 | A: 9

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Liverpool fan says his baby was flung 15ft in his pram and his partner run over during trophy parade

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Liverpool fan says his baby was flung 15ft in his pram and his partner run over during trophy parade

A father has told Sky News how his partner was driven over, and his baby son was flung 15ft in his pram, after they were hit by a vehicle during the Liverpool parade collision.

Daniel Everson, 36, had been with Sheree Aldridge and their five-month-old baby, Teddy, at Liverpool FC’s victory parade on Monday.

“The best day of my life turned into worst”, said Daniel, a lifelong fan of ‘The Reds’.

Daniel described the moment the car came towards him and his family.

“I tried to hold on to the front of the car and try and stop it, push it, do whatever I could [to stop it] from hitting my partner and my baby.

'The best day of my life turned into worst', Daniel Everson told Sky News.
Image:
Daniel Everson was in the crowd for the Liverpool trophy parade when the incident took place

“Me and my partner were flat on the roof, on the bonnet… we were just both trying to hold on for dear life with Ted next to us.

“And my partner went under the wheels of the car, of the front of the car, and it rolled over her leg, and I just bounced off to the side, but my boy and his pram got bounced totally in the opposite direction – about 15ft down the road.

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“As soon as that happened, I just started screaming for my partner, and I found her and I asked where Teddy was, and she didn’t know… and I found him and he was okay, thank God.

“He was in the road, in his pram, on his back, and I grabbed him. I chucked the pushchair to the side and I ran up to some paramedics with him.”

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The suspect is being held on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and drug driving.

Daniel, from Telford, said he felt like he was in “hell” as he rushed back to find Sheree.

“I had to carry her up the road with four police officers holding her while she was screaming and crying. At that point, I didn’t know what was wrong with her, but I could see the injuries to her leg,” he explained.

Sheree, 36, is recovering at Aintree University Hospital after suffering muscle tissue damage. Daniel has been allowed to return home with Teddy after he was assessed at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

“I feel a lot of emotions right now. Upset, angry, traumatised. A lot of unanswered questions that need to be answered.

To me, it just wasn’t handled properly – the situation with the car getting that far into the crowd, in my opinion, he should not have got anywhere near us.”

Merseyside Police have now been given more time to question a 53-year-old arrested after a car struck a crowd at Liverpool FC’s victory parade on Monday.

The suspect, who police have described as a white British man from the local area, is being held on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving, and drug driving.

Police have said the extra time they have been given to question the suspect runs into Thursday.

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Politics

Pakistan announces Bitcoin strategic reserve

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Pakistan announces Bitcoin strategic reserve

Pakistan announces Bitcoin strategic reserve

Bilal Bin Saqib, head of Pakistan’s crypto council, announced on May 28 that the country is moving to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve.

Speaking at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, Saqib said the government of Pakistan followed the United States’ lead in establishing a Bitcoin strategic reserve and is embracing pro-crypto regulatory policies. The government official told the audience:

“Today is a very historic day. Today, I announce the Pakistani government is setting up its own government-led Bitcoin Strategic Reserve, and we want to thank the United States of America again because we were inspired by them.”

The announcement represents a significant departure from the government of Pakistan’s previous stance on cryptocurrencies, holding that crypto would never be legal in the country.

Pakistan’s shift reflects the broader trend of nation-states adopting pro-crypto policies following the regulatory shift in Washington, DC under the President Donald Trump administration.

Government, Bitcoin Reserve, Bitcoin2025
Bilal Bin Saqib at the Bitcoin 2025 conference announcing a Bitcoin strategic reserve. Source: Cointelegraph

Related: Pakistan appoints special assistant to PM on blockchain and crypto

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