The New Mexico Department of Justice is pursuing almost $1 billion from Meta, the parent company of Facebook, after a jury in the state recently found the tech giant guilty of compromising children’s safety and deceiving the public regarding the security of its platforms.

In light of last month’s verdict, Meta has been instructed to pay the highest civil penalty permissible by law, which amounts to $5,000 for each violation. This penalty, for infringing upon New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act, has resulted in a total of $375 million.

Recently, a court filing was submitted, requesting that Meta be compelled to contribute $953 million to a fund aimed at bolstering public education and behavioral health initiatives. This development was highlighted in a report by SourceNM.

In a related context, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, was seen testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, on January 31, 2024. This committee session focused on the risks of child sexual exploitation on social media platforms. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has previously criticized Meta’s executives for allegedly prioritizing profits over the safety of children. He accused them of ignoring internal warnings and misleading the public about what they were aware of regarding the risks associated with their platforms.

Torrez alleged Meta’s specific design choices enabled pedophiles and predators to sexually exploit children on its platforms.

FILE – New Mexico prosecutors accused Meta of operating unsafe platforms for children and not being honest with the public. (Anna Barclay/Getty Images)

He added the company intentionally designed its apps to addict young users, exposing them to dangerous content promoting self-harm and eating disorders.

The state’s requested abatement amount was dropped more than 90% from its initial demands.

A Meta spokesperson told News Media that throughout the trial, the New Mexico Attorney General “continued his misguided strategy of proposing mandates that would risk leaving teens less safe, infringe on parental rights and stifle free expression.” 

FILE – Meta, which owns Instagram, was found negligent for operating a platform that addicted a young user and created mental health distress in an unprecedented ruling by a Los Angeles jury in March. (Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“Even the judge noted those mandates could be an “overreach,” the spokesperson said. “The State’s case ignores the hundreds of apps teens use daily and fails to provide scientific or legal justification for their demands of Meta. We remain committed to providing safe, age-appropriate experiences and have already launched many of the protections the state seeks, including 13 safety measures this past year.”

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Following the Brazil vs. Morocco World Cup showdown at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey last Saturday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani swiftly returned to Manhattan. He was just in time to witness the final moments of the Knicks game and join in the celebrations at a trendy downtown bar.

While Mamdani enjoyed his evening at Le Dive, many fellow World Cup attendees faced a far less glamorous experience. Out of the 80,000 spectators, over 16,000 heeded the city’s recommendation to use shuttle buses from East Rutherford to Manhattan. Unfortunately, their journey was fraught with difficulties. Some were caught in prolonged delays within the Lincoln Tunnel, eventually finding themselves amidst chaos at 42nd Street, near Port Authority, where buses were being set on fire and looted.

“I spent more time on that bus than at the soccer match,” lamented a frustrated rider. This individual had seen Mamdani seated in the VIP section alongside notable figures such as Governor Kathy Hochul and several officials from the Trump administration, including the outspoken FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and State Department Under Secretary Sarah Rogers.

Interestingly, despite making a public display of standing in the less glamorous nosebleed section during last week’s Knicks-Spurs Game 3— a ticket he reportedly acquired at a discount due to his mayoral position— Mamdani had no reservations about enjoying the luxury of the VIP section at the World Cup event.

While Mamdani made a big show of standing in the nosebleeds for last week’s Knicks-Spurs Game 3 — a standing-room-only ticket the New York Post reported he obtained at a discounted rate thanks to his mayoral perch — he had no qualms about mingling in a VIP section at the World Cup match.

And, when the game ended, Mayor Mamdani slipped away with his private motorcade rather than take the shuttle buses his administration, along with Hochul, have repeatedly promoted.

The Democratic leaders promised these shuttles would be the fastest and most reliable option and even converted 42nd Street into a dedicated bus-only corridor from First Avenue to Twelfth Avenue, blocking it to private cars and ride-shares to give the shuttles priority.

The shuttle service, which was arranged by NYNJ Host Committee, initially asked $80 for roundtrip tickets before Hochul secured additional state funds to drop that cost to $20. The free bus-loving Mamdani, of course, had unsuccessfully pushed to make the shuttle buses gratis.

For passengers on the shuttles Saturday, the ride wasn’t worth their time. It took hours to travel the approximately eight miles from the stadium.

The rider I spoke with said a driver told her no one had control of the situation, saying “I can’t make you guys get off the bus, but the police have lost control of 42nd Street … I think you guys should get off.”

When passengers disembarked near 10th Avenue, they found themselves in the middle of the mayhem. Some of the very same yellow shuttle buses used to transport World Cup fans were being mobbed, looted, and torched. Even police on the scene offered little help. One officer reportedly laughed when asked for safety advice and told the rider to “get as far north as you can” and blend in with the celebrating crowd.

“I think it’s insane that people paid all this money for World Cup tickets and then the city fed the World Cup attendees to the rioters,” the source complained. (I’ve reached out to the Mayor’s office for comment.)

The pandemonium stood in stark contrast to the victory laps by Mamdani supporters on social media after the Knicks’ big victory. They hailed him as a savior who had finally brought winning back to New York. You’d think he’d coached the team for how much credit he got.

Indeed, the mayor is an undisputed champ on social media. It’s how he got elected. But in real life, he’s a hypocrite celebrating victories and enjoying his VIP status, while his constituents lose.

In an exclusive revelation by the Daily Mail, it has been disclosed that Jeff Bezos has assembled a team of world-renowned architects to design an extraordinary private residence in the United States. This ambitious project is set to redefine luxury living.

The Amazon founder’s sprawling estate will be situated on Miami’s Indian Creek Island, famously known as the “Billionaire Bunker.” The estate will cover three waterfront lots, collectively valued at an astounding $250 million.

This architectural endeavor brings together a distinguished roster of designers, typically known for their work on skyscrapers, opulent resorts, and national museums, all collaborating to bring Bezos’s vision to life.

The firms involved boast impressive portfolios, having contributed to iconic structures such as the Vessel at Hudson Yards, the Las Vegas Sphere, and Apple’s stunning glass cube flagship in New York City.

Among the notable feats of these companies, one has engineered the innovative retractable roof for Wimbledon’s Centre Court, while another has developed conceptual designs for establishing a human colony on Mars.

An army of consultants will be assigned to every conceivable luxury, including private theaters, resort-style swimming pools and tropical landscaping resembling a real-life Amazon.

The trophy estate will replace two neighboring mansions that Bezos bought for a combined $147 million when he announced plans to relocate to Florida in 2023.

While his ownership of 11 and 12 Indian Creek Island Road has been widely reported, the buyer of the adjacent empty plot, lot 9, was not publicly revealed when it changed hands last year for $105 million.

Billionaire Bunker: Jeff Bezos’s new mega-mansion will span three waterfront lots worth $250 million on Miami’s Indian Creek Island. He purchased an empty plot (far left) late last year adjacent to the two properties he had already snapped up (center and right)

Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez are building the mega-mansion across three waterfront lots worth $250 million on Miami’s Indian Creek Island – also known as Billionaire Bunker

But unpublished paperwork seen by the Daily Mail reveals the three parcels will be incorporated into one compound spanning nearly six acres for an upcoming construction listed as the ‘Palm Project.’

It will likely be the fanciest and most sophisticated residence to date on ultra-exclusive Indian Creek Island where the wealthy denizens include Tom Brady, David Guetta, Ivanka Trump and Julio Iglesias.

Even by the standards of the ritzy private enclave, which boasts just 41 homes, a police force and an invitation-only golf course, Bezos’s vision appears breathtaking in its ambition. 

Still, a source close to Bezos disputed the notion that it would be one of the most ambitious homes ever built.

‘There’s one architect, one interior designer, one landscaper. It’s not remotely true to say there is anything out of the ordinary here,’ the source said.

‘Anyone who is speculating otherwise, doesn’t know what they are talking about.’

The main architect for the Palm Project is listed as Studio Seilern Architects, a London-based ‘female led’ design practice that specializes in concert halls, hotels and sustainable homes.

Every project is unique and is not burdened by a pre-conceived notion of aesthetic,’ its website says. ‘We approach every project like a new adventure and a new investigation.’

Number 12: The Amazon founder had earlier purchased this seven-bedroom property at 12 Indian Creek Island Road for $79 million in 2023

Number 11: He bought up the neighboring three bedroom home at 11 Indian Creek Island Road for $68 million in early 2023

Eckersley O’Callaghan – specializing in glass facades for skyscrapers, colleges and airports – is listed as the project’s structural engineer, although that role was disputed by founder James O’Callaghan when asked by the Daily Mail.

The British outfit created the 32-by-32-foot glass pavilion entrance for the flagship Apple store in Manhattan and the carbon-fiber roof for the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California.

Bezos, who owns space travel company Blue Origin, might also be interested in recent work the company did for NASA drawing up conceptual designs for a colony on Mars.

The quirky plans suggest a fleet of robots could be sent ahead to build a network of breathable pods for their human counterparts using 3D printers.

Bezos has assigned plumbing, mechanical and electrical duties to ME Engineers, the firm behind the $1 billion renovation of Madison Square Garden.

The Colorado-based company built a retractable roof for Centre Court at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon and was responsible for acoustics and broadcast infrastructure at immersive entertainment venue The Sphere in Las Vegas.

New York engineering powerhouse Heintges has been hired for a role described by planners as an ‘enclosure consultant.’

Heintges created the striking copper-colored honeycomb stairs that encircle The Vessel at Hudson Yards in lower Manhattan.

The same company engineered glazing for Oculus at the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, The Museum of Modern Art and the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.

Bezos is yet to submit any official drawings and none of the companies involved would discuss their plans or give any hint of what is in store.

The mega mansion property will be built on the so-called ‘billionaire bunker’ – an enclave for the wealthy and well-connected

Bezos and Sanchez will be able to keep a close eye on construction from their temporary home on the opposite side of Indian Creek Island

Insiders say it’s typical for contractors working on celebrity real estate projects to sign non-disclosure agreements.

There are several more celebrated firms involved, including interior designer Zervudachi LLC, civil engineering company Langan and Raymond Jungles, a Miami landscape architecture firm known for transforming urban spaces into lush tropical gardens.

The ‘pool & water feature consultant’ will be CPS Outdoors, while the project’s ‘theatre consultant’ will be RH Design Services, which creates opulent interiors for homes and private jets.

Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez, 56, will be able to keep a close eye on construction from their temporary home on the opposite side of Indian Creek Island.

The tech boss bought number 28 in an off-market deal worth a reported $90 million in April 2024 after announcing that he was leaving his longtime base, Seattle.

He said he wanted to live in Florida to be closer to his mom Jackie, who died aged 78 in August 2025, and adoptive father Miguel.

‘My parents have always been my biggest supporters. They recently moved back to Miami, the place we lived when I was younger,’ Bezos wrote on Instagram at the time.

A who’s who of elite designers more commonly associated with skyscrapers, luxury resorts and iconic venues like the Las Vegas Sphere will combine forces on Bezos’s dream digs

The firms involved have worked on iconic buildings, including the Vessel at Hudson Yards in New York

‘I want to be close to my parents, and Lauren and I love Miami. Also, Blue Origin’s operations are increasingly shifting to Cape Canaveral. For all that, I’m planning to return to Miami, leaving the Pacific Northwest.’

Bezos – currently the world’s fourth richest man worth $250 billion – has a vast property portfolio stretching from coast to coast, including a Texas ranch and homes in LA, New York, Washington, DC and Maui.

He also spends much of his time aboard Koru, his opulent 417-foot sailing yacht worth $500 million.

Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner purchased their nearby home on Indian Creek Island for $24 million in April 2021 and spent more than two years renovating it.

Billionaire Icahn paid $7.5 million for his mansion in 1997, while Colombian banker Jaime Gilinski combined five properties to build his family a compound.

NFL legend Brady and his then-supermodel wife Gisele Bündchen were building an ‘eco-mansion’ in the ultra-secure community prior to their split.

The Daily Mail contacted a spokesperson for Bezos for comment. 

In an unusual turn of events, President Donald Trump disrupted the confirmation process for his own nominee to lead the country’s intelligence agencies. This unexpected decision not only interrupted Senate plans to renew a vital surveillance program but also sparked new friction with Republican colleagues in Congress.

While attending the Group of Seven summit in France, Trump announced via social media that he would delay the nomination of federal prosecutor Jay Clayton for the role of director of national intelligence. This announcement came just hours before Clayton’s scheduled hearing, despite receiving bipartisan support and a concerted effort from Republicans to expedite his confirmation.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton of Arkansas initially stated that the hearing for Clayton would proceed as planned, unless Trump explicitly instructed otherwise or withdrew the nomination. However, Cotton later postponed the hearing, expressing disappointment that Trump directed Clayton not to attend.

Cotton remarked, “Mr. Clayton is a patriot and a highly qualified nominee, as the president has repeatedly affirmed. Although today’s hearing is regrettably postponed, I am eager to move forward with his confirmation soon.”

Trump’s decision to delay Clayton’s confirmation increases the likelihood that Bill Pulte, a top housing official, will temporarily assume the intelligence role when the current director, Tulsi Gabbard, steps down on Friday. Pulte, a known Trump ally with no apparent national security background, has been criticized by both Republicans and Democrats for targeting those perceived as the president’s adversaries from his current position.

Trump has defended Pulte, calling him “fair” and “talented” in his social media post. Speaking to reporters in France, Trump called the speedy process to get Clayton formally installed a “rush act by the Democrats.”

“Why are they afraid of this guy? They’re so afraid of him,” Trump said, referring to Pulte. “They’ll do anything not to have Pulte go in there.”

Caught in the middle is the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, bipartisan legislation that aims to prevent terrorist attacks by monitoring the communications of targeted foreigners located outside the United States. Democrats had said they would not provide the necessary votes to pass the bill unless Pulte’s temporary appointment was withdrawn. The current surveillance authority expired last week.

Further complicating matters, Trump said in his social media post that he would not sign the FISA renewal without his legislation to require proof of citizenship for all voters – which does not have enough votes to pass the Senate – and that he does not want to remove Clayton from his current position as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York until his replacement, James McDonald, is approved.

Trump’s post sent Senate Republicans scrambling, and it was unclear if and when Clayton’s nomination would move forward.

“We’ll just have to take it a day at a time until we get more clarity on what the White House position is on this,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Wednesday morning. He said he didn’t know why Trump was holding up the effort.

“Good question,” he said.

Escalating tensions between White House and Capitol Hill

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, called Trump’s move an “extraordinary display of dysfunction from a president who seems determined to turn America’s national security into a political bargaining chip.”

“The biggest obstacle to resolving these issues has not been Senate Democrats or Senate Republicans,” Warner said. “It has been the chaos and confusion coming from the White House itself.”

It was just the latest in a series of standoffs between Trump and Senate Republicans this year.

A funding bill for Trump’s immigration agencies was delayed several weeks when Republicans revolted over a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and a $1 billion security request for the White House, including his new ballroom. The bill passed after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the settlement would not move forward, and GOP leaders decided to drop the security money from the bill.

Trump then appointed Pulte as interim intelligence director just as the FISA renewal was moving toward passage, upsetting bipartisan talks. Republicans urged the White House to pull the appointment, to no avail.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said that Trump’s recent moves are “undermining the results he wants.”

“Jay Clayton was on the brink of having a very good hearing and probably getting some Democrat support, and now we’re in a posture to where it may be the reason that 702 doesn’t get reauthorized,” Tillis said. “That’s a mistake.”

Tillis called Pulte a “sycophant” to Trump.

“How could anybody think he was going to be a credible choice?” he asked.

Democrats say Trump is distracting from other issues

Democrats say that Trump is undermining Americans’ safety as he makes demands of the Senate and tries to put loyal allies in national security positions.

Pulte’s appointment “should send a shiver down the spine of every American,” said Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA analyst and national security official. “The only thing more dangerous than letting FISA lapse is putting Bill Pulte at the head of 17 intelligence agencies.”

Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, said he may have supported Clayton, with whom he met on Tuesday. “It’s unfortunate because he nominated this guy,” King said of Trump.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said she thinks Trump is also trying to divert attention from the war in Iran.

Murray said Clayton was on track to be confirmed because “most Democrats felt that allowing Pulte to go in office was a really bad idea, and most Republicans agreed.”

Consequences for FISA’s lapse

National security officials across both major political parties have for years described Section 702 as vital for gathering intelligence that can disrupt terrorist attacks and espionage operations, though some lawmakers and civil liberties advocates have raised concerns over the government’s use of information about Americans that is incidentally collected through the program.

A court order from March certified that the program could continue for an additional 12 months, though it is possible that communications companies could challenge the government’s authority to force them to cooperate and share data.

Trump’s delay of Clayton “shows he has no interest in getting FISA done,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Joey Cappelletti and Lisa Mascaro in Washington, Aamer Madhani in Evian-les-Bains, France, and Darlene Superville in Geneva contributed to this report.

The legal team behind Alex Murdaugh, who recently secured a retrial, is gearing up to confront the pivotal evidence that previously led to his conviction. According to attorney Dick Harpootlian, the defense is prepared to challenge the damaging piece of evidence that played a significant role in the initial trial’s outcome.

In a conversation on “Crime & Justice with Donna Rotunno,” Harpootlian, a seasoned defense lawyer, outlined his team’s approach to the notorious kennel video. This piece of evidence was instrumental for prosecutors in placing Murdaugh at the scene of the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.

The video in question was captured on Paul Murdaugh’s cellphone just before the tragic events of June 2021 unfolded. It became a cornerstone of the prosecution’s case during Murdaugh’s 2023 trial, undermining his original alibi by allegedly positioning him near the family’s kennels in Colleton County mere minutes before the fatal shootings.

As Murdaugh braces for his retrial, Harpootlian expresses confidence in the defense’s new approach. This development marks a crucial moment as both sides prepare for another legal showdown.

During the initial trial, images showed Alex Murdaugh alongside his defense attorney, Dick Harpootlian, as they examined evidence at the Colleton County Courthouse on January 31, 2023, in Walterboro, South Carolina. (Photo by Joshua Boucher/Pool/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)