Aug 18, 2017

Alt-social network raises $1 million amid Silicon Valley crackdown

Sara Fischer

Twitter

Gab, a so-called "free-speech social network" that's been rejected on app stores, has raised $1 million in crowdsourced funds amid a Silicon Valley crackdown on white nationalist content and accounts. The platform announced its fundraising milestone with a tweet that slammed "Silicon Valley elitist trash." The site claims to be politically neutral, but was started by a pro-Trump Silicon Valley executive, according to Venture Beat. Its avatar is a green frog that resembles the frog "Pepe" that is a symbol of the alt-right movement.

Why it matters: The alt-right movement in the U.S. has been leveraging social media to organize. Large fundraising efforts for the platform shows that the movement's momentum hasn't slowed down, despite efforts to stamp it out.

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Coronavirus dashboard

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  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 1:30 p.m. ET: 887,067 — Total deaths: 44,264 — Total recoveries: 185,541 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 1:30 p.m. ET: 190,740 — Total deaths: 4,127 — Total recoveries: 7,141 — Map.
  3. Federal government latest: Vice President Mike Pence said that White House modeling suggests "Italy may be the most comparable area to the United States" in terms of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
  4. State updates: Florida and Pennsylvania are the latest to issue stay-at-home orders, totaling 34 states and D.C.
  5. 2020 update: New York is latest state to delay primary — Bernie Sanders urges Wisconsin to delay April 7 primary.
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West Virginia is latest state to delay primary due to coronavirus

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West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice rescheduled the state's May 12 primary election to June 9 on Wednesday, citing fears surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, AP reports.

Why it matters: 23 other states and the District of Columbia haven't held primaries yet. The White House is recommending, for now, that Americans practice social distancing and gather in groups of no more than 10 people — while many states have issued stay-at-home orders.

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Rashaan Ayesh

Florida governor issues stay-at-home order

Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered a statewide stay-at-home order on Wednesday after the number of coronavirus cases in the state rose to nearly 7,000.

Why it matters: DeSantis has been criticized for declining to order any statewide mandates to curb the spread of coronavirus as Florida — home to a significant elderly population — has increasingly become a hotspot. The order will go into effect Thursday at midnight and last for 30 days.

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