A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco on Friday (Shutterstock).

At least 296 people were killed Friday night in an earthquake in the north African nation of Morocco.

According to the Associated Press, buildings have been leveled and the historic Red Walls in Marrakech have suffered some damage.

The quake, measured at a 6.8 magnitude, followed by a 4.9 aftershock 19 minutes later. Details about how the number of people killed and injured were not immediately available.

The Times reported that the quake was felt as far away as Algeria and Portugal.

White House “overstepped” media curbs

THE WHITE HOUSE (White House Photo)

A U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans on Friday ruled that the White House had acted incorrectly in its efforts to urge social media platforms to take down “false or misleading content” about the coronavirus pandemic.

In doing so, the court issued a preliminary injunction to keep government agencies from trying to intimidate social media organizations, which – like newspapers and TV news – have protection under The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

At issue is how much a company should do to “moderate” online comment.

Grand jury wanted to indict Graham

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.).

A grand jury in Georgia recommended charges against Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and two ex-senators in connection with efforts to interfere with the state’s 2020 election results.

United Press International  said the grand jury had urged charges against 21 people, including Graham, but they have not been indicted.

The two former senators were David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, Republicans who were defeated by Democratic challengers.

Also recommended to be charged was former president Donald Trump.

66 still missing after Maui fire

AERIAL view of Lahaina, Maui during the blaze (NWS Photo).

Sixty-six people are missing and 115 confirmed dead in the wake of the Aug. 8 fire in Maui, Hawaii.

That’s the official count of the tragedy, announced Friday by Gov. Josh Green.

The list of the missing began at 380 people earlier this month, according to Reuters, but was reduced to 66 today.

Some of the missing may have been cremated in the fire, making identification difficult.

Angels lose to Guardians; Dodgers over Nats

For fans of local big league baseball, the storyline for Friday was familiar: Dodgers win, Angels lose.

The Dodgers defeated the Nationals 8-5 in Washington. Trailing 5-4, the Blue Crew put four runs on the board in the top of the fourth to see the record improve to 86-54, still in first place in the National League West.

The Dodgers got home runs from J.D. Martinez (his 26th), Max Muncy (his 33rd) and Enrique Hernandez (ninth) in the win.

Freddie Freeman was 3-for-4 at the plate and scored two runs. Alex Vesia (1-5) got the win in relief.

The Dodgers will play the Nats again on Saturday with Bob Miller (9-3) getting the start.

As for the Angels, they fell behind early and never caught up in losing 6-3 to the Cleveland Guardians in Anaheim. They were outhit 13-5 and have lost seven of eight games played in September.

Catcher Logan O’Hoppe had the best day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run (his seventh) and two RBIs.

Griffin Canning (7-6) worked 5.1 innings, giving up eight hits and three earned runs. He struck out three batters and walked two.

The Halos (65-77) will try to improve their luck on Saturday with Tyler Anderson (5-6) getting the start.

Weather:  Taking the elevator down

In our West Orange County area, the daytime high will peak on Saturday at 93 with an overnight low of 71, under mostly sunny skies. But cooler days are coming with Sunday’s 88 (69) followed by 86 (66) on Monday and 83 (65) under partly cloudy skies on Tuesday.