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☆ After a gunman tried to shoot him, this Pennsylvania pastor wants to make his church safer
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Christina Maxouris | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Germany, a full-time bus driver and full-time pastor, knows how important this church is to its community. And now, it seems there’s another critical expense, though one this small church hardly could afford: security. Now, Germany wants to hire security experts to assess his church’s vulnerability and see how they can secure it. Pastor Glenn Germany in an undated image in his church in Pennsylvania. And it’s really dangerous.”In Tennessee, Lori Morrison has long been talking about the importance of church security, on both her website and her podcast.

Persons: Glenn Germany, It’s, ”, Chuck Schumer, Pastor Glenn Germany, Kevin Nelson’s, televangelist Joel Osteen, Nelson, I’m, ” Nelson, Schumer, Donell, what’s, “, Charlie Cytron, Walker, Beth Israel, Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Christ, McKenzie, it’s, Schumer’s, ” Schumer, Pastor Kevin Nelson, Rico Reed, ” Reed, Lori Morrison, Morrison, there’s Organizations: CNN, Police, Kevin Nelson’s Calvary Baptist Church, Lakewood Church, Calvary Baptist, Baptist, Calvary, Training, Beth, National Council of, Jewish, FEMA, New, Calvary Baptist Church . Calvary Baptist Church, SecureTek Service, Inc Locations: Pennsylvania, Germany, North Braddock, Pittsburgh, Louisiana, Lakewood, Houston, ” Germany, San Antonio, Nelson’s, Sutherland Springs, Maryland, Baltimore, …, Texas, USA, New York, Calvary Baptist Church . Calvary Baptist Church Florida, In Tennessee, ”

☆ These are the top 10 holdings of the Mormon church's $55 billion stock portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The investment arm of the Mormon church revealed some of its holdings in a 13F filing Wednesday. These are the top 10 holdings of the church's stock portfolio as of March 31. AdvertisementThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has an investment portfolio of over $100 billion that includes $55 billion invested in publicly traded stocks. AdvertisementThe church, widely known as the Mormon church, reports its stock holdings on a quarterly basis, and a recent 13F filing revealed its top holdings as of March 31. These are the church's top 10 stock holdings at the end of the fourth quarter, as well as the changes in each position.

Persons: —, of Jesus Christ, Eli Lilly Vincent Kessler, Seth Wenig, Ethan Miller, Apple Justin Sullivan, Microsoft Satya Nadella, Sean Gallup Organizations: Service, of Jesus, Securities and Exchange Commission, Advisors, Reuters, JPMorgan AP, UnitedHealth, Mastercard Reuters, Nvidia, Microsoft, Getty

☆ Chinese asylum seekers in New York City live in limbo, caught between China and the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Tara John | Yong Xiong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

It was his only day off from working 12-hour shifts at a Chinese restaurant in New York City. Evelio Contreras/CNNAfter arriving in New York, Ye spent a week in a Manhattan shelter. For Chinese asylum seekers like Ye, there is a well-trodden route to residency in the US. … It’s impossible for them to be spies.”But the rhetoric around the rise of undocumented Chinese migrants highlights growing tensions between the US and Chinese governments. He received permanent US residence a year later and has gone on to help Chinese migrants in Flushing.

Persons: Ye Chengxiang, “, ”, Ye, Evelio Contreras, Amy Hsin, Jiang Zhen, Yong Xiong, Xi Jinping, Biden, Mark Green of, Wan Yanhai, …, Jiang, “ It’s, I’m, Melanie Stetson Freeman, ’ Wan, Flushing . Li Jiada, Li Jiada, Jesus, Li Organizations: NY CNN, Central America, CNN, Queens College, Customs and, Embassy, Central, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China, Republicans, Republican, House Homeland Security Committee, Communist Party, Christian Science, Customs Enforcement, of, Yorker Locations: Flushing, NY, New York City, China, Communist, Ye, States, Colombia, Darien, South, Central, New York, Manhattan, Flushing’s, Sunset, Mexico, Central America, Queens, Hunan province, Guangdong, Chinatown, , Flushing , New York, San Francisco, Mark Green of Tennessee, Beijing, Flushing ., Flushing , Queens

☆ After Outlawing Public Zoos, Costa Rica Relocates Hundreds of Animals
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jesus Jiménez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Costa Rica announced last week that it would close its two remaining state zoos, more than a decade after it passed a law to ban keeping wild animals in government-sponsored captivity but was met with legal blowback. Costa Rica’s Ministry of Environment and Energy said in a statement on Saturday that it would not renew its contract with Fundazoo, a foundation that had run the zoos. The move will close the country’s last two state zoos: the Simón Bolívar Zoo and the Santa Ana Conservation Center. Some of the animals have been in captivity for more than 30 years, the ministry said. Franz Tattenbach, the minister of environment and energy, said on Saturday that Costa Rica would move toward running sanctuaries for animals that cannot return to to the wild.

Persons: Costa Rica, Franz Tattenbach Organizations: Rica’s Ministry of Environment, Energy, Fundazoo, Santa Ana Conservation Center Locations: Costa, Rica’s, Costa Rica

☆ MDMA therapy could be legalized by summer. Why are so many advocates sounding the alarm?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Anna Silman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +52 min

Last summer, thousands of tie-dyed Burners and Patagonia-clad tech founders converged on the MAPS Psychedelic Science conference in Denver. The experience "broke the spell of this trauma, and she was able to rebuild her life," Doblin told The Guardian . The video team's job was to store recordings of every MDMA therapy session performed in the clinical trials. Grof believes in something called an "inner healing intelligence," an innate capacity for self-healing that psychedelic therapy helps unleash. Another time, a patient who had come to an MDMA therapy session later acknowledged they had been under the influence of LSD during treatment.

Persons: Jaden Smith, Aaron Rodgers, bro, Andrew Huberman, Rick Doblin, Doblin, mainstreaming psychedelics, influencers, Johnson, Elizabeth Nielson, Aubrey Marcus, ayahuasca, Matthew Stockman, Helena —, Timothy Leary, —, Hitler, Stanislav Grof, zombified, Brad Burge, Michael Mithoefer, Annie Mithoefer, Oprah, Sen, Joe Biden, MDMA's neurotoxicity, they'd, Albert Hofmann, David Bronner, Dr, Joe's, Bronner, Bronner's, Richard Rockefeller, John D, Rockefeller Jr, Rockefeller, Neşe, Johns Hopkins, who's, Devenot, Rick Friedman, Betty Aldworth, MAPS's multimillionaire, Tim Ferriss, Cody Swift, Zendo, Aldworth, Erica Siegal, Seth Whitelaw, Amy Emerson, JULIE JAMMOT, Ifetayo Harvey, Harvey, Lauren Unger, Unger, Casey Hardison, Harvey didn't, Hardison, Doblin's, Baylee Ybarra Gatlin, Gatlin, negligently, There's, Michael Pollan's, Steve Jurvetson, Elon Musk's who's, Genevieve, Steve Cohen, Alexandra, Mark Zuckerberg's, Dustin Moskovitz, Cari, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paltrow, Sergey Brin, Joe Green, Green, Zuckerberg, Genevieve Jurvetson, Michael Pollan, Jonathan Lubecky, he'd, Rebekah, Robert Mercer, Elizabeth Koch, Charles Koch, Rachel Nuwer, Koch, she'd, MAPS's, Elizabeth Crystal, Joe Rogan, didn't, Jesus Christ, Crystal, Meaghan Buisson, Richard Yensen, Donna, Yensen, Buisson, weren't, Robert, Rebekah Mercer, Sean Zanni, Grof, They've, Kayla Greenstien, it's, George Sarlo who'd, Vicky Dulai, Sarlo's, Dulai, Gul Dolen, Michael Mullette, who'd, Marla Aufmuth, Mullette, Lily Kay Ross, David Nickles, Ross, Greenstien, Rick, Lenny Ignelzi, biostatisticians, Lykos, Peter Thiel, Kara Swisher, Kris Lotlikar, Federico Menapace, Mo Septimus, Handout, Monnica, Williams, Lotlikar, Henry Elkus, Helena ., Elkus, Emerson, ICER Organizations: Science, New York Jets, rockstar, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, Lykos Therapeutics, and Drug Administration, FDA, Business, Florida's New College, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Sarasota Herald, Tribune, New College, Guardian, Drug, Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, eBay, Nevada, Doblin, Pentagon, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, Staff, Corporation, PBC, pharma, New Yorker, New York Mets, Bloomberg, CBS, Breitbart, CBC News, BI, Porsche, Santa Cruz, New York Times, longtime, Mullette Corporation, New York, Health Canada, Compass, Sciences, Psychedelic Science, Whole Foods, McKinsey, Big Pharma, Vine Ventures, Lucid, Street Journal, Investments, Gawker, Publicly, PBC alums, Numinus, US Army Locations: Patagonia, Denver, Harvard, Colorado, Skokie , Illinois, Ireland, Czech, Sarasota, Arcturus, Florida, Swiss, Vietnam, Washington, Santa Cruz, Chicago, California, Iraq, British Columbia, New York, Hawaii, Santa, Nature, Moderna, Europe, Helena, Yale, Australia, Canada, Israel, Ukraine, ICER, . Upper

“It was Michael Cohen,” Davidson responded. Cohen is the only witness who will testify about Trump’s alleged involvement in both the decision to pay Daniels and the plan to reimburse Cohen for advancing the money. Prosecutors allege that during the February meeting, Trump and Cohen agreed how Cohen would be paid back. Arguably the most negative assessment of Cohen came from Davidson, who negotiated the hush money deal with Cohen on Daniels’ behalf in 2016. “There were times where Mr. Cohen did things that you felt were not helpful to what you were trying to accomplish, right?” Bove asked Trump’s 2016 campaign press secretary.

Persons: Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s, Cohen, Stormy Daniels, David Pecker, Hope Hicks, “, Daniels, Keith Davidson, Daniels ’, Gina Rodriguez –, “ Gina, Keith, ’ ” Davidson, ”, Joshua Steinglass, ” Davidson, Trump, Trump’s, Pecker, ” Steinglass, Todd Blanche, Elie Honig, Cohen’s, antagonizing Trump, Juan Merchan, Merchan, Cohen ’, Emil Bove, ” Pecker, Bove, Gary Farro, ” Farro, Davidson, ” Cohen, Christ, I’m, I’ve, ’ ”, Jeff McConney, ” McConney, Matthew Colangelo, Hicks, –, ” Bove, ” Hicks Organizations: CNN, Trump, National Enquirer, American Media Inc, Prosecutors, Office, Daniels, Trump Organization Locations: Manhattan, Trump’s New York, Moscow, thedirty.com, Washington

☆ Jean Smart Is Having a Third Act for the Ages
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( J Wortham | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The slight is hurled early on in “Hacks,” the popular HBO series starring Jean Smart as Deborah Vance, a seasoned comedian who teams up with a younger one named Ava (Hannah Einbinder) to freshen up her act. Deborah, meanwhile, sees Ava as a bit of a hack herself — an entitled and spoiled young internet persona who was canceled for posting a joke about a closeted senator. Deborah is a workaholic on the verge of bitter, someone who grew tired of being cut and so became a knife. Just how far is Deborah Vance willing to go? In one of the show’s funniest moments, Deborah bluntly asks Ava, “You a lesbian?” Ava leans back in her chair while considering the question.

Persons: Jean Smart, Deborah Vance, Ava, Hannah Einbinder, Deborah —, Deborah, —, Z, “, ” Ava, Deborah doesn’t, Rachel Maddow’s Organizations: HBO Locations: Las Vegas

For decades, Munch’s Make Believe Band at Chuck E. Cheese has performed for countless birthdays, end-of-season Little League parties and other celebrations. There’s been Chuck E. Cheese and Helen Henny on vocals, Mr. The band of robot puppets has been a mainstay at the colorful pizzeria-arcade chain where children run amok and play games for prizes in between bites of pizza slices. By the end of 2024, the animatronic performances — endearing and nostalgia-inducing, if perhaps slightly creepy to their audiences — will be phased out at all but two of the chain’s more than 400 locations in the United States: one in Los Angeles and another in Nanuet, N.Y. The departure of the band comes as Chuck E. Cheese undergoes what its chief executive, David McKillips, recently described as its largest and “most aggressive transformation.”

Persons: Chuck E, There’s, Helen Henny, Munch, Jasper T, Jowls, Pasqually, David McKillips Organizations: Little League Locations: United States, Los Angeles, Nanuet, N.Y

☆ Netflix's 'Cooking Up Murder' tells the story of a chef who killed his girlfriend. Here's where César Román is now.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Eammon Jacobs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"Cooking Up Murder" tells the story of Spanish chef César Román, who murdered his girlfriend, Heidi Paz. The chef killed Paz in 2018, and he then moved to Madrid using a fake name. AdvertisementNetflix's "Cooking Up Murder" tells the story of Spanish chef César Román, who killed his girlfriend, Heidi Paz, in 2018. NetflixIn the series, Román alleges that Paz was killed by a gang in connection to a cocaine deal gone wrong. Advertisement"I cannot turn back time, something I would like more than anything in the world," Román wrote.

Persons: César Román, Heidi Paz, Paz, —, Dr, Ruth Tully, dismembering, Román, he's, God, Jesus Christ, Heidi's, Alexis Socias, El Pais Organizations: Service, Netflix, Madrid Metropolitan, Román, Soto, Soto del Real Penitentiary, Spanish, El Pais Locations: Madrid, Spanish, Zaragoza, Spain, Soto del

☆ For Mormon Missionaries, Some ‘Big, Big Changes’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Lauren Jackson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Andres Gonzalez, 19, stands on the balcony of his Los Angeles apartment, his hands in his suit pockets. It is his first week as a missionary, but today, instead of approaching people on the street, he is shooting a video that he will later post to social media. After about a dozen takes, he is successful. If you would like to learn more about Jesus Christ,” he says to the camera in Spanish, “contact me.”Mr. Gonzalez is the image of the modern missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has changed many of its practices — from how missionaries preach to how they dress. The faith, long known for sending tens of thousands of neatly and formally dressed young people across the globe each year to preach door to door, is encouraging new missionaries to spread the gospel on social media and, for some, with acts of community service closer to home.

Persons: Andres Gonzalez, Jesus Christ, ”, Mr, Gonzalez, of Jesus Christ Organizations: of Jesus Locations: Los Angeles

☆ How Deep Change Happens - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( David Brooks | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In 2020 Joe Biden ran on the theme of saving the soul of America. American society, at every economic level, is still plagued by enmity, distrust, isolation, willful misunderstanding, ungraciousness and just plain meanness. So how can we create a society in which it is easier to be decent to one another? More broadly, how is it possible to strengthen the spiritual and social foundation of society so that people will recognize one another’s full dignity amid the normal tussles of life? These are germane questions today, when so many — on the left and right — feel that society has pushed them against the wall.

Persons: Joe Biden, Howard Thurman’s, Jesus, ” Thurman, Martin Luther King Sr, Martin Luther King Jr, Thurman Organizations: Morehouse Locations: America

Washington CNN —President Joe Biden’s decision this week to make public his ultimatum that a major Israeli offensive in the city of Rafah would result in a shut-off of some US weapons did not come easily or lightly. Last week, Biden signed off on a pause of 3,500 bombs to Israel that administration officials feared would be dropped on Rafah. Aware or not of the president’s views, Israeli officials reacted with shock to the public announcement. Israeli officials also sought to downplay the significance of Biden’s announcement. It marked the clearest signal yet that six months into the war, Biden was starting to seriously consider conditioning US support for Israel.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden’s, Netanyahu, Biden, Still, CNN’s Erin Burnett, he’d, ” Biden, Burnett, wasn’t, “, Erin Burnett, ”, John Kirby, Kirby, Daniel Hagari, Israel, –, Jesus, Israel’s, ” Kirby, straightforwardly, pare, Donald Trump, Utah Sen, Mitt Romney, Mike Johnson, who’d, Pennsylvania Sen, John Fetterman, they’re, CNN’s Manu Raju, Sen, Jon Tester, Ben Cardin, “ I’m, I’ve, we’ve, ” Sen, Bernie Sanders Organizations: Washington CNN, Israel Defense Forces, White, National Security, CNN, Kitchen, Capitol, Israel, Biden’s CNN, GOP, Politico, Pennsylvania, Foreign Relations Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Wisconsin, I’m, Rafah Israel, “ Israel, Utah, Montana, Vermont

☆ 2 Skiers Die and 1 Is Rescued After Avalanche in Utah
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Jesus Jiménez | More About Jesus Jiménez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Three skiers who had been skiing for hours through the backcountry near Lone Peak in Utah on Thursday were engulfed by an avalanche that ultimately killed two of them, the authorities said. One person survived and was rescued by helicopter, while search-and-rescue crews looked for the two others after the avalanche was reported near the peak, southeast of Salt Lake City, Sgt. The two skiers were found dead in the afternoon by search-and-rescue crews, Sheriff Rosie Rivera of Salt Lake County said at a news conference. The names of the skiers were not released, but Sheriff Rivera said they were both men, one a 23-year-old and the other 32. One of the skiers was from the Salt Lake City area and the other was from out of state.

Persons: Rosie Rivera, Sheriff Rivera Organizations: Unified Police Department, Greater Locations: Lone, Utah, Salt Lake City, Greater Salt Lake, Salt Lake County

☆ Apple's iPad ad literally crushes all the things we hold dear — and it's making people sad and mad
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Katie Notopoulos | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Apple's ad for the new iPad Pro shows various artistic tools being crushed. AdvertisementApple's promotional video for the newly upgraded iPad Pro has struck a discordant tone. Related storiesWhen the press reopens, it's all replaced by the ultrathin iPad Pro. AdvertisementI'll admit, the thinness of that new iPad Pro really is impressive. It's a shame the iPad ad wants to crush it.

Persons: —, Tim Cook, We're, Apple, 8PAjfWa2ZZ, michael, vxLquRFkwU — David Goldfarb, Zooey Deschanel, Siri Organizations: Apple, Service, Bravo, MacBook

At least one person was killed on Wednesday as strong storms moved through Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee on Wednesday afternoon, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and hail in some areas. The severe weather arrived a day after widespread storms pummeled the Midwest, with tornadoes that tore through Michigan. As storms continued to move through a swath of the Midwest and the Eastern United States on Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a string of tornado warnings in cities across Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee. More severe storms were expected through the evening, according to forecasters. About 18 million people were under either an enhanced or moderate risk of severe weather — the third and fourth levels of intensity, out of five — on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center.

Organizations: Midwest, Eastern, National Weather Service, Prediction Locations: Missouri , Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Claiborne County, Eastern United States, Missouri , Kentucky

☆ The alleged architect of a multibillion-dollar fraud that shook Wall Street heads to trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —In the spring of 2021, you might have heard about a small investment firm with an odd name, Archegos, that imploded practically overnight and left big Wall Street banks sweating over billions of dollars in losses. Put simply, prosecutors say Hwang had used financial instruments called “total return swaps” to gain exposure to the stocks without actually owning them. Over the course of a year, prosecutors say, Hwang grew his $1.5 billion portfolio into a $35 billion portfolio. Why the case mattersWhite-collar crime on Wall Street may seem like a distant problem for most Americans, and that may be true. And sometimes, as in the financial crisis of 2008, it was a bit of Wall Street tinkering in derivatives contracts that blew up in banks’ faces and collapsed the housing market.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Bill Hwang, Hwang, Matt Egan, Banks, Archegos, ” Hwang, Hwang didn’t, ”, isn’t, Dennis Kelleher Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Archegos, Management, Viacom, Discovery, Warner Bros, CNN, Term Capital Management, Credit Suisse, Employees, Bloomberg, Tiger Asia Management Locations: New York, Korean, York City, ’

☆ Man Killed His Wife Because He Couldn’t Pay Her Medical Bills, He Tells Police
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Jesus Jiménez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Missouri man charged with strangling his wife told the police that he had killed her while she was lying in a hospital bed because he could not take care of her or pay her medical bills, prosecutors said. The man, Ronnie Wiggs, 75, of Independence, Mo., appeared in court on Monday on a second-degree murder charge, records show. About 7:30 p.m. Friday, Ms. Wiggs, was seen in her room “alert and oriented,” according to court records. (Code blue is a hospital announcement that typically means a patient is in cardiac or respiratory arrest.) She was unresponsive and did not have a pulse, according to charging documents.

Persons: Ronnie Wiggs, Ellen Wiggs, Wiggs Organizations: Centerpoint, Center Locations: Missouri, Independence, Mo, Kansas City

☆ Parents of Australian surfers murdered in Mexico remember loving sons who adored adventure
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The grieving parents of two Australian brothers killed on a surfing trip in Mexico alongside their American friend said their deaths had made the world a “darker place,” days after their sons’ bodies were identified. On Sunday, Mexican authorities confirmed their identities as the three missing friends with the help of relatives who flew out help investigators. Mexican authorities have vowed to investigate the murders, saying the surfers may have been attacked in an attempted vehicle robbery. Mexico’s homicide rate is among the highest in the world, and more than 100,000 people remain missing in the country. Studies show only around seven percent of murders in Mexico are ever solved.

Persons: Jake, Callum Robinson, Jack Carter Rhoad, ”, Debra Robinson, “, Carter Rhoad, Martin, Callum, “ Callum, Debra, Callum’s, Penny Wong, Jesús Gerardo “, “ El Organizations: CNN, Seven Network Australia, Australia’s, team, Seven, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Australian Federal Police, Australian Embassy Locations: Mexico, Ensenada, Tijuana, San Diego, Perth, Australia, United States, Baja California

☆ Bear Grylls helped baptize Russell Brand in the pristine waters of the River Thames
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Palmer Haasch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russell Brand confirmed that Bear Grylls was involved in his baptism in the River Thames. Grylls told the Daily Mail that it was a "privilege" to be with Brand during his baptism. In 2023, Brand was accused of sexual abuse by multiple women. AdvertisementMultiple women have accused Brand of sexual abuse and rape in the past. In September 2023, four women accused him of sexual assault in a joint investigation by several British media outlets.

Persons: Russell Brand, Bear Grylls, Grylls, Brand, —, Russell Brand's, Joe, Jordan, Jesus, Arthur Organizations: Daily Mail, Service, Daily, Prospect Magazine, YouTube Locations: Bethany

☆ How AI is changing OnlyFans and adult content creation, from chatting to 'AI twins,' and where the future is headed
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Many AI adult influencers have turned to OnlyFans competitor Fanvue to monetize their content. MySentient has been investing in creating "sentient" AI chatbots based on people that range from adult creators like Amouranth to Jesus. Elaina St James has used different AI tools to generate images of herself in different contexts and outfits. To create these characters, they use a variety of AI tools, including Unstable Diffusion, an AI image generator that focuses on NSFW content. Others see the power of AI but also the issues it could create for the adult industry as a whole.

Persons: Riley Reid, Ana Levy, Isla Moon, Jada Sparks, Fanvue, it's, OnlyFans, Fortune, Riley Reid's Clona, immortalize, Riley, MySentient, Amouranth, Jesus, Reese Leysen, Leysen, We've, Robert Weiss, that's, she'd, James, Elaina, James Level, —, Eva AI, MyClub.ai, Eva, MyClub, Jessica Moore, Elaina St James, St James, Zoe Fox, Aika Kittie, Margot Robbie, Influencer Sophie Annaston, she's, Sophie Annaston, who's, It's, Charles Lyle Organizations: Business, MyClub, AVN, Media Locations: Philippines, India, Pakistan, Canada, Spanish, Fanvue, Lipa

☆ Missing surfers: Bodies found in Mexico confirmed as those of missing American and Australian tourists
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Karol Suarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Three bodies found dumped in a well with gunshot wounds to the head have been confirmed as missing tourists, including a US citizen, Mexican authorities said Sunday. Relatives of American Jack Carter Rhoad and Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson identified their bodies without having to perform genetic tests, the Baja California Attorney General’s office said in a statement on Sunday. The vehicle was confirmed to be the same one Callum Robinson posted an image of on Instagram a week before the trio went missing. Photos of the American and Australian surfers on a beach in Ensenada, Mexico on May 5, 2024. In 2015, the bodies of Australian surfers Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman were found in a burned-out van in Sinaloa state.

Persons: Jack Carter Rhoad, Jake, Callum Robinson, Jesús Gerardo “, “ El, Maria Elena Andrade Ramirez, “, ”, Karen Castaneda, Dean Lucas, Adam Coleman Organizations: CNN, Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Authorities Locations: California, Ensenada, Tijuana, Baja California, Santo Tomas, Instagram, Mexico, Sinaloa

☆ Madonna concert attracts 1.6 million to Brazil’s Copacabana beach
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

More than a million people thronged Brazil’s Copacabana beach for a free Madonna concert on Saturday, braving the heat to see the end of her “Celebration” world tour. The sand and oceanfront boulevard around Rio de Janeiro’s famed beach were filled for several blocks by a crowd the city estimated at 1.6 million. Rio’s state and city governments said they spent $3.9 million on the concert. Rio’s state and city governments said they spent 20 million reais ($3.9 million) on the concert, while the rest was financed by private sponsors. The authorities estimate the concert could bring about 300 million reais to Rio’s economy.

Persons: Mauro Pimentel, “, ” Madonna, Anitta, Pabllo, Rod Stewart, Taylor Swift Organizations: Rio de, Firefighters, Vogue Locations: Rio, AFP, Brazilian

☆ Inside Rep. Rob Menendez's fight to be more than a 'nepo baby'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

"I don't have the capacity to think through, well, what if, what if, what if," Menendez told me. Mayor Bhalla told me that he began contemplating his primary challenge shortly after the elder Menendez was first indicted in September. AdvertisementSitting in his recently opened campaign office, the mayor told me that the most important facet of his candidacy was his fight against New Jersey's party boss-driven political culture. "Everything here is a headline or a deadline driving the process," Councilman Paul Presinzano said of Mayor Bhalla. Menendez looks on as Bhalla's opening remarks at a Jersey City candidate forum are filmed by a cameraman.

Persons: Rob Menendez —, Sen, Bob Menendez —, Ravi Bhalla, Menendez, —, Rob Menendez, Bob Menendez, who's, that's, frat bro, I've, Stephen Chernin, he's, father's, Phil Murphy, Bhalla, Pete Buttigieg, outraise Menendez, Ted Shaffrey Bhalla, Menendez —, there's, They're, Andy Kim, Tammy Murphy, James Solomon, you've, hasn't, bossism, Anna Moneymaker, deriding, didn't, I'm, wasn't, we're, It's, Sam Bankman, rZ6H2IB4N0, — Rob Menendez, @RobMenendez4NJ, Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, Kim, Fisher, Paul Presinzano, Union City —, Donald Trump, Bryan Metzger, Rob's, Tammy Murphy's, He's, Cory Booker, Rob Menendez Bhalla, Steve Fulop —, corruptly Organizations: Hoboken, Service, Nike Air Force, Gov, Port Authority of New, New Jersey ., Sikh American, Congress, South, AP, New, Democratic Rep, First, Jersey City, Getty, Lipton Tea Company, House Transportation, Infrastructure, Union City, Homeland Security, Democratic, House Democratic, Facebook Locations: New Jersey, Manhattan, Jersey, Hoboken, Port Authority of New York, he's, Jersey City, Washington ,, Washington and NJ, Menendez's, Union City

☆ We're reading: How Facebook's AI 'Shrimp Jesus' is creating a zombie internet
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Katie Notopoulos | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read preview404 Media has been pulling the thread of the great mystery of "What the heck is going on with all this AI image spam on Facebook?" Finally, Jason Koebler presents his theory of what all this AI engagement bait spam means:I think we should not view Facebook's AI spam through the lens of the "Dead Internet." The platform has become something worse than bots talking to bots. It is bots talking to bots, bots talking to bots at the direction of humans, humans talking to humans, humans talking to bots, humans arguing about a fake thing made by a bot, humans talking to no one without knowing it, hijacked human accounts turned into bots, humans worried that the other humans they're talking to are bots, hybrid human/bot accounts, the end of a shared reality, and, at the center of all of this: One of the most valuable companies on the planet enabling this shitshow because its human executives and shareholders have too much money riding on the mass adoption of a reality-breaking technology to do anything about it. AdvertisementI have a few theories about why Facebook is (for now) allowing this kind of AI image spam:

Persons: —, they've, Jason Koebler, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, Facebook

Without saying so specifically, the upshot from Trump’s attorney was that the Trump deals followed a pattern that bordered on extortion. The upshot from Trump’s attorney was that the Trump deals followed a pattern that bordered on extortion. After the lunch break, Trump attorney Susan Necheles said Trump’s legal team feels the gag order is ambiguous about whether Trump can repost article written by lawyers analyzing the trial. During Tuesday’s session, Davidson testified that he ended up getting involved with the Daniels deal because Cohen was being so difficult. “The moral of the story was: No one wanted to talk to Cohen,” Davidson said.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, ” Trump, Emil Bove, Keith Davidson, – Hulk Hogan, Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen, Tila Tequila –, Davidson, Michael Cohen, Daniels, Judge Juan Merchan, Trump, Karen McDougal, Bove, Cohen, McDougal, ” Davidson, Hulk Hogan, “, ”, Hogan, ” Bove, Joshua Steinglass, ” Merchan, Merchan, Chris Conroy, David Pecker, “ He’s, ” Conroy, Conroy, Trump “, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Susan Necheles, “ I’m, Trump’s, ’, ’ ” Cohen, Daniels “, they’d, ” Prosecutors, Daniels ’, Witnesses, Michael Cohen Davidson, Cohen –, –, ‘, I’m, I’ve, ’ ” Davidson, Cohen’s, Pecker, he’s, Hunt Organizations: CNN, Trump, AMI, Bove, Democratic, ” Locations: Washington

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