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☆ Twilio cofounder Jeff Lawson appears to have just bought The Onion
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Katherine Long | Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Satirical news website The Onion was sold to a company called Global Tetrahedron. Global Tetrahedron is also the name of a fictional evil megacorporation in a long-running Onion gag. But it's a real company, and Twilio founder Jeff Lawson appears to be behind it. AdvertisementJeff Lawson, the cofounder of cloud computing company Twilio, appears to have purchased the satirical news website The Onion from G/O Media. When asked whether he had purchased The Onion, Lawson played coy.

Persons: Jeff Lawson, —, Lawson, Jim Spanfeller, Katie Robertson, Spanfeller, coy, O Organizations: Service, O, New York Times Locations: San Francisco, Chicago

☆ The American Kennel Club's pedophile problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +26 min

The mother contacted the American Kennel Club, the organization that oversees most dog shows in the country. The AKC helps local kennel clubs enforce rules about conduct and animal treatment. The bulk of the organization's income comes from the dog-show community, in the form of event and registration fees paid by local kennel clubs and breeders. The debate is taking place as kennel clubs try to entice younger children to show dogs. Many dog shows include competitions for junior handlers, including a "Pee Wee" division for kids under the age of 10.

Persons: Adam Wilkerson, She'd, Wilkerson, —, It's, Brandi Hunter Munden, Munden, eyeing, Andrew Mansfield, Mansfield, Walter Palmerino, Palmerino, I'm, John Cathcart McCartney, McCartney, Eugene Zaphiris, Zaphiris, he's, Adam Stafford King, King, Jacob Boudreau, Boudreau, Dennis, Margaret Poindexter, Deb Cooper, Ashley Miller, Miller, Shimpeno's, Shimpeno, Mary Dukes, Dukes, they've, it's, Susan Shephard, West Volusia Kennel Club Shephard, hadn't, Shephard, Tonda Curry, Curry, who's, Paige McCarver, groomer, McCarver, She's, we're, Wilkerson's, she's Organizations: Westminster Kennel, Business, BI, American Kennel Club, AKC, Getty, Dog, Wisconsin, Police, American Kennel, Grand Central, Purina, ABC, ESPN, AKC Canine Health Foundation, AKC Museum, Preservation Bank, Mars, Royal, Dog News, Kids, Florida's West Volusia Kennel Club, West Volusia Kennel Club, Boy Scouts, New York Times, US Equestrian Federation Locations: Dallas, Michigan, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, American, Wee, Munden, Texas, Arizona

☆ Jeff Bezos snaps up a 3rd Miami-area mansion for $90 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Jeff Bezos just bought a third mansion on the Miami-area island known as "Billionaire Bunker." Bezos paid $90 million for the home, which last sold for $2.5 million in 1998, Bloomberg reports. Bezos previously purchased multiple neighboring Seattle-area homes for his security and staff. The billionaire Amazon founder purchased a third home on Indian Creek island for $90 million in an off-market transaction, Bloomberg reported. Bezos first bought a $68 million waterfront mansion on Indian Creek in August.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Bezos, —, Ivanka Trump, Tom Brady, snagged, Blue, Madeline Berg, Katherine Long Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Amazon, Seattle Locations: Miami, Seattle, Biscayne Bay, Canaveral, Beverly, Texas, Hunts

☆ How the businessman who blew up MoviePass tried to create a 'TikTok killer' and cost investors millions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | Jason Guerrasio | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

At Vinco, Farnsworth employed several of the same tactics that he had at MoviePass and at his earlier ventures. "Ted took these press releases and really treated them like they were works of art for him," Matt Argall, a former advisor to Farnsworth, told BI. Hudson Bay has not been served the lawsuit as of the publication of this story. "Hudson Bay's investment in Vinco Ventures was a standard, fixed price convertible loan of which millions remain unpaid," Hudson Bay told BI in a statement. "If served, Hudson Bay will seek to have these baseless, factually flawed and frivolous claims, which have been repeatedly dismissed in other proceedings against other parties, dismissed expeditiously."

Persons: MoviePass, Ted Farnsworth, Maria Bartiromo, he'd, Farnsworth, Jaeson Ma, Ted Farnsworth playbook, Ted, Barnum, John Fichthorn, I've, Shadwrick Vick, Rudy, Vick, Roderick Vanderbilt, who's, hocking, La Toya Jackson, Helios, Matheson, Brian Quinn, Farnsworth's, Michael Hartstein, Vinco, Matt Argall, Mitch Lowe, Reuters Farnsworth, David, Goliath, TikTok, We're, Argall, Elton John, Jamie McCarthy, Lomotif, Lil Nas X, Snoop Dogg, Grimes, Zash, Allan Stern, Get2it, Stern, Robert N, Scola Jr, Scola, he's, —, Lowe, Getty, Dave Kotinsky, Stringer Vinco, expeditiously, Farnsworth —, Vanderbilt, Jesse Law, Katherine Long Organizations: Fox Business, Hollywood, Business, Zash Global Media, Entertainment, Vinco Ventures, Fox, Hudson Bay, BI, Helios, Matheson, Matheson Analytics, Boston College Law School, Palladium Capital Group, Vinco, BHP Capital, Armistice, CVI Investments, National Enquirer, Reuters, AMC Theatres, AMC, Gemini Valuation, Hudson, Eightco Holdings, Elton John AIDS Foundation, 91st, EDC, Tampa Marriott, SEC, Publishing, National Examiner, Globe, The New York Times, Southern, Southern District of, Bloomberg, Bay, Vanderbilt, Federal Bureau of Investigation Locations: Hudson, Vinco, Zash, Hudson Bay, China, Syracuse , New York, Lomotif, Syracuse, West Hollywood , California, Vegas, Tampa, Argall, Boston, India, The, Miami, MoviePass, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, New York

☆ Kristi Noem's teeth are the oddest potential political scandal
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Kristi Noem recently posted a video promoting a Texas dentist. Kristi Noem's teeth have people chattering. Earlier this week, Noem posted a nearly five-minute-long testimonial for a Texas dentist that she credits with fixing her teeth after a biking accident. "I love my new family at Smile Texas!" "The video says it all, and I am so grateful for their help fixing my smile for me."

Persons: Kristi Noem, Noem, —, Kristi Noem's Organizations: South Dakota Gov, Service Locations: Texas, Smile

☆ Angela Chao's death comes after years of complaints to federal regulators about Tesla's reverse gear shift
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

She told a friend she often accidentally put the car in reverse instead of drive. But instead of putting the car into drive, she accidentally put it in reverse. Business Insider found 12 complaints related to the Tesla reverse function in a database of automobile consumer complaints kept by the US Department of Transportation. The other five complaints were from people who said their cars appeared to switch between drive and reverse without warning. The federal database where BI located 12 concerns about reverse shifting contained 4,228 total complaints related to Teslas.

Persons: Angela Chao, Tesla, —, Chao, they'd, Teslas, It's Organizations: Service, Street Journal, Business, US Department of Transportation, Regulators, Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation, Tesla, Drivers Locations: Austin, Teslas

Fishwife, a trendy tinned seafood company, was valued at around $5 million on Shark Tank. Millstein said on the ABC program that her premium preserved fish company has grown to about $5.8 million in annual sales. "I don't know these people, I don't eat tinned fish, and I am here for this drama," one viewer commented. The Shark Tank episode aired this month, but it was filmed in the summer of 2023, per an ABC spokesperson. On Shark Tank, Millstein reeled in Nelson and Greiner, receiving $350,000 in exchange for 6% to 8% of the company.

Persons: Becca Millstein, Caroline Goldfarb, —, Rebecca Millstein, Condé, Goldfarb, Fishwife, Millstein, Lori Greiner, Candice Nelson, Casey Lewis, Lewis, Greiner, we're Organizations: Service, Vogue, The New York Times, ABC, Fishwife, Google, Securities and Exchange Commission Locations: writeups, The, Millstein, Nelson

Neri Oxman , a former MIT professor and celebrity within the world of academia, stole sentences and whole paragraphs from Wikipedia, other scholars, and technical documents in her academic writing, Business Insider has found. AdvertisementNeri Oxman directly copied from Wikipedia in her Ph.D. dissertationOn page 81 of her dissertation, "Material-based Design Computation," Oxman published two sentences without attribution that had previously appeared on Wikipedia. Business InsiderThe Wikipedia article for "Weaving" featured virtually identical sentences in April 2010 , when Oxman's dissertation was submitted. Business InsiderOxman's cribbing from the "Weaving" article was one of 15 examples that BI found Oxman plagiarizing from a Wikipedia article in her dissertation. The bulk of the plagiarism BI found was in her dissertation, which runs more than 300 pages.

Persons: Neri Oxman, Oxman, Bill Ackman, Ackman, Claudine Gay, Gay, Claudine Gay's, It's, Rick Norwood, silkworms, Wolfram MathWorld, M.Y . Zhou, Bruno Zevi, Sally Kornbluth Organizations: MIT, Pershing, Capital Management, Washington Free Beacon, Business, Creative, East Tennessee State University, MIT Media, Rhino, BI, Da Capo Press, MIT Corporation, Eastern Tennessee State University Locations: Gaza

☆ Bill Ackman's celebrity academic wife Neri Oxman's dissertation is marred by plagiarism
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-04 | by ( Katherine Long | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Harvard's president, Claudine Gay, resigned after conservative activists revealed she had plagiarized. But for Bill Ackman, the plagiarism wasn't only cause for Gay's immediate ouster as Harvard's president — it also warranted her total removal from its faculty. AdvertisementGay resigned as Harvard's president on Tuesday. One remains: Kornbluth, the president of MIT, where Oxman wrote her thesis and worked from 2010 to 2020. "Stay tuned @MIT," Ackman replied.

Persons: Claudine Gay, Bill Ackman, —, Ackman's, Neri Oxman, Oxman, Ackman, Gay, Elle, Björk, Brad Pitt, Jeffrey Epstein, Sally Kornbluth, Kornbluth, Liz Magill, Steve Weiner, Daniel Wagner, Peder Anker, Claus Mattheck, Weiner, Wagner, MIT Oxman, George Reid Andrews, Andrews, Christopher Rufo, Magill Organizations: Harvard, Gay, Service, Israel's, Business, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York Times, New York's Museum of Modern Art, MIT, Boston Globe, Pershing Square Foundation, Pershing Square Capital Management, University of Pennsylvania, New York University, Royal Society of London, University of Pittsburgh, New York Post, Harvard Corporation, Ackman Locations: Gaza, Harvard's, New York City, German, New

☆ Neri Oxman admits to plagiarizing in her doctoral dissertation after BI report
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-04 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. BI identified four instances in Oxman's dissertation in which she lifted paragraphs from other scholars' work without including them in quotation marks. In those instances, Oxman wrote in a post on X , using quotation marks would have been "the proper approach for crediting the work. Oxman wrote on X that after she has reviewed the original sources, she plans to "request that MIT make any necessary corrections." Oxman now leads an eponymous company, Oxman , focused on "innovation in product, architectural, and urban design," she wrote on X.

Persons: —, Neri Oxman, Bill Ackman, Oxman, Claudine Gay, Ackman, Gay, Christopher Rufo, OXMAN Organizations: Service, Business, Harvard, MIT Locations: Gaza, Harvard's, Cambridge

☆ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman went on an 18-month, $85 million real-estate shopping spree — including a previously unknown Hawaii estate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Katherine Long | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementYears before the recent drama at OpenAI turned CEO Sam Altman into a household name, the former Y Combinator president went on an extraordinary 18-month, $85 million real-estate shopping spree, according to records reviewed by Business Insider — including a previously unreported $43 million Hawaii estate on land that locals describe as historically significant. AdvertisementSam Altman's Hawaii estate is immediately adjacent to the reconstruction of the royal temple of King Kamehameha I. Maxar TechnologiesA $43 million estate in HawaiiIn July 2021, Altman bought a twelve-bedroom estate in Kailua-Kona, on the big island of Hawaii, for $43 million. Altman's purchase of the Hawaii property has not been previously reported. AdvertisementAnnie had been unaware that her oldest brother owned property in Hawaii until Business Insider asked her about it, she said. A $27 million San Francisco homeAltman's weekday residence is a home on San Francisco's Russian Hill that was once described — inaccurately — as the most expensive home in San Francisco.

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, —, OpenAI, he's, He's, Sam Altman's, King Kamehameha I, King Kamehameha, Jennifer Serralta, Serralta, Jack, Max, — Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Marc Benioff, Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel, Annie Altman, Annie, Sam's, Napa Altman, Cade Metz, Bob Dickinson Organizations: Service, Business, Bloomberg Tech Summit, Wall Street Journal, YouTube, Altman, LinkedIn, Apollo, Opportunity Fund, Silicon Valley, Business Insider, San, SEC, 9Point Ventures, Uncommon Ventures, New York Times, Capital Management, San Francisco Chronicle, New Yorker, Israeli Defense Force, Tesla Locations: San Francisco, Napa, Hawaii, Napa , California, Sam Altman's Hawaii, Kailua, Kona, wakesurfing, Kauai, Lanai, San, Russian, California, Hollywood, Big Sur

☆ Russian opposition group report says it's identified another superyacht belonging to Vladimir Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian military plant built Vladimir Putin a 71-meter superyacht, according to a new report. The report was written by the Dossier Center, a Russian opposition group funded by an exiled oligarch. AdvertisementVladimir Putin's newest known superyacht is 71 meters long, cost an estimated $50 million to build, and can carry up to 28 people, according to a new report from Russian opposition group the Dossier Center. Construction on the yacht began in 2005 at a Russian military facility that typically produces nuclear submarines, according to the report, citing unnamed sources close to Putin. Spokespeople for the Russian president and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, oligarch, Putin's, —, Vladimir, Putin, Mikhail Khodorkovsky –, Russia –, lina K Organizations: Dossier, Service, NATO, ust Locations: Russian, Victoria, Sochi, Istanbul, Russia

☆ Billionaire FBI informant Peter Thiel dished about two Kremlin invites to private Putin meetings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | Hans-Martin Tillack | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

It was Angermayer who introduced Bisslinger to Thiel at the party, Thiel would later tell the FBI. After some small talk, Bisslinger made a pitch to Thiel: Thiel should travel to Russia to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. If Thiel chose to attend, Bisslinger said, Bisslinger would arrange for him to meet privately with Putin. "Even if Mr. Angermayer did introduce Mr. Thiel and Mr. Bisslinger," the lawyers wrote in another letter, "Mr. Angermayer is not—and cannot be—responsible for whatever Mr. Bisslinger and Mr. Thiel may or may not have discussed." At his 40th birthday, he connected Peter Thiel with a Russian diplomat, Thiel later told the FBI.

Persons: Peter Thiel, Christian Angermayer, Thiel, Daniil Bisslinger, Bisslinger, Vladimir Putin's, Angermayer, Putin, Maksim Konstantinov, —, Frank Figliuzzi, Vladimir Putin, — Charles Johnson —, Johnathan Buma, Johnson, Welt, Dmitry Peskov, John Lamparski, Donald Trump, — Thiel, Der Spiegel, he'd, Elon Musk, Musk, Thiel —, he's, Palantir, He's, Uma Thurman, Robbie Williams, Queen Latifah, Paul Kagame, Dan McCrum, John Kerry, Richard Grenell, Kerry, Sensei Biotherapeutics, Trump, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Maureen Dowd, Alexander Schütz, Eva Schütz, Schütz, — Heinz, Christian Strache, Markus Braun, Jan Marsalek, Marsalek, Caroline Haskins, Katherine Long, Jack Newsham, Mattathias Schwartz, Hans, Martin Tillack Organizations: Kremlin, Tech, Pentagon, CIA, Facebook, SpaceX, Kremlin's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian Embassy, Thiel, St ., Economic, Getty, FBI, Atlantic, Bisslinger, Germany, Elon, Russia, NSA, US Special Operations Command, National Health Service, Apeiron Investment, Munich Security, intel, Trump, State Department, Angermayer's, PayPal, Nasdaq, Sciences, The New York Times, Deutsche Bank, Welt Locations: Silicon Valley, Schloss Neuwaldegg, Vienna, Silicon, Moscow, Russian, Berlin, Russia, St, St . Petersburg, Petersburg, Ukraine, Europe, Germany, NATO, Crimea, Ukrainian, Sevastopol, Palantir, Washington, Rwanda, Baltic, Belarus, Iran, Angermayer's Malta, Munich, China, China's, Austrian, Austria, Exxpress, Wirecard, schwartz79@protonmail.com

☆ Courts force people to download Covenant Eyes, the porn blocker used by Mike Johnson. Even the app's CEO says they shouldn't.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Katherine Long | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Rep. Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, uses an anti-porn app called Covenant Eyes. Johnson lauded Covenant Eyes at a Christian convention last year, according to a clip of the event shared on social media. That's despite the fact that Covenant Eyes shouldn't be used in a legal setting, its CEO Ron DeHaas told Insider. AdvertisementAdvertisementOn Apple devices, Covenant Eyes isn't allowed to take random screenshots of anything except the user's activity in Safari or the Covenant Eyes app itself because , according to the terms of service listed in Apple's App Store. He also declined to share how Covenant Eyes trained its AI algorithm, saying that was also "proprietary."

Persons: Mike Johnson, —, Johnson, That's, Ron DeHaas, DeHaas, Josh Duggar, he'd, Sarah McDonald, Yotam Ophir, Ophir, Michael Holm, Holm didn't, Insider's, Holm Organizations: Service, Apple, Wired, Penn View Bible Institute, Roman Catholic Archdiocese, University of Buffalo, Christian Locations: Eastern Washington, Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, Colorado, Washington, Montana, Pennsylvania, New Orleans

When Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau was fired, it was a surprise to nearly everyone. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhen Chris Rondeau , ten-year CEO of Planet Fitness, was fired by the company's board of directors, he told Insider he was "seriously blindsided." AdvertisementAdvertisementInsider spoke with six former Planet Fitness employees. Former Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in 2015, after the company's IPO. AdvertisementAdvertisementA spokesperson for Planet Fitness previously told Insider Rondeau's departure was not because of "any material or unexpected financial events."

Persons: Chris Rondeau, —, Rondeau, Richard Drew, Casey Willard, Beers, Peers, Dunkin, Willard Organizations: Planet, Service, Planet Fitness, Fitness, New York Stock Exchange Locations: Hampton , New Hampshire

☆ Israel Launches PR Offensive As It Counters Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Jack Newsham | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Israel has dropped 6,000 bombs on Gaza since October 7 after a Hamas attack killed 1,300 Israelis. "Armed Hamas terrorists infiltrated into Israel via a ground invasion and started going door to door slaughtering innocent Israelis. In the 10 days since the Hamas terrorist attacks, Israel has dropped roughly 6,000 bombs on Gaza . AdvertisementAdvertisementMore than 1,300 people died in Hamas' initial attack on Israel Oct. 7, which also injured 2,800 others, officials said. TikTok didn't respond to an emailed request for comment.

Persons: Israel, —, they're, Israeli Defense Forces didn't, TikTok, It's, didn't, Rovio Organizations: Service, of Foreign Affairs, YouTube, Angry, Apple, ISIS, Google, Ad, European Union, Reuters, Israeli Defense Forces, Hacker News, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, United Kingdom, Washington ,, Europe, Finnish

☆ Who Is Nadine Arslanian, Bob Menendez's Wife Indicted in a Bribery Scandal?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Michelle Mark | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife Nadine Arslanian arrive at federal court following an indictment on corruption charges. Still, even prior to Menendez and federal indictment, Arslanian brushed up against fame and scandal. Arslanian "liked nice things," Anton told Insider. The longtime friend, who asked not to be identified by name, told Insider that Arslanian was conscious of her looks. AdvertisementAdvertisement"We felt that it was a very one-sided investigation," Koop's sister, Rosemarie Koop-Angelicola, told Insider.

Persons: Nadine Arslanian, Richard Koop, Robert Menendez, Arslanian texted Menendez, Sen, Bob Menendez, Brendan McDermid, Menendez's, Arslanian, Menendez, Chris Christie, Doug Anton, Kim DePaola, Kelly, Anton, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mareva Mitsotakis, Chip Somodevilla, Nadine Tabourian, Raffi Arslanian, Sabine, André, Arslanian's, Last, Marco Tacca, Anton's, Koop, —, Narendra Modi, Stefani Reynolds, Bono, — Menendez, Taj, Robert, Nadine, Menendez cradling Arslanian, they've, Koop's, Rosemarie Koop, Angelicola, she's, Wael Hana, Douglas Anton, Jose Uribe, Uribe, Fred Daibes, Bob, Nadine wasn't, Aaron Short Organizations: New Jersey IHOP, Benz, Reuters, Democratic Party, Prosecutors, longtime Garden, Arslanian's, Real Housewives of New, Attorney, Greek, White House, New York University, New York Times, Housewives of, Indian, Getty, Lincoln, Police, Senate Foreign Relations, Strategic, Business Consultants, Strategic International Business Consultants, Hana, Department of Justice Locations: New Jersey, Bogota , New Jersey, Englewood Cliffs, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Beirut, Lebanon, United States, Bergen, Jersey, Cernobbio, Italy, AFP, Bergen County, Union City, Queens, Arslanian's Englewood, Washington, DC, Bogota, Egypt, Arslanian, Egyptian, Englewood

☆ Sen. Bob Menendez's wife, Nadine Arslanian, racked up traffic violations – including using her phone while driving — before she struck and killed a pedestrian in 2018
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Nadine Arslanian married Bob Menendez in 2020, two years after she struck and killed a pedestrian. Records show that she has a history of traffic infractions, including using a phone while driving. AdvertisementAdvertisementNadine Arslanian, the wife of embattled New Jersey senator Bob Menendez , has a history of traffic violations stretching beyond a fatal 2018 crash in which she struck and killed a pedestrian, municipal records show, including two citations for using her phone while driving. Arslanian seems to have been something of a fixture in New Jersey traffic courts, racking up six tickets between 2005 and 2018 for violations, including using a phone while driving, ignoring traffic signs, and failing to maintain her headlamps. AdvertisementAdvertisementArslanian received another ticket for using her phone while driving in 2021, three years after she killed Koop, municipal records show.

Persons: Nadine Arslanian, Bob Menendez, —, Arslanian, Richard Koop, Mercedes, Menendez, Matt Friedman, Koop, Doug Anton, Kelly, Wael Hana, Mendendez's Organizations: Records, Service, Benz, Police, Politico, BMW Locations: New Jersey, Egyptian

☆ Insider Today: A Google loophole exposed
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter. In today's big story, we're looking at how a Google loophole brings advertisements for illegal drugs hosted on defaced government websites to the top of search results. Previously, that wasn't an issue since these web pages never appeared in Google searches because website owners restricted Google from indexing them. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe result is people using internal search functions to create webpages advertising drugs on websites viewed as trustworthy by Google. The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, senior editor and anchor, in New York City.

Persons: —, Jamie Dimon, Tom Brady, Kendall Jenner, Arantza Pena, Insider's Katherine Long, hasn't, Katherine, Paul Sancya, Glenn Kelman, Meta, Dwyane Wade, Victor, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, ThredUp, Nancy Pelosi, Karlie Kloss, Spike Lee, Nattakorn, Dan DeFrancesco, Naga Siu, Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Service, Costco, Tech, Business, Google, Alcohol and Drug Foundation, Conference Board, JPMorgan, NBA, Amazon, Big Tech, Atlantic, ABC, Nike, Accenture Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Washington ,, New York City, San Diego, London, New York

☆ How a Google loophole lets drug dealers hijack nearly any website — including our own
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Nor does it always appear to pay attention to other signals webmasters code in asking Google not to index their search results. It's why someone advertised how to buy cocaine and fentanyl in Pittsburgh on a National Institutes of Health website. It directs searchers to the Telegram user who offered to sell Insider cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines. The proliferation of drug ads in search results lands amid a growing upswell of discontent with what some users and website owners say is the declining quality of Google Search. For now, a simple Google search leads prospective drug buyers to markets on Telegram.

Persons: Jake Swearingen, Jane, Ted Kubaitis, Katherine Long, Monica Barratt, Barratt, Kubaitis, Davis, Timothy Mackey, Mackey, Erin Lalor, Eric Schwartzman, They're, Zack Onisko, Dribbble Organizations: Google, Food and Drug Administration, Interpol, United Nations, Food, FDA, Ontario, UN, Drugs, US Postal Service, Cash, Telegram, Scottish, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, Cleveland Clinic, Drug, Australian Alcohol and Drug Foundation, IRS, Tricare, Alabama Department of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, University of California, University of Chicago, The New York Times, Bloomberg, CNBC, The Washington Post, UC San Diego's Global Health, Data, Alcohol, Drug Foundation, East Tennessee University Locations: Ontario, Canada, cryptocurrency, Fresno , California, Pittsburgh, Clairton , Pennsylvania, New York, Dayton , Ohio, Goodlettsville , Tennessee, Alabama, Maine, Seattle

☆ Amazon employees slam its Clubhouse-competing app in internal meeting following abrupt leadership change: 'This place is becoming a circus'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Eugene Kim | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A sudden leadership change at Amazon's Amp live radio division this week has drawn a rancorous response and trenchant questions from employees, reflecting the mounting hostility within the failing business. Shortly after the announcement, employees submitted a long list of questions for leadership at an internal town hall meeting scheduled for Wednesday. 'Failing to lead Amp to success'Many questions submitted by employees asked about the general direction of the Amp business. Another person noted the Amp team has missed some of its key performance goals, such as monthly active users. Employees expressed a strong distrust of the leadership team, too.

Persons: Matt Sandler, John Ciancutti, Alok Verma, didn't, Nicki Minaj, Sandler, John, Eugene Kim, Katherine Long Organizations: Amazon, Amazon Music's, Amazon Care, Employees

☆ Planet Fitness's long-time CEO says he was 'blindsided' by abrupt firing that sent gym's stock plummeting — and barred him from talking to staff
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Katherine Long | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Planet Fitness' board of directors asked its CEO Chris Rondeau to step down last week. Rondeau told Insider he was "blind sided" by the board's decision. Jefferies, JP Morgan, and other analysts have downgraded the stock due to concerns over Planet Fitness' executive transition. Rondeau has been a fixture at Planet Fitness nearly since the gym's founding. The former employee, Casey Willard, called Planet Fitness a "debaucherous" workplace.

Persons: Chris Rondeau, Rondeau, Katherine Long, Jack Newsham, Rondeau's, Jefferies, JP Morgan, hasn't, Casey Willard, Willard, Beers, Peers, Donald Trump, Mike Grondahl, Grondahl Organizations: Service, Planet Fitness, Fitness, Company, Wall Street, Trump, Better Locations: Wall, Silicon, New Hampshire

But a person who worked closely with Ramaswamy said, "He thinks people are put on this earth to serve him." Roivant attracted investors including Masayoshi Son's SoftBank Vision Fund, Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, and the hedge fund Viking Global Investors. Former Roivant employees said Ramaswamy worked hard and expected the same of others. McLaughlin called the employee's recollection "inaccurate," adding that Ramaswamy "has never once raised his voice or used bad language with employees." At Roivant, Ramaswamy kept his politics largely to himself, former employees said.

Persons: Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, He's, Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Trump, George Soros, didn't, Taco Bell, he's, —, Vivek, Tricia McLaughlin, he'd, McLaughlin, takeout, Forbes, Vivek doesn't, they've, Roivant, Masayoshi, Peter Thiel's, Thiel, JD Vance, Bill Ackman, who'd, . Ramaswamy, Erik Gordon, Vance, John Phillips, Joyce Rosely, Phillips, Anson Frericks, they'd, Rosely, Frericks, They're, they're, Eric Balchunas, Todd Rosenbluth, Rosenbluth, Christopher Lenzo, Brandon Bell, Vivek Ramaswamy's, Katherine Long, Jack Newsham, Meghan Morris Organizations: pharma, Army Rangers, Biotech, Republican, nab, GOP, of Education, FBI, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Federal Reserve, Florida, Roivant Sciences, General Electric, Yale Law School, Army, Rangers, Harvard, Yale, Fund, Viking Global, Leerink Partners, GlaxoSmithKline, Forbes, Big Pharma, Japan's Sumitomo Pharma Co, ., University of Michigan, FDA, US, Yale Law, ESG, The, Texas, Indiana, BlackRock, Vanguard, Bloomberg Intelligence, Fair, SEC Locations: Mexico, FiveThirtyEight, Roivant, Patagonia, Iowa, New York, Ohio, The Lever

A lawsuit claims Rudy Giuliani was paid $300,000 while pitching investors on an anti-Biden film. Giuliani allegedly said it would be a "kill shot" that would sink Joe Biden's campaign. By then, Giuliani was hard at work trying to dig up election-year dirt on Joe Biden in his capacity as President Trump's personal attorney. Giuliani, the lawsuit alleges, asked for the farmers' help finance efforts to make sure Trump was elected to a second term. The aborted Giuliani film project also forms part of a whistleblower disclosure from Johnathan Buma, an FBI special agent whose allegations were first reported by Insider.

Persons: Rudy Giuliani, Biden, Giuliani, Joe Biden's, Joe Biden, Hunter, Baldev, Kewel Munger, Tim Yale, Trump, George Dickson III, Hunter Biden, Dickson, Michael Moore's, Noelle Dunphy, John Doe, Mother Jones, Munger, Johnathan Buma, Bob Hawk Organizations: Service, Republican, Yale, Republicans, FBI, Munger Bros Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, California, New York City, Munger, Georgia, Washington

Corporate execs and lawyers with business before the Supreme Court mingled with some of the country's most influential jurists. Revelations about Thomas and Crow's relationship have prompted calls in Congress for the Supreme Court to adopt its first-ever binding code of ethics. But as a Supreme Court justice, Kagan is not currently bound by those rules. The Aspen Institute isn't alone in dangling Supreme Court access to lure deep-pocketed donors. Financial support for a public mission flowed one way, and scheduled private time with Supreme Court justices was dispensed in return.

Persons: Meryl Chertoff, Kagan, Michael Chertoff, SCOTUS, Elena Kagan, execs, Brett Kavanaugh, Trump, Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow, Thomas, Kathleen Clark, Louis, Clark, Kavanaugh —, Shook, Hardy, Bacon, Tristan Duncan, Peabody, Christina Sullivan, Brian O'Connor, Sandra Day O'Connor, Lakhani, That's, litigator, George W, Bush, Michael Chertoff's, wasn't, he'd, Chertoff, John Roberts, Gabe Roth, Roth, Crow, Rob Schenck, Tom Monaghan, Jay Sekulow, Sidney Powell —, Sonia Sotomayor's, that's Organizations: Service, Aspen Institute, DC, Aspen, Washington University, Peabody Energy, Peabody, Duncan, Speedway, Supreme, Aspen Institute's Justice, Society, Homeland Security, Chertoff, CNN, The New York Times, Historical Society, Trump, Associated Press, University of Colorado Law School Locations: Wall, Silicon, St, Washington, Pakistan, Chertoff, Aspen Institute isn't

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