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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas proposed to the NFL in December 2021. “Let’s just marry these brands, and let’s bring the Super Bowl here,” Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, recalled telling a room of NFL franchise owners. The betrothal culminates Sunday in a not-so-intimate ceremony at Allegiant Stadium, where the city will host its first-ever Super Bowl. He isn’t alone in his excitement: Parking spots for private jets in and around Las Vegas have all been spoken for. Strolling across that span after a major event like the Super Bowl makes for a memory that can't be recreated, Naft said.

Persons: “ Let’s, let’s, Steve Hill, Elvis Presley impersonators, Vince Lombardi, ”, Seth Kaplan, Kaplan, Guy Fieri, Jeff Frederick, isn’t, “, Michael Naft, Mark Davis, Naft, Ty O'Neil Organizations: LAS VEGAS, NFL, Las Vegas Convention, Visitors Authority, Vegas, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Maxim, Royale, Resorts, Chapel, Bellagio, Aria, MGM Resorts International, ”, Las Vegas Raiders, Super Locations: Las Vegas, Bellagio, Australia, Clark, Vegas, Nevada

☆ F1 exceeds Las Vegas expectations as Verstappen wins one of the most competitive races of the season
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, of the Netherlands, drives past the Sphere during the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix auto race, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in Las Vegas. Max Verstappen hated everything about the Las Vegas Grand Prix from the moment he arrived in Sin City. "Viva Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas!" Verstappen had slammed Saturday night's spectacle at every chance, yet raced in an Elvis-inspired firesuit and took the victory on the famed Las Vegas Strip.

Persons: Red, Max Verstappen, Justin Bieber, Verstappen, firesuit, Charles Leclerc, Leclerc, Sergio Perez, Martin Garrix, Brad Pitt, Rihanna, Usain Bolt, Shaquille O'Neal, ", Verstappen —, impersonators, Jacques Villeneuve, Liberty, Carlos Sainz Jr, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Logan Sargeant, Williams, Sainz, Ferrari, Bull, Perez, Red Bull, Hamilton, Abu Dhabi, Lando Norris, McLaren Organizations: Las, Las Vegas, Bellagio, Liberty Media, Liberty, Ferrari Locations: Netherlands, Las Vegas, Sin City, Vegas, Bellagio, United States, Abu

“Viva Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas!” sang the three-time reigning world champion as he crossed the checkered flag waved by Justin Bieber. Verstappen had slammed the race at every chance, yet raced in an Elvis-inspired fire-suit and took the victory on the famed Las Vegas Strip. A class-action lawsuit was filed Friday against the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Verstappen, Leclerc and Perez were then driven in a limousine to the victory podium.

Persons: — Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, ”, Justin Bieber, Verstappen, Verstappen —, impersonators, Jacques Villeneuve, Liberty, Carlos Sainz Jr, Leclerc, Sainz, Ferrari, Bull, Sergio Perez, Perez, Red Bull, “, Leclerc moaned, Lewis Hamilton, ” Verstappen, Mercedes, Abu Dhabi, Lando Norris, McLaren, ___ Organizations: LAS VEGAS, Las Vegas, Liberty Media, Liberty, Ferrari Locations: Vegas, United States, Abu

If you’re ever in New Delhi and think you hear a monkey, don’t assume it’s a monkey. It could be a professional monkey noise impersonator. That’s because humans have been trained to imitate the guttural grunts and shrieks of gray langurs, a type of large monkey that can scare away the smaller kinds that tend to invade city officials’ residences or disrupt state visits. This weekend, the impersonators will take on a fresh challenge: keeping monkeys, which often evade guards by swinging through tree canopies, from barging into venues for the Group of 20 summit of world leaders, the first to take place in India. The event is an important one for India on the global stage, and the government does not want monkeys to steal the spotlight.

Organizations: Group Locations: New Delhi, barging, India

NEW YORK (AP) — Information theft is on the rise. Colleen Tressler, a senior project manager for the FTC, has tracked consumer issues including identity theft for more than three decades. “They’re imposters, so they’re going after your personal information and your financial information however they can," she said. The Federal Student Aid site provides more guidance about avoiding identity theft online. Medical ID theft and tax ID theft are also common, especially during tax season or Medicare re-enrollment periods.

Persons: Colleen Tressler, They’re, “, Tressler, Scammers, servicer, ” Tressler, —, you've, Charles Schwab Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal, Department of Education, Medicare, Social Security, “ Insurance, Bills, Associated Press, Charles, Charles Schwab Foundation, Inc, AP Locations: U.S, IdentityTheft.gov

☆ A MAGA news network isn't sure if it got duped by an AI version of Trump in a 17-minute call
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A TV network's founder has said he's not sure a recent "Trump" interview was really him. In a phone-in on Real America's Voice, the caller sounded glitchy and stilted. Real America's Voice streamed the audio-only interview on Thursday, with hosts John Solomon and Amanda Head. "It's not AI, it was President Trump," he told The Daily Beast. AdvertisementAdvertisementRepresentatives for Real America's Voice and its owner, Performance One Media LLC, did not immediately respond to Insider's out-of-hours requests for comment.

Persons: he's, Donald Trump, John Solomon, Amanda Head, Joe Biden, Trump, Robert J Sigg, Solomon, Ron DeSantis Organizations: Real America's Voice, Morning, Trump, Daily, America's, Truth, Gov

Their tormentors have also called in false bomb threats to venues using their names in three states. To combat the growing problem, the FBI has begun taking formal measures to get a comprehensive picture of the problem on a national level. Chief Scott Schubert with the bureau's Criminal Justice Information Services headquarters in Clarksburg, West Virginia, told NBC News that the agency formed a national online database in May to facilitate information sharing between hundreds of police departments and law enforcement agencies across the country pertaining to swatting incidents. No central agency has tracked swatting incidents or suspects in the U.S., so official statistics are not available. The couple was mostly recently swatted at their home on Tuesday, bringing the total of swatting incidents to 43.

Persons: Patrick Tomlinson, Niki Robinson, hasn't, Scott Schubert, Schubert, Lauren R, Shapiro, Mark Herring, Niki Robinson.NBC, —, Andrew Finch —, Finch, Swatting, he'd, Norm Macdonald, Tomlinson, It's, impersonators, Swatters, Patti Labelle, Robinson Organizations: Las Vegas, Tribune, Service, Getty, Clemson, Harvard, Cornell, Rutgers, Middlebury College, swatters, FBI, bureau's, Information Services, NBC News, NBC, Google, John Jay College of Criminal, Defamation League, Twitter, Daily, YouTube, Police, Irish, Milwaukee Brewers, Riverside Theater Locations: Milwaukee, U.S, Clemson , Florida, Boston, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Clarksburg , West Virginia, Texas, China, Taiwan, Tennessee, Wichita, Wisconsin, Marquette

☆ Tennessee Law Sows Fear Among Drag Performers Ahead of Pride Month
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Emily Cochrane | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Renae Green-Bean had started taking precautions in public even before the Tennessee legislature approved a law in March limiting where “adult cabaret” can be performed. rights and worried that restaurant nights with her wife, children or grandchildren, or her preference for masculine attire and closely cropped hair, would invite harassment. It will not stop the shows that Ms. Green-Bean, 46, puts on at an adults-only club in Clarksville and other clubs near the Kentucky border. Still, she and other performers said, being seen in drag anywhere in public feels far riskier now. The law and others like it come as far-right activists have increasingly targeted drag shows across the country, with members of the Proud Boys and other protesters, sometimes heavily armed, appearing at the shows and at library story hours when drag performers read books to children.

☆ What to know about Bluesky, the Twitter alternative that some celebrities and journalists are joining
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Kalhan Rosenblatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

While Bluesky's beta was made public in February, buzz surrounding the platform grew in April as more Twitter users began posting about flocking there. Although the Bluesky app has many similarities to Twitter, its key difference is that it is organized around a decentralized system. One person even claimed to sell Bluesky invite codes for more than $190 on eBay. The Bluesky app racked up 375,000 downloads on iOS worldwide as of Wednesday, according to analytics firm Data.ai. Jordan Uhl, a progressive activist with more than 271,000 followers on Twitter, joined Bluesky on April 14.

"Twitter Blue is a mess. Within the next 48 hours, all but 110 of the most-followed Twitter accounts suddenly had verification through Twitter Blue, indicating Twitter likely gifted the check marks, independent researcher Travis Brown told Reuters. GRADUAL PULLBACKSince the initial rollout of the Twitter Blue service in November, imposter tweets have spread harmful misinformation. Imposter Twitter accounts also tarnished the online reputations of Lockheed Martin Corp(LMT.N) and Nintendo Co Ltd(7974.T). "The volume of imposter accounts seems to depend on several things -- Is the client doing a high profile event that week?

☆ Drag queens and the long, vibrant history of drag in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Barbara Alper/Getty ImagesDrag has become increasingly visible in recent years through mainstream shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and popular public events such as drag brunches, drag bingo and drag queen story hours, in which drag performers read children’s books to young audiences, often at libraries. Some trans drag queens who received hormone injections were “strongly deplored by stage impersonators who (said) that the whole point of female impersonation depends on maleness,” Newton wrote. But “Drag Race” has also skewed viewers’ definition of drag – no drag kings have ever competed on the series, Testa noted, and the judges have long imposed somewhat traditional beauty standards upon contestants. Pickle reads from a book during the Drag Queen Story Hour program at a Los Angeles library in 2019. These lawmakers falsely claim that drag performers “groom” or sexualize children, of which there is also no evidence.

☆ Powell duped by Russian pranksters who claimed to be Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Christina Wilkie | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell spoke by phone with two Russian pranksters earlier this year who falsely claimed to be President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. "Chair Powell participated in a conversation in January with someone who misrepresented himself as the Ukrainian president," a Fed spokesperson told CNBC on Thursday. The video appears to have been edited, the Fed spokesperson said, adding that they could not confirm the video's accuracy. Powell does not appear to have said anything controversial during his call with the Zelenskyy impersonators, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the prank. Yet the sheer fact that two well known allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin were able to evade detection and speak to Powell directly raises serious questions about security procedures at the central bank's Washington headquarters.

☆ Twitter gave a gold checkmark to a troll account impersonating a defunct Disney TV channel for kids, which then posted a racial slur
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A fake Disney account was given a verified gold checkmark before it was suspended on Monday. Twitter appeared to give a gold checkmark to a random account pretending to be an official Disney account, before suspending it after a tweet from the account went viral. The troll also suggested they'd already had the gold checkmark for two days before gaining attention with Monday's viral tweet. After Twitter removed verified checkmarks from everybody who wasn't subscribed to Twitter Blue last week, a backlash saw some campaign to "Block The Blue." The handle used by the trolls was previously used by an official Disney account until October 2020, when the TV channel by the same name was closed down.

☆ Lizzo protests Tennessee drag ban, inviting drag queens on stage in Knoxville
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Toyin Owoseje | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Lizzo made her stance on Tennessee’s anti-drag-show legislation clear by inviting drag queens onstage at her Knoxville concert. Last month, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed legislation banning “adult cabaret” artists from performing in public and/or in the presence of children. The controversial bill listed “male or female impersonators,” which is widely interpreted to mean drag queens. In a show of defiance, Lizzo, known for her vociferous support of body-positivity and self-love, welcomed queens including Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Asia O’Hara and Kandy Muse from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” to join her performance at the Thompson-Boling Arena on Friday. “But why would I not come to the people who need to hear this message the most, the people who need to feel this release the most?” Lizzo told cheering fans.

☆ Twitter users including Justin Bieber, Bill Gates, and Kim Kardashian are seeing their blue checkmarks disappear as Elon Musk charges $8 a month for verified accounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Kate Duffy | Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter appeared to start removing legacy blue checkmarks from many accounts on Thursday. Some Twitter users are watching their legacy blue checkmarks disappear from their accounts as Elon Musk implements an $8 monthly subscription program. Notable business figures including Bill Gates, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, and "Shark Tank" star Barbara Corcoran no longer showed blue checkmarks on their Twitter accounts Thursday afternoon. The only way users can keep their blue checkmarks is to sign up to Twitter Blue, a subscription program that costs $8 a month. Twitter Blue has sparked controversy since it was rolled out.

☆ I was sick of racist comments and scammers posing as my business online. Here's why I paid to get verified on Instagram.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Adella Colvin has been targeted by racist comments and spam accounts on Instagram. To protect her yarn business, the founder signed up for Meta's verification program last week. Last week, Colvin applied for Meta's verification service, which grants individual and business accounts a blue check mark on their profiles for $15 a month. Meta did not respond to Insider's request for comment about Colvin's claims that she reported racist comments and impersonators in time for publication. I've been a target of racist comments and spam accounts on InstagramA lot of companies choose to keep their politics and personal beliefs out of their business.

☆ Musk’s Twitter promised a purge of blue check marks. Instead he singled out one account
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Some VIP Twitter users woke up on Saturday expecting to have lost their coveted blue verification check marks in a previously announced purge by Elon Musk. But one high-profile account did lose its blue check over the weekend: the main account for the New York Times, which had previously told CNN it would not pay for verification. Although the New York Times’ main account lost its blue check, its other accounts, such as those for its arts, travel and books content, remained verified. Musk has been threatening to take away “legacy” blue check marks from users verified under Twitter’s old system since shortly after he bought Twitter last fall. In early November, Twitter launched the option for people paying for its Twitter Blue subscription service to receive blue checks.

☆ Tennessee Law Targeting Drag Shows Is Blocked by Judge
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Mariah Timms | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Cabaret performances, including by male and female impersonators, have been banned on public property or in a location where they could be viewed by minors in Tennessee . A federal judge on Friday blocked a novel Tennessee law that would have strictly limited drag shows hours before it was set to go into effect Saturday. U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Parker issued a temporary restraining order against enforcing the law in response to a lawsuit filed by a Memphis-based theater company.

☆ Drag queens fight back against Tennessee law that classifies drag shows as 'adult cabaret' entertainment and makes them a felony
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Bill Lee signed HB0009 into law, amending a law about cabaret performances. A drag queen suing the state over the law told Insider it violates performers' and parents' rights. Tennessee House Bill 0009 was signed into law by Lee on February 27, amending an existing clause regulating erotic performances to include "male or female impersonators" as "adult cabaret entertainment." The company's all-ages performances feature variety shows and comedies highlighting drag performers in an effort to provide the LGBTQ community with events and activities outside of bars and nightclubs. "Were it not for this law, Absent Friends would not have added an age restriction to its monthly performances."

☆ I'm a drag queen in Tennessee and scared the new law banning cabaret performances will hurt the drag community and leave me without a steady income
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Bella DuBalle, a Memphis-based drag queen, said this law will hurt both her and small businesses. DuBalle has been doing drag for a decade and working as a full-time drag queen in nightclubs and other venues for three years. However, a new law in Tennessee that takes effect on April 1 threatens her business and that of fellow drag performers in the community. DuBalle believes the law will harm the income and livelihoods of both drag performances and the local businesses that feature them. Building a full-time career took perseveranceBella DuBalle has been a full-time drag queen for three years.

☆ Judge Temporarily Blocks Tennessee Law That Restricts Drag Performances
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Emily Cochrane | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

NASHVILLE — A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the implementation of a Tennessee law aimed at restricting public drag performances, hours before it was set to go into effect. A Memphis theater company that frequently stages drag performances, Friends of George’s, challenged the law this week, arguing that the ambiguity of the law violated the theater’s constitutional rights. Violators of the law would be charged with a misdemeanor, or a felony for continued offenses. The measure, passed by the Republican-dominated legislature and signed into law on March 1, was set to go into effect on Saturday. community, had raised concerns about the implications for drag performers and transgender and gender-nonconforming people.

☆ After school shooting, some trans Tennesseans face backlash
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Mykul Coscia, who performs drag as Eazy Love at Play, a night club, poses for a portrait after a deadly shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. March 29, 2023. Even before the shooting, many transgender Tennesseans felt villainized by their state's efforts to regulate the lives of gay and trans people, and were increasingly fearful for their safety. Police identified the Nashville shooter as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, and initially referred to Hale as female. Every time there is a school shooting, Story VanNess said she has sleepless nights: she was a special education teacher in a Knoxville school for several years before becoming the director of trans and non-binary programs at Knox Pride. "We've had another school shooting but, because this shooter was trans, that's taken a back seat so politicians can demonize trans people.

☆ Just months after buying the platform, Elon Musk is officially the biggest account on Twitter, leapfrogging former president Barack Obama to reach 133 million followers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk overtook Barack Obama on Thursday to become Twitter's most followed account. Five months after buying the social-media platform, Musk has over 133 million followers. The Twitter CEO posted 72 times on Monday, and has his tweets boosted by engineers, per Platformer. According to the follower-tracking site SocialBlade, Musk saw the biggest increase last April – the month he first offered to buy Twitter – gaining 9.7 million followers. The Twitter CEO became the sixth-user to cross the 100 million mark last June, according to The Verge, which first reported the news.

☆ How drag was pushed back into the shadows in Tennessee
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Now, a Tennessee law restricting drag in front of minors is due to come into force on April 1. Several planned drag events were canceled over the winter after protests, and many venues felt forced to make previously family-friendly drag shows into adults-only events. Drag performers and venue owners say they are worried about their livelihoods and their rights of free expression. The Starbucks say there is no such thing as family-friendly drag; drag performers cite Bugs Bunny, Shakespeare's cross-dressing comedies and the Robin Williams film "Mrs. Doubtfire" among counterexamples. Outside of public Pride events, most Tennessee drag performers largely work in clubs and bars that admit only those over 18.

☆ A Tennessee high school club tried to put up flyers for transgender awareness month. The school said they were illegal.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Yelena Dzhanova | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A school club in Tennessee tried to put a flyer that defined the word "transgender" in November. But the principal of Northeast High School rejected it, a 17-year-old member of the club said. After the poster was rejected, Elizabeth came up with other ideas in an effort to get the word out about Transgender Awareness Month. Elizabeth said the experience raised her awareness about the extent to which trans rights are threatened in the state of Tennessee. The Tennessee law is part of a wave of legistion focused on trans people largely fueled by anti-LGBTQ sentiment in the United States.

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