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☆ Microsoft’s UAE deal could reportedly involve transfer of key U.S. chips and AI technology abroad
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. officials have said that AI systems could pose national security risks, for example by making it easier to engineer chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. The Biden administration in October required the makers of the largest AI systems to share details about them with the U.S. government. Microsoft executives said the agreement has safeguards to protect Microsoft's technology and prevent it from being used by Chinese entities to train AI systems. The Commerce Department already requires notifications and, in several regions, export licenses to send AI chips abroad. Microsoft executives said the company welcomes a debate on a new legal framework governing the transfer of AI technology and that the deal with G42 requires the UAE firm to comply with U.S. regulations as they evolve.

Persons: Brad Smith, Smith, Biden, Michael McCaul, we're Organizations: Microsoft, United Arab, Reuters, U.S ., U.S . Department of Commerce, U.S . House, Commerce Department Locations: Madrid, Spain, United Arab Emirates, U.S, UAE

The tornado had just hit Greenfield, Iowa, and residents were already using skid loaders to clear streets. With the hospital damaged, they took the wounded to a medical triage center at the local lumberyard. And across western Iowa, paramedics and police officers were speeding toward the small town to help. “Everybody became little makeshift ambulances,” said Ray Sorensen, a member of the Iowa House of Representatives who lives in Greenfield, and who said he helped with the rescues after racing back to town shortly after the storm hit on Tuesday afternoon. Kim Reynolds said some areas had been “flattened into debris,” and the National Weather Service reported “at least EF-3 damage” in the town, using the 0-to-5 rating system for tornado severity.

Persons: ”, Ray Sorensen, Kim Reynolds Organizations: Iowa, Gov, National Weather Service Locations: Greenfield , Iowa, Iowa, Greenfield, Des Moines

☆ 50 Cent has been trolling Diddy mercilessly. Here’s the history of the beef between them
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —There is no love lost between hip-hop moguls 50 Cent and Sean “Diddy” Combs. CNN has reached out to representatives for 50 Cent and Netflix for comment. Members of law enforcement are seen outside of Sean "Diddy" Combs' home in Los Angeles on March 25, 2024. Earlier this month, he released a song titled “Pick a Side” in support of his father and taking aim at critics like 50 Cent. Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images“All that gossip sh*t is whack when all they had was 50 Cent / Who put this city on the map?

Persons: Sean “ Diddy ” Combs, Combs, Cassie Ventura, Christopher Wallace, Wallace, “, Tupac Shakur, Ventura, Sean, Diddy, ” Diddy, ” Combs, he’s, that’s, Christian Combs, King Combs, Justin, Aaron Dyer, ” King Combs, King, Gareth Cattermole, ”, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Netflix, Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Hamptons, KCBS, Billboard Locations: Los Angeles, New York, Miami

☆ The chilling parallels a woman sees between the Trump trial and her accusations against Harvey Weinstein
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Elizabeth Wagmeister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

I reported him and then I just tried to follow the justice and what they told me to do,” Battilana Gutierrez told CNN in a recent interview. Battilana Gutierrez says she sees chilling parallels between the alleged conspiracy surrounding a hush-money payment connected to Trump and what happened to her. “It would be very interesting to see if he had to speak about the Harvey Weinstein trial,” Battilana Gutierrez said of Pecker. Of Battilana Gutierrez, he added, “Harvey wishes her well and hopes only for happiness and success for her.”Eventually, Battilana Gutierrez did sign a non-disclosure agreement with Weinstein’s legal team. Mark Peterson/Redux“Both Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump were ‘FOPs’ – Friends of Pecker,” Cartwright told CNN.

Persons: Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, Harvey Weinstein, –, ” Battilana Gutierrez, “, ”, Battilana Gutierrez, Weinstein, Donald Trump, David Pecker –, Trump, Jeenah, Michael Cohen, ” Pecker, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ari Emanuel, Rahm, Barack Obama’s, Schwarzenegger, Ari, Rahm Emanuel, Pecker, ’ Battilana Gutierrez, ’, ” Harvey Weinstein, Natalia V, ” Weinstein’s, Juda Engelmayer, “ Ms, Gutierrez ’, ” Engelmayer, Battilana, Julia Nikhinson, he’s, Harvey Weinstein’s, “ Harvey, Judge James Burke, ” Gutierrez, Ronan Farrow, Cyrus Vance , Jr, Eduardo Munoz, Cyrus Vance, ” Vance, Vance, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Weinstein’s, Lachlan Cartwright, Ambra, ” Cartwright, David J, Mark Peterson, Rose McGowan’s, Cartwright, McGowan, American Media …, Timothy A, Clary, Jason Kravarik Organizations: CNN, Trump, American Media Inc, National, Manhattan Criminal, Staff, Chicago mayorship, National Enquirer, New Yorker, The New York Times, New, Weinstein’s, Manhattan District, Manhattan DA, Manhattan, Attorney’s, Attorney, Attorney’s Office, New York Times Magazine, AMI, Manhattan DA’s, New York Times, Enquirer, Yorker, Weinstein Company, Pecker, Radar, “, American Media, Model Alliance, Getty Locations: Italian, New York City, Manhattan, New York, Los Angeles, Italy, York, New, Angeles, AFP, CNN’s

☆ A former model accused Diddy in a new lawsuit of sexually assaulting and drugging her in 2003. He's now facing 5 suits.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA former model filed a lawsuit Tuesday, accusing embattled music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs of sexually assaulting her in 2003. Crystal McKinney, according to a lawsuit obtained by Business Insider, met Combs at a 2003 Men's Fashion Week event in Manhattan when she was 22. According to the lawsuit, McKinney was introduced to Combs by a fashion designer who believed Combs could "advance her modeling career." AdvertisementAccording to the lawsuit, McKinney was invited back to Combs' recording studio and given what she believed to be laced marijuana. One woman said in her suit filed in December that Combs "sex trafficked and gang raped" her as a 17-year-old in 2003.

Persons: —, Sean, Diddy, Combs, Crystal McKinney, McKinney, Comb's, Cassie Ventura, Ventura, Aaron Dyer, Dyer, Mr Organizations: Service, Business, New York's Southern, Court, NYC, Associated Press, CNN, Los Angeles Hotel, Department of Homeland Security Locations: Manhattan, New York's, Los, Los Angeles, Miami

☆ Abortion Pills May Become Controlled Substances in Louisiana
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Pam Belluck | Emily Cochrane | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Louisiana could become the first state to classify abortion pills as dangerous controlled substances, making possession of the pills without a prescription a crime subject to jail time and fines. A bill that would designate the abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol as Schedule IV drugs — a category of medicines with the potential for abuse or dependence — passed the state’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Tuesday by a vote of 63 to 29. The measure — which would put abortion pills in the same category as Xanax, Ambien and Valium — contradicts the way the federal government classifies mifepristone and misoprostol. The federal Food and Drug Administration does not consider abortion pills to be drugs with the potential for dependence or abuse, and decades of medical studies have found both to be overwhelmingly safe. Pregnant women would be exempt from those penalties; most abortion bans and restrictions do not punish pregnant women because most voters oppose doing so.

Persons: Jeff Landry, — Organizations: Republican, Gov, Food and Drug Administration Locations: Louisiana

☆ New York Times publishes fresh details on the alleged affair that Elon Musk and Nicole Shanahan both deny
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Lauren Edmonds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Three sources told the Times that Shanahan and Musk had an affair in December 2021 during a private party in Miami. Advertisement"Ms. Shanahan later told Mr. Brin that she had had sex with Mr. Musk, three of the people said. She also relayed the details to friends, family and advisers," the Times reported. Representatives for Shanahan, Musk, and Brin did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment ahead of publication. In response to questions from a The New York Times reporter, Shanahan said she was "shocked the NYT is letting you run something like this."

Persons: —, Nicole Shanahan, Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Tesla, Shanahan, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Brin, Musk, it's, Ian Tuttle, Anna Webber, Grimes, Sergey, Nicole, Walter Isaacson Organizations: Service, New York Times, Business, Times, Drug Enforcement, Variety, Street Journal, Shanahan Locations: Miami

☆ House Democrats investigate if Big Oil colluded with OPEC to inflate gas prices
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Congressional Democrats are investigating whether leading US oil companies have illegally colluded with one another and with OPEC to inflate prices at the pump, CNN has learned. The Federal Trade Commission earlier this month accused Sheffield, the founder of Pioneer Natural Resources, of conspiring with OPEC and its allies to boost prices. Pallone argued that public data suggests US oil producers did not ramp up drilling during the period that Sheffield was trying to influence his rivals. Pallone sent Exxon additional document demands, including communications between Pioneer employees who were involved in developing production plans and representatives of OPEC and OPEC+. Sheffield was among the oil CEOs who testified before Pallone’s committee during an April 2022 hearing on Big Oil and gas prices.

Persons: Frank Pallone Jr, ”, Scott Sheffield, “, ” Pallone, Sheffield, Hess, Pallone Organizations: New, New York CNN, Congressional, OPEC, CNN, Committee, Energy, Commerce, ExxonMobil, BP, New Jersey Democrat, Federal Trade Commission, Sheffield, Pioneer Natural Resources, FTC, Oil, Exxon, Chevron, Shell USA, Devon Energy, Big, ” Locations: New York, Chevron, Hess, BP America, New Jersey, Texas, OPEC, Russia, colluding, United States, ”, Occidental

☆ Over 100 basic-income pilots have run in US cities. Now states are getting creative to fund no-strings-attached cash payments.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Allie Kelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Basic income has become a trending strategy to combat poverty in cities nationwide. ARPA funds have been used to partially or fully fund most US basic-income pilots so far, but funds are set to expire. While philanthropy and nonprofit work have been central to basic-income pilots, they are not always a long-term or large-scale funding solution. More GBI programs are electing to focus on specific groups of participants, like low-income parents with children and foster youth. The program is funded through the Temporary Aid to Needy Families Program (TANF), an existing federal cash assistance program for low-income families.

Persons: —, Michael Tubbs, Tubbs, It's, Tubbs —, GBI —, Marcela Díaz, let's, Díaz, Teri Olle, Olle, John Gillette, Ken Paxton, Dustin Palmer, GiveDirectly, Palmer, Shafeka Hashash, Hashash, Hashah, GBI Organizations: Service, Business, SNAP, Medicaid, Somos Un, Somos Un Pueblo Unido, Economic Security, New, New Mexico House, California Senate, Republican, South Dakota Republicans, ARPA, Pew Charitable Locations: Stockton , California, Durham , North Carolina, Birmingham, Chicago, Antonio, San Antonio, Denver, Seattle, California, New Mexico, State, Mexico, Somos, Somos Un Pueblo, Economic Security California, Arizona, Iowa, Harris County , Texas, Flint , Michigan

☆ Former Google employee says company's AI work is driven by 'a stone cold panic that they are getting left behind'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewGoogle might be one of the biggest players in the AI space, but an employee says the tech giant's work in the field has been motivated by "stone cold panic." But Google, Jenson said, wasn't the only tech giant guilty of making this mistake. AdvertisementJenson's scathing assessment comes as tech giants like Google and Apple have been struggling to play catch-up with AI upstarts like OpenAI. AdvertisementWhen Google unveiled its new AI model Gemini 1.5 on February 15, OpenAI dropped its text-to-video model Sora just a few hours later. Last week, OpenAI debuted its new flagship AI model, GPT-4o, a day before Google announced various updates for their models.

Persons: —, Scott Jenson, Jenson, Tony Stark, who'd, Apple didn't, Siri, OpenAI, Sam Altman Organizations: Service, Google, Business, LinkedIn, Stanford, Android, Facebook, Apple, BI, New York Times, OpenAI, iOS, Bloomberg Locations: Siri, Cupertino

☆ Can Republicans Embrace Voting by Mail? Pennsylvania Offers a Test.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Michael Wines | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When voters turned out in February to fill a vacant seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, the stakes were nothing less than control of the chamber, which Democrats held by a single seat. But as Election Day dawned, a nor’easter dumped several inches of snow, stranding would-be voters at home. Bad luck dogged others: One woman backing Ms. Cabanas skipped the polls after she fell ill and was rushed to the hospital. Ms. Cabanas’s Democratic opponent faced similar hurdles but had one advantage: More than 3,300 of his voters had mailed in their ballots early. Ms. Cabanas could count only 532.

Persons: Candace Cabanas, Cabanas, Cabanas’s Organizations: Republican, Cabanas’s Democratic Locations: Pennsylvania

AdvertisementThe first-ever criminal trial of a former American president is now nearing its end after several weeks of witness testimony. Related storiesIn some of those hallway appearances earlier in the trial, Trump has told reporters that he planned to testify. He told jurors that Cohen told him that Trump didn't know anything about the payments. "If you don't like my ruling, you don't give me side-eye, and you don't roll your eyes," Merchan told Costello before he cleared the room. Trump " wasn't thinking about Melania — this was all about the campaign," Cohen told jurors.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Juan Merchan, Trump, Robert Costello, Costello, Emil Bove, muttered, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Susan Hoffinger, Merchan, Stormy Daniels, Cohen —, Trump —, Daniels, didn't, Rudy Giuliani, audibly, Judge Juan Merchan, castigates, Elizabeth Williams, Daniel Sitko, Brad Smith, Smith's, Smith, reimbursing Cohen Organizations: Service, GOP, Business, New, Trump, Republican, Manhattan, Attorney's Office, Attorney's, Prosecutors, FBI, AP, Federal, Washington Examiner Locations: New York, American, Manhattan, Trump

☆ Sundar Pichai says OpenAI might have breached YouTube's terms and conditions to train its text-to-video model Sora
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewOpenAI might've breached YouTube's terms and conditions to train its text-to-video model Sora, says Google CEO Sundar Pichai. "So you felt like they had broken your terms and conditions, or potentially, or if they had, that wouldn't have been appropriate?" Sundar Pichai says he believes OpenAI's Sora breached YouTube's terms and conditions and he is sympathetic to creators whose content is being used to train AI models pic.twitter.com/mF1D6XjYf8 — Tsarathustra (@tsarnick) May 20, 2024Earlier in the interview, Pichai revealed that YouTube was still "following up and trying to understand" how OpenAI had trained Sora. "We have terms and conditions, and we would expect people to abide by those terms and conditions when you build a product, so that's how I felt about it." AdvertisementJohansson said in a statement that she had turned down OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's offer to voice its latest GPT-4o model.

Persons: —, Sora, Sundar Pichai, Nilay Patel, Pichai, OpenAI's Sora, OpenAI, Mira Murati, Joanna Stern, Stern, Murati, I'm, Neal Mohan, Emily Chang, would've, Mohan, didn't, Scarlett Johansson, Johansson, Sam Altman's, Spike Jonze's, We’ve Organizations: Service, Business, YouTube, coy, Google, BI Locations: Amazon, ChatGPT

☆ South Carolina Bans Gender Transition Care for Minors
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Adeel Hassan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The state now joins about two dozen others that have passed laws restricting or banning what doctors call gender-affirming care for minors. BackgroundSouth Carolina lawmakers tried to pass similar legislation in 2021 and 2022 but failed to get them through the State House of Representatives. In 2022, the clock ran out on a broader bill banning transition care for minors, but lawmakers put a clause in the state budget that banned a pediatric clinic at a public hospital from using state funds on transition care for people under 16. The measure, known as House Bill 4624, was passed by the legislature earlier this month. She added that gender-transition surgery was currently not being performed in South Carolina, and that transition care was being done only after much deliberation between doctors, parents and children.

Persons: Henry McMaster, McMaster, Elizabeth Mack, ” Organizations: South Carolina’s Republican, State, of, Republicans, South, American Academy of Pediatrics Locations: Carolina, South Carolina

☆ Opinion: We Germans are making Trump ‘thunderstorm’ plans
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Opinion Anna Sauerbrey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

That’s scary.” If Trump is elected, Jörg is convinced, he would withdraw American troops from Europe and stop aid to Ukraine. Jim Bourg/AFP/Getty ImagesSix months ahead of the vote, this soccer field conversation reflects the German view of the US elections quite well. Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty ImagesIt’s an optimistic view, based on the assumption that Trump will act rationally, as a deal-maker, if elected. What if Trump tries to take America out of NATO or creates a “dormant NATO,” a NATO existent only in name? Another Trump presidency would not only put Germany’s security at risk, but also manifest this view of the US for another four years.

Persons: Thomas Ernst Editor’s, Anna Sauerbrey, Read, ’, ”, Jörg, Miguel, Donald Trump, “, “ Trump, Trump, “ I’m, Piero, Joe Biden, Jim Bourg, Europe’s, Russia “, Olaf Scholz, Michael Kappeler, ” Scholz, mums, Annalena Baerbock, Greg Abbott, Biden, Kirill Kudryavtsev, George H, Bush’s, Barack Obama, Obama, Heinz M, Schahina Gambir, Gambir, Roe, Wade, Bob Parent Organizations: Zeit, Berlin CNN —, Köpenicker FC, CNN, Biden, Trump, Getty, NATO, Republican, European Union, European Central Bank, EU, ”, Dallas Mavericks, Mavericks, LA Clippers, NBA, Green, Bundestag Locations: Berlin, America, Taiwan, Europe, Ukraine, Italy, AFP, Gaza, Germany, Russia, United States, Trump, Texas, China, Poland, France, Frankfurt, Kabul, New York City, New York

☆ Sean Combs Accused of Sexual Assault in New Lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Julia Jacobs | More About Julia Jacobs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A former model filed a lawsuit on Tuesday accusing the hip-hop mogul Sean Combs of forcing her to perform oral sex on him at his New York City recording studio in 2003. She says Mr. Combs led her to the bathroom, shoved her head down to his crotch and, after she refused, forced her to perform oral sex on him. Representatives for Mr. Combs did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit. Mr. Combs, 54, has been facing deepening legal troubles since his former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, filed a lawsuit against him last year in which she accused him of sexually and physically abusing her for years. The lawsuit was settled in one day, but three more suits followed from women who accused him of rape.

Persons: Sean Combs, Crystal McKinney, Combs, McKinney, Casandra Ventura, Cassie Organizations: New York City, MTV, Mr Locations: Manhattan

☆ Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused of sexual assault in new lawsuit from former winner of MTV’s Model Mission
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Sean “Diddy” Combs has been accused of sexual assault in a new lawsuit filed on Tuesday by Crystal McKinney, a former model and winner of MTV’s 1998 Model Mission competition show. McKinney “felt confused but hopeful that Combs would fulfill his promises to help her career,” and Combs invited her to his recording studio later that night, the complaint continues. In the bathroom, Combs “began kissing her without her consent” and later “forced her to perform oral sex on him,” according to the complaint. “As her consciousness returned, Plaintiff realized that she had been sexually assaulted by Combs,” the complaint reads. One of the six suits names Combs as a defendant but was was brought against Combs’ son, Christian Combs.

Persons: Sean “ Diddy ” Combs, Crystal McKinney, McKinney, ”, Combs, McKinney “, “, Combs “, Sean John Clothing, ” McKinney, Tommy Hilfiger, Cassie Ventura, Ventura, ” Combs, Meredith Firetog, Cassie, Combs ’, Christian Combs, Ventura’s Organizations: CNN, Plaintiff, Combs, Bad Boy Records, Sean John Clothing LLC, Universal Music Group Inc, New, New York City Council, IMG, MTV, Authorities, Department of Homeland Security Locations: New York, New York City

☆ The fraud trial of Ozy Media cofounder Carlos Watson has begun. His attorneys have argued race played a role in his indictment.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewAttorneys began jury selection in the criminal fraud trial of Carlos Watson, the cofounder of the fallen digital media startup Ozy Media. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Carlos Watson is a Black man and Ozy Media was majority-owned by people of color." AdvertisementAttorneys for Watson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider on Monday. Semafor co-founder, former New York Times columnist, and BuzzFeed News editor in chief Ben Smith and Ozy co-founder Carlos Watson.

Persons: —, Carlos Watson, Watson, Watson's, Semafor, Ben Smith, Ozy, Dia Dipasupil, Kimberly White, Marc Lasry, Laurene Powell Jobs, Ron Conway, Axel Springer, Smith, Samir Rao, Suzee Han, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Service, Ozy Media, Business, Prosecutors, Apple, Google, Vice Media, New York Times, Goldman Locations: Brooklyn , New York, Buzzfeed

☆ Elvis’ granddaughter fights Graceland foreclosure sale and alleges fraud
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Raja Razek | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Lisa Marie Presley was the sole heir to Graceland and her father’s estate when he died in 1977, and its overall worth has now reportedly reached into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The lawsuit alleges Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC “appears to be a false entity created for the purpose of defrauding.”CNN emailed Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC and received an automated reply, “We are currently out of the office; we will resume normal business hours on Tuesday May 28, 2024.”Riley Keough, Elvis Presley's granddaughter. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images) Dia Dipasupil/Getty ImagesWhen CNN attempted to reach Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC by phone, the number was no longer in service. “Naussany Investments has now scheduled a non-judicial sale of Graceland based on the fraudulent deed of trust,” the lawsuit reads. Lisa Marie Presley annually earned seven figures from it, based on a court filing in her 2022 divorce.

Persons: Elvis Presley’s, Danielle Riley Keough, Elvis, Keough, “, Lisa Marie Presley, ” Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis ’, ”, “ Lisa Marie Presley, Naussany, ” Riley Keough, Elvis Presley's, Dia Dipasupil, Graceland, Rolling, CNN’s Joe Sutton, Luciana Lopez, Alli Rosenbloom Organizations: CNN, Investments, Naussany Investments, ” CNN, Naussany, Lending, “ Naussany Investments Locations: Memphis, Graceland, Florida, Kimberling City , Missouri, Missouri, Shelby County , Tennessee

☆ Artist Kehinde Wiley denies accusations of sexual assault
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Stephy Chung | Nicole Mowbray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Kehinde Wiley, the American artist best known for painting former US President Barack Obama’s official portrait, has denied accusations of sexual assault. In an Instagram post shared Sunday, British-Ghanaian artist and curator Joseph Awuah-Darko alleged Wiley sexually assaulted him twice in 2021. Awuah-Darko said the first incident occurred on June 9, 2021, at a dinner held at the Noldor Artist Residency in Ghana, to celebrate Wiley’s work. In Sunday’s Instagram post, he wrote that reporting the assault in Ghana “would have been problematic at best — dangerous at worst,” given the country’s broader attitudes towards LGBTQ people. Wiley rose to international fame in 2017, when he was chosen to paint Obama’s official portrait for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.

Persons: CNN — Kehinde Wiley, Barack Obama’s, Joseph Awuah, Darko, Wiley, Awuah, ” Awuah, ”, ” Wiley, “, Kehinde Wiley, Barack Obama, Mark Wilson, I’m Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Getty, ” CNN, Wiley, Ghana “, Yale University Locations: British, Ghanaian, Ghana, Accra, Washington , DC, Nigeria, New York, Ghana’s

☆ Hundreds of older Virgin Atlantic cabin crew say they were unfairly dismissed during the pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewVirgin Atlantic is being sued by more than 200 former cabin crew, claiming the airline unfairly targeted older staff for dismissals during the pandemic, The Guardian reported. Virgin Atlantic also retired its Boeing 747 jumbo jets a year early and closed its base at London Gatwick Airport as it tried to avoid bankruptcy. Related storiesIn its 2021 annual report, Virgin Atlantic said it rehired 99 pilots and 724 cabin crew from the holding pool, "something we had committed to doing as soon as possible in the reorganization of 2020." About 150 workers are reportedly being represented by the Cabin Crew Union, another 51 by a law firm, and a further 11 elsewhere. "I was flabbergasted that I wasn't in the holding pool," she added.

Persons: —, Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic, Susan Mcentegart Organizations: Service, Guardian, Virgin Atlantic, Boeing, Gatwick Airport, Business, Virgin Locations: London

☆ Diddy is done: Sean Combs can't save his career, entertainment attorney says — but he can maybe save himself
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewA "smoking gun" video of Sean "Diddy" Combs could help plaintiffs in other civil suits against him bolster their cases, an entertainment lawyer told Business Insider. In the video, a man appearing to be Combs shoves, drags, kicks, and throws an object toward Ventura in the hotel hallway. 'His career is effectively done'Ventura alleged in her November suit that Combs paid the defunct hotel $50,000 to obtain the surveillance footage. From the perspective of Combs' defense, Dowlatshahi said Combs' lawyers will probably try to settle the cases and advise Combs to cooperate with authorities. "His career is effectively done," Dowlatshahi told Business Insider.

Persons: —, Sean, Diddy, Combs, Cassie Ventura, Ventura, Camron, Mills, Mills Sadat Dowlat, wouldn't, Meredith Firetog, Firetog, Cassie, Dowlatshahi Organizations: Service, CNN, InterContinental Hotel, Business, Associated Press, Mills Sadat, Wigdor LLP, Federal, DHS, Miami, Diddy Locations: Los Angeles, Ventura, Hollywood

☆ Hush-money judge rips Trump witness who scoffed at his rulings: 'You don't give me the side-eye!'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The witness, attorney Robert Costello, was called by the defense to attack the credibility of key prosecution witness Michael Cohen. Within minutes of taking the stand, Costello was in open conflict with New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, the judge presiding over the case. "If you don't like my ruling you don't say 'Jeez," you don't give me side eye, and you don't roll your eyes," the judge scolded. "You don't say 'strike it,'" the judge told the witness, adding that it's his job, not the witness' to strike testimony. Bove could not instigate a "trial within a trial," the judge ordered, by asking Costello questions beyond this limited topic.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, Robert Costello, Michael Cohen, chafed, Costello, Juan Merchan, Merchan, Costello glared, Trump, Robert Balin, Emil Bove, Cohen —, Rudy Giuliani, Cohen, Cohen's, Bove, Costello audibly, Stormy Daniels, Blanche, Daniel Citco Organizations: Service, Business, New York, Trump, Manhattan District, Republican Locations: Nassau County, New

Binance is finding 300,000 fake addresses every week, mainly on Ethereum and Bitcoin networks. AdvertisementAs crypto thieves find more creative ways to trick people, so do those trying to crack down on them. Binance, a major crypto exchange, told Business Insider that it has developed an algorithm to spot fake crypto addresses — used in so-called "address poisoning" scams. According to Binance, the company's algorithm is detecting some 300,000 fake addresses every week, mostly on Ethereum and Bitcoin networks. The FBI warns that services offering to return money to the victims of crypto scams might actually also be scams themselves.

Persons: —, it's, Binance Organizations: Service, Services, FBI

☆ U.S. and Niger Announce Withdrawal of American Personnel by September
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The withdrawal of 1,000 U.S. military personnel in Niger is underway, and all American troops will leave the West African country by Sept. 15, the U.S. and Nigerien governments said on Sunday. Anderson, met in Niamey, Niger’s capital, this past week with representatives of Niger’s military, led by the army chief of staff, Col. Maj. Mamane Sani Kiaou, the statement said. The meeting was meant “to coordinate the orderly and safe withdrawal of U.S. forces from Niger,” it added. The statement, released by the Pentagon, also said the two militaries had established procedures to ease the entry and the exit of U.S. personnel, including flight and landing clearances for military planes. Niger has balked at approving some of those clearances in recent months, American officials said.

Persons: Biden, Christopher P, Maier, Dagvin R.M, Anderson, Mamane Sani Kiaou Organizations: Pentagon Locations: Niger, West, U.S, Africa, Niamey, Niger’s, Maj

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