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☆ Analysis: Tony Bennett sang in a key that Jason Aldean’s song can’t reach
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

White jazz artists were antiracists before the term was inventedMany of the tributes to Bennett mentioned his disdain for bigotry. Many White jazz artists were antiracists, long before the word was invented. Frank Sinatra, Bennett’s musical mentor, recorded with and relentlessly championed Black jazz artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie. He hired a Black jazz bassist, Eugene Wright, and refused to play in segregated venues. There are countless photos of a beaming Bennett hanging out with Black jazz artists.

Persons: Tony Bennett, Ed Sullivan’s, Bennett, ”, Duke Ellington, “, ’ ” Bennett, there’s, Jason Aldean, Aldean, Dick Gregory, Coretta Scott King, Rick Diamond, Bennett —, ” Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Bennett’s, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dave Brubeck, Eugene Wright, Benny Goodman, Jim Crow, Ellington, Louis Armstrong, don’t, It’s, that’s, Lionel Hampton, Goodman, Michael Ochs, Amy Winehouse, Winehouse, fidgety, “ We’ll, “ You’re, ” Winehouse, Lady Gaga, John Mayer, Elvis Costello, Bennett’s unflappability, Bennett wasn’t, Brubeck, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Bill Evans, Mark Allan, Greg Thomas, ” Thomas, Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, Willie Nelson, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lil Nas, Wynton Marsalis, Bennett –, Anthony Dominick Benedetto, –, Thomas, John Blake Organizations: CNN, Toronto Star, MLK, Atlanta Civic Center, US Army, Carnegie Hall, Michael Ochs Archives, Jazz, Studios Locations: New York, Tennessee, America, Atlanta, Nazi, African, British, Turkey, Japan, London, Aldean, American, Europe, United States

☆ LeBron James shares video of son Bronny playing piano after cardiac arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —NBA star LeBron James shared a video Saturday on Instagram of his son Bronny playing piano after the young athlete’s cardiac arrest this week. LeBron James wrote in the video’s caption, “Grand rising! We’re here right with you every step of the way!” LeBron James wrote on Instagram. Everyone doing great,” the Lakers star wrote. #JamesGang.”A source familiar with the matter said Bronny James underwent a cardiac screening several months prior for prospective NBA athletes.

Persons: LeBron James, Bronny, “, ”, Bronny James Organizations: CNN, NBA, University of Southern California’s, Sinai Medical Center, Lakers Locations: Los Angeles

☆ Streaming Deals: Best Amazon Prime Video Add Ons 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Bellamy Richardson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

By Bellamy RichardsonAmazon Prime Day isn’t just about home gear and iPads—Prime Video has deals on streaming service add-ons so you can binge all those TV shows everyone’s talking about. Prime members can now score discounts on 18 channels including Max and Paramount+ for two months; regular prices resume after the trial period unless you cancel the subscription. (Set a reminder in your calendar before the two months is up in case you want to go to your Prime Account & Settings and make a change.) Try PBS Kids, now only $1 a month, down from its regular price of $5 a month. Introduce your kids to popular children’s TV series such as “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” and “Wild Kratts.”

Persons: Bellamy Richardson, Max Deal, Don’t, ”, Stallone, Sylvester Stallone, Karen Pirie ”, Karen Pirie, Black, “ Daniel Tiger’s Organizations: Bellamy Richardson Amazon, Max, Paramount, College, College Girls, Tulsa King, Survivor, Starz, AMC, Cinemax, PBS, Deal Locations: San, Chinatown

☆ Hun Sen: Facebook urged to suspend Cambodia's PM over video threatening violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The oversight board for Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms on Thursday said Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen should be suspended from the social media site for six months for posting a video violating rules against violent threats. The board, which is funded by Meta but operates independently, said the company had been wrong not to remove the video after it was published in January. Meta, in a written statement, agreed to take down the video but said it would respond to the board’s recommendation to suspend Hun Sen after a review. Any suspension would silence the prime minister’s Facebook page less than a month before an election in Cambodia. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said Hun Sen had finally been called out for inciting violence.

Persons: Hun Sen, Hun, –, Meta’s, Donald Trump –, Meta, Phil Robertson, ” Organizations: Cambodian, Meta, Facebook, United States, Cambodian People’s Party, Human Rights, Big Tech Locations: Cambodia, United, Asia

☆ Putting salt in tap water and drilling wells in parks: one city’s desperate quest to avoid running dry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The situation has become so bad that residents are being forced to drink salty tap water and workers are drilling wells in the center of the capital to reach the water beneath the ground. Another, the Paso Severino, which normally serves 60% of the country’s population with fresh water, has seen the largest decrease in water levels on record. Water levels could be depleted completely in early July, according to local media reports. Low water levels at the Canelón Grande reservoir on March 13, 2023. As well as tasting salty, Uruguayan officials say the tap water also has a high level of chlorides, sodium, and trihalomethanes.

Persons: Luis Lacalle Pou, It’s, Paso Severino, Ernesto Ryan, Carlos Santos, “, ”, Karina Rando, Lacalle Pou, Santos, Eitan Abramovich, ‘, Daniel Panario, Panario, OSE, Ana Ferreira, ” Friederike Otto, Miguel Doria, hydrologist, Uruguay “, Doria, ” Gerardo Amarilla, ” Doria Organizations: CNN —, National Commission, Defense of Water, University of, CNN, of Public Health, ”, Getty, Parque, of Ecology, University of the, Bloomberg, United Nations Educational, Cultural Organization, UNESCO, Uruguay’s Ministry of, United, Montevideo don’t Locations: CNN — Uruguay, American, Uruguay, country’s, Montevideo, Republic, la Plata, Paso, South America’s, San, ”, University of the Republic, America, Argentina, Caribbean, United Nations

CNN —Miami GOP Mayor Francis Suarez has filed paperwork to run for president, according to new FEC filings, marking the long-shot candidate’s formal entry to the race. “Conservative mayor Francis Suarez chose a better path for Miami,” the video’s narrator says, highlighting his approach to crime and support for law enforcement. High-profile mayorPrior to his first election as mayor in 2017, Suarez served a Miami city commissioner for eight years. As mayor, Suarez has sought to bring a new era of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship to his city, including promoting industries such as cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. In 2020, Trump lost Hispanic-majority Miami-Dade County – the state’s most populous county, which includes the city of Miami – by 7 points.

Persons: Francis Suarez, Suarez, Ronald Reagan, ” Suarez, Florida’s, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, Asa Hutchinson, Chris Christie, Trump’s, Trump, “, ”, Xavier Suarez, Elon Musk, DeSantis, NewsNation, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Hillary Clinton, DeSantis coasted Organizations: CNN, Miami GOP, Ronald Reagan Presidential, Fox News, Reagan, US, of Mayors, Wednesday, White, “ Conservative, Republican, Florida Gov, United Nations, Tim Scott , North Dakota Gov, Arkansas Gov, New, New Jersey Gov, CBS, GOP, Republican National Committee, Twitter, Disney, Miami Herald, DeSantis, Democratic, Miami, Dade, Miami –, Fox Locations: Simi Valley , California, Cuban, Miami, Florida, Palm Beach, South Carolina, Tim Scott , North, Arkansas, New Jersey, Milwaukee, Central Florida, “, Dade County, Osceola, Orlando, Puerto Rican

☆ Pornhub asks users, Big Tech for help as states adopt age verification laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Washington CNN —In the two-minute video, adult performer Cherie Deville stares into the camera and intones soberly to viewers, for the second time in a month, that policymakers are coming for their porn. It’s unclear how much Pornhub expects to achieve, as the laws have already been passed and signed. Pornhub’s simultaneous appeals to users and to Big Tech highlight the challenging position the company now finds itself in amid a wave of state legislation. Now, Pornhub’s fight could prove to be a bellwether for the growing push to enforce age verification for social media. Device-based age verification, Tiwari said, could have “very serious privacy connotations, because you now have the largest tech companies in the world having your government ID and all the information present in them linked to individual devices.

Persons: Cherie Deville, soberly, ” Deville, Pornhub, CNN it’s “, Pornhub —, —, ECP, Solomon Friedman, Friedman, ” Friedman, “, Porn, Pornhub’s, Josh Golin, ” Golin, India McKinney, ” McKinney, Udbhav Tiwari, Tiwari, ” Organizations: Washington CNN —, CNN, Ethical Capital Partners, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Big Tech, Android, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Mozilla, Twitter, Federal Trade Commission Locations: Pornhub, Utah, Arkansas , Mississippi, Virginia, India

☆ Bioré and Influencer Apologize After School Shooting Ad
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Amanda Holpuch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The skin care brand Bioré apologized this week after facing criticisms that a paid social media post advertising its products at once trivialized and exploited the issue of gun violence in America. An influencer and graduate of Michigan State University, Cecilee Max-Brown, had posted a TikTok sponsored by Bioré in which she talked about how a shooting on campus in February affected her mental health along with stressors like her post-college career, narrating over videos that show her alternating between exercising, resting and using skin care products. The video was quickly taken down on Friday, less than 24 hours after it was posted, after social media users said it was insensitive and remarked on the startling contrast between the video’s upbeat nature and focus on skin care, and the tragedy it touched on. Ms. Max-Brown said the Michigan State shooting in February had caused her to have anxiety attacks and filled her with “terror” on campus. Three students were killed in the shooting and five others were wounded.

☆ Fact Check-Biden did not misspell ‘billion’ during remarks after debt ceiling talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Facebook post said: “Braindead Biden stands at the podium in front of the entire country & spells ‘billion’ B-I-L-O-I-O-N. The transcript of Biden’s remarks can be seen on the White House website (here). It indeed transcribed his quote as “B-I-L-O-I-O-N”:“I — we cut the deficit by $160 billion — billion — B-I-L-O-I-O-N — dollars on the Medicare deal,” the transcript says. B-I-L-L-I-O-N.”A slowed down version of the video’s speed on YouTube also shows Biden clearly spelling out “B-I-L-L-I-O-N.”A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond for comment. While the official White House transcript indeed transcribed Biden’s quote as if he misspelled “billion,” videos of the remarks show he spelled the word correctly.

☆ One Day Caroline Aaron Was an Usher, the Next She Was With Cher
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Marc Myers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Caroline Aaron, 70, is an actress who appeared in the films “Sleepless in Seattle,” “Primary Colors,” “Breakable You” and “Edward Scissorhands.” She currently co-stars as the mother-in-law Shirley Maisel in Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” She spoke with Marc Myers. My father, Aaron Abady, died when I was 8, leaving my 38-year-old mother to raise three young children. For me, the youngest, comedy became not only a tool for healing but also a way to protect my remaining parent. If I could make her laugh, she’d stick around.

Two videos emerged on social media this past week that appear to show beheadings of Ukrainian soldiers. The first video was posted to a pro-Russian social media channel on April 8. In the video, a voice can be heard, behind the camera, the sound seemingly distorted to prevent the speaker’s identification. Apparently referring to the bodies on the ground, the voice, laughing, continues, “They killed them. Some pro-Russian social media accounts have suggested Ukrainian forces were responsible for the beheadings in an effort to conceal identification.

☆ ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Actress Emily Hampshire Grew Up in a World of Her Own
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Marc Myers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Emily Hampshire, 41, is an actress and writer best known for playing Stevie Budd in TV’s “Schitt’s Creek.” She currently stars in Prime Video’s “The Rig” and is the author of “Amelia Aierwood: Basic Witch” (Z2 Comics), her first graphic novel. She spoke with Marc Myers. I did a lot of hiding and spying as a child. Under the stairs in our house, there was a closet that became my private sanctuary. It felt like I lived on my own.

Invite friends and family by sharing a link, then select "Start Stream" to start watching. It's included with any subscription to Disney Plus, including Disney Basic (which has ads) for $7.99 per month and Disney+ Premium (without ads) for $10.99 per month. Here's our guide on how to use the Disney Plus GroupWatch feature and all of the settings you can change. Use the Plus button to invite friends and family to your Disney Plus video showing. How to join a Disney Plus GroupWatchYou can join Disney Plus GroupWatch on your computer, mobile device, or smart TV.

☆ Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi fooled the art market — and made millions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“The forgery was almost incidental,” Wolfgang told Fischer. “They are storytellers, together, which is why they did a lot of research,” Fischer told CNN in a video call. Wolfgang told her that he only produced pictures he considered beautiful, and he believed the owners enjoyed them as much as the art market profited from them. In 2014, Wolfgang told CBS’ “60 Minutes” that in addition to the court-imposed damages, he had settled lawsuits worth $27 million. From her conversations with Wolfgang, Fischer concluded that both of his parents were “severely traumatized” by their experiences during World War II.

Persons: Wolfgang Beltracchi, Heinrich Campendonk —, Steve Martin, Wolfgang, Helene, Heinrich Campendonk, Peter Endig, Max Ernst, Fernand Léger, Kees van Dongen, Derain, Jeannette Fischer, Fischer, ” Wolfgang, “, ”, ’, ” Fischer, Paul Hahn, Hendrick Avercamp, Christie’s, Robin Hood, hadn’t, CNN Fischer, Picasso, —, aren’t, Leonardo da Vinci’s, Salvador Mundi, Andy Warhol, Vincent van Gogh Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Der, Art, CBS, Scheidegger Locations: Halle, Germany, Hitler’s Germany, Switzerland, France, Cologne, ”, Stalingrad

☆ The Washington Post is not for sale, owner Jeff Bezos and the newspaper say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Chloe Melas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —The Washington Post is not for sale, spokespeople for the newspaper and its owner Jeff Bezos told CNN on Monday. They denied a New York Post report, which cited unnamed sources, suggesting the billionaire could shed the newspaper to help fund a potential purchase of the Washington Commanders NFL team. Bezos visited the Post newsroom last week, meeting with staff and sitting in on editorial meetings. A source close to the situation said Bezos told the paper’s senior staff in private meetings that he had no plans to sell the paper. The Amazon (AMZN) founder, along with Jay-Z, is in talks on a potential joint bid on the Commanders, CNN previously reported.

☆ Why Egypt is asking its people to eat chicken feet
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Abu Dhabi CNN —Egypt’s economic situation is so dire that the government is asking people to eat chicken feet. In Egypt, chicken feet are seen as the cheapest of meat items, considered by most as animal waste rather than food. After the recommendation to switch to chicken feet, the price of one kilogram of the product reportedly doubled to 20 Egyptian pounds ($0.67). But those firms don’t operate like private companies, enjoying special privileges without disclosing their financial data to the public. Experts have questioned why international creditors had not leveraged their loans to drive Egypt’s military out of the economy.

☆ Animal sanctuary rescues 'abandoned' pet pig that once belonged to Logan Paul
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Morgan Sung | Morgan Sung Is A Trends Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A California animal sanctuary is going viral after sharing how it saved an abandoned pig that it said once belonged to YouTuber Logan Paul. “From what we’ve been told, it’s believed she was purchased originally from a breeder by an influencer,” Gentle Barn said in the video’s caption. On Feb. 26, 2020, Paul tweeted an image of him and a pig. He wrote that he “was told she was a mini pig,” and included a photo with the fully grown pig. Teacup pigs, mini pigs, nano pigs and other “breeds” marketed as pet pigs “are a myth,” according to the Best Friends Animal Society.

☆ Fact Check-Faked video claims to show an alien abduction in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Video of an alleged alien abduction is not authentic and shows signs of having been faked, an image-manipulation expert told Reuters. While some users are skeptical of the video’s authenticity in their comments, others seem to believe that it indeed shows an alien abduction. However, multiple aspects of the video indicate it is fake, and “represents poor staging of an alien abduction,” Thorsten Beck, an image-manipulation researcher at the Humboldt-Elsevier Advanced Data and Text (HEADT) Centre (headt.eu/Thorsten-Beck), told Reuters. Also, a “powerful spotlight” illuminating the scene from the left side appears to have been “either switched off” or covered moments before the alleged abduction takes place. The video shows signs of having been faked and does not depict an authentic alien abduction, according to an expert analysis.

☆ Fact Check-Video presenting fictional ‘artificial womb facility’ taken out of context
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video presenting a facility purportedly able to “incubate up to 30,000 lab-grown babies per year” is conceptual and has been taken out of context by some online users. The video’s concept creator, Hashem Al-Ghaili, told Reuters that the project, called EctoLife, is not currently a genuine existing facility or company. Examples of social media posts that appear to believe EctoLife is a real, functioning facility or company are viewable (here) and Twitter (here). The facility described in this video does not exist and pertains to a concept developed by science communicator Hashem Al-Ghaili. Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts here .

☆ Fact Check-False social media posts about Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Video-based claims that television personality Duane Chapman, known as “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” died are false. Representatives for Chapman confirmed to Reuters he is alive. A Facebook post, visible ( here ) fabricating claims that “Reality TV actor Duane Chapman has died at his home” accumulated over 50,000 views. Jennifer Willingham, Chapman’s publicist, told Reuters via email on Dec. 13 that contrary to claims, “Dog is very much alive.”A Reuters search for death announcements for Duane Chapman returned no credible results. Representatives confirmed death claims about tv personality Duane Chapman are false.

☆ Priyanka Chopra Jonas says she is finally earning as much as her male co-star
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Priyanka Chopra Jonas says she is finally earning as much as her male co-star, after two decades in the movie industry. In an interview with the BBC, the actress and activist revealed that she never had “pay parity” in all the years she worked in Bollywood. Chopra Jonas was among the women to feature in the UK broadcaster’s list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world, published Tuesday. The BBC posted a short video clip on its website from a wide-ranging interview with the Indian star, due to be broadcast next year. In the clip, Chopra Jonas said: “I’ve never had pay parity in Bollywood.

☆ F.B.I. asking about videos and racist website in connection with Colorado shooting
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The former neighbor, Xavier Kraus, said an FBI agent asked him about the two websites at an FBI field office in Colorado Springs last Thursday afternoon after an agent called him earlier that day. The website allegedly created by Aldrich is a forum-type “free speech” site where people have anonymously posted racist and antisemitic memes, language and videos. The videos appear to have gone up from 9:28 p.m. to 11:43 p.m. local time on the night of the shooting. Kraus said the agents asked whether Aldrich posted the “Wrong Targets” video on the homepage. After listening to the voice in the videos, Kraus said it “sounds very, very similar” to Aldrich, but he could not confirm this with certainty.

☆ Fact Check-Video falsely reports the arrests and executions of multiple notable figures
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters Fact Check previously debunked similar narratives of “mass arrests” targeting political officials ( nKBN29R1ZA ). Some users seemed to believe the video’s claims that there have been mass arrests and executions. A Reuters review of Obama’s social media accounts show she maintains an active social media presence on Twitter ( twitter.com/MichelleObama ), and an official Instagram ( here ). An official and active social media account on Twitter for McConnell is also observable ( twitter.com/LeaderMcConnell ). Reuters found no credible reporting to support the claims made in this video of supposed executions or arrests.

☆ Some YouTube creators are dropping their sponsorships with Established Titles after company accused of being a ‘scam’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Daysia Tolentino | Daysia Tolentino Is A Culture | Trends Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Established Titles said it stands by its conservation contributions, citing its donations to One Tree Planted and TREES. A spokesperson for TREES confirmed its partnership with Established Titles. Some creators are keeping their sponsorshipsSome creators, including equestrian content creator Raleigh Lilith and commentary channel Paige Christie, said they’ve kept their Established Titles sponsorships. In an effort to understand what happened, Christie interviewed Established Titles CEO Katerina Yip and made a video “debunking” Shafer’s video. She said she received harassment over her association with Established Titles.

☆ Crypto exchanges enabled online child sex-abuse profiteer
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +22 min

These sites often included links for users to pay via crypto exchanges, the IWF told Reuters, declining to name companies. “For those people looking to make money from child sexual abuse, crypto has lowered the barrier,” said Dan Sexton, the IWF’s chief technology officer. The Dark Scandals website, owned by Michael Mohammad, instructs users to send tokens to a Dark Scandals digital wallet to purchase content. While banks and payment platforms demanded more details from online merchants, many crypto exchanges for years requested little or no information from clients. The IWF received more reports last year of websites selling child abuse imagery for crypto than any year prior.

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