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☆ Fact Check-Massachusetts church did not catch fire during a same-sex wedding
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video showing a church on fire was taken in Spencer, Massachusetts, while the building was empty. Posts online, however, are falsely saying it was filmed in Boston during a gay wedding ceremony. God still in control over Satan's counterfeits and attacks to God's instructions.”The building seen in the video is the First Congregational Church in the town of Spencer, in central Massachusetts (www.spencerchurch.org/), (here!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shnI3WZcJhgfayXfzvgktTg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu). The church has posted in favor of LGBTQ rights on their Facebook page (here), (here), (here). The church, located in the town of Spencer, was not celebrating a gay wedding when it caught fire.

Persons: Read Organizations: Social, Congregational Church, Spencer Fire Department, Reuters Locations: Spencer , Massachusetts, Boston, USA, Spencer, Massachusetts

☆ Pat Robertson, televangelist who mobilized Christian voters, dead at 93
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

June 8 (Reuters) - Pat Robertson, the televangelist who helped turn Christian conservatives into a potent force in U.S. politics, died at age 93 at his Virginia home, the Christian Broadcasting Network said in a statement on Thursday. Robertson founded the network in 1960 and hosted the flagship program "The 700 Club" for decades, offering prayers and political commentary. In 1980, the show helped galvanize support among Christian conservatives for Republican Ronald Reagan's successful campaign for president. His "The 700 Club" show - stemming from a fundraising telethon in which he asked 700 viewers to send monthly contributions - drew a committed audience. Nicknamed "Pat" by his older brother, he was born Marion Gordon Robertson in Lexington, Virginia, on March 22, 1930.

Persons: Pat Robertson, Robertson, Republican Ronald Reagan's, God, Hugo Chavez, Satan, Pat, Marion Gordon Robertson, Absalom Robertson, Dede, Gordon, Doina Chiacu, Joseph Ax, Susan Heavey, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Christian Broadcasting Network, Republican, Christian Coalition, Republican Party, U.S, Virginia Democrat, U.S . House, U.S . Senate, Yale Law School, New York Theological Seminary, Regent University, American Center for Law, Justice, Thomson Locations: U.S, Virginia, Iowa, Midwestern, France, Lexington , Virginia, New

☆ Fact Check-California reproductive health bill does not legalize infanticide
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The bill has since been misinterpreted due to language surrounding the phrase “perinatal death” in one of its sections (here). Perinatal death, by one of three definitions by the American Academy of Pediatrics published in May 2016, is the fetal death starting at gestation of 20 weeks and ending at infant death up to 28 days of age (see “Definitions” section on “perinatal death”) (here). BILL AMENDEDThe bill’s language on “perinatal death” was amended twice in assembly before reaching the state senate (see different versions of the bill) (here). BILL DOES NOT DECRIMINALIZE INFANTICIDELaw professors on reproductive health consulted by Reuters said the bill does not decriminalize infanticide and the amendment sought to limit misinterpretation of its language. A California reproductive health bill does not legalize infanticide or killing babies up to 28 days old.

Persons: recirculating, Bill, Gavin Newsom, Satan ”, BILL, ”, Buffy Wicks, Wicks, ” Cary Franklin, ” Franklin, Mary Ziegler, Martin Luther King Jr, Read Organizations: Reuters, Facebook, American Academy of Pediatrics, California, University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, Los Angeles Times, Davis School of Law, California Catholic Conference, CCC Locations: California, “ CALIFORNIA, “ California

☆ Walmart says it hasn't changed its Pride Month merchandise following backlash at Target stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Walmart says it has no plans to change its Pride collection following the backlash against Target. Target said workers were threatened over its Pride items, leading it to pull them from some stores. "In this particular case, when we think about security ... we have not done anything in particular differently related to security in our stores," Watkins said. Late last month, Target made the decision to pull some Pride-themed merchandise and remove Pride displays at some of its stores after store workers and call-center employees were subjected to violent threats. That outcry over Target's Pride merchandise comes after a similarly anti-LGBTQ campaign targeting Bud Light earlier this year when the beer maker partnered with a trans influencer.

Persons: hasn't, —, Latriece Watkins, Watkins, Walmart hasn't, Bud, Bud Light Organizations: Walmart, Target, Service, Privacy, Bloomberg, Reuters, Pride Locations: Bentonville , Arkansas

☆ Fact Check-Target ‘satanic clothing’ collection is not real, it’s AI-generated
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Images of children wearing clothing with pentagrams and skulls were created with artificial intelligence (AI) and do not show a real Target collection, as claimed on social media. Some posts referred to conservative backlash to the retailers’ Pride Month collection in May. The images of children in satanic-themed clothing newly circulating, however, are not real photographs. The images were posted on AI imagery groups on Facebook on May 26 (here) (here ). These images do not depict a real Target collection, they were created with artificial intelligence.

Persons: Dan Reese, “, Read Organizations: Target, Facebook, Reuters

☆ Target Pride backlash exposes 'rainbow capitalism' problem, designer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Helen Reid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Erik Carnell, transgender designer and artist whose products were pulled by U.S. retailer Target from its Pride Collection amid backlash from some of their customers, poses for a portrait in London, Britain, May 30, 2023. REUTERS/Dylan MartinezLONDON, May 31 (Reuters) - U.S. retailer Target's decision to remove some LGBTQ-themed merchandise after customer backlash in its stores highlights the problem with companies' "rainbow capitalism," said Erik Carnell, a transgender designer whose products were pulled from its stores. Target (TGT.N) has sold LGBTQ-related goods tied to Pride month for years. Target's collection for Pride Month, which is celebrated every year in June, includes more than 2,000 products, including Carnell's Abprallen brand. "We stand with you now and will continue to do so - not just during Pride Month, but each and every day," he said.

Persons: Erik Carnell, Dylan Martinez, Carnell, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Brian Cornell, Etsy, Helen Reid, Siddharth Cavale, Kate Masters, Matt Scuffham, Deepa Babington Organizations: U.S, Target, REUTERS, Dylan Martinez LONDON, Kohl's, Pride Month, Anheuser, Reuters, Business, Pride, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, New York

☆ An LGBTQ+ creator got death threats after working with Target
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —When a Target distributor reached out to Erik Carnell last year about possibly placing his brand, Abprallen, in Target stores, he was thrilled. In the following months, Carnell pitched Target and came up with designs that would be appropriate for the big box store, he said. Ultimately, Target started selling three Abprallen items for adults: A sweatshirt, a tote bag and a messenger bag, each emblazoned with a different phrase. By Wednesday, Target had pulled Abprallen items from its US stores and online market, Reuters reported. Pride month merchandise is displayed at the front of a Target store in Hackensack, N.J., Wednesday, May 24, 2023.

☆ Fact Check-‘Satan respects pronouns’ pin not sold at Target
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Target did not sell a pin that says, “Satan respects pronouns” as part of its Pride collection. The pin shows a purple horned creature and the words “Satan respects pronouns.”Reuters reported that Target pulled some products from its Pride collection this week following a backlash from conservative consumers (here). “Target has never sold this pin, nor any items with the ‘Satan Respects Pronouns’ slogan,” Carnell said via email. A Target spokesperson also said the enamel pin with the “Satan respects pronouns” text was never sold at its stores. A pin with the words “Satan respects pronouns” was not part of Target’s Pride collection.

☆ Target is being held hostage by an anti-LGBTQ campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —During every Pride Month in June for the past decade, Target has sold merchandise for LGBTQ customers, employees and allies. But this year, Target faced an anti-LGBTQ campaign that went viral on social media. Fueled by far-right personalities and on social media platforms, the anti-trans campaign spread misleading information about the company’s Pride Month products and its business practices. It won’t be worth whatever they think they’ll gain.”The campaign became hostile, with threats levied against Target employees and instances of damaged products and displays in stores. Meeting demandTarget became the focus of the anti-LGBTQ campaign’s ire for its Pride Month merchandise, but the campaign misrepresented Target’s ambitions.

Persons: ”, Matt Walsh, Kelley Robinson, Bud Light, Yoram, “ It’s, Brian Cornell, Fortune, Erik Carnell, ” Target, Gavin Newsom, Sarah Kate Ellis, Tim Calkins, Ron DeSantis, “, Paul Argenti Organizations: New, New York CNN, Target, Twitter, Human Rights, Pride, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Gallup, ”, Wall Street Journal, GLAAD, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Companies, Nike, Disney, Florida Gov, Los Angeles Dodgers, Dodger, Dartmouth University’s Tuck School of Business Locations: New York, California, statehouses

☆ Russia responds to CIA recruitment video for spies with a bizarre video of its own, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Russian video apparently seeking to recruit US spies is circulating on Telegram. The video was in response to the CIA's latest attempts to recruit Russian spies on Telegram. The Russian video seems to show members of the US military and contains a clip from "Jarhead," a 2005 film about a disillusioned US Marine. A still from a Russian propaganda video apparently aimed at recruiting spies show President Joe Biden in crosshairs. The US seems keen to recruit Russians opposed to the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine, which has stalled amid steep casualties for the Russian military.

☆ Vivek Ramaswamy's firm courts GOP officials as he pushes businesses to stay out of politics
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Scott Olson | Getty ImagesRepublican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy built his White House bid around urging companies to stay out of politics. The messages show Ramaswamy's firm actively engaged with GOP state leaders who have defended the fossil fuel industry and criticized environmentally conscious investment standards. Ramaswamy on Thursday defended the firm's engagement with GOP officials, saying bigger firms BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street have conducted similar practices with state officials across the country. Strive has become one of the more vocal opponents of ESG investing and has gained enough notoriety to challenge the likes of fossil fuel giant ExxonMobil . Ron DeSantis, have often attacked ESG investing standards and corporations that support social causes — an increasingly common refrain within the GOP.

☆ Inside a Kenyan starvation cult and its tragic end in a forest of death
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Mackenzie, 50, is in police custody and has yet to be required to enter a plea to any charge related to the mass graves, which are still being exhumed. HUNDREDS STILL MISSINGThe death toll stands at 109 so far, with 101 found in mass graves and eight people found alive who later died. On April 13, police acting on a tip-off returned to the forest and found 15 emaciated people lying in the forest, according to police who said four of them were so weak they died before reaching hospital. On April 21, they began exhuming mass graves. Charo said he was horrified last month when he learned about the mass graves found in the forest.

☆ I tried a site where AI matched me with someone based on my 'hotness' rating. It's really messed up.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Hot Chat 3000 is a dating website where AI determines your "hotness" using huge datasets. When a user enters Hot Chat 3000, they're asked to upload a picture of themselves as electronic music hums in the background. "Hot Chat 3000 very deliberately sets out to expose, visualize, exacerbate these biases," the site says. Which is to say that no one should take their Hot Chat 3000 "hotness" score seriously. There are no names in the world of Hot Chat 3000; instead, everyone is identified by their score.

☆ US criminal justice alliance seeks to erase 'trial penalty'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The effort is complicated by the U.S. criminal justice system's diffuse nature, with local, state and federal courts. Defendants who plead guilty typically get credit for accepting responsibility for their crimes and spend less time in prison. Criminal justice advocates point to a downside. Defendants who plead guilty are not given access to all evidence against them and their appeal rights are limited. The National Registry of Exonerations, which collects information about exonerations of innocent criminal defendants, has tracked 3,300 exonerations since 1989.

A Reuters review of testimony, previously unreported public documents and interviews with elected leaders, lobbyists and attorneys detail mounting challenges to many pending anti-ESG bills. The tussles have financial implications for some of the largest investment firms that manage billions of dollars for state pension plans. Lauren Doroghazi, senior vice president at government relations consultant MultiState Associates, said the debates show lawmakers coming to terms with the anti-ESG bills' practical impact. Several public pension systems raised concerns about it, including the largest, the $182 billion Texas Teacher Retirement System (TRS). For instance, if federally-regulated local banks faced new national rules on an issue like climate change disclosures, banks would need special permissions from local officials to keep public business in Utah he said.

☆ A Florida GOP lawmaker apologized after calling transgender people 'demons and imps' and comparing them to X-Men mutants
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A GOP member of the Florida House of Representatives called trans people "demons and imps" on Monday. I'm a proud Christian conservative Republican, I'm not on the fence." The Florida lawmaker, who has previously said opening prayers for former President Donald Trump's rallies, then went even further. "That's right, I called you demons and imps, who come and parade before and pretend that you are part of this world.' "I referred to trans people as demons," Barnaby said, per Politico.

☆ Amazon’s head of HR rejects employees’ return-to-office petition
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Beth Galetti, the company's HR head, formally responded to a letter that gathered ~30,000 employee signatures. Galetti wrote in her email that Amazon's guiding principle is to "make our customers' lives better and easier every day." My colleague Eugene Kim obtained Galetti's full email and walks us through how Amazon employees feel about the response. In other news:MSCHF's Tax Heaven 3000 dating simulator is supposed to help you prepare your 2022 US federal tax return. Carta offers popular software to help employees manage their equity.

☆ This dating-simulator game says it'll help prepare your taxes as you play — and criticizes TurboTax as 'predatory'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

MSCHF announced a free dating simulator that it says helps prepare your 2022 US federal tax return. The game is scheduled to launch April 4, but its listing on the Steam platform has been removed. A screenshot from MSCHF's "Tax Heaven 3000" website, showing a character description for "Turbo." The dating simulator is scheduled to launch on April 4, but the game's storefront page has been removed from the popular platform Steam. A screenshot from MSCHF's "Tax Heaven 3000" dating simulator.

☆ Elon Musk has been chit-chatting with a QAnon-linked influencer on Twitter: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk has been chit-chatting with a QAnon-linked influencer on Twitter, a Media Matters report says. According to a record of Musk's tweets compiled by Media Matters, Musk interacted with a Twitter user named KanekoaTheGreat at least 18 times since February 20. Media Matters said it tracked KanekoaTheGreat's online presence and found that they were part of a QAnon influencer group known as We The Media. Musk's question echoed a right-wing conspiracy theory about depleting testosterone levels pushed by shock jock Alex Jones and Fox News host Tucker Carlson. KanekoaTheGreat posted on their Telegram channel in December that they had obtained "the Elon Musk stamp of approval," and highlighted other occasions where Musk has responded to them.

☆ Fact Check-Images of a ‘satanic fashion show’ were digitally created, not taken at New York Fashion Week
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The rumors have spread online with captions such as: “New York Fashion Week: Almost as if they're trying to tell us something” (here). He added that the series is purely a fantasy concept and not affiliated with New York Fashion Week, although he was inspired by it. Reuters reported that New York Fashion Week 2023 took place between Feb. 10 and Feb. 6 (here), (here), (here). New York Fashion Week representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The images were created by an artist and don’t portray a real show at New York Fashion Week.

☆ Putin says Russia to deploy Sarmat nuclear missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his annual address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow, Russia February 21, 2023. Sputnik/Dmitry Astakhov/Kremlin via REUTERSSummary Russia to deploy Sarmat missilesRussia to roll out hypersonic missilesRussia to add more nuclear submarinesPutin continues nuclear signalling to WestMOSCOW, Feb 23 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia would pay increased attention to boosting its nuclear forces by deploying a much delayed new intercontinental ballistic missile, rolling out hypersonic missiles and adding new nuclear submarines. A year since ordering the invasion of Ukraine, Putin has signalled he is ready to rip up the architecture of nuclear arms control - including the big powers' moratorium on nuclear testing - unless the West backs off in Ukraine. "As before, we will pay increased attention to strengthening the nuclear triad," Putin said, referring to nuclear missiles based on land, sea and in the air, in an address broadcast on state television. In addition, Putin said, Russia would continue mass production of air-based hypersonic Kinzhal systems and would start mass supplies of sea-based Zircon hypersonic missiles.

☆ Russia's 'Satan 2' Sarmat missile can carry more than a dozen nuclear warheads and destroy entire cities - if it ever works
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A test launch of Russia's nuclear Sarmat missile appears to have failed, CNN reported Tuesday. The Sarmat ICBM is among the more modern weapons in Russia's nuclear arsenal. The RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, which NATO has nicknamed "Satan II", is among the more modern weapons in Russia's nuclear arsenal. Measuring around 112 feet long and weighing just over 211 tons, the liquid-fuel ICBM is capable of carrying more than a dozen nuclear warheads, which can destroy entire cities, VICE News reported. Several experts told CNN in April that Putin's Sarmat test launches were meant to distract from Russia's recent military failures in Ukraine.

☆ Putin wanted to boast about Russia launching a nuclear-capable ICBM — but the launch failed so he couldn't, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A recent Russian test launch of its Sarmat missile appears to have failed, two US officials told CNN. But Putin didn't mention the Sarmat launch in his annual speech, his first since invading Ukraine. The Kremlin tipped off the US in advance about the planned test launch using deconfliction channels, one of the unnamed officials told the outlet. Footage from a prior Sarmat test launch. Russia's most recent notable test launch of the Sarmat missile was in April, just after its invasion of Ukraine began.

☆ Fact Check-Rihanna was not wearing a pentagram belt during the Super Bowl halftime show, contrary to online claims her belt was ‘satanic’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Pop and R&B superstar Rihanna was wearing a safety harness during her performance at the Super Bowl halftime show. Posts on social media shared a grainy photograph of her outfit and claimed her belt had a pentagram on it, as an ode to satanism. Posts on Twitter (here) and Facebook (here) include blurry images they purport show Rihanna wearing a black buckle with a six-pointed star. Higher definition photographs of the halftime show published by Reuters show that Rihanna’s harness did not have any kind of star on it, but a regular buckle (here) (here). Rihanna was not wearing a pentagram during her halftime show performance.

☆ ChatGPT is for suckers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Chatbots are bullshit engines built to say things with incontrovertible certainty and a complete lack of expertise. What is it that makes human beings trust a machine we know is untrustworthy? After millennia of debate, the world's leading philosophers, psychologists, and neuroscientists haven't even agreed on a mechanism for why people come to believe things, or what beliefs even are. We want Google results to be true, because we think of Google as a trusted arbiter, if not an authority. The power of storyAnother possible explanation of why we're suckers for chatbots is that we're suckers for explanation.

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