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☆ Fact Check-Cropped photo shows Palestinian children lined up at a soup kitchen
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A 2010 photograph depicting Palestinian children waiting in line at a soup kitchen in the West Bank city of Hebron has been cropped to falsely claim it shows imprisoned kids in Israel. The original image dated Aug. 18, 2010 is viewable on the website of the European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) (bit.ly/3JmBK6U). In the unaltered photograph, a girl dressed in purple is viewable outside the structure while waiting in line. According to EPA’s description, the photograph was captured by Abed Al Hashlamoun and shows Palestinian children during Ramadan waiting to receive donated food “by the Islamic endowment authority Islamic waqf.”Reuters has photographed the same soup kitchen during the holy month of Ramadan in 2010 (here) and other years (here) (here). The photograph shows Palestinian children waiting in line at a soup kitchen in the West Bank City of Hebron in 2010.

☆ In San Francisco, some people wonder when A.I. will kill us all
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

If the super-powerful AI is aligned with humans, it could be the end of hunger or work. Or, as a sign at the Misalignment Museum says: "Sorry for killing most of humanity." Most of the works are around the theme of "alignment" with increasingly powerful artificial intelligence or celebrate the "heroes who tried to mitigate the problem by warning early." As AI technology becomes the hottest part of the tech industry, with companies eying trillion-dollar markets, the Misalignment Museum underscores that AI's development is being affected by cultural discussions. Even as companies and people in San Francisco are shaping the future of artificial intelligence technology, San Francisco’s unique culture is shaping the debate around the technology.

☆ Israel's 'Handmaids' become a defining image of the mass protests against Netanyahu's judicial reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Women dressed as "Handmaids" are at the forefront of mass protests against the Netanyahu government. Netanyahu's plans to lessen the power of the Israeli supreme court. The protests in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities oppose Prime Minister Netanyahu's plans to lessen the power of the Israeli Supreme Court in favor of elected officials. Israeli protesters wearing costumes from ''The Handmaid's Tale'' particiapte in a rally against Israeli Goverment's judicial overhaul bills at Haogen Junctions on March 16, 2023. Gili Yaari/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesPeople around the world are also voicing concerns about Netanyahu's plans.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence that Trump said any indictment of him is an indictment of all
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

There is no evidence that former U.S. President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that any indictment of him is an indictment of all, as suggested in a screenshot circulating online. The initial lines of the supposed post read: “Remember, any indictment of ME is an indictment of YOU. Archived versions of Trump’s Truth Social account saved between March 9 and March 15 also did not have the post (here), (here), (here). Trump did post a lengthy message via his Truth Social account on March 10 addressing the reports and a variety of investigations (here), (here). Reuters found no evidence that the purported Trump post in a circulating screenshot is authentic.

☆ Gen Z congressman Maxwell Frost calls out Biden for breaking climate promise to young voters that helped him win in 2020
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

President Joe Biden's positions in recent weeks have put him at odds with some members of his party. That includes Rep. Maxwell Frost who says Biden broke his promise to young voters. Rep. Maxwell Frost, the first Gen-Z member of Congress, says he is "very disappointed" in Biden for approving the $8 billion ConocoPhillips Willow oil project in Alaska, one of the largest-ever drilling projects on federal land. In November, Frost praised Biden in an interview with CNN, saying: "He's been unafraid to put forth bold, transformational ideas and policies, and that's really what excites young voters." When contacted after the Willow project decision, which Bowman opposed, he said his thinking had not changed.

☆ Fact Check-Fabricated Elon Musk tweet claims Earth is flat
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Twitter-owner Elon Musk did not post a tweet claiming that the Earth is flat, as suggested by a screenshot shared online. A Reuters search of Musk’s Twitter account and archived versions did not reveal the alleged tweet. One user who retweeted the screenshot said: “Elon Musk admitting we live in a flat earth just last year!” (here). A search through Musk’s Twitter account did not reveal the supposed tweet (archive.is/wip/fwivD), nor did archived versions of Musk’s Twitter account saved on April 25 (here), (here). Reuters found no evidence that Elon Musk tweeted that the world is flat.

☆ Inside the Trump grand jury room — '40s-era furniture, linoleum-topped desks, and a looming indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Instead, the grand jury room where Donald Trump could become the first former president to be criminally indicted is a drab, un-Trumplike space, seemingly too ordinary for its purpose. After each presentation, she'd wait, seated on one of those same chairs, as grand jurors deliberated behind closed doors. "And yes, sometimes there are people who will drive the other 22 grand jurors crazy with off-the-wall questions." There needs to be at least 16 grand jurors present out of the originally selected 23 to have a voting quorum. The prosecutor, meanwhile, will sit on that old, uncomfortable wooden chair just outside the grand jury room, and wait for the buzzer.

☆ Benchmark's Bill Gurley calls Silicon Valley Bank's collapse 'a black swan event' at SXSW, and casts aside criticism of the move to secure its depositors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Benchmark's general partner Bill Gurley defended the decision to cover SVB's depositors. The venture capital veteran spoke briefly about the bank after interviewing Tim Ferriss at SXSW. Gurley called Silicon Valley Bank's collapse a "black swan event." Gurley retweeted US Senator Mitt Romney Sunday night after federal regulators announced that depositors in Silicon Valley Bank would have full access to their cash. Bill Gurley shared his thoughts at the end of a conversation with Tim Ferriss at SXSW.

The row overshadowed a migration deal struck between British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron, with the BBC accused of bowing to political pressure. "Gary Lineker off air is an assault on free speech in the face of political pressure," the opposition Labour party said, calling for the BBC to re-think its decision. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: "Individual cases are a matter for the BBC." MOTD commentator Steve Wilson later tweeted that the show's commentators had also pulled out from Saturday's broadcast, leaving BBC management reliant on World Feed commentary. But the BBC said it considered his recent social media activity to be a breach of its guidelines.

LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) - Former England soccer captain Gary Lineker will step back from his role at the BBC following his criticism of the country's migration policy that has sparked a furious row between the government and the corporation's highest paid presenter. Lineker recently likened the government's language on asylum seekers to that used by Germany in the 1930s. Lineker has hosted Match of the Day for more than 20 years and the charismatic 62-year-old has never been afraid to voice his opinions about political issues. The BBC said it considered Lineker's recent social media activity to be a breach of its guidelines. Reporting by James Davey; writing by Kate Holton; editing by Muvija MOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ This chronically online writer believes he gamed Twitter's For You algorithm. Here's how he made his tweets go viral.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ryan Broderick noticed engagement on his tweets sharply dropped in recent months. There were a few things Broderick noticed about tweets on the For You page. Broderick also saw that Twitter's algorithm was prioritizing "already-viral" content, which he suspects might be the reason why everyone was seeing the same tweets. This Insider reporter saw Broderick's tweets about Marvel and his theory about Twitter's algorithm on the For You tab before following or interviewing Broderick. Broderick encourages the idea of other people using his method to try to game Twitter's algorithm and further highlight the problem.

☆ Fact Check-Arma 3 gameplay falsely captioned as downed helicopter in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Computer game footage of a downed helicopter has been falsely captioned on social media as showing authentic footage from the frontlines in Ukraine. Users shared the clip via social media falsely claiming that it showed downed NATO helicopters inside Ukraine. Examples of the clip erroneously shared online can be viewed (here) and (here). A side-by-side comparison between the YouTube video (L) (timestamp: 39s) and the clip circulating online (R) (timestamp: 25s) can be viewed (ibb.co/rm4F4Gg). Reuters has previously addressed miscaptioned clips shared online purporting to show footage from the war in Ukraine (here), (here).

☆ Elon Musk asked engineers to boost his tweets after Joe Biden's Super Bowl post got more engagement than his, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Hannah Getahun | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Musk asked engineers to find ways to promote his tweets after the Super Bowl, Platformer reported. Musk made the request after President Joe Biden received more engagement for an Eagles tweet. Engineers worked under the threat of being fired to create a system that would boost his tweets. Biden's tweet gained nearly 29 million impressions, while Musk's tweet got over 9 million impressions, Platformer's Zoë Schiffer and Casey Newton reported. Platformer reported Tuesday that the boost factor for Musk's tweets is now lower than 1,000.

☆ Elon Musk says it's 'highly likely' man will go to Mars within 10 years because he's 'congenitally optimistic'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk has once again made a prediction that man will go to Mars within 10 years. This was after his aerospace firm SpaceX successfully tested the most powerful rocket ever built. The billionaire has made rather optimistic predictions about sending man to Mars before. Musk has teased when humans will reach Mars for years predicting a 2029 landing most recently. This was after his 2016 estimation that humans will reach Mars by 2025.

☆ Donald Trump Jr. retweeted photos that show his dad as an angry, orange baby balloon and said it would be 'funny' if it was flown over Beijing in retaliation for the Chinese spy balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump Jr. retweeted photos showing his father in balloon form. Trump Jr. tweeted that it would be "funny" if the Trump baby balloon were flown over Beijing. Trump Jr. retweeted the images, writing that the idea of flying the baby-Trump balloon over Beijing is "funny." The Trump baby blimp was re-inflated in January at its current home at the Museum of London. Representatives for Donald Trump Jr. at the Trump Organization and a spokesman for the former president did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Ticketmaster is preparing to sell tickets for Beyonce's first tour in six years in a different way, hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's Taylor Swift debacle. Ticketmaster tweeted on Thursday that the demand to register for a chance to buy tickets for concerts in the nine cities in Group A, whose registration closed on Friday, exceeded the number of tickets by more than 800%. The North American leg of Beyonce's tour opens in Toronto on July 8 and closes in New Orleans on Sept. 27, according to the Ticketmaster website. After loud complaints from Taylor Swift fans, the company blamed more than 3.5 billion requests from fans, bots and scalpers for its overwhelmed website. On Thursday, the Judiciary Committee retweeted a news report about the Beyonce tour announcement and tweeted to @Ticketmaster, "We're watching."

☆ Graphic body cam footage shows violent attack on Paul Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi's husband
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Newly released footage shows Paul Pelosi being struck in the head with a hammer. The footage, first obtained by NBC Bay Area reporter Bigad Shaban, below shows police arriving at the Pelosi residence. The footage shows Pelosi struggling with a man — identified by police as David DePape — who takes a hammer and bashes Pelosi over the head with it. The assault fractured Paul Pelosi's skull; he has since recovered and was released from the hospital. Over a month after the attack, Pelosi began to re-emerge in public, wearing a hat that concealed his healing skull.

Adult Swim announced Tuesday that it has cut ties with Justin Roiland, the star and a co-creator of the animated comedy series “Rick and Morty," as he faces felony domestic violence charges. Roiland, who voices title characters Rick and Morty, will be recast, said Marie Moore, the senior vice president of communications at Warner Bros. NBC News broke the news that Roiland had been charged with felony domestic violence in Orange County, California, in connection with a 2020 incident. Squanch Games, the video game company co-founded by Roiland, also announced Tuesday on Twitter that Roiland resigned. Details of the case, including police body camera video, police reports, abuse investigation reports, medical reports and recordings of interviews, are being withheld from the public under a protective order.

☆ Fact Check-Bill Gates did not claim he visited Epstein’s Caribbean island
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Allegations that Bill Gates visited late American financier Jeffrey Epstein’s Caribbean island, Little Saint James, have been debunked in the past. Reuters reporting about litigation regarding Epstein's island is viewable (here )When asked about Gates having visited the island or admitting he did so, a spokesperson for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation told Reuters that neither claim is true. Reuters found no evidence of Gates claiming, “he doesn’t know why he visited” Little Saint James. Reuters found no public record of Bill Gates saying he “doesn’t know why” he visited Epstein’s island multiple times. A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation said he made no such claim and that he did not visit Epstein’s island.

☆ A Twitter director was told off by a senior leader for organizing a one-to-one meeting with Elon Musk to discuss ideas before his deal closed, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Twitter director was reprimanded for arranging a one-to-one meeting with Elon Musk, per the FT.Esther Crawford introduced herself to Musk in Twitter's cafe before the deal closed, the FT said. Musk liked her ideas, but other employees were irritated by her move, people familiar with operations at Twitter told the FT.A senior leader reprimanded Crawford for going directly to Musk instead of speaking to them, the people told the FT. One senior employee, who remained anonymous, told the FT that the sleeping bag incident "bothered people." The FT reported that Crawford introduced herself to Musk during his first visit to the company headquarters, which was on October 26, two days before Musk's Twitter deal closed. Crawford remains active on Twitter, posting updates about the site and new features that are due to launch.

☆ Elon Musk says Twitter has changed its 'For You' algorithm again after it included too many tweets from people users didn't follow
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The tab was showing too many tweets from accounts that users didn't follow, he said. Musk's comments were in reply to a Twitter user who tweeted that people were reporting "massive drops" in engagement with their posts. "An update to the For You algorithm included too many tweets from people users didn't follow," Musk tweeted. It said that tab, along with a "Following" tab, would be pinned to the top of the timeline. Twitter didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside of normal US working hours.

☆ Football player Devin Willock made a young fan's day just before fatal crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Lindsay Lowe | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Go Dawgs!”In the photos, Willock smiled and posed with the boy, and let him try on his championship ring. Willock, who had been a defensive lineman for the Georgia Bulldogs, died in a car crash Sunday in Athens, Georgia, at the age of 20. “We are all heartbroken and devastated with the loss of Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy,” coach Kirby Smart said in a statement on Twitter. “The entire Georgia family is devastated by the tragic loss of football student-athlete Devin Willock and football staff member Chandler LeCroy,” the team said in its Twitter statement. “Devin and Chandler were two special people who meant so much to the University of Georgia, our football program and our athletic department.

☆ University of Georgia football player killed in auto wreck days after championship title
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Two other members of the football program were injured in the crash, which occurred in Athens, south of the Georgia campus. The driver of the vehicle, 24-year-old Chandler LeCroy, was transported to a hospital, where she died from her injuries. “We are all heartbroken and devastated with the loss of Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said in a statement. “The entire Georgia family is devastated by the tragic loss of football student-athlete Devin Willock and football staff member Chandler LeCroy,” the school’s statement said. “Devin and Chandler were two special people who meant so much to the University of Georgia, our football program and our athletic department.

☆ Musk’s Twitter restores accounts of prominent election deniers two years after Jan. 6 attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Donie O'Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Elon Musk’s Twitter has restored the accounts of two prominent election deniers who were banned from the platform following the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. “Stop the Steal” organizer Ali Alexander’s account was restored on Monday. Alexander assumed a leadership role in the movement that discredited the 2020 election in the weeks leading up to January 6. Watkins played a central role in spreading conspiracy theories about voting machine and the 2020 election. An HBO documentary in 2021 identified Ron as potentially being the anonymous figure behind the conspiracy theory, an assertion that Ron has denied.

Circuit Court of Appeals that two jurors had lied about whether they discussed the case on social media before being seated for his 2015 trial, an argument the U.S. Supreme Court did not address when it reinstated Tsarnaev's death sentence last year. Circuit Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson said it was "hard to understand" how the facts did not raise a potential claim of juror misconduct, and U.S. Circuit Judge William Kayatta questioned why the judge did not probe further. The Justice Department is defending Tsarnaev's death sentence despite President Joe Biden's opposition to capital punishment and a moratorium on federal executions issued by Attorney General Merrick Garland in July 2021. The case then returned to the 1st Circuit to address other grounds for appeal that neither court had yet to resolve.

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