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☆ FEMA conspiracy theories that have stoked chaos in the South date back to the 1980s
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-27 | by ( Bruna Horvath | Bruna Horvath Is An Intern On Nbc News' Tech Team. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

Unlike with the hurricane rumor response page, FEMA did not appear to respond to the rumors on its page for the wildfires. By 2009, Alex Jones, perhaps one of the most widely known modern conspiracy theorists, was promoting the false FEMA camps conspiracy theory and deriding those who attempted to debunk it. The FEMA camps conspiracy theory continued throughout the height of the pandemic after President Joe Biden signed various executive orders regarding vaccinations and testing. Ron DeSantis said the plan was “not necessary” and referred to the vaccination sites as “FEMA camps.”Although the FEMA camp conspiracy theory has been shot down again and again, Aniano believes this won’t be the last of it. “The conspiracy theory, it’s going to come up again,” Aniano said.

Persons: Helene, Milton, Hurricane Helene, “, Tiffany Walters, Wendy Billot, Ida, Emily Kask, ” Sara Aniano, Fiona, Jimmy Carter, Camille, Carter, ”, Jonathan Drake, Oliver North, Reagan, Rebecca Rouse, ” Rouse, Conspiracism, antigovernment, ’, Alex Jones, Sandy, Jade Helm, conspiracists, insurrectionists, Aniano, ” Aniano, Donald Trump, Covid, Mike DeWine, Trump’s, ” DeWine, Bill Seitz, ’ ” Seitz, Seitz, Joe Biden, Biden, Ron DeSantis, “ Something’s Organizations: Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, NBC News, Defamation League’s, Extremism, NBC, USA, Southern Poverty Law Center, Center for Strategic, International Studies, U.S ., Reuters, Tulane University, Oklahoma City, U.S . Army, The New York Times, Guardian, Ohio Gov, Trump’s FEMA, Ohio Department of Health, Republican, Ohio Public, Florida Gov Locations: Hurricane, North Carolina, ”, Houma, La, Texas, New Mexico, Hawaii, Maui, Mississippi, Canton , N.C, U.S, Mexico, Washington, America, Stafford, Ohio, Florida

☆ Madison Square Garden versus the White House Ellipse: where Trump and Harris are making their final pitches
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-26 | by ( Eric Bradner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The former president is returning to his hometown on Sunday for a rally in one of New York City’s most iconic landmarks, Madison Square Garden. Harris and Trump have made clear the issues they’re highlighting in the campaign’s last days. That argument illustrates what a Harris administration would look like compared with the threat Harris says Trump poses, the official said. The vice president continued that celebrity-fueled push Friday night in Texas – a rare visit to a state that is not a presidential battleground. The Madison Square Garden rally will be one of the most-covered moments of the race – with media coverage reaching into all seven swing states.

Persons: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Harris, Trump, Roe, Wade, She’s, Trump’s, ” Trump, –, ”, Harris ’, Tim Walz, “ She’s, He’s, ” Walz, Georgia –, Barack Obama, Harris detoured, Willie Nelson, ” Harris, Michelle Obama, It’s, Ronald Reagan, “ Kamala, she’s, Ohio Sen, JD Vance, They’re, ” Vance, “, ” CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Kit Maher, Aaron Pellish, Terence Burlij, Kate Sullivan, Kevin Liptak, Samantha Waldenberg Organizations: CNN, White, Capitol, CNN’s, Madison, Garden, Minnesota Gov, Sun, Houston, Lone Star State, Trump, New York City, Republican, GOP, New York, Fox News Radio, State, Democratic, The New York Times, Siena College, Oakland County GOP Locations: New York, Madison, “, America, Las Vegas, ”, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Michigan , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona , Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, Madison Square, New, Austin , Texas, Austin, Oakland County, Detroit

☆ 13 shows and movies to watch this weekend, from the latest M. Night Shyamalan thriller to an explosive new Zodiac Killer documentary
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Caralynn Matassa | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

New true crime docs like "This is the Zodiac Speaking" and "Breath of Fire" are out now. Shows including "What We Do in the Shadows" and "Somebody Somewhere" returned this week. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . "Territory" and "Beauty in Black" debuted on Netflix, while "Somebody Somewhere" and "What We Do in the Shadows" premiered their respective final seasons. AdvertisementHere's a complete rundown of all the best movies, shows, and documentaries to stream this weekend, broken down by what kind of entertainment you're looking for.

Persons: —, Josh Hartnett Organizations: Service, Netflix Locations: Max

☆ WNBA Finals Game 5 draws highest viewership in 25 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-23 | by ( Jake Piazza | Jason Is A Digital Rotation Program Associate For Cnbc. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The fifth game of this year’s WNBA Finals between the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty was the most-viewed WNBA finals game in 25 years across all networks, according to ESPN, citing Nielsen data. The National Football League’s “Sunday Night Football” and Major League Baseball’s National League Championship Series aired at the same time. Viewership across the entire WNBA Finals series more than doubled compared to last year, a continuation of the growing popularity of the WNBA and women’s sports more broadly. Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton drives against New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals. The impressive viewership caps off a WNBA season that saw viewership, engagement and attendance up across the board.

Persons: Bridget Carleton, Jonquel Jones, Pamela Smith Organizations: Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, ESPN, Nielsen, League Baseball’s National, WNBA, Lynx, Liberty, National Basketball, CNBC, Golden State, Basketball Players, CBA, Associated Press

☆ Vera C. Rubin Observatory: World’s largest digital camera will be a ‘game-changer’ for astronomy
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-23 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —On a mountaintop in northern Chile, the world’s largest digital camera is preparing to power up. The expectation is that in this way, Vera Rubin will discover about 17 billion stars and 20 billion galaxies that we’ve never seen before — and that’s only the beginning. “We’re anticipating about 10 million alerts per night coming off the telescope,” Higgs says. “The Vera Rubin Observatory will enable astronomers to map the distribution of dark matter like never before, based on how dark matter bends the path of ordinary starlight — a process known as ‘gravitational lensing,’” Kaiser explains. “After all, it was her seminal work on the detection of dark matter in spiral galaxies in the 1970s that got this pursuit going,” says Natarajan.

Persons: Vera C, —, Vera Rubin, “, Rubin, ”, Clare Higgs, Higgs, Charles Simonyi, Bill Gates, it’s, Olivier Bonin, ” Higgs, “ We’re, There’s, David Kaiser, Kaiser, ” Kaiser, Rubin Obs, Konstantin Batygin, Kate Pattle, “ Rubin, Priyamvada Organizations: CNN, Rubin, Department of Energy’s, Science, US National Science Foundation, Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University in, Accelerator, Survey, Netflix, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nine, California Institute of Technology, of Physics, Astronomy, University College London, Yale University Locations: Chile, Cerro Pachón, Chilean, Santiago, Stanford University in California, California

☆ China is set to be Russia's biggest pipeline gas customer this year as flows to Europe dwindle
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-21 | by ( Kelly Cloonan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian gas giant Gazprom sent more natural gas to China than Europe in the first nine months of the year. Europe had previously been Russia's biggest energy customer, but flows have cratered since the war in Ukraine began. AdvertisementRussian gas flows to Europe are dwindling, but China is stepping in and is set to become Russia's biggest customer of pipeline gas this year. Those flows surpass the 22.5 billion cubic meters of pipeline gas exported to Europe in the same period, putting China on track to overtake Europe as Russia's biggest natural gas customer in 2024. Another link, Power of Siberia 2, is under discussion and would increase the country's gas flows to China to almost 100 billion cubic meters a year.

Persons: — Organizations: Gazprom, Service, Bloomberg Locations: China, Europe, Ukraine, Russia's, Moscow, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Russia, Siberia

☆ 13 movies and shows to stream this weekend, from a movie about the Dating Game Killer to a new season of a hit Netflix legal drama
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-18 | by ( Caralynn Matassa | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

There are new documentaries too, including "Anatomy of Lies" and "Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare." download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementIf you enjoy a wild true story, you're in luck: Several new documentaries and docuseries have hit streamers this week. In addition to documentaries and true crime, there are also comedies, thrillers, and horror movies and shows to stream this weekend. AdvertisementHere's a complete rundown of all the best movies, shows, and documentaries to stream this weekend, broken down by what kind of entertainment you're looking for.

Persons: Mads, Bobby, —, Tegan, Sara, Kirat Assi, Elisabeth Finch Organizations: Lincoln, Service

☆ Judge invalidates key parts of Georgia election rules crafted by Trump allies
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-17 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is A Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

A Georgia judge invalidated several new election rules on Wednesday, calling the measures approved by the state's Republican-controlled election board "unconstitutional" and in violation of state law. The ruling, handed down by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas Cox, applies to a hand-count rule for Election Day ballots and rules tied to the certification of results. Follow live updates on the 2024 electionCox’s ruling comes a day after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney blocked the rule requiring that ballots be hand-counted on Election Day which critics have argued would stir delays in reporting the final results. The judge also ruled that the state’s county election boards could not refuse to certify election results. Voters in the battleground state, which Trump narrowly lost to President Joe Biden in 2020, began heading to the polls for in-person early voting on Tuesday.

Persons: Thomas Cox, Cox, Donald Trump, Cox’s, Robert McBurney, Trump, Joe Biden Organizations: Republican, State's Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Fulton, state’s

☆ The Panda Factories
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Mara Hvistendahl | Joy Dong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +30 min

They show that, from the beginning, zoos saw panda cubs as a pathway to visitors, prestige and merchandise sales. Panda keepers with cubs at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, in China, in 2022. A Chinese giant panda at the Panda Park in Al Khor, in Qatar, in 2022. Smithsonian Institution Archives A panda wakes up from anesthesia in March 1999 during a seminal study by American and Chinese researchers into panda breeding. Smithsonian Institution Archives Giant panda Mei Xiang taken out of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, Sichuan Province, in 2000, for shipment to the National Zoo in Washington.

Persons: Ariana Drehsler, Kati Loeffler, “, ’, Loeffler, Kimberly Terrell, ”, Terrell, Soraya, Xin Bao, zookeepers, Richard M, Nixon, Pat Nixon, Annalisa Meyer, Melissa Songer, Heather Bacon, Bacon, Don Kohlbauer, JoGayle Howard, Darting, Howard, Ping Ping, Thomas Hildebrandt, Dr, Hildebrandt, Lei Lei, Meyer, Lung Yuan Chih, Lung, James Ayala, . Hildebrandt, Ayala, interjected, Mei Xiang, Ken Cedeno, Tian Tian, Xiang, David Wildt, Mei, Mei Xiang vomited, Qi Ji, Agnes Bun, scrawled, Pierre Comizzoli, Mads Frost Bertelsen, Meng Lan, Su Weizhong Organizations: Zoo Washington, Factories, Chengdu Research Base, Archives San Diego Zoo, The New York Times Chengdu Research Base, China, National Zoo, New York Times, Smithsonian Institution, Times, Pandas, Agence France, Memphis Zoo, Tulane University, Smithsonian, San Diego Zoo, The New York, Smithsonian . Pandas, Zoo, Associated Press, University of Central, Bear Care Group, China Conservation and Research Center, San Diego Union Tribune, Feature, Future Publishing, Getty, U.S . Fish, Wildlife Service, ”, Leibniz Institute for Zoo, Wildlife Research, National Zoo Washington, Institution Archives Chengdu Research Base, Breed, The New York Times, Beijing Zoo, Tsinghua University, Animal Studies, Visitors, New York Times China Conservation and Research Center, Smithsonian National, Associated, Smithsonian’s, and Wildlife Service, National, Fujifilm, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Reuters, Smithsonian Channel, “, Copenhagen Zoo Locations: China, Chengdu, Sichuan, Archives San Diego Zoo California, Washington, Louisiana, Japan, San Diego, San Francisco, Indonesia, Qatar, Al Khor, University of Central Lancashire, England, U.S, San, Fuzhou, United States, Feature China, Sichuan Province, Beijing, Berlin ., Wolong, Taiwan, American, estrus, New York Times China, Europe, Washington ,, Washington , DC, Beijing Zoo Beijing

☆ What to know about early voting in Georgia and North Carolina
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Sara Murray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Two critical battleground states – Georgia and North Carolina – are kicking off early in-person voting this week. In Georgia, voters can head to the ballot box beginning on Tuesday and in North Carolina, early in-person voting begins on Thursday. “I don’t want to discourage people from using drop boxes by any means, but I can see why people would think it’s easier to show up in person.”Meanwhile, the opportunities to vote early in-person have expanded: Georgia law mandates two Saturdays of early voting and allows for two Sundays of early voting if a county desires. When it comes to early voting sites, the 25 western counties most impacted by Helene had planned for 80 early voting sites. “In this day and age, everyone’s taking selfies, even people in the boomer generation like me,” Phillips from Common Cause North Carolina said.

Persons: Hurricane Helene, ”, Kristin Nabers, Larry David, –, Donald Trump, Helene, “, Bob Phillips, I’m, ” Karen Brinson Bell, Brinson Bell, ” Phillips, That’s, CNN’s Tierney Sneed Organizations: CNN, State, Carolina, State Board, North Carolina State Board Locations: Georgia, North Carolina, Hurricane, Both Georgia

☆ Apple announces new iPad mini, available to order now and in stores on Oct. 23
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Todd Haselton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Apple announced a new iPad mini on Tuesday, offering the first update to its smallest tablet since 2021. The new iPad mini comes with a faster A17 Pro processor, the same chip that was in last year's iPhone 15 Pro. That means it supports Apple Intelligence, the company's new suite of artificial intelligence features that will slowly begin rolling out to users this month. Apple's smallest iPad has attracted a fanbase of users who appreciate its more portable 8.3-inch screen for reading books or taking notes. The iPad Mini supports the latest Apple Pencil Pro, which was introduced alongside the iPads Pro earlier this year.

Organizations: Apple, Apple Intelligence, CNBC, YouTube

☆ ‘Terrifier 3’ tops box office with $18 million debut, ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ collapses with brutal 81% drop
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-14 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Variety-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

There’s only room for one killer clown at the top of box office charts. Meanwhile “Joker: Folie á Deux,” which topped the box office last weekend, collapsed in third place with $7.055 million from 4,102 theaters. So far, “Folie a Deux” has generated $51.6 million domestically and $165.3 million globally. The well-reviewed family film has amassed $83.73 million domestically and $148 million globally to date. It has earned $52.8 million domestically and $111 million worldwide so far.

Persons: “, Beetlejuice, ”, Joaquin Phoenix, Damien Leone, David A . Gross, Pharrell Williams, Morgan Neville, Rogers, Gross, Sony’s, Jason Reitman, Sebastian Stan, Donald Trump, CinemaScore, Trump, Tim Burton’s, ‘ Taylor Swift, Paul Dergarabedian, “ It’s Organizations: Warner Bros, Rotten, Motion, Entertainment Research, Cannes Film, Briarcliff Entertainment, Universal, DreamWorks, Optimus Locations: North America, CinemaScore

On Nov. 5, the Decision Desk will project 610 races across all 50 states, from the presidential election to statewide and congressional contests. Early on election night, the Decision Desk uses exit poll data to determine whether it can project uncompetitive races. When a party has gained a majority of 218 seats in the House, the Decision Desk will project control for that party. Other sources for election vote data include state and county vote computer feeds and websites, when they are available. Exit poll results are independently analyzed in real time, and NBC News calls all races as soon as the Decision Desk is fully confident in the winner.

Persons: — Organizations: NBC, NBC News, Senate, ABC, CBS, CNN, Edison Research, Reuters, The Washington Post

The company launched its first Amazon Go convenience store featuring a new kind of technology, called "Just Walk Out." In 2020, the company began licensing Just Walk Out technology to third parties, signing on retailers in stadiums, airports and hospitals. The company discontinued some of its retail chains, closed eight Amazon Go stores, and hit pause on new Fresh store openings. While it's no longer featuring Just Walk Out as prominently in its own stores, Amazon says it has inked deals with a growing list of customers. Amazon in July updated the AI system behind its Just Walk Out technology to handle all the inputs in a store simultaneously.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Charlie Rose, Bezos, Andy Jassy's, It's, Jordan Berke, Berke, Walmart's, Jon Jenkins, Jenkins, Amazon's, CNBC Jenkins Organizations: Amazon, Foods, Anadolu, Getty, Bloomberg, Walmart, Kroger, Target, CNBC Locations: San Mateo , California, United States, China, Seattle , Washington, Amazon's Seattle

☆ Soho House billionaire's mansion plans for English countryside is 'more suited to Disneyland,' locals say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Lauren Edmonds | Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

One said the proposed development is "more suited to Disneyland." AdvertisementAn American billionaire's plan to build a home in the English countryside is not going over well with local residents, one of whom said it was "more suited to Disneyland." Burkle's proposed home would be near Soho Farmhouse, a countryside outpost of the members-only chain. AdvertisementAn illustration of Ron Burkle's proposed countryside home in England. Martin Leay AssociatesBurkle is having a hard time, however, getting approval for his rural home from West Oxfordshire officials.

Persons: Ron Burkle, —, He's, Ron Burkle's, Burkle's, Martin Leay, Burkle, Monteverdi, Mascagni, Mozart, Little Tew's Organizations: Soho House, Service, Yucaipa Companies, West, West Oxfordshire District, Business, Little, National Locations: England, Soho House, Little Tew, West Oxfordshire, Soho

The Summary More than 50 heat records were broken in the western U.S. on Wednesday. New daily temperature records set included a high of 108 degrees Fahrenheit in Phoenix and 106 degrees in San Jose, California. The October heat wave is expected to continue into the weekend, with extreme conditions in states including California, Arizona and Nevada. More than 50 new heat records were set on Wednesday, as an extraordinary October heat wave continues to bake much of the western United States. California, too, notched several new daily heat records, per the National Weather Service.

Persons: Hurricane Helene Organizations: National Weather Service, NWS Locations: U.S, Phoenix, San Jose , California, California , Arizona, Nevada, United States, Yuma , Arizona, . California, San Jose, Napa, California, Colorado, San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, Arizona, Florida, Hurricane, Tampa, Fort Myers, St . Petersburg

☆ CNBC's Inside India newsletter: The 'sticky' outsourcing firms on the rise
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

This report is from this week's CNBC's "Inside India" newsletter which brings you timely, insightful news and market commentary on the emerging powerhouse and the big businesses behind its meteoric rise. Over the years, the services sector of the Indian economy has grown to account for 45% of total exports, up from 30% a decade ago. The Indian government, meanwhile, has been eager to support the manufacturing sector in creating mass employment, a key economic and political challenge that the services sector alone hasn't been able to address. These companies also boast moats that make them unique compared to the large BPO firms of the last three decades. Perhaps it could also address some of the risks to employment created in the BPO sector from artificial intelligence.

Persons: hasn't, Cyient isn't, Peers, Larsen, Toubro's, Kunal Desai, Desai Organizations: Capital Economics, nab, Microsoft, Siemens, GIB Asset Management, CNBC Locations: India, London, Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Poland, Malaysia

☆ Nvidia's days of absolute dominance in AI could be numbered because of this key performance benchmark
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Liang told Business Insider he expects 90% of AI computing workloads will be in inference in the not-too-distant future. AdvertisementThat's why several startups are charging aggressively into the inference market — emphasizing where they might outperform the goliath in the space. Speed is an important factor when multiple AI models talk to each other and waiting for an answer can dampen the magic of generative AI. The number of tokens per second that can be consumed (when a prompt goes in) and generated (when a response comes out) is a common metric for AI computing speed. AdvertisementCerebras's AI chip is roughly size of a dinner plate.

Persons: —, Rodrigo Liang, Colleen Kress, workloads, Liang, Andrew Feldman, Bernstein, Colette Kress, Kress, Nvidia's, SambaNova, Anthropic's Claude, Nvidia isn't, Jensen, Dylan Patel, Patel Organizations: Service, Business, SambaNova Systems, Nvidia, ARM, AMD, o1, BI Locations: Artificialanalysis.ai, TCO

☆ Trump floats expanded R&D business tax credits, says he would appoint 'manufacturing ambassador'
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Johnny Mercer Theatre in Savannah, Georgia, on Sept. 24, 2024. If implemented, this proposal would reverse a major component of Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which phased out traditional R&D tax credits. Starting in 2022, businesses were no longer allowed to write off their R&D expenses the same year they incurred them. The former president also said he would appoint a specialized "manufacturing ambassador" if he wins a second term in the White House. Trump also doubled down on his hardline approach to trade, saying he would impose a "100% or 200% tariff" on cars imported from Mexico.

Persons: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Trump Organizations: U.S, Republican, Johnny Mercer Theatre Locations: Savannah , Georgia, America, Mexico

☆ Hunting for a Private College Scholarship Can Be a Total Waste of Time
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( James S. Murphy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

So she and Maggie had focused their hopes on getting a private scholarship. She considered paying $700 for an online class, heavily promoted on Facebook, that promised to show parents how to find college scholarships. Every year, hundreds of thousands of students like Maggie devote countless hours to the hunt for private scholarships to pay for college. AdvertisementWith the combination of institutional aid and private scholarship she received, Maggie managed to cut her original college bill from $15,000 to $8,000. The illness is treatable, but it's likely to cost the family $5,000 out of pocket — effectively wiping out the financial value of the private scholarship Maggie received.

Persons: Maggie Beam, Siobhan, Maggie, Siobhan —, —, Mark Kantrowitz, Kantrowitz, it's, Fastweb, Jeff Levy, you'd, Ed McMahon, Peter Thiel, Ron Lieber, Dawn Brady, Chris Reeves, Aisosa, Levy, Charlain Bailey, she'd, Maggie's Organizations: Winthrop University, Rotary, Facebook, Thiel Foundation, Silicon, Niche, Community Foundation, Lehigh University ., Education's, Winthrop, Schug Foundation, Equitable Foundation, Equitable Locations: Charlotte , North Carolina, Winthrop, Carolina, California, San Diego, Aisosa Ede, Osifo, Dallas, North Carolina

New York City’s former Covid czar has admitted to participating in what he called “private gatherings” attended by multiple people while the rest of the city was on lockdown and large get-togethers were prohibited during the pandemic. “I served in City Hall between April 2020 — May 2021,” Varma said in a statement issued by his spokesman, Chris Vlasto. He became a national figure when Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving was barred from playing basketball in New York City because he refused to get vaccinated. At the time, New York state had increased the limit on outdoor social gatherings from 200 to 500 people. In the apparently heavily edited video, Varma appeared to recognize the hypocrisy of telling New Yorkers to isolate while he was partying with large groups of people.

Persons: ”, Jay Varma, “, ” Varma, Chris Vlasto, Bill de Blasio, Irving, Varma, Vlasto, podcaster Steven Crowder, Crowder, ” SIGA, Hilary Organizations: Brooklyn Nets, NBC News, New, NBC, SIGA Technologies Locations: York, Covid, City Hall, New York City, New York, America, ”, American, San Francisco

The fight over Wisconsin — considered a must-win for Harris as part of Democrats’ so-called blue wall — could tilt the election. Tim Walz has re-energized staff members in the state, a campaign official told NBC News. With more than 200 staffers statewide, the Harris campaign touts 48 offices across Wisconsin, including some in smaller, more rural areas that Trump won in 2020. But the Trump campaign is mounting its own effort in the state. An RNC official also said the Trump campaign and the Wisconsin GOP have more than 70 staff members and 40 offices across the state.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Harris, Donald Trump —, Wisconsin —, ’, Tim Walz, Trump, Walz, Gwen Walz, Walz —, Dane County, Sen, JD Vance, it’s, “ Kamala Harris, ”, Anna Kelly, haven’t, doesn’t bode, ” Kelly Organizations: Trump, Quinnipiac University, Marist College, Wisconsin, Democratic, Minnesota Gov, NBC News, United Auto Workers, Teamsters, Superior, Convention, Republican National Committee, RNC, Wisconsin GOP, University of Wisconsin Locations: MADISON, Wis, Wisconsin, Harris, Quinnipiac’s, Marist’s, Midwest, Superior, Wisconsin’s, Minnesota, Duluth , Minnesota, Milwaukee, Madison, Dane, Dane County, Ohio, Eau Claire

☆ 2 new YouTube features could make life easier for creators, but come with risks to authenticity and fan connection
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Amanda Perelli | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

YouTube just announced a slew of new AI-powered features for creators. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! AdvertisementYouTube just announced a flurry of new AI-powered features for creators. On Wednesday, at the company's annual Made on YouTube event, the platform announced several new features that use generative AI. The feature can generate ideas based on a creator's content catalog, comments on their YouTube videos, or videos made by other creators.

Persons: — Organizations: YouTube, Service, Business

☆ Some of OpenAI's top new executives are a nod to its upcoming fights in the courtroom and Washington
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Jason Redmond/AFP/Getty ImagesA good chunk of the executives Darius highlighted aren't involved in OpenAI's tech. Some of OpenAI's most high-profile executives are instead addressing legal challenges and lobbying regulators in the US and abroad. It's a nod to the fact OpenAI's biggest upcoming fights will take place in a courtroom as opposed to a computer screen. Luckily for you, Business Insider has identified the most famous book set in every state.

Persons: —, Tyler Le, Sam Altman, Altman, he's, Darius Rafieyan, OpenAI, Darius, it's, Jason Redmond, aren't, It's, Justin Trudeau's, Somodevilla, Warren Buffett, David Einhorn, Chelsea Jia Feng, Amazon's, Natalie Ammari, Harris, Jamie Dimon, Dimon, Harvey Weinstein, world's, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, Milan Sehmbi, Amanda Yen Organizations: Service, Business, Apple, Getty, OpenAI, BMO Capital Markets, Healthcare, Amazon, Google, Trump, Facebook, Reading, Fed, The Locations: AFP, New York, London

☆ Snapchat unveils new features to recruit more creators and land them paid brand deals
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Snapchat creators can now add user replies as stickers. "Creators go deeper on Snapchat, I think because the money's there," referencing how some influencers have made tens of thousands of dollars directly through the platform . AdvertisementNow, creators in this program can choose what engagement and demographic data they share with companies they want to work with. "I always tell creators that with Snap, you can be a big fish in a small pond."

Persons: —, Brooke Berry, Alix Earle, Berry, Brooke Monk, Snap Berry, they're Organizations: Service, Business, YouTube, School

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