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☆ European shares edge higher as energy, bank stocks gain; US inflation data eyed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Amruta Khandekar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) rose 0.2% to 466.29 points by 0805 am GMT. The index was pressured last week when, unlike the Fed, the European Central Bank signalled more rate hikes were on the table. A slump in energy shares on weakness in crude prices also added to the declines. Energy (.SXEP) was the top sectoral gainer on Monday, up 0.8% as crude prices strengthened. Dutch Central Bank President Klaas Knot on Sunday said the ECB's rate hikes are starting to have an effect, but more will be needed to contain inflation.

☆ Tucker Carlson’s racist text message shouldn’t be surprising: Analysis
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Tucker Carlson sent a racist text message that “set off a panic at the highest levels of Fox” and ultimately led to his firing, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The toxic stream of hate that flowed each night from “Tucker Carlson Tonight” made the program anathema to advertisers, with blue chip companies boycotting the show. On Tuesday, after The Times reported on Carlson’s racist text message, ADL head Jonathan Greenblatt said, “What’s not news is the fact that Tucker Carlson is a white nationalist. Neff’s termination came after CNN reported that he had been secretly posting racist and sexist remarks in an online forum. A spokesperson for Fox declined to comment on the January 2021 text message.

☆ Inside the Wild World of Celebrity Keynote Speakers: Drugs, Alcohol
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( David Kushner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +31 min

"I never saw myself as a speaker, let alone a motivational speaker," Leonard tells me while his assistant irons his jeans. 'When I ramble," Hunter told me, "hit me in the leg!" Every plane had been grounded, including the one stuck on the tarmac with an increasingly inebriated Hunter Thompson trapped inside. But by far the most all-consuming task was booking gigs for Hunter Thompson. Just before a debate with G. Gordon Liddy at Brown University, Hunter demanded that Betsy Berg, whom I now worked alongside at GTN, score him some crystal meth.

☆ Trump claims Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is backed by George Soros. Here's why that attack is an antisemitic trope.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Trump said Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is backed by the billionaire philanthropist George Soros. To be clear, there is no evidence that George Soros has donated to Bragg. "George Soros and Alvin Bragg have never met in person or spoken by telephone, email, Zoom etc.," Vachon told Insider via email. Neither George Soros nor Democracy PAC contributed to Alvin Bragg's campaign for Manhattan District Attorney." To the far right, Soros represents a member of that cabal, said Lorber, an analyst at Political Research Associates.

☆ Kanye West's hateful comments about Jews may have inspired dozens of antisemitic incidents, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Charles R. Davis | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Anti-Defamation League counted 59 incidents in which antisemites cited the rapper formerly known as Kanye West. Overall, ADL researchers found there was a 59% increase in antisemitic incidents last year. Overall, ADL researchers found there was a 36% spike in antisemitic incidents in 2022 compared to the year before, with the ADL tracking just under 3,700 cases across the country, the highest on record. "We're deeply disturbed by this dramatic and completely unacceptable surge in antisemitic incidents," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. The ADL report comes after the FBI last year said that white supremacists "pose the primary threat" of domestic terrorism.

☆ White supremacists behind over 80% of extremism-related U.S. murders in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The advocacy group labeled 25 murders in 2022 as "extremist-related," with 18 of those "committed in whole or part for ideological motives." White supremacists commit the highest number of domestic extremist-related murders in most years, but in 2022 the percentage was unusually high: 21 of the 25 murders were linked to white supremacists, according to the ADL report. "All the extremist-related murders in 2022 were committed by right-wing extremists of various kinds," the ADL report said. President Joe Biden has labeled white supremacy as poison and called on Americans to reject it. The issue of white supremacy came back into headlines late last year when former President Donald Trump hosted white supremacist Nick Fuentes at his private club in Florida.

Under Musk’s leadership, Twitter has slashed its staff, relaxed some of its content moderation policies and reinstated a number of incendiary accounts that were previously banned. Those moves raised concerns that Musk’s Twitter could contribute to a rise in public displays of hate and antisemitism offline. Musk, however, has repeatedly pushed back at claims that hate speech is rising on the platform. Twitter, which eliminated much of its public relations team during last year’s layoffs, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “With this direct and heightened threat environment in mind, how will you work with other stakeholders to combat the rise of antisemitism on Twitter?,” Moskowitz concludes in his letter to Musk.

☆ Anti-LGBTQ+ protests are at an all-time high. A Proud Boys war on drag is a big reason why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Once a week on average in 2022, Proud Boys joined or led anti-LGBTQ+ protests held across the US. Proud Boys joined in seven anti-LGBTQ+ protests in September, 10 in October and 6 in November. In December, they protested at 13 anti-LGBTQ+ protests, more than in any other month last year, ACLED data shows. And the group's anti-LGBTQ+ push is continuing, said Kaufman, who tracks the Proud Boys' estimated 119 chapters in 46 states. Proud Boys are turning up these days at nearly half of all anti-LGBTQ+ activity across the country, she told Insider.

☆ 'Stalin' said he disagreed with Putin's invasion of Ukraine. We 'spoke' to dead historical figures using a new AI chatbot that experts are sounding the alarm over.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Bethany Dawson | Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Insider "spoke" to bots acting as Princess Diana, Heinrich Himmler, Joseph Stalin, and Fred Trump. AI 'Fred Trump,' Donald Trump's father, isn't impressed with his son's politics. But AI Fred Trump "said" that he's "very proud" of his son, describing him as a "successful businessperson" and an "amazing father." An AI chatbot acting as Fred Trump, Donald Trump's father. AI Stalin called for the two countries to "find a peaceful solution."

☆ AI bot that lets you chat with Jesus, Hitler is latest GPT-3 controversy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Covers Tech For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

But this week, it sparked viral controversy online over its inclusion of Hitler, his Nazi lieutenants and other dictators from the past. Historical Figures, which also uses GPT-3, launched the first week of January, and as of Wednesday, it had about 9,000 signups, app creator Sidhant Chadda said in a phone interview. “People expect these historical figures to be truthful, but in reality, people are not always 100% honest,” he said. Asking a question costs one coin, and the app charges extra to get access to high-profile historical figures. The possibility of digitally re-animating historical figures has been gaining ground ever since, from the “The Simpsons” to holograms of dead idols such as Buddy Holly and Whitney Houston.

☆ Why Davos conspiracy theories have gone mainstream
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting at Davos has long been a lightning rod for conspiracy theories. In the past, however, these farcical conspiracy theories have largely been confined to the fringe corners of the internet — places like Infowars. The radical ideas promoted by the likes of Jones have gone mainstream, having been popularized by some of the most influential personalities in right-wing media. The Associated Press’ Sophia Tulp reported this week that use of “The Great Reset” has been on a steady rise at Fox News. The danger of conspiracy theories has not been lost on attendees at Davos.

☆ Americans' belief in antisemitic conspiracies, tropes doubles since 2019, ADL survey shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Belief of Americans in antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes has nearly doubled since 2019, an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) survey showed on Thursday. The survey asked Americans how much they agreed with statements expressing anti-Jewish tropes or conspiracy theories and found that more than half of Americans believed at least one, the New York-based advocacy group said. About 85% of Americans believed at least one anti-Jewish trope, compared with 61% in 2019, the ADL said, adding that 20% of Americans believed six or more anti-Jewish tropes, substantially more than the 11% in 2019. About 39% of the respondents in the ADL survey believed Jews were more loyal to Israel than the United States. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Jewish and anti-hate organizations are urging social media influencers and tech platforms to stop hosting interviews with Ye, the rapper and artist formerly known as Kanye West, as he’s continued to make antisemitic statements and criticize Jewish people in his recent public appearances. Ross, a popular Twitch streamer with 7 million followers, is Jewish and said that he was going to “stand up for the Jews” in the interview. On Dec. 5, political streamer Hasan Piker said in a Twitch stream that he may participate in the interview. Rez said that even if Ross planned to challenge Ye, she would be concerned that the interview would stoke antisemitic violence. Ross has been silent on the topic of the Ye interview since the call with Fuentes was published.

☆ Doug Emhoff says there's an 'epidemic of hate' in the US at White House antisemitism roundtable
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Kayla Gallagher | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The White House hosted an antisemitism roundtable Wednesday with Jewish leaders and organizations. The roundtable discussion was hosted by Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish. In April the Anti-Defamation League released an audit revealing that antisemitic incidents reached an "all-time high" in 2021, citing a 34% increase year over year. The second gentleman noted during the roundtable that antisemitism is not a partisan issue. Emhoff declared that he will not stand idly by and will work with Jewish leaders to continue combatting antisemitism in America.

☆ Elon Musk says 'Hey stop defaming me' after coming under fire for letting Donald Trump back on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk said on Saturday night he would restore Donald Trump's Twitter account. "For @elonmusk to allow Donald Trump back on Twitter, ostensibly after a brief poll, shows he is not remotely serious about safeguarding the platform from hate, harassment and misinformation." Musk said in May it was "not correct to ban Donald Trump." It alienated the country and did not result in Donald Trump not having a voice. Twitter and a representative for Donald Trump didn't immediately respond to a request for comment by Insider.

Two men with access to weapons were arrested at New York City's Penn Station early Saturday in connection with a probe of threats to the Jewish community, authorities said. The senior law enforcement sources said Brown had the swastika armband on him when he was arrested at the train station. NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said in a statement that authorities first identified "a developing threat to the Jewish community" Friday. Three law enforcement sources said threats against the Jewish community were posted online. "Today, we’re extremely grateful to NYPD investigators and our law enforcement partners who uncovered and stopped a threat to our Jewish community," Sewell tweeted Saturday.

☆ Holocaust survivors turn to TikTok to teach a new generation not to forget
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Emma Barnett | Emma Barnett Is An Associate Producer For Nbc News Now. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

In a recent TikTok video, 98-year-old Lily Ebert told her 1.9 million followers about the Auschwitz number tattooed on her forearm: A-10572. Like many Holocaust survivors, Ebert didn’t talk about the experience for decades. The last family photo of Lily and her siblings, taken around 1944; Lily Ebert is bottom right. The social media sensation known for her lighthearted dance videos has 8.7 million followers on TikTok and 2.8 million on Instagram. Those followers are learning through her new TikTok documentary series “How to: Never Forget” that she is also the granddaughter of two Holocaust survivors.

☆ NBA commissioner Adam Silver says he doesn't believe Kyrie Irving is antisemitic, per NYT
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Jacob Lev | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —NBA commissioner Adam Silver believes that suspended Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving is not antisemitic following a meeting between the two earlier in the week, the commissioner told the New York Times. Silver, who is Jewish, told the Times that the two had “a direct and candid conversation” at the league’s headquarters in New York. While the NBA did not hand down its own suspension to Irving, Silver said the punishment “got to the right outcome,” acknowledging the criticism the league faced for not suspending Irving sooner. Silver told the audience that Amazon bore some of the responsibility for having the film on its platform. Silver said the Nets along with the league will consult to decide when Irving can return from suspension.

CNN —Suspended Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving reportedly met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday, according to multiple reports, including one from the Athletic’s Shams Charania, citing unnamed sources. According to Charania, Silver and Irving met and had “a productive and understanding visit,” as Irving and the Nets work toward his return to the court. CNN has reached out to the NBA, the Nets and Irving’s representatives but has not heard back. Before the game, the Nets named assistant coach Jacque Vaughn as their next permanent head coach. Vaughn was the interim head coach after Brooklyn parted ways with former head coach Steve Nash last week after a disappointing 2-5 start.

“To that end, we’ve made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8. Reporters asked Irving earlier Thursday – before he posted his apology – if he holds antisemitic beliefs or if he was sorry. When asked Friday if there was any consideration of releasing Irving, Nets general manager Sean Marks replied, “No. Asked if he had any antisemitic beliefs, Irving responded: “I respect all walks of life. “Kyrie Irving made a reckless decision to post a link to a film containing deeply offensive antisemitic material,” Silver said in a statement before Irving apologized.

☆ Election integrity is still a 'top priority' for Twitter despite mass layoffs, safety chief says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter has laid off half its workforce including some responsible for content moderation. Yoel Roth, Twitter's head of safety and integrity, has downplayed these concerns. Many fear the prospect of far looser content moderation standards. Some say major cuts to Twitter's moderation teams could create ideal conditions for disinformation and hateful content ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections. Companies including General Motors, Pfizer, General Mills and Volkswagen have reportedly paused their advertising on Twitter following Musk's takeover.

☆ Kyrie Irving will begin suspension of at least 5 games Friday over antisemitism controversy. The NBA star has since apologized
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Aya Elamroussi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The Nets suspended Irving Thursday after he initially doubled down on his decision to share the content on his Twitter account. Reporters asked Irving earlier Thursday – before he posted his apology – if he holds antisemitic beliefs or if he was sorry. Asked if he had any antisemitic beliefs, Irving responded: “I respect all walks of life. After Irving was suspended Thursday, the ADL refused to accept a $500,000 donation that Irving and the Nets had previously announced. “Kyrie Irving made a reckless decision to post a link to a film containing deeply offensive antisemitic material,” Silver said in a statement before Irving apologized.

CNN —Elon Musk said Friday that Twitter has seen a “massive drop in revenue,” as a growing number of advertisers pause spending on the platform in the wake of his $44 billion acquisition. On Friday, organizations including the Anti-Defamation League, Free Press and GLAAD, upped their pressure campaign for more brands to rethink advertising on Twitter. Musk, known as both an innovative entrepreneur and an erratic figure, has promised to rethink Twitter’s content moderation policies and undo permanent bans of controversial figures, including former President Donald Trump. Most marketers bristle at the thought of having their ads run alongside toxic content such as hate speech, pornography or misinformation. Ad buying giant Interpublic Group, which works with consumer brands such as Unilever and Coca Cola, earlier this week also recommended its clients pause advertising on the platform.

☆ FBI says New Jersey synagogues are no longer in danger after agents found the source of a threat that forced houses of worship to step up security
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The FBI said on Friday that New Jersey synagogues are no longer in immediate danger. This update comes after the agency warned of a "broad threat" against the houses of worship. "We identified the source of the threat who no longer poses a danger to the community." Phil Murphy said on social media that he was grateful to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies "for their tireless efforts in mitigating the immediate threat to our Jewish synagogues." Thursday's threat against the New Jersey synagogues comes amid rising antisemitism in the US.

☆ Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets each to donate $500,000 to anti-hate organizations; NBA star takes ‘responsibility’ for negative impact of tweets
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets announced on Wednesday that they will both donate $500,000 towards anti-hate organizations after the point guard tweeted a documentary deemed to be antisemitic last week. “I oppose all forms of hatred and oppression and stand strong with communities that are marginalized and impacted every day,” Irving said. “I am aware of the negative impact of my post towards the Jewish community and I take responsibility. “With this partnership, ADL will work with the Nets and Kyrie to open dialogue and increase understanding. Irving talks with now-former head coach Steve Nash during a game against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, January 21, 2022.

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