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brooklynite
brooklynite's Journal
brooklynite's Journal
April 26, 2023
How to Claim Your Share of Facebook's $725 Million Privacy Settlement
New York TimesIf you used Facebook in the United States between May 2007 and December 2022, you can apply to claim your share of a $725 million settlement that Facebook’s parent company agreed to pay to settle a class-action lawsuit, according to a claims website set up by a settlement administrator.
Users can enter their information on facebookuserprivacysettlement.com to get their payment through their bank account, Venmo or other methods. The size of payouts is likely to be small, and it will depend on the number of people who submit valid claims and the length each applicant was a Facebook user during the period covered by the suit. The payout will be divided among claimants, with more given to those who have used the site longer.
Facebook’s parent company, Meta, agreed last year to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused the company of sharing user data or making it accessible to third parties, including the data and political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, without users’ permission. The class-action lawsuit, which refers to when one or more individuals sue on behalf of other people with similar claims, also claimed that Facebook did not monitor the third-party access or use of that data.
The long-running lawsuit was filed after revelations in 2018 that Cambridge Analytica used private information from the Facebook profiles of millions of users without their permission in one of the largest data leaks in Facebook’s history. The breach gave Cambridge Analytica access to the social media activity of millions of Facebook users in the United States to build voter profiles and allowed the company to aid former President Donald J. Trump’s campaign in 2016.
Users can enter their information on facebookuserprivacysettlement.com to get their payment through their bank account, Venmo or other methods. The size of payouts is likely to be small, and it will depend on the number of people who submit valid claims and the length each applicant was a Facebook user during the period covered by the suit. The payout will be divided among claimants, with more given to those who have used the site longer.
Facebook’s parent company, Meta, agreed last year to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused the company of sharing user data or making it accessible to third parties, including the data and political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, without users’ permission. The class-action lawsuit, which refers to when one or more individuals sue on behalf of other people with similar claims, also claimed that Facebook did not monitor the third-party access or use of that data.
The long-running lawsuit was filed after revelations in 2018 that Cambridge Analytica used private information from the Facebook profiles of millions of users without their permission in one of the largest data leaks in Facebook’s history. The breach gave Cambridge Analytica access to the social media activity of millions of Facebook users in the United States to build voter profiles and allowed the company to aid former President Donald J. Trump’s campaign in 2016.
April 26, 2023
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/26/house-gop-debt-plan-00093884
House GOP strikes final-hour deal on debt plan
Source: Politico
House Republicans’ efforts to pass a debt ceiling plan appeared back on track Wednesday morning after GOP leadership made eleventh-hour changes to satisfy more than a dozen disgruntled members — after repeatedly refusing to tweak the bill.
During the early hours of the morning on Wednesday, the House Rules Committee agreed to major changes — known as a manager’s amendment — to help satisfy the demands of Midwesterners who were raising concerns about ethanol provisions and some right wing demands for stronger work requirements for social programs. Earlier in the day, Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his team had stressed to members they’d have to accept the measure as-is.
But that changed around 2 a.m., when House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) offered a Hail Mary — an amendment intended to prevent mass defections on their bill, which McCarthy hoped to pass as soon as Wednesday.
Several of the GOP holdouts with ethanol concerns signaled overnight they would flip their votes to yes given the changes, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
During the early hours of the morning on Wednesday, the House Rules Committee agreed to major changes — known as a manager’s amendment — to help satisfy the demands of Midwesterners who were raising concerns about ethanol provisions and some right wing demands for stronger work requirements for social programs. Earlier in the day, Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his team had stressed to members they’d have to accept the measure as-is.
But that changed around 2 a.m., when House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) offered a Hail Mary — an amendment intended to prevent mass defections on their bill, which McCarthy hoped to pass as soon as Wednesday.
Several of the GOP holdouts with ethanol concerns signaled overnight they would flip their votes to yes given the changes, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/26/house-gop-debt-plan-00093884
April 26, 2023
Tucker Carlson's firing ripped a hole in the far-right media's heart
Washinton PostA Tucker Carlson-shaped hole ripped open in the far-right mediaverse at approximately 11:30 a.m. Eastern time Monday. The Fox News host’s sudden firing tore through the network of conspiracy theorists and race-and-gender obsessed provocateurs that had loosely revolved around Carlson, who often used his top-rated show to amplify fringe voices to a national audience.
“His show has been a major platform for dissident voices and his absence will leave a void in the media landscape,” Andrew Torba, who has been flagged by the Anti-Defamation League for attacks on Jews, wrote on Gab, the hate-speech-riddled social media site he runs.
Torba was platformed by Carlson in 2017, when the host invited him onto his show and praised Gab as the website for people who “just believe in free speech.”
Carlson, who could not immediately be reached for comment, might argue that he can’t be responsible for the behavior of everyone who has appeared on his show over the years. Nevertheless, a striking number of extreme figures wrote him thank-you notes in the wake of his termination, and some credited the host for helping launch them to popularity.
“His show has been a major platform for dissident voices and his absence will leave a void in the media landscape,” Andrew Torba, who has been flagged by the Anti-Defamation League for attacks on Jews, wrote on Gab, the hate-speech-riddled social media site he runs.
Torba was platformed by Carlson in 2017, when the host invited him onto his show and praised Gab as the website for people who “just believe in free speech.”
Carlson, who could not immediately be reached for comment, might argue that he can’t be responsible for the behavior of everyone who has appeared on his show over the years. Nevertheless, a striking number of extreme figures wrote him thank-you notes in the wake of his termination, and some credited the host for helping launch them to popularity.
April 26, 2023
Exclusive: Peter Thiel, Republican megadonor, won't fund candidates in 2024 - sources
ReutersSAN FRANCISCO, April 26 (Reuters) - Tech billionaire and Republican megadonor Peter Thiel, an early backer of former President Donald Trump who later broke with him, has told associates he is not planning to donate to any political candidates in 2024, according to two people close to the businessman.
Thiel is unhappy with the Republican Party's focus on hot-button U.S. cultural issues, said one of the sources, a business associate, citing abortion and restrictions on which bathrooms transgender students can use in schools as two examples.
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Thiel came to this conclusion by late 2022, the sources said. He believes Republicans are making a mistake in focusing on cultural flashpoints and should be more concerned with spurring U.S. innovation - a major issue for him - and competing with China, the business associate said.
Thiel's plans for the Republican primary and general election have not been previously reported. Online news site Puck previously reported Thiel was most likely either to support Trump or sit out the primary. Thiel declined a Reuters request for an interview.
Thiel is unhappy with the Republican Party's focus on hot-button U.S. cultural issues, said one of the sources, a business associate, citing abortion and restrictions on which bathrooms transgender students can use in schools as two examples.
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Thiel came to this conclusion by late 2022, the sources said. He believes Republicans are making a mistake in focusing on cultural flashpoints and should be more concerned with spurring U.S. innovation - a major issue for him - and competing with China, the business associate said.
Thiel's plans for the Republican primary and general election have not been previously reported. Online news site Puck previously reported Thiel was most likely either to support Trump or sit out the primary. Thiel declined a Reuters request for an interview.
April 26, 2023
Asa Hutchinson to formally launch 2024 campaign in Arkansas
Associated PressBENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Asa Hutchinson, the former two-term Republican governor of Arkansas, will formally launch his campaign for president Wednesday with a kickoff in his hometown of Bentonville.
The stalwart conservative, who announced in a television interview earlier this month that he intended to run, is a former congressman and official in President George W. Bush’s administration.
Hutchinson has been a rare figure among announced or expected GOP presidential hopefuls in his willingness to criticize former President Donald Trump, calling for him to drop out of the 2024 race instead of seeking another term in the White House.
The 72-year-old has said Trump should step aside because his legal troubles, including criminal charges in New York, are a distraction. And while Trump has fixated his campaign messages around his false claims about the 2020 election he lost, Hutchinson has said voters need a candidate who is not focused on the past.
The stalwart conservative, who announced in a television interview earlier this month that he intended to run, is a former congressman and official in President George W. Bush’s administration.
Hutchinson has been a rare figure among announced or expected GOP presidential hopefuls in his willingness to criticize former President Donald Trump, calling for him to drop out of the 2024 race instead of seeking another term in the White House.
The 72-year-old has said Trump should step aside because his legal troubles, including criminal charges in New York, are a distraction. And while Trump has fixated his campaign messages around his false claims about the 2020 election he lost, Hutchinson has said voters need a candidate who is not focused on the past.
April 26, 2023
Meeting with Adam Frisch tomorrow.
Hoping for a compelling explanation of how he'll beat Boebert after losing in 2022.
April 26, 2023
Biden '24 ads start tomorrow
https://twitter.com/MediumBuying/status/1650992628354240515
April 25, 2023
Read more: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/us-elections-government/ny-trump-hints-skip-republican-debates-20230425-bj2i33o7njbmhf3ebbjyuenj5y-story.html
Trump hints he could skip Republican presidential debates
Source: New York Daily News
Former President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that he may skip the 2024 Republican presidential primary debates to avoid being “abused” by critical moderators.
Accusing GOP organizers of siding with his critics, Trump said he wouldn’t hesitate to boycott the showdowns, especially since he is the front-runner.
“When you’re leading by seemingly insurmountable numbers, and you have hostile Networks with angry, TRUMP & MAGA hating anchors asking the ‘questions,’ why subject yourself to being libeled and abused?” Trump wrote on his social media site.
Trump also slammed the selection of the Ronald Reagan Library as the site of the second planned debate because Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan is the chairman of its board.
Accusing GOP organizers of siding with his critics, Trump said he wouldn’t hesitate to boycott the showdowns, especially since he is the front-runner.
“When you’re leading by seemingly insurmountable numbers, and you have hostile Networks with angry, TRUMP & MAGA hating anchors asking the ‘questions,’ why subject yourself to being libeled and abused?” Trump wrote on his social media site.
Trump also slammed the selection of the Ronald Reagan Library as the site of the second planned debate because Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan is the chairman of its board.
Read more: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/us-elections-government/ny-trump-hints-skip-republican-debates-20230425-bj2i33o7njbmhf3ebbjyuenj5y-story.html
April 25, 2023
'Fish or cut bait': Judge tells Trump's lawyer to decide if he's testifying in E. Jean Carroll case
Source: Raw Story
At the close of the first day, as Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina finished his opening statement, Judge Lewis Kaplan asked if the defendant would be testifying. Understandably, having the president in a courtroom adds many security concerns that must be considered. Given the trial is expected to go for five to ten days, it would create a tight timeline for the Secret Service to coordinate.
The jury was dismissed for the day when Judge Kaplan brought it up, Law&Crime editor Adam Klasfeld was live-tweeting the proceeding.
“The answer is: I’m not sure, your honor," Tacopina said when asked if Trump would appear.
“You’re going to have to tell me — this week," Kaplan said simply. “Fish or cut bait.”
Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-testimony-carroll-suit/
April 25, 2023
A new theory has emerged. According to the source, Fox Corp. chair Rupert Murdoch removed Carlson over remarks Carlson made during a speech at the Heritage Foundation’s 50th Anniversary gala on Friday night. Carlson laced his speech with religious overtones that even Murdoch found too extreme, the source, who was briefed on Murdoch’s decision-making, said. Carlson told the Heritage audience that national politics has become a manichean battle between “good” and “evil.” Carlson said that people advocating for transgender rights and DEI programs want to destroy America and they could not be persuaded with facts. “We should say that and stop engaging in these totally fraudulent debates…I’ve tried. That doesn’t work,” he said. The answer, Carlson suggested, was prayer. “I have concluded it might be worth taking just 10 minutes out of your busy schedule to say a prayer for the future, and I hope you will,” he said. “That stuff freaks Rupert out. He doesn’t like all the spiritual talk,” the source said.
Carlson declined to comment. A spokesperson for Fox Corp. declined to comment.
It’s been reported that Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott made the decision to fire Carlson on Friday night. Another source, a person close to Murdoch, has said something similar to me. Scott informed Carlson of the decision on Monday morning.
Rupert Murdoch was perhaps unnerved by Carlson’s messianism because it echoed the end-times worldview of Murdoch’s ex-fiancée Ann Lesley Smith, the source said. In my May cover story, I reported that Murdoch and Smith called off their two-week engagement because Smith had told people Carlson was “a messenger from God.” Murdoch had seen Carlson and Smith discuss religion firsthand. In late March, Carlson had dinner at Murdoch’s Bel Air vineyard with Murdoch and Smith, according to the source. During dinner, Smith pulled out a bible and started reading passages from the Book of Exodus, the source said. “Rupert just sat there and stared,” the source said. A few days after the dinner, Murdoch and Smith called off the wedding. By taking Carlson off the air, Murdoch was also taking away his ex’s favorite show.
Tucker Carlsons Prayer Talk May Have Led to Fox News Ouster "That Stuff Freaks Rupert Out"
Vanity FairA new theory has emerged. According to the source, Fox Corp. chair Rupert Murdoch removed Carlson over remarks Carlson made during a speech at the Heritage Foundation’s 50th Anniversary gala on Friday night. Carlson laced his speech with religious overtones that even Murdoch found too extreme, the source, who was briefed on Murdoch’s decision-making, said. Carlson told the Heritage audience that national politics has become a manichean battle between “good” and “evil.” Carlson said that people advocating for transgender rights and DEI programs want to destroy America and they could not be persuaded with facts. “We should say that and stop engaging in these totally fraudulent debates…I’ve tried. That doesn’t work,” he said. The answer, Carlson suggested, was prayer. “I have concluded it might be worth taking just 10 minutes out of your busy schedule to say a prayer for the future, and I hope you will,” he said. “That stuff freaks Rupert out. He doesn’t like all the spiritual talk,” the source said.
Carlson declined to comment. A spokesperson for Fox Corp. declined to comment.
It’s been reported that Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott made the decision to fire Carlson on Friday night. Another source, a person close to Murdoch, has said something similar to me. Scott informed Carlson of the decision on Monday morning.
Rupert Murdoch was perhaps unnerved by Carlson’s messianism because it echoed the end-times worldview of Murdoch’s ex-fiancée Ann Lesley Smith, the source said. In my May cover story, I reported that Murdoch and Smith called off their two-week engagement because Smith had told people Carlson was “a messenger from God.” Murdoch had seen Carlson and Smith discuss religion firsthand. In late March, Carlson had dinner at Murdoch’s Bel Air vineyard with Murdoch and Smith, according to the source. During dinner, Smith pulled out a bible and started reading passages from the Book of Exodus, the source said. “Rupert just sat there and stared,” the source said. A few days after the dinner, Murdoch and Smith called off the wedding. By taking Carlson off the air, Murdoch was also taking away his ex’s favorite show.
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