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Updated: 2 days 17 hours ago

Reddit moderators revolt against CEO, blackout subreddits

Mon, 06/12/2023 - 15:24

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Hundreds of subreddit categories on the social media platform Reddit are blacked out Monday amid a protest over changes to how third parties use the platform. 

There are over 7,800 subreddits blacked out involving more than 28,000 moderators. Unlike most social media outlets, Reddit relies primarily on unpaid moderators to keep content relevant. Some of the platform's most popular categories, including funny, gaming and music, are blacked out. 

The blackout means those not subscribed to the category cannot access it. 

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman addressed the changes being made to Reddit last week. The statement came nearly two months after Huffman first announced that some third parties that use Reddit would be charged a fee. 

"Reddit needs to be a self-sustaining business, and to do that, we can no longer subsidize commercial entities that require large-scale data use," Huffman said. 

SEE MORE: Experts warn almost 80% of youth get tax advice from social media

That decision meant some apps, including Apollo, Reddit is Fun, and Sync, are closing. 

"For the other apps, we will continue talking. We acknowledge that the timeline we gave was tight; we are happy to engage with folks who want to work with us," Huffman said. 

His statement was met with anger from users, with many noting a lack of trust in Huffman.

Trump heads to Florida ahead of hearing in classified documents probe

Mon, 06/12/2023 - 15:00

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Former President Donald Trump will arrive in Florida on Monday ahead of his court appearance in the classified documents probe. 

He will be staying in Doral, where he has a golf course. 

Trump was indicted on 37 counts last week. According to the indictment, Trump had hundreds of classified documents at his residence located at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. 

Images provided in the indictment show boxes of documents stacked in various locations, including a bathroom.

Former Attorney General William Barr spoke about the serious nature of the indictment over the weekend. 

"It's a pretty detailed indictment," Barr said on Fox News Sunday. "And it's very, very damning."

Trump responded to Barr's comments on his Truth Social network, calling the former attorney general a disgruntled employee. 

SEE MORE: Trump facing 37 criminal counts, unsealed federal indictment says

The former president has continually dismissed the charges, calling them a political witch hunt. About 70 of his supporters rallied at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend, vowing to support the president in the face of the charges. 

"We must all be STRONG and DEFEAT the Communists, Marxists, and Radical Left Lunatics that are systematically destroying our country," Trump said on Truth Social on Monday. 

Law enforcement is expected to be on high alert on Tuesday, but there have been no credible threats of violence reported.

SEE MORE: Conservatives split on Trump's future amid criminal indictment

JPMorgan settles with Jeffrey Epstein victims

Mon, 06/12/2023 - 14:27

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JPMorgan Chase has reached a settlement in a class action lawsuit with victims of financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal charges accusing him of paying underage girls hundreds of dollars in cash for massages and then molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York. He was found dead in jail on Aug. 10 of that year, at age 66. A medical examiner ruled his death a suicide.

The lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court in November sought to hold JPMorgan financially liable for Epstein's decades-long abuse of teenage girls and young women. A related lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

SEE MORE: New documents detail weeks leading up to Jeffrey Epstein's death

"We all now understand that Epstein's behavior was monstrous, and we believe this settlement is in the best interest of all parties, especially the survivors, who suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of this man," JPMorgan Chase said in a written statement early Monday.

Litigation is still pending between the U.S. Virgin Islands and JPMorgan Chase, as well as JPMorgan Chase's claims against former executive, Jes Staley.

According to the lawsuits, JPMorgan provided Epstein loans and regularly allowed him to withdraw large sums of cash from 1998 through August 2013 even though it knew about his sex trafficking practices.

"Any association with him was a mistake and we regret it," the bank said in a prepared statement. "We would never have continued to do business with him if we believed he was using our bank in any way to help commit heinous crimes."

Both lawsuits were filed after New York state in November enacted a temporary law letting adult victims of sexual abuse to sue others for the abuse they suffered, even if the abuse occurred long ago.

The bank has denied the allegations and sued Staley, saying he hid Epstein's crimes to keep him as a client.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has testified that he never heard of Epstein and his crimes until the financier was arrested in 2019, according to a transcript of the videotaped deposition released last month.

The settlement is subject to court approval.

Shares of JPMorgan rose slightly before the market open.

Body cam video of police shooting 14-year-old released

Mon, 06/12/2023 - 14:22

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Aurora, Colorado, law enforcement officials on Friday released the body cam video in the shooting of Jor'Dell Richardson, a 14-year-old boy who was shot and killed by police after allegedly robbing a convenience store earlier this month.

Aurora Chief of Police Art Acevedo, who spoke alongside other Aurora police officers and who was also accompanied by gang-conflict negotiator Reverend Leon Kelly Jr., started the Friday news conference by extending his condolences to Jor'Dell's family.

"Every officer-involved shooting is a tragedy," Acevedo said. "No matter where this investigation takes us… it is a tragedy."

Acevedo said he personally got in touch with Jor'Dell's mother following the shooting, telling her that body cam video was available for her to watch when she was ready to do so.

Before releasing the body camera video, however, Acevedo walked reporters through a timeline of the events leading up to the alleged robbery and the subsequent shooting by police.

SEE MORE: Study: Officer's first 45 words in traffic stop could predict outcome

Timeline of events

At 4:17 p.m. on June 1, a sergeant with the police department called for backup after spotting a group teens in hoodies and medical masks walking to a convenience store in Aurora. The sergeant then went around the back alley of the convenience store and ran the plates on a Kia vehicle from which the teens emerged. The search on that vehicle showed the car had been stolen.

Acevedo, explaining the events before the teens left the store, said a teen in a white hoodie – which he identified as Jor'Dell – raised his sweatshirt and displayed a weapon that was at his waistband to the cashier.

At the same time, a woman then came into the store and was ordered by the suspects to stay inside by at least two 14-year-old suspects – both who have been since charged with false imprisonment and aggravated robbery.

Five minutes later, by about 4:22 p.m., officers responding to the scene spotted the teen suspects running out of the store and at least one of the officers tried to push Jor'Dell into a wall and "barely missed," Acevedo said during the news conference.

Another officer is then heard ordering Jor'Dell to "get on the ground or I'm going to Tase you," but Acevedo said Jor'Dell was not close enough to the Taser for it to take effect.

A third officer then tells Jor'Dell to get on the ground and seconds later, Acevedo said, Jor'Dell's hand is in his waistband before an altercation ensues between the 14-year-old and the officer.

The police officer is heard telling Jor'Dell that that he's going to shoot him. About five seconds later, a gunshot is heard.

Shortly after, Jor'Dell is heard apologizing and asking for help and for the officer to take him to the hospital.

"They made me do it. I don't know who they are but they made me do it," Jor'Dell is heard telling the officer.

The teen had been shot in the mid-section of his abdomen and "lost consciousness quickly," Acevedo said. About a minute later, first responders arrive to tend to Jor'Dell, who would later die at a hospital.

During the news conference,  Acevedo revealed that Jor'Dell was carrying a pellet gun at the time of the shooting.

"The purpose of this conference is to be transparent and to fully discuss to the best of my ability what led to the death of a 14-year-old kid in this community," Acevedo said after showing two different angles of the body cam video.

SEE MORE: 3 years after George Floyd's death, where does police reform stand?

Investigation of events

Acevedo refused to answer some questions about the shooting Friday, including what Jor'Dell was doing with the firearm and whether he pointed it at officers. The video released Friday by APD does not show if the teen ever pointed the pellet gun at officers as his hands were out of the body cam's view.

"That's part of the investigation. That's a little bit of the ambiguity – that's going to be the question that the (CIRT) investigation will continue (to look into)," Acevedo said, as he reassured the public that the investigation would be very comprehensive. "We know for a fact that he used it to commit an armed robbery – there's no ambiguity there."

Acevedo then said those watching the body cam video could make their own assessments about what happened during those few short minutes.

When asked if the officers could have differentiated between the replica used by Jor'Dell and a real gun, Acevedo said that specifications to differentiate between pellet guns and real firearms by painting the tips orange stopped happening some time ago because gang members started painting the tips of their guns orange as well.

"We have hundreds of millions of real firearms in this country… what is the purpose of a realistic replica?" Acevedo said in off-the-cuff remarks, before admitting he himself bought his 15-year-old a replica handgun. "But guess who has complete of that? I do – and the only time he gets to utilize that is when Dad is there."

Acevedo said in closing remarks he would continue lifting Jor'Dell's family and the officers under his command in prayer, and added the department would not tolerate "those that would come out and try to hijack the pain of a family that has lost their 14-year-old to come out here and wreck mayhem in our community."

Jor'Dell's family spoke to news media shortly after 3:30 p.m. outside the Aurora Municipal Center. Attorneys for the family question why it took Aurora police eight days to say publicly that Jor'Dell had a pellet gun and how this escalated to a shooting. 

"The Aurora chief of police needs to stand in front of Jor'Dell's family and the Colorado community and apologize for lying to them, for re-victimizing them when they were at their most vulnerable. Chief Acevedo needs to resign so that the community can begin the long process of rebuilding trust in policing," said attorney Siddhartha Rathod.

Acevedo said to his knowledge, there is no surveillance video with an angle that would show more of the struggle that preceded the shooting. However, attorneys for the family said Friday they've spoken to a business owner that does have surveillance video, which has been turned over to police.

The family, their attorneys and the community said Friday they are going to push for accountability and justice. 

Following the family's statements, a group of people briefly blocked all of South Chambers Road late Friday afternoon but traffic impacts subsided by about 6 p.m.

This story was originally published by Óscar Contreras for Scripps News Denver.

PGA Tour golfer tackled by security at end of tournament

Mon, 06/12/2023 - 12:45

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Adam Hadwin, a Canadian PGA Tour pro who had just finished in 12th place at the RBC Canadian Open, was tackled by security at the end of Sunday's tournament. 

Video of the incident was published by TSN.

The tournament ended after a long playoff as fellow Canadian Nick Taylor sunk a 72-foot eagle putt to win and become the first Canuck in nearly seven decades to claim Canada's only annual PGA Tour event. 

Hadwin, along with fellow Canadian and former Masters champ Mike Weir, were on the edge of the green ready to celebrate Taylor's victory. Hadwin had a bottle of champagne in his hand when a security guard mistook Hadwin for a fan. 

Taylor and his caddy could be seen on video telling the guard to let him go. 

SEE MORE: Players feel 'betrayed' as PGA Tour partners with Saudi-backed LIV

Hadwin seems to be taking the incident in stride.

"Put it in the Louvre!" he responded to a photo of the tackle.

Taylor said he got a little bit of champagne on his hat. 

"I hope he's all right. He was upright when I saw him later. So I hope he doesn't wake up tomorrow morning with any broken ribs or anything," he said. 

Winning his home country's Open was a special moment for Taylor, who claimed his third career PGA Tour title. 

"I feel like we all support each other so much, for them to stick around," he said. "I think all of us said it this week, if us individually weren't the people to win, we really want another Canadian to do it and break this long drought. So to have them there, it's amazing. I've looked up to Mike Weir and watched him play golf for so long and for him to be there was special."

Ukraine claims recapture of 4th village as counteroffensive continues

Mon, 06/12/2023 - 12:40

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Ukrainian military officials said Monday their troops have retaken another southeastern village from Russian forces, among the first — small — successes in stepped-up counteroffensive operations against Moscow's more than 15-month invasion of Ukraine.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar wrote on Telegram that Ukraine's flag was again flying over the village of Storozhov, and she predicted the liberation of "all Ukrainian land" would be the final outcome. A day earlier, Ukrainian officials said three other small villages clustered together south of the town of Velika Novosilke in the eastern Donetsk region had been liberated.

The villages are located in the so-called "Vremivka ledge," a section of the front line where the Russian-controlled area protrudes into territory held by Ukraine. The area has become one of several epicenters of intense fighting.

The Russian Defense Ministry hasn't confirmed the Russian retreat from the villages, but some military bloggers have acknowledged the loss of Russian control over them.

SEE MORE: Mayor of Melitopol, Ukraine: Partisan sleeper cells await their cue

Russian authorities, meanwhile, have said their troops have largely held their ground along the more than 600-mile arc of front line along southern and eastern Ukraine.

Western analysts and military officials have cautioned any effort to rid entrenched, powerfully armed and skilled Russian troops will likely take months, and the success of any Ukrainian counteroffensive is far from certain.

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "counteroffensive, defensive actions are taking place" without specifying it was an all-out counteroffensive, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted that the counteroffensive had started — and Ukrainian forces were taking "significant losses." He did not elaborate, and Ukrainian authorities have not publicly specified losses among their troops.

The reported Ukrainian advance comes as authorities on both sides of the active front line along the Dnieper River in the southern Kherson region pressed on with rescue and relocation efforts for civilians driven from their homes by flooding from the breach of the Kakhovka dam last week.

The U.N. and other aid groups say access to fresh drinking water is a crucial need and the possible spread of water-borne disease a big worry.

On Sunday, a local official said three people were killed when Moscow's troops opened fire at a boat evacuating people from Russian-occupied areas.

SEE MORE: Russia signs deal to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus

Late Sunday, Zelenskyy said envoys from the International Criminal Court have visited the region to investigate the disaster, which has driven thousands from their homes, and left at least 14 people dead.

"It is very important that the representatives of international justice have seen the consequences of this Russian act of terrorism with their own eyes and heard for themselves that Russian terror continues," Zelenskyy said.

Ukrainian authorities have accused Russian forces, which controlled the area around the dam, of deliberately destroying it. Russian officials have blamed Ukrainian shelling for its destruction.

Horses die in consecutive races at Belmont Park

Mon, 06/12/2023 - 12:14

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Two horses are dead after injuries sustained in separate races following the Belmont Stakes in New York.

In the 13th and final race on Saturday, horse Excursionniste was euthanized. 

The Associated Press reported that Excursionniste pulled up in the far turn and had a catastrophic injury to its left front leg.” 

Little Blue Bird Stables reacted to the horse's fatal injury on Twitter within an hour of the incident.

"Devastated. There's just no other word. He was our big, goofy, talented, crazy, 1 for 16 NYB superstar. We do everything as a team, and will console as one for quite a while," the horse's owners said. "We'll miss ya, Ex. This group loves ya."

The next morning, the Associated Press reported that Mashnee Girl suffered a catastrophic injury in the quarter poll of the first race of the day.

SEE MORE: Churchill Downs changes location of meet following horse deaths

The horses' deaths come as Churchill Downs, site of the annual Kentucky Derby, reported at least 12 horses have died so far this year. Races have been relocated through the rest of the month amid an internal investigation. 

Reacting to the death of Excursionniste, PETA placed blame on Belmont Park. 

"The racing industry is digging its own grave—as well as this horse's," PETA said in a statement.

PETA is calling on racing officials to conduct CT scans to screen for preexisting injuries before races. 

Both the final race on Saturday and the first race on Sunday were performed on turf tracks. Belmont Park has both a dirt and turf track. The Belmont Stakes was run Belmont's dirt track.

SEE MORE: Kentucky Derby trainer suspended after deaths of 2 of his horses

Among the three most popular surfaces, dirt courses have the highest rate of fatal injuries, according to the Equine Injury Database.

In 2021, there were 1.51 fatal injuries for every 1,000 starts on dirt. On turf tracks, there were 1.25 fatal injuries per 1,000 starts. Synthetic turf had 0.75 fatal injuries per 1,000 starts, the Equine Injury Database reported. 

Bus carrying wedding guests in Australia rolls over, killing 10

Mon, 06/12/2023 - 11:11

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The driver of a bus was charged Monday after the vehicle carrying wedding guests rolled over on a foggy night in Australia's wine country, killing 10 people and injuring 25 in the nation's most deadly road accident in almost 30 years, police said.

Brett Button has been in custody since the accident Sunday night and will appear in court on Tuesday on multiple charges of dangerous and negligent driving, a police statement said.

It was Australia's most deadly road accident since 1994, when a bus skidded on its side across a highway and down a steep embankment in Brisbane, killing 12 people and injuring 38.

Sunday's crash happened just after 11:30 p.m. in foggy conditions at a roundabout on Wine Country Drive in the town of Greta in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales state north of Sydney.

The guests had attended a wedding at the Wandin Estate Winery and were heading to their accommodations in the town of Singleton, Chapman said. One guest told Seven News it had been a nice day and a fairytale wedding.

A motorist who drove past the crash scene, identified by Australian Broadcasting Corp. only as Alison, said the fog was so heavy she could not make out the colors of the flashing lights of police cars, ambulances and fire trucks.

"The fog was terrible," she told the ABC. "You could barely see in front of you."

Of the 25 people injured, one was in critical condition and several others remained in hospitals, the state government said. The conditions of the others were described as stable.

Police had said 18 passengers escaped injury. But they later said there were only 36 people on the bus: the 10 dead, the 25 injured and the driver. The 18 were the least seriously injured among the passengers taken to hospitals.

Police Commissioner Karen Webb said investigators have not yet determined what caused the bus to roll on its side.

"The cause may not be known for some time. It will require scientific examination," Webb told reporters.

Whether passengers were wearing seatbelts also "will come under scrutiny," Webb said.

Chapman said rescuers smashed the front window to remove people from the wrecked bus.

Linq Buslines, which provides school bus and event charters, owned the bus involved in the crash, media reported. Its website says all its buses are equipped with seatbelts.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked first responders and offered government support to victims and their families, saying the "mental scars of this will not go away."

"For a joyous day like that, in a beautiful place, to end with such terrible loss of life and injury is so cruel and so sad and so unfair," Albanese told reporters.

"People hire a bus for weddings in order to keep their guests safe. And that just adds to the unimaginable nature of this tragedy," he said.

Jay Suvaal, the mayor of Cessnock, said the crash was "truly horrific."

"We are a major wedding and tourist destination in the Hunter Valley, and so there will be people from all over the state and the country that have been to these areas and have probably done similar things," he said. "I think it will send shock waves right through the broader community."

Greta is in the heart of the Hunter Valley wine region, a picturesque area dotted with vineyards and restaurants. It was the first wine region established in Australia.

The wedding was in the middle of a long weekend, with Monday a public holiday across most Australian states.

Mosquito control: What's worth spending money on, what's not

Mon, 06/12/2023 - 10:56

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Hundreds of products and services claim to keep mosquitoes away from your home. But what actually works?

While some simple solutions, like sprays and candles, may have some effect, if the problem is bad, you may want to turn to a professional like Debbie Meyer.

She offers hope to desperate homeowners like Luke Stokebrand.

"We like to sit outside," he said, "but usually about 7 o'clock, we'd have to go in because we were chewed up by mosquitoes."

So he called the local franchise of Mosquito Joe, and Meyer's crew got to work to make his yard usable again.

"We not only kill mosquitoes but will get rid of ticks and fleas as well," Meyer said.

SEE MORE: Great Father's Day tool gifts for dads

Kevin Brasler of Consumers' Checkbook says hiring help to knock down the mosquito population is generally very effective.

But he warns it's not a one-and-done treatment.

He says treatments range from about $50 to $150 for smaller yards every three weeks. Plan on $75 to $200 per treatment for a larger yard.

But he cautions you not to start too early.

"One thing to do is try to keep the window, where they're spraying, to a minimum," he said. "They start spraying in April and May in some communities and they don't really need to start that early."

What works, what may be a waste of dollars

Brasler says using sprays and citronella candles on days with little wind is OK. They will keep mosquitoes away from your outdoor table and chairs for a few hours. When it comes to other products, though, he says many are a case of don't waste your money.

"They promise to use sounds or use wristbands and other types of approaches," he said, "and by and large, those things just don't work."

Instead, he suggests you:

- Drain standing water from buckets, pools or bird baths where mosquitoes lay eggs.

- Clean your gutters, another egg-laying zone.

- Maintain window screens and doors, repairing holes when you find them.

- Stay inside in the early morning and evening, when mosquitoes are most active.

If mosquitoes are still out of control, call a pro like Meyer of Mosquito Joe.

"Once we come by and treat, we get wonderful feedback," she said. "People can sit out and enjoy their yard that they've invested so much money in."

What is Pride Month and why do we celebrate in June?

Mon, 06/12/2023 - 10:17

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Happy Pride Month!

While we are in the midst of celebrating it, have you ever wondered what exactly Pride Month is and why we celebrate it in June?

Well, we've got your answer. But first, let’s start with the basics.

LGBTQIA+ is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and more. Often referred to as just  LGBTQ+.

Pride Month, also known as Gay Pride, spans an entire month and is dedicated to amplifying LGBTQ+ voices, celebrating the community and their culture, and advocating for their basic human rights.

During the month of June, colorful parades, protests, drag performances, live theater, and memorials take place across the United States and in some parts of the world as a commemoration of the long-standing struggle for civil rights and the continued pursuit of equal justice under the law for the community throughout the years.

But why is it celebrated in June?

The global campaign to secure protection for LGBTQ+ rights across the world traces its roots back to the 1920s, with many countries across the world making homosexuality and homosexual acts illegal. 

In the United States, in the 1950s and '60s, homosexuality — more specifically, homosexual acts — became illegal in almost every U.S. state.

On June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn, a popular gathering spot for gay men, lesbians, and transgender individuals in Manhattan, was subject to a police raid. Police assaulted customers and arrested 13 people, some for illegally selling alcohol (many bars were still operating without liquor licenses then) and others for violating New York's gender-appropriate clothing statute.

The crowd outside, observing as the bar's patrons were corralled into police cars, grew increasingly furious and started a riot, throwing bottles, cobble stones, and other objects at the police, forcing the police to take refuge inside the bar until backup arrived.

Hundreds of people joined the riot, which continued intermittently for the next few days outside the bar. These events, known as the Stonewall Riots or Stonewall Uprising, served as a catalyst for the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

While originally designated as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month by President Bill Clinton on June 11, 1999, it was later proclaimed Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month by President Barack Obama in 2014.

However, the battle is not over, and today more than ever, the community is taking this holiday to advocate for their rights as approximately 491 anti-LGBTQ+ legislative proposals are currently circulating in the U.S., according to the ACLU.

SEE MORE: The history and meaning of the most popular LGBTQ+ Pride flags

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