Get the Ring Video Doorbell 3 for $150, a Polk soundbar for $179 or a stunning leather wireless charger for 25% off. And the sales have barely started.
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A lot happened in gaming over the past week, and yet somehow it feels like nothing really happened. And where is that Mass Effect Trilogy remaster?Read More
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Protesters belonging to a group that calls itself the Three Percenters attend an alt-right rally on August 17, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. | Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
The company removed at least four of these groups and pages after Recode flagged them for posts about shooting BLM protestors.
Just last week, Facebook finally banned militia groups and pages that advocate for violence on its platform. But Recode’s quick Facebook search for “militia” groups and pages on Friday surfaced over a dozen results for national and local militia groups, most of them private, with many of them openly calling for violence against protesters.
Two of these groups that Recode accessed had a combined 25,000 members and included posts where members encouraged and celebrated shooting people involved in recent Black Lives Matter protests. Some groups did not contain “militia” in the title but still encouraged members to take up arms. One page, called the “The III% Organization,” contained overtly racist and violent posts, such as a meme comparing BLM protesters to dogs and joking about running them over with a car.
After Recode flagged seven of these groups and pages to Facebook, the company took down four of them for violating its policies, and said it independently took down another.
Militia groups that organize on Facebook are under particular scrutiny this week after a 17-year-old who is a self-identified militia member was arrested on suspicion of killing two people protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In the aftermath of that shooting, Facebook has faced sharp criticism, including from its own employees, for initially failing to remove a Kenosha militia page despite prior complaints from at least two Facebook users about the group inciting violence. The company eventually took the page and an associated event down, but only after suspected shooter Kyle Rittenhouse allegedly killed two protesters and injured another on Tuesday night. Facebook said Rittenhouse was not a member of the Kenosha militia page in question.
The social media giant’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a company meeting Thursday that the initial decision to not take down the Kenosha militia group’s page was a mistake, according to internal remarks first reported by BuzzFeed News, which the company later posted publicly. Zuckerberg said the company is working to take down any posts praising the alleged shooter, and that it’s all part of Facebook’s recently expanded policy against dangerous groups and threats.
While the militia groups Recode found on Friday represented a small fraction of Facebook’s some 2.7 billion users, their continued presence on the platform despite its new policies signals how big of a challenge it is for Facebook to stop people from using its platform to organize violence and amplify hate speech. While Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms have adopted stricter guidelines over the years around violent speech, they’ve struggled to catch harmful content in real-time, while balancing concerns about limiting free speech online with strict enforcement.
“The continued presence of these militia Facebook groups and the concerning content that they contain represent multiple layers of failure on the part of Facebook to adhere to its own policies that it repeatedly pushes in press releases and statements to media,” said Katie Paul, director of tech watchdog group Tech Transparency Project, which has been researching some of these militia groups.
A spokesperson for Facebook issued the following statement to Recode, in part: “The shootings in Kenosha have been painful for everyone, especially our black community. Mark addressed this at yesterday’s weekly company Q&A ... We launched [the dangerous individuals and organizations] policy last week and we’re still scaling up our enforcement of it by a team of specialists on our Dangerous Organizations team.”
Under pressure, Facebook recently expanded its policies against violent individuals and organizations to restrict the influence of domestic militia groups and conspiracy groups like QAnon. While Facebook doesn’t have a blanket ban on militia groups which don’t overtly call for violence, it removed hundreds of them last week for advocating for violence, and says it is continuing to take down groups and pages which do so.
The militia Facebook groups and pages Recode reviewed on Friday advocate for US citizens to take up arms to counter what they describe as worsening lawlessness in the country, with many members aggrieved by property damage that’s occurred during protests for racial justice in cities across the US. While many of the protests across the United States in recent months have been peaceful, there has been significant damage to buildings in some areas, such as Minnesota, where insurance claims have been filed for tens of millions of dollars. The Kenosha protest shooting demonstrates how militia attempts to guard buildings from such damage can result in escalating conflict — and ultimately, lives lost.
One private Facebook group called “United States Militia” had over 12,000 members and was active on Facebook until Recode flagged it to Facebook on Friday afternoon. Its description stated, in part, “Citizens are the militia” and that “we the people” “prepare for the worst and rejoice on the best...with the blood of patriot’s [sic] and tyrants…” Recode reviewed comments from within the private group from screenshots provided by the Tech Transparency Project.
In response to one “United States Militia” member post about people setting fire to a car dealership during protests this week, one user responded that self-designated “patriots” should “shoot first and ask questions later.” Another posted in response, “Time for shoot to kill these asswipes!”
In another Facebook page called “Virginia Militia,” which had over 13,000 members until it disappeared from Facebook on Friday afternoon, over a hundred users commented in support of alleged shooter Rittenhouse, arguing his violence was justified. This was a clear violation of Facebook’s stance against any praise of the suspected shooter.
One commenter went so far as to advise other members to evade law enforcement if they are involved in a similar shooting. “I believe we should all take this as a sign,” wrote the user. “If you’re forced into a shootout, and you survive. Do not wait for police, do not turn yourself in. Grab your survival bag and go ghost. Get in contact with a trusted patriot and hide out.” Sixteen members of the group reacted with a thumbs up.
Recode also found several other groups and pages on Facebook that organize members for coordinated armed action, but that omit the word “militia” in their names or descriptions.
One such page was called the “The III% Organization” — a reference to the far-right “3 percenters” movement, which advocates for armed militia to promote gun ownership rights and resistance to the US federal government in local affairs. This page also disappeared after Recode flagged it to Facebook.
A user in the group posted a meme on Wednesday, the morning after two protesters were killed in Kenosha, showing a man standing next to his car, with his hand over his chest and looking visibly relieved, with the caption, “When you think you ran over a dog but it was just a few BLM & Antifa Rioters.”
These groups are organizing and spreading their calls to violence in an increasingly polarized political atmosphere. In recent days, major right-wing media figures like Ann Coulter and Fox News host Tucker Carlson have attempted to justify vigilante violence at protests.
Twitter took down a tweet from Coulter saying she wanted the suspected Kenosha shooter to be president after individuals and groups like civil rights groups Color of Change raised concerns about its glorification of a suspected killer.
At the same time, some conservative politicians have been sharply criticized for seemingly threatening state-sponsored violence against civil rights protesters since the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor protests began earlier this year.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has accused President Trump of rooting for violence at recent protests around racial justice in the US. In May, Trump posted on social media that “when the looting starts...the shooting starts,” about protests in Minnesota against the police killing of George Floyd. In June, Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK) published a deeply controversial column in the New York Times that the paper eventually said “should not have been published;” it was titled “Send in The Troops” and advocated for bringing military forces to protests.
The proliferation of militia groups and violent, partisan rhetoric isn’t just happening on Facebook, and it’s not even necessarily originating there — it’s a complex problem that involves elected officials and right wing media figures, too. But even if militia groups aren’t contained to Facebook, the platform is making it possible for members to amplify their views. The groups and pages that Facebook only took down after Recode flagged them are a signal that the company has a major challenge ahead if it intends to effectively enforce its new policies prohibiting the propagation of violent views on its platform.
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NBCUniversal's streaming app Peacock has free movies and TV shows, and it unlocks more -- like originals -- if you pay. But you still can't stream it on a Roku.
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HBO Max is now the main streaming app for HBO plus a bunch of extra shows, movies and originals -- but there are some big complications. The biggest: Max still isn't on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.
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Walmart signs are displayed inside a Walmart store in Mexico City
Reuters
Walmart originally wanted to become the majority owner of TikTok and was working with Alphabet and SoftBank in a joint bid for the app, CNBC reported Thursday.
But according to CNBC, US government officials vetoed the idea, saying that a tech company needed to lead the deal so that it could effectively secure TikTok's data.
Trump has sought to force the sale of the app to an American tech company, citing national security concerns, via two separate executive orders, which TikTok has challenged in court.
Walmart entered the frenzied competition surrounding the potential sale of TikTok on Thursday by teaming up with Microsoft, but it apparently had bigger plans before joining the tech giant's bid.
Following the announcement Thursday, CNBC reported that Walmart had originally hoped to acquire a majority stake in TikTok: The plan was to join Google parent company Alphabet and Japanese investor SoftBank, where they'd get minority stakes.
According to CNBC, SoftBank COO Marcelo Claure had organized the group, believing the combination of Walmart's appeal to customers in conservative states and Google's robust cloud computing business — which TikTok already uses — would make a compelling partnership both politically and financially.
But Trump officials disagreed, and nixed the idea, specifically demanding that a tech company lead any acquisition deal because it would be more consistent with the administration's argument that TikTok's ownership by Chinese-based ByteDance posed a national security risk, according to CNBC.
"We are confident that a Walmart and Microsoft partnership would meet both the expectations of US TikTok users while satisfying the concerns of US government regulators," a Walmart spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement.
Walmart has since partnered with Microsoft and presumably would receive a minority stake in TikTok as part of that bid). The duo is competing with Oracle, which has reportedly been working with US investors, including General Atlantic and Sequoia Capital, both of which already own stakes in TikTok.
Trump has aggressively sought to force the sale of TikTok to an American company on the grounds it poses a national security threat. He has alleged that the Chinese government could pressure ByteDance to spy on Americans by accessing TikTok data, censor content Beijing finds politically objectionable, or sway US elections by quietly manipulating what American users see on the app.
Trump has issued two executive orders in recent weeks targeting the app. One aims to retroactively invalidate ByteDance's purchase of Musical.ly, the app that eventually became TikTok, while the other forbids American companies to do business with ByteDance.
TikTok sued the Trump administration earlier this week over the first order, claiming it violated the company's right to due process and that the government lacked evidence in claiming the app is a national security risk. Separately, one of its US employees has also challenged that order in court, arguing it would prevent TikTok from paying employees' salaries.
Dr. Greg Reid interviewed 100 of the world's richest people — from entertainment pioneers to real estate tycoons — to find out how they built their wealth and held onto it.
He and co-author Gary M. Krebs published the findings in a book, "Wealth Made Easy," which contains proven, real-world strategies for hanging onto money.
For example, buy land in an area eight miles from a fast-growing town, rent it out to local farmers to cover the costs, and then sell it to a large retail developer for much more than you paid.
Another strategy: Combine unrelated business ideas for something brand new that meets the needs of a wide range of people.
Ever wonder how you can discover the insider secrets — or wealth hacks — that millionaires and billionaires used to build their lives of sustained prosperity?
If you don't have access to super wealthy people, don't sweat it. Below are four simple wealth hacks to get you started.
1. Buy dirt
REUTERS/Jason Reed
Canadian land mogul Brian Sidorsky shares a concept so powerful it challenges your imagination. When asked how he amassed a fortune in raw, undeveloped land, he sat back in his chair and exclaimed, "Time plus dirt is wealth."
Sidorsky then clarified his concept. "Find a town anywhere in North America that is growing 20 to 25 percent a year. Pinpoint their 'Main Street' and draw a line out eight miles from that location and buy that land. That is the 'dirt.' Rent the soil to local farmers who will pay the rent that covers the costs, so it's free. As the town continues to expand, eventually it ends up on your property where you own the largest lot and, since you are already near Main Street, you can then sell that land to a big-box store for one hundred times what you paid for it."
Gene Landrum did something seemingly impossible when he founded Chuck E. Cheese's. He created an entirely new business model by combining several different ideas into one chain: food, family, and amusement park-type entertainment.
Food: Kids love pizza. Amusement park-type entertainment: Kids are fixated on video games, whack-a-mole, and air hockey.
Combine pizza and amusement park entertainment, and you have occupied kids and happy parents. Why parents? Because they can sit at the table, take a breather, and eat while their kids are busy playing in the gaming area.
The hybrid pizza chain/entertainment center concept was revolutionary, and it reversed old thinking that had kept dining and kids' entertainment separate.
What businesses can you combine to create something entirely new?
3. Take advantage of obsolescence
Wikimedia Commons
When machinery and other office equipment gets old, most companies see junk. What do they do with the junk? They donate it or toss it out.
Ron Klein —who's also the founder of the credit card magnetic strip— does not see junk: He seesopportunity.
When Klein ran General Associates, Inc.,a data communications company,he acquired large quantities of surplus Teletype equipment from the Western Union Company.
Why did he buy worthless junk? Where others saw a relic, he saw beauty — and money — in obsolescence. Klein refurbished the old Teletype equipment and sold it to major communications companies. As a special service, GA converted many of the machines into special teleprinters for the hearing impaired with messages imprinted in Braille.
He created an innovative use for what had been considered junk. What junk do you have lying around that can be converted into cash?
4. Go against the grain — work with your competitors
AP
Competition is the new collaboration. Why are there four gas stations on every main intersection? Would you rather start your restaurant on a dirt road or situate it alongside restaurant row in the best part of town?
Some may see this type of competition as a bad thing, but businesses can often help each other. Ernesto Ancira, Jr., who owns a slew of auto dealerships throughout the San Antonio, Texas area, doesn't think this way. This has been to the benefit of the industry, the community, and even for his own business, Ancira-Winton Chevrolet, Inc.
When the economy went down, Ernesto joined with his competitors and the Texas Automobile Dealers Association to reverse the negative image of the auto industry in their area. They worked together on special deals for customers and other joint events and offers — and everyone benefited, primarily because they created a level of sustained trust between consumer and dealer.
What can you do to partner with your competitors and improve the image of your industry?
Now: Take some action! To make any wealth hack work, you must think it, feel it, and get off your butt and do it.
Dr. Greg Reidis a world-renowned speaker, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. Published, coauthored, and featured in more than 50 books and five motion pictures, Reid is also the founder and CEO of the Secret Knock, an event and professional collaboration community focused on partnership, networking, and business development.
Guests gather to watch U.S. President Donald Trump deliver his acceptance speech for the Republican presidential nomination on the South Lawn of the White House August 27, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
During the final night of the Republican National Convention Thursday, a crowd formed on the White House South Lawn to hear President Donald Trump speak, with little social distancing or mask wearing.
With a crowd estimated at around 1,500, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said "a number of people" on site would be tested for COVID-19, according to Bloomberg News.
An official release from the Trump campaign did not specifically mention masks or testing, saying that the company Patronus Medical is conducting "strict protocols" that will be "in full compliance with multiple guidelines."
On the final night of the Republican National Convention, about 1,500 people gathered on the South Lawn of the White House to hear President Donald Trump speak. The crowd didn't appear to observe social distancing and very few people in attendance wore masks. The Trump campaign issued a vague statement ahead of the speech that didn't specify any testing protocols.
Chairs being assembled on the lawn in the late afternoon drew initial concern for their lack of spacing, with most of the spots sitting only inches apart.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said "a number of people" at the event will be tested, according to Bloomberg News.
The Trump campaign's statement on coronavirus protocols for the final night of the convention was vague, and did not specify what the testing situation would be or whether masks would be mandatory.
"Patronus Medical, a leading medical, safety, and health company, has worked in partnership with the Republican National Committee to make certain proper protocols are in place to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals at convention venues."
"These strict protocols are in full compliance with multiple guidelines set forth by the United States Centers for Disease Control, the District of Columbia Department of Public Health, and other leading authorities on health safety."
Like other Trump campaign events, mask wearing was scant as attendees waited for the president to speak.
People wait for US President Donald Trump's acceptance speech for the Republican Party nomination for reelection during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on August 27, 2020.
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
Mask wearing at Trump rallies has been a lingering issue of the 2020 campaign since the debacle in Tulsa back in June.
While it is unknown precisely where he contracted the virus, former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain died from COVID-19 a little more than a month after the Trump Tulsa Rally, where he was in attendance and hospitalized two weeks later.
Protesters belonging to a group that calls itself the Three Percenters attend an alt-right rally on August 17, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. | Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
