Skillsoft Reports Financial Results for the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2025The Idaho State women’s volleyball team broke its three-game losing steak and picked up a big road win Thursday night, downing second-place Sacramento State in four sets. The win puts the Bengals in a three-way tie for second in the conference standings, and positions them for their first 20-win season since 2015. ISU, 19-8 overall, finishes regular season play Saturday at Portland State. “It was a great win and nice to get the monkey off our back with winning at Sac,” said Bengal head coach Sean Carter after his team’s 26-24, 18-25, 25-19, 25-18 win over the Hornets. “I thought our serving and defending was the star of the show. Errors were the difference. We are able to win set one with seven less kills than Sac because we only had one attacking error and that set proved to be pivotal.” The Bengals had only 11 kills versus 17 by the Hornets in that first set. But Sac committed nine errors to ISU’s lone miscue. The Hornets then dominated the second set with 18 kills to ISU’s nine. But again, the Bengals played efficiently, committing only one error despite losing the set. “After set two, our serving and passing took off,” said Carter. “We only gave up two aces after set two and got eight aces in the remaining two sets. As normal, Sac scored at a really high rate with their outside hitters, but we were able to force them into more errors than they are used to.” Indeed, Sac committed nine errors in each of the last two sets, while ISU committed just five in each set. Senior Sadie Bluth led ISU with 11 kills, added two service aces, a block and six digs. Jamie Streit had 10 kills, an ace and seven digs. Aliyah Sopo’aga led all players with 33 assists and had eight digs, while sister Asiah Sopo’aga contributed 10 digs and three service aces. The win ties ISU with the Hornets and Weber State for second place in the Big Sky Conference standings at 10-5, behind Northern Colorado, which has clinched the regular season title at 13-2. The Bengals play their last regular season match Saturday beginning at 8 p.m. MST at PSU. A win would give them their first 20-win season since the 2015 Bengals under Rick Reynolds finished 23-15. The conference tournament then tips off on Wednesday in Sacramento.
Skillsoft Reports Financial Results for the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2025None
Retired special agent Robin Dreeke joins 'Fox & Friends' to discuss the background of Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO and his possible motives. The former Ivy League computer scientist charged in the ambush shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson had struggled with back pain and the fallout from a spinal surgery, according to reports. Luigi Mangione , 26, told former roommates that he suffered from chronic back pain and a pinched nerve, according to CivilBeat , a Honolulu-based publication. Mangione lived there for at least six months in 2022, according to former roommate RJ Martin, who told the outlet that Mangione's lower back problems affected him for years due to misaligned vertebrae that could sometimes pinch his spinal cord. UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO BRIAN THOMPSON'S ‘PREMEDITATED’ ATTACK AND SUSPECT'S GETAWAY: TIMELINE CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione shouts as officers restrain him as he arrives for his extradition hearing in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (David Dee Delgado for Fox News Digital) Mangione told his roommate he'd gotten surgery after moving out of the Surfbreak co-op where they lived together, then "he went radio silent." NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto Tuesday that Mangione specifically mentioned UnitedHealthcare and the shareholder conference where Thompson was headed at the time of the shooting in his alleged manifesto. Mangione had allegedly written online about his injury, the chief said, and investigators were looking into whether the health insurance industry had denied a claim from him or withheld some kind of care. NYPD detectives received more than 200 tips, he said, but none of them mentioned Mangione by name. United Healthcare CEO slaying suspect Luigi Mangione pictured at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (Pennsylvania State Police) Martin, who could not immediately be reached for comment, told the New York Times that the University of Pennsylvania alumnus' pain was so severe that sometimes it became debilitating to the point that it derailed his dating life. "He knew that dating and being physically intimate with his back condition wasn’t possible," he told the paper. "I remember him telling me that, and my heart just breaks." Forbes dug up a now-suspended Reddit account attributed to Mangione in which he discussed symptoms of spondylolisthesis, a painful condition involving slipped vertebrae. An archived version shows he described "numbness/tingling" in his toes and lower back pain. He advised others to strengthen their core muscles to take pressure off their back. A screenshot from surveillance footage released by the NYPD shows an alleged person of interest wanted in connection to the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (NYPD Crime Stoppers ) Police have not immediately publicized a potential motive for the murder but alleged that Mangione admitted to the crime in writing and left behind other clues, including bullet casings with the words "deny," "defend" and "depose" on them and a backpack full of Monopoly money. In social media accounts believed to belong to Mangione, he posted an X-ray photo of screws and a plate attached to someone's lower back. Much of his content on Instagram showed him traveling at tropical destinations, hiking and being outdoors. He also discussed back pain and retweeted content about technology, AI, nutrition and other subjects. Mangione appeared to rationalize the actions of Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, on Goodreads, a book-based social media site. Writing about the bomber's manifesto, "Industrial Society and Its Future," he quoted another online "take that [he] found interesting." This undated photo provided by UnitedHealth Group shows UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson. (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group) "When all other forms of communication fail, violence is necessary to survive," he wrote. "You may not like his methods, but to see things from his perspective, it's not terrorism, it's war and revolution." UNITED HEALTHCARE CEO BRIAN THOMPSON LAID TO REST IN MINNESOTA Martin told CivilBeat that Mangione had suggested Kaczynski's manifesto to their local book club. The reading material was so "painful to read" that it ended up breaking apart the club, he told the outlet. But Mangione, writing on Goodreads, felt that it had predicted the future. "It's easy to quickly and thoughtlessly write this off as the manifesto of a lunatic, in order to avoid facing some of the uncomfortable problems it identifies," he wrote. "But it's simply impossible to ignore how prescient many of his predictions about modern society turned out." A surveillance image released by the NYPD shows the suspect in the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. (NYPD Crimestoppers) For an anti-capitalist, two key stops for investigators trying to find him happened at multinational chain restaurants – a New York City Starbucks, where he is believed to have left DNA evidence before the shooting, and a Pennsylvania McDonald's, where police arrested him after witnesses recognized his features from a wanted poster. WHO IS LUIGI MANGIONE, SUSPECT IN UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER? Responding officers, including a rookie cop who received praise from leaders in New York and Pennsylvania, immediately recognized Mangione as the suspect wanted in connection with the New York City ambush shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, authorities said. They found Mangione wearing a beanie and a coronavirus mask , sitting with a laptop at a table in the fast food joint. WATCH: McDonald's customer recognized suspect's backpack, jacket Prosecutors alleged in court that he had the suspected murder weapon, a so-called ghost gun with 3D-printed parts and a suppressor, the same fake ID used to check into a Manhattan hostel before the shooting, $10,000 in American and foreign cash, and a "Faraday bag" used to block cell service. Mangione told the judge that the cash wasn't his. "I don't know where that money came from," he said. "It must have been planted. I don't have that kind of cash." The bag, he added, was just a waterproof bag. An online search found several companies selling Faraday containers describe them as also being waterproof. A photo obtained by Fox News Digital shows Luigi Mangione. (Obtained by Fox News Digital) NYPD BELIEVES UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO ASSASSIN LEFT NEW YORK CITY ON A BUS MORNING OF SHOOTING Surveillance video taken outside a Midtown Manhattan Hilton hotel shows a masked assassin sneak up behind Thompson on the sidewalk around 6:45 a.m. last Wednesday, Dec. 4. Thompson was on his way to a shareholder conference at the venue set to begin later that morning when the gunman opened fire from behind. As the CEO collapsed on the street, a woman who witnessed the attack fled in one direction, and the masked figure casually walked off in the other. Police tracked his movements throughout New York City to a bus depot, where he left about an hour after the slaying. Luigi Mangione poses with a McDonald's meal in a Facebook photograph posted on Aug. 24, 2019. He was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Monday in connection with the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Luigi Mangione/Facebook) Surveillance images taken from a hostel he stayed at near Central Park circulated widely online as police launched an interstate manhunt for the suspect. Mangione is facing a slew of charges in New York in connection with the murder, as well as additional charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm and a forged ID, in Pennsylvania. He graduated with bachelor and master's degrees in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 and comes from a prominent Baltimore family. Luigi Mangione pictured in a Facebook photo. Mangione was taken into custody in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Monday morning in connection with the ambush murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City. (Luigi Mangione/Facebook) FAMILY OF UNITED HEALTHCARE CEO SHOOTING SUSPECT SAYS THEY ARE ‘SHOCKED’ BY SON'S ARREST He also attended the Gilman School, a private prep school in the city, where he was valedictorian in 2016. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The notes left on the bullet casings found at the crime scene have drawn comparisons to the book "Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It" – speculation swirled that the slaying may have grown out of resentment for a denied claim. The book was not found on Mangione's Goodreads account when accessed before it was set to private Monday.
BEIRUT: Rebels advanced on Syria’s fourth-largest city Hama Tuesday, buoyed by their lightning capture of swathes of the north in an offensive that ended four years of relative calm. The sudden flare-up in the more than decade-old civil war in Syria just as a fragile ceasefire took effect in neighbouring Lebanon drew appeals for de-escalation from across the international community. Group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies met much tougher resistance in the countryside north of Hama than they did in the Aleppo region on Friday and Saturday, a Britain-based war monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the heaviest fighting with government forces so far as the offensive entered its seventh day. “Clashes have erupted in the northern Hama countryside, where rebel factions managed to seize several cities and towns in the last few hours,” the Observatory said. “Syrian and Russian air forces carried out dozens of strikes on the area.” Syrian state media reported that the two air forces had bombed the rebels in their Idlib stronghold as well as their vanguard in Hama province. Russia is a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad. Its 2015 intervention in the Syrian civil war turned the tide in his government’s favour but since 2022 the Ukraine war has tied down much of its military resources. Hama was a bastion of opposition to the Assad government early in the civil war. For many of the city’s residents, the scars of a 1982 massacre by the army, aimed at crushing the banned Muslim Brotherhood, have yet to heal. But its capture by the rebels would “pose a threat to the regime’s popular base”, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said. The countryside west of the city is home to many Alawites, followers of the same offshoot of Shiite Islam as the president and his security chiefs. An AFP journalist in the northern Hama countryside saw dozens of Syrian army tanks and military vehicles abandoned by the side of the road leading to Hama. “We want to advance on Hama after combing” towns that have been captured, a rebel fighter who identified himself as Abu al-Huda al-Sourani told AFP. The United Nations says nearly 50,000 people have been displaced by the fighting since it began last Wednesday. Hundreds of people have been killed, most of them combatants, according to the Observatory. The mounting exodus of civilians just as winter takes hold has triggered international alarm. UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was “alarmed” by the violence and called for an immediate halt to the fighting. The European Union called on “all sides to de-escalate”. Speaking to reporters Monday, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said: “We want to see all countries use their influence — use their leverage — to push for de-escalation, protection of civilians and ultimately, a political process forward.” Assad is no longer the pariah in the Arab world that he was at the height of the civil war. Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf Arab states have all expressed concern over his government’s losses. At a summit in Cairo last year, Arab leaders agreed to reinstate Syria’s membership of the Arab League, marking the start of a slow rehabilitation. HTS is rooted in Al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch and has faced accusations of human rights abuses including torture. One anxious resident of Syria’s second city Aleppo, who declined to be identified, spoke of panic as the rebels overran it on Friday and Saturday. “There were terrible traffic jams — it took people 13 to 15 hours to reach Homs,” he said. Normally, it would take just a couple of hours to reach Syria’s third city, which lies between Hama and Damascus, he added.Titans S Julius Wood suspended 6 games for PEDs
CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — Jestin Porter had 26 points in Middle Tennessee's 95-88 win over South Florida on Friday. Porter shot 9 for 12 (4 for 6 from 3-point range) and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line for the Blue Raiders (5-1). Essam Mostafa scored 20 points and added 10 rebounds. Kamari Lands shot 6 for 12, including 4 for 8 from beyond the arc to finish with 17 points. The Bulls (3-3) were led in scoring by Jayden Reid, who finished with 18 points, four assists and three steals. Jamille Reynolds added 17 points and nine rebounds for South Florida. Kasen Jennings finished with 13 points. Middle Tennessee led 51-33 at halftime, with Porter racking up 14 points. Mostafa led the way with a team-high 14 second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Market to Exhibit a Remarkable CAGR of 5.90% by 2029, Size, Share, Trends, Key Drivers, Demand, Opportunity Analysis and Competitive Outlook 12-03-2024 10:07 PM CET | Advertising, Media Consulting, Marketing Research Press release from: Data Bridge Market Research Data Bridge Market Research analyses that the market is growing with a CAGR of 5.9% in the forecast period of 2022 to 2029 and is expected to reach USD 5,688.50 million by 2029 from USD 3,616.78 million in 2021. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is a laboratory procedure which is used to determine which antimicrobial impedes the growth of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganism causing a specific infection. Susceptibility testing is performed on microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi causing the infection after they have been recovered in a culture of the specimen. Browse More About This Research Report @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-antimicrobial-susceptibility-testing-market Some of the major players operating in the antimicrobial susceptibility testing market are BD, Synbiosis, Zhuhai DL Biotech Co., Ltd, Mast Group Ltd., HiMedia Laboratories, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Creative Diagnostics, Genefluidics, Inc., Rosco Diagnostica A/S, ERBA Group, Liofilchem S.r.l., Alifax S.r.l., MERLIN Gesellschaft für mikrobiologische Diagnostika mbH, bioMérieux SA, Merck KGaA, Danaher, Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc., NuMedii, Inc., and BacterioScan, Inc. among others. Competitive Landscape and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Market Share Analysis : Antimicrobial susceptibility testing market competitive landscape provides details by competitor. Details included are company overview, company financials, revenue generated, market potential, investment in research and development, new market initiatives, production sites and facilities, company strengths and weaknesses, product launch, product trials pipelines, product approvals, patents, product width and breadth, application dominance, technology lifeline curve. The above data points provided are only related to the company's focus related to antimicrobial susceptibility testing market. Browse Trending Reports: https://dbmr064rs.blogspot.com/2024/11/laboratory-centrifuge-market-trends.html https://dbmr064rs.blogspot.com/2024/11/potato-protein-market-analysis-supply.html https://dbmr064rs.blogspot.com/2024/11/spondylosis-treatment-market-trends.html https://dbmr064rs.blogspot.com/2024/11/frasier-syndrome-market-frasier.html About Data Bridge Market Research: An absolute way to predict what the future holds is to understand the current trend! Data Bridge Market Research presented itself as an unconventional and neoteric market research and consulting firm with an unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are committed to uncovering the best market opportunities and nurturing effective information for your business to thrive in the marketplace. Data Bridge strives to provide appropriate solutions to complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process. Data Bridge is a set of pure wisdom and experience that was formulated and framed in 2015 in Pune. Contact Us: - Data Bridge Market Research US: +1 614 591 3140 UK: +44 845 154 9652 APAC: +653 1251 1177 Email: - sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com This release was published on openPR.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Six Alaska House seats currently held by men are set to be held by women next year, bringing the overall number of women in the chamber to 21. This will be the first time in the state’s history that one of the legislative chambers is majority women. The women elected to the Alaska House bring a variety of experiences and perspectives to the chamber. Ten of them are Republicans, including four newly elected this year. Nine are Democrats — including three who are newly elected. Two are independents who caucus with Democrats. There are also five women in the state Senate, a number that remained unchanged in this year’s election, bringing the total number of women in the Alaska Legislature to 26 out of 60, a new record for the state. The previous record of 23 was set in 2019. Nationally, around a third of legislative seats were held by women this year, according to researchers at Rutgers University. Nearly two-thirds of women legislators are Democrats. In Alaska, women serving in the Legislature are largely evenly split between the major political parties. Before this year’s election, only seven states had ever seen gender parity in one of their legislative chambers. They include Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Colorado, New Mexico and Oregon. California is set to join the list after this year’s election. Three of the women slated to serve in the Alaska House next year are Alaska Native — also a record. Two of them were elected for the first time: Robyn Burke of Utqiagvik , who is of Iñupiaq descent, and Nellie Jimmie of Toksook Bay, who is of Yup’ik descent. They join Rep. Maxine Dibert of Fairbanks, of Koyukon Athabascan descent, who was elected in 2022. The historic increase in representation of women came in Alaska even as voters did not reelect U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, the first woman and first Alaska Native person to represent the state in the U.S. House. Peltola was voted out in favor of Republican Nick Begich III. Women come to the Alaska Legislature from diverse professional backgrounds, but a disproportionate number of them will arrive with some experience in public education. Three of the newly elected lawmakers — Burke, Jubilee Underwood of Wasilla and Rebecca Schwanke of Glennallen — have served on their local school boards, helping oversee the North Slope Borough, Matanuska-Susitna Borough and Copper River school districts, respectively. The three bring different perspectives on public education. Burke said she is looking forward to working with a bipartisan caucus that is set to have a majority in the Alaska House this year, with a focus on increasing education funding and improving the retirement options for Alaska’s public employees, including teachers. Schwanke and Underwood, on the other hand, have indicated they will join the Republican minority caucus, which has shown an interest in conservative social causes such as barring the participation of transgender girls in girls’ school sports teams. The increase in the number of women serving in the Alaska Legislature comes as public education funding is set to be a key issue when lawmakers convene in January. Burke said she and the other newly elected women bring different policy perspectives to the topic of education, but their shared experience in serving on school boards reflects a commitment to their children’s education. “With so many parents and so many moms, I hope that there will be really good legislation that supports working families and children and education,” Burke said. ©2024 Anchorage Daily News. Visit at adn.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Education The free and compulsory primary education has been focused in each successive government’s education policy, but the programme was never implemented in letter and spirit. Resultantly, goals set under SDGs, particularly those relating to primary education for all, remained low by great margin from the target. Resultantly, Pakistan is faced with the lowest literacy rate and a glaring inequality in education gender wise. According to recent Human Development report, published by UNDP, regarding gender gap, Pakistan has been placed at 145th position out of 146 countries surveyed. Only 27.9 percent of females of the age 15 and above are literate. As per statics of 2022, there were 80 percent and 55 percent literacy rates in urban and rural areas, respectively, of the country. In rural areas, female enrolment rate is around 42 percent. Female enrolment was recorded highest at primary level, but seems to decrease progressively at secondary, college and tertiary levels. Keeping in view the size of the social sector development programme, there is a need to increase allocations for education and health sectors. The present allocation for education, being 2.7 percent of GNP or 8.8 percent of total government expenditures, is woefully low. Status of women development in Pakistan–I However, it is a matter of satisfaction that new education policy has its focus on technical education, particularly on information technology for women. In recent years, non-governmental sector’s role has gained a lot of importance in developing and implementing social sector initiatives. Donor agencies and government itself have inducted notable NGOs for promoting female education in less-developed areas of all the four provinces speedily, realizing the fact that education besides having its intrinsic worth has impact on human capital, productivity and capabilities for participation and social interaction. Economic empowerment According to Human Development report of 2022, population earning dollars two or less per day exceeds 84% of the total population. Nearly 70 percent of this poverty-stricken population of Pakistan is women. In order to eradicate poverty and empower women economically, their participation in economic process needs to be enhanced. In recent years there has been substantial increase in urban women participation in economic activity due to increase in the number of educated women, rising cost of living and successive governments’ objective of mainstreaming women in economic process. Despite increasing involvement of women in economic activity, there is wide gender gap regarding size of earnings. The human development report depicts a woman’s earnings equivalent to US dollar 916 against 2,884 of man. The report also reveals that employment of women in Agriculture is 66 percent of total female population, whereas male employment ratio in agriculture is only 41 percent. Females’ average contribution to total family income has improved to 39 percent. This is mainly due to increasing responsibilities imposed on women to maintain not only themselves, but also their rapidly growing families. Resultantly, their deployment in informal sector continues to increase. Women’s share in formal sector, particularly in civil and financial services, has enhanced considerably. In NPS grades 16 to 22 their percentage has improved to 11 percent, whereas in lower scales it continues to be 5 percent for last 10 years. In financial sector, women employees’ strength has got doubled in last 10 years and women have been provided opportunities to elevate themselves to clinch top and senior management positions. Actual need is to look into plight of women in informal sector where legal and economic rights are being denied due to lacunae in labor laws relating to the fields where most women work. Hence informal sector is needed to be documented, making registration of each employee of business units compulsory irrespective of its size to remove all exploitations of workers. The reserved quota for women in all civil services and public sector corporations needs to be enhanced to 20% at least and to be monitored strictly. Government’s initiatives to motivate women to become self–employed deserve appreciation. Women have been given easy access to credit through specialized financial institutions like First Women Bank and SME Bank and also Micro Credit Banks both in public and private sectors. The recent involvement of Export Promotion Bureau and Chambers of Commerce and Industry to improve business and technical skills of businesswomen is really commendable. Creation of separate chambers of trade and commerce is yet another advantageous step to promote businesses of women. They organize seminars and technical courses on continuous basis for the purpose, and to create market for their products, exhibitions are being held both abroad and within the country. This will go a long way in motivating women to set up businesses not only for their own economic well-being, but also for the country’s overall economic development. Further, historically, women now have the largest-ever representation in Assemblies, Senate and Local governments. They will have parliamentary strength to influence legislative processes for reviewing all discriminatory laws against women and also to prevail upon economic managers of the country to make greater allocations for social sector and women development in particular. (Concluded) Copyright Business Recorder, 2024A gruesome body camera footage released by Attorney General Letitia James shows a handcuffed inmate, being brutally beaten by correction officers at Marcy Correctional Facility. The December 9 incident, now under investigation, left the inmate unconscious and stripped to his underwear in an examination room. He died due to his injuries the following day. Robert Brooks , 43, was serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault. The footage, captured by four body cameras, reveals three guards repeatedly punching, kicking, and stomping on him while others stood by. Blood streamed down the right side of Brooks’ swollen face as he endured the attack, which spanned approximately 30 minutes. At one point, a guard appeared to choke him before Brooks was left unconscious on an exam table. The Onondaga County medical examiner attributed Brooks’ death to asphyxia caused by neck compression. The videos, released without audio due to the cameras being in standby mode, were shared by Attorney General James during a press conference. In the conference on Friday, James said, “My deepest condolences to out to Mr. Brooks’ family,” adding “I do not take lightly the release of this video especially in the middle of the holiday season.” She said that it is her “duty” and “responsibility” to provide the video to the public. State corrections commissioner Daniel Martuscello III described the incident as “vulgar” and “inhumane,” adding that such acts “senselessly took a life.” He confirmed the suspension of 13 staff members without pay, while one employee has resigned. At Governor Kathy Hochul’s request, steps to terminate those involved are underway. Martuscello pledged systemic changes to prevent similar incidents, as per the New York Post. “This was a killing, and people will be held accountable,” Martuscello stated. “These individuals are not representative of the culture of DOCCS nor anything that DOCCS stands for.” Reverend Al Sharpton condemned the attack, calling for criminal charges. “These officers clearly acted as though they had the right to treat a handcuffed man with unimaginable cruelty,” Sharpton said. Meanwhile, concerns of unrest have arisen and increased security measures were implemented at Rikers Island after social media posts by the Gorilla Stone Bloods gang voiced support for Brooks. Law enforcement clarified that Brooks was not affiliated with the gang. The Attorney General’s office continues its investigation, with James meeting Brooks’ family to review the footage. “This senseless act of violence demands justice,” she affirmed.
HOUSTON (AP) — An elaborate parody appears to be behind an effort to resurrect Enron, the Houston-based energy company that exemplified the worst in American corporate fraud and greed after it went bankrupt in 2001. If its return is comedic, some former employees who lost everything in Enron’s collapse aren’t laughing. “It’s a pretty sick joke and it disparages the people that did work there. And why would you want to even bring it back up again?” said former Enron employee Diana Peters, who represented workers in the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. Here’s what to know about the history of Enron and the purported effort to bring it back. Once the nation’s seventh-largest company, Enron filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 2, 2001, after years of accounting tricks could no longer hide billions of dollars in debt or make failing ventures appear profitable. The energy company's collapse put more than 5,000 people out of work and wiped out more than $2 billion in employee pensions. Its aftershocks were felt throughout the energy sector. Twenty-four Enron executives , including former CEO Jeffrey Skilling , were convicted for their roles in the fraud. Enron founder Ken Lay’s convictions were vacated after he died of heart disease following his 2006 trial. On Monday — the 23rd anniversary of the bankruptcy filing — a company representing itself as Enron announced in a news release it was relaunching as a “company dedicated to solving the global energy crisis.” It also posted a video on social media, advertised on at least one Houston billboard and a took out a full-page ad in the Houston Chronicle In the minute-long video full of generic corporate jargon, the company talks about “growth” and “rebirth.” It ends with the words, “We’re back. Can we talk?” In an email, company spokesperson Will Chabot said the new Enron was not doing any interviews yet, but "We’ll have more to share soon.” Signs point to the comeback being a joke. In the “terms of use and conditions of sale” on the company's website, it says “the information on the website about Enron is First Amendment protected parody, represents performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only.” Story continues below video Documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show College Company, an Arkansas-based LLC, owns the Enron trademark. The co-founder of College Company is Connor Gaydos, who helped create a joke conspiracy theory claiming all birds are actually government surveillance drones. Peters said she and some other former employees are upset and think the relaunch was “in poor taste.” “If it’s a joke, it’s rude, extremely rude. And I hope that they realize it and apologize to all of the Enron employees,” Peters said. Peters, 74, said she is still working in information technology because “I lost everything in Enron, and so my Social Security doesn’t always take care of things I need done.” “Enron’s downfall taught us critical lessons about corporate ethics, accountability, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. Enron’s legacy was the employees in the trenches. Leave Enron buried,” she said. But Sherron Watkins, Enron’s former vice president of corporate development and the main whistleblower who helped uncover the scandal, said she didn’t have a problem with the joke because comedy “usually helps us focus on an uncomfortable historical event that we’d rather ignore.” “I think we use prior scandals to try to teach new generations what can go wrong with big companies,” said Watkins, who still speaks at colleges and conferences about the Enron scandal. This story was corrected to fix the spelling of Ken Lay’s first name, which had been misspelled “Key.” Follow Juan A. Lozano on X at https://x.com/juanlozano70Aaron Judge won't be bothered if Juan Soto gets bigger contract from Yankees than his $360M deal
In 2024, social media platforms implemented numerous changes to their features, policies, and monetization options. From AI-powered content tools to radical policy shifts, these updates reshaped how creators, businesses, and users engage with social media. Here’s a rundown on the major changes and a hint at what could be in store for 2025. Instagram: Enhanced Features and Safety Instagram made substantial updates to both its creator tools and safety features in 2024. The platform began testing a "Spring Bonus" program for creators and increased the carousel content limit from 10 to 20 images or videos. For content management, Instagram also enabled post scheduling up to 75 days in advance. On the safety front, the platform unveiled privacy improvements, including AI identification of young users who lie about their age to automatically switch them to stricter privacy settings. Instagram also released new tools to protect against unwanted nude images and sextortion, while testing an option to reset content recommendations users see in their main feed, Reels, and Explore page. YouTube: AI Integration and Creator Features YouTube implemented several major updates in 2024. The platform now requires creators to disclose when "realistic content" is made or altered using synthetic media, including AI. In March, YouTube announced that more than 25% of channels in its YouTube Partnership Program are now earning revenue from Shorts. The platform enabled creators to appeal suspensions and demonetization, and launched new tools for Shorts, including the ability to create autogenerated captions, modify caption fonts and colors, remix already remixed audio and video clips, and add autogenerated voice-overs. The platform also updated its policies to allow users to request video takedowns of AI-generated content that realistically replicates their face or voice. Facebook: AI Tools and Monetization Facebook launched several new features in 2024, including Movie Gen, which offers new AI content creation and editing tools. The platform merged in-stream ads, Reels ads, and performance bonuses into a new Content Monetization beta. Facebook also removed the monthly earning limit for performance bonuses and launched new advertiser tools to create marketing materials using gen AI prompts. TikTok: New Features and Legal Challenges TikTok expanded its AI ads tool Symphony Creative Studio to all advertisers, including the ability to use virtual AI influencers. The platform filed two new trademarks: "TikTok Go" to promote "restaurants, retail businesses, the travel industry, and other online and offline businesses," and a BNPL offering called "TikTok PayLater." TikTok also partnered with Amazon to show Amazon product recommendations as pop up ads on users' For You Pages and enable purchases directly in app. In April, President Biden signed the so-called TikTok ban into law, giving ByteDance 9 months to divest the popular social media app. The platform also paused the rewards program on its TikTok Lite app amid a new investigation by European regulators. X (formerly Twitter): Policy Updates X made several significant policy changes in 2024. The platform updated its policies to allow users to post sexually explicit content as long as it's "consensually produced and distributed," as well as violent content provided it's not "excessively gory or depicting sexual violence." The platform also hid public likes to "protect privacy" and restricted its live streaming feature to paid subscribers. Elon Musk has said X is considering getting rid of likes and reposts, though no release date has been set. Snapchat: Advertising and Subscription Growth Snapchat introduced new advertising features including Sponsored Snaps, which allow users to receive video messages from advertisers, and Promoted Places, enabling advertisers to sponsor locations on Snap Maps. The platform announced that Snapchat+ has surpassed 12 million subscribers, more than double year-over-year. Other Platform Developments Several other platforms made notable moves in 2024. Threads reached almost 275 million monthly active users and is reportedly planning to introduce ads early next year. Bluesky and Mastodon users can now follow accounts and engage with posts on each other's networks, in an effort to create an interoperable "fediverse." LinkedIn introduced games as a new way to engage with professional networks, while Reddit launched a content and ad revenue-sharing program with sports leagues like the NFL, NBA, and NASCAR. Looking Ahead: The TikTok Ban The U.S. social media landscape stands at a crossroads as January 2025 approaches. If ByteDance doesn't sell TikTok by January 19, the app will become unavailable in the U.S., though the Supreme Court will review the case on January 10. While platforms like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and Threads have been steadily building their short-form video capabilities and creator tools throughout 2024, any transition would be complicated by China's stance on keeping TikTok's algorithm as its intellectual property. With potential buyers like Frank McCourt's group expressing interest but significant hurdles remaining, the future of short-form video content in the U.S. hangs in the balance as we await these crucial decisions in early 2025.