COVID-19-related death claims life of two-month-old in Michigan

The coronavirus pandemic has claimed another young victim

A family in Lansing, Michigan is mourning the loss of their infant girl due to complications related to the coronavirus. 

Read More: 60% of business closures due to coronavirus now permanent: Yelp

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately give specific details about what led up to the child’s death because of confidentiality concerns. 

As of today, about 800 children across the United States received diagnoses with multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children, also known as MIS-C. It’s associated with COVID-19. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MIS-C is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. Children with MIS-C may have a fever and various symptoms, including abdominal (gut) pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling extra tired. 

The CDC says it does not yet know what causes MIS-C. However, many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19 or had been around someone with COVID-19.

Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly puts a cotton swab in a sampling tube as he takes a coronavirus (COVID-19) test during a preview of a new COVID-19 testing site inside Cashman Center on August 3, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

This latest death of a two-month-old girl further dispels common misconceptions that children cannot contract the coronavirus. 

The chief medical executive for the Michigan Department of Health explained at a press conference Wednesday that the chances of children getting the virus are smaller but emphasized children are not immune. 

“Studies show that while children are less likely to get severely ill from COVID-19, they still can,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said. “And they can also pass it on to others including adults who are more likely to get sick or ill from COVID-19.” 

The last known coronavirus-related child death happened in April. That’s when 5-year-old Skylar Herbert of Detroit died from the deadly virus. In her case, she developed meningoencephalitis, which caused her brain to swell. Doctors put her on a ventilator on April 4. She died two weeks later.

In the press conference, Khaldun said also that the state of Michigan is averaging under ten deaths per day which is down from earlier in the pandemic. 

Michigan health officials did share that there were 25 reported cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recent months. The state health department also recorded 41 confirmed or probable cases of Kawasaki disease since March 1.

The Kawasaki disease is an illness that affects mostly children under the age of 5 with inflammation throughout the body. Its symptoms can cause: rash, fever, and eye irritation among other flare-ups. 

Read More: US outlines sweeping plan to provide free COVID-19 vaccines

The CDC says Both diseases have been linked to exposure or contraction of COVID-19.

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How VR—and Marvel Superheroes—Might Elicit Empathy

At WIRED's virtual conference, actress Brie Larson, VR director Elijah Allan-Blitz, and Magic Labs Media founder Van Jones talked about their new short films.

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Director Nia DaCosta on the Real-World Horrors in 'Candyman'

At this year's WIRED25, the writer-director talked about rebooting the classic slasher and the future of filmmaking after the pandemic.

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Coronavirus: South Africa eases strict lockdown as cases drop

From 20 September a curfew will be eased, bigger gatherings allowed, and alcohol will be on sale.

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Trump indoor rally site fined $3K for virus violations

Trump’s campaign organizers were warned that defying regulations could be dangerous

Trump is having a hard time following COVID-19 regulations. At a recent indoor rally in Nevada, the president attracted thousands of supporters violating the state’s restrictions of 50 people or more.

Read More: ICE deports witness in sexual assault investigation at Texas center

According to CNN, the event was held at the Xtreme Manufacturing facility in Henderson, Nevada. The facility decided to go forward with the rally despite warnings from the city that it violated state regulations.

Kathleen Richards the city of Henderson spokeswoman issued a statement that read:

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Xtreme Manufacturing on September 13, 2020 in Henderson, Nevada. Trump’s visit comes after Nevada Republicans blamed Democratic Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak for blocking other events he had planned in the state. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

“The City of Henderson has issued a compliance letter and verbal warning to the event organizer that the event as planned would be in direct violation of the governor’s COVID-19 emergency directives. Specifically, gatherings of more than 50 people in a private or public setting is prohibited.”

Large live events must be approved by the Nevada Department of Business and Industry, Division of Industrial Relations and at this time, the City has not been notified that this event has been approved. The City may assess a fine of up to $500 per violation of the governor’s directives as well as suspend or revoke the business license.”

The violations eventually racked up to a whopping $3,000. According to KTNV, Xtreme Manufacturing was fined for facilitating a crowd that exceeded over 50 people, failing to social distance, and neglecting to wear face coverings.

Originally the rallies were going to be held at Nevada’s airport hangars but they pulled out when they discovered the event would exceed the 50 person limit.

There have been almost 200,000 coronavirus deaths but despite the alarming numbers Trump supporters say they have every right to attend the rally.

“I feel like that’s my freedom as an American to attend the event,” said Trump rally attendee Kyle Hackett told CNN. “And if I catch COVID, that’s the consequences of my actions, so I’m willing to take that risk and have a good time today.”

Before the rally, event organizers said they had a plan to keep attendees safe.

Read More: Trump says he ‘up-played’ virus after telling Woodward he wanted to ‘play it down’

“Every attendee will get a temperature check prior to admission, be provided a mask they’re encouraged to wear and have access to plenty of hand sanitizers,” a campaign official told CNN.

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OPINION: Did Robert F. Smith Use Black America?

A criminal tax investigation could reveal that Smith’s $40 million gift to Morehouse may have been a strategy to achieve leniency.

(Photo: Morehouse College)

Robert F. Smith, the businessman, philanthropist and the wealthiest Black man in America, gained a great deal of attention and accolades when he pledged to pay off the entire student loan debt of the Morehouse College class of 2019. Tweets went out in praise. Memes of Black folk changing their degrees to “Morehouse ‘19” went up. And a collective sense of pride filled many chests as they saw the gift as the perfect example of “taking care of our own.”

Smith vowed to pay off the college loans incurred by the parents of these 400 young men — up to $50,000 per family — for a total of $34 million. No one needs to tell you that is a lot of money, particularly for Black folks who pursue education only through great sacrifice and financial hardship that others in this country cannot begin to conceive.

When Smith gave his Morehouse commencement address, what many didn’t know is that he was being investigated by the Justice Department and the IRS for possible tax offenses, including allegations that he neglected to pay taxes on $200 million in assets, proceeds from his first private equity fund that moved through offshore structures in the Caribbean. 

Smith is reportedly attempting to reach a civil settlement with the government, and previously tried to gain entrance to an IRS amnesty program to avoid prosecution in 2014 when the IRS first investigated him. He was turned down. Under the program–which provides amnesty to taxpayers who failed to report offshore accounts—the IRS reportedly turns down applicants it already knows did not report those assets, according to Bloomberg. Smith was one of them.

The investigation against Smith is of a criminal nature. The feds have focused on the movement of funds from two offshore accounts into Smith’s charitable foundation in 2014. Investigators have also zeroed in on the winding down of Smith’s first private equity fund that year, which also coincided with his divorce.  

One of the many questions Smith’s philanthropy raises is whether he contributed these millions with the knowledge that news of the tax allegations would come out. Was there any aspect of these initiatives that were an effort to fortify his image in the Black community, and the community at-large? How much did Robert Smith donate to Black America before he had a severe tax problem in 2014?  How should we view his generous contribution to Morehouse in light of the tax probe?  

While these questions may seem uncomfortable for some of us to ask, they challenge us to think about how the wealthy influence many aspects of our society and the true reasons for their charitable gifts.

As Jelani Cobb suggested, philanthropy is a “penance mechanism” for those who know they’ve done wrong, or serves to hide their foibles by causing people to focus on their charity.            

Given that Smith faces a criminal investigation, a question that remains is whether he should be criminally charged. Offshore tax havens for corporations and the rich are a real problem, with $36 trillion and 10% or more of global GDP in untaxed money stashed away each year. By comparison, the U.S. government takes in $3 trillion in annual revenue. At a time when millions are suffering financially under the coronavirus pandemic and governments face economic turmoil, there must be accountability for those who are hiding vast sums of money that could help people in need.

Ultimately, the truth reigns supreme and through time, it comes to light.

But perhaps the most interesting revelation from this story, is that Smith followed the lead of another billionaire who was convicted of tax evasion- Ty Warner of Beanie Babies.

After being convicted of tax evasion and holding offshore accounts worth 104 million dollars, the judge praised Ty Warner for his charitable gifts and Warner’s legal team was able to get him a plea deal of only 5 years probation, and no jail time.  

Robert F. Smith has hired one of Warner’s former lawyers and is campaigning for a legal settlement and no criminal charges.

The donations. The same lawyer.  Is this a coincidence? Or is this a strategy that reveals the manipulation of Black America to achieve a legal outcome?

For the Black community to continue to advance, we must be willing to celebrate good deeds and gifts, without fear of considering the context of the giving— whether they be from organizations, corporations, or individuals who look like us.

The investigation of Robert F. Smith’s taxes may reveal he’s a Black man with something to hide— or a target in this nation’s taking down of another Black man in America. Our willingness to look at whatever truth may come from it, reveals the price we put on integrity.

Follow David A. Love on Twitter at @davidalove.

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Police leaders pressed Rochester to keep Prude video secret

Deputy Chief Mark Simmons cited the ‘current climate’ in an email advising then-Chief La’ron Singletary to press the city’s lawyers to deny a Prude family lawyer’s public records request for the footage

Rochester police commanders urged city officials to hold off on publicly releasing body camera footage of Daniel Prude’s suffocation death because they feared violent blowback if the video came out during nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd, newly released emails show.

Deputy Chief Mark Simmons cited the “current climate” in the city and the nation in a June 4 email advising then-Chief La’ron Singletary to press the city’s lawyers to deny a Prude family lawyer’s public records request for the footage of the March 23 encounter that led to his death.

Read More: Rochester police chief fired in fallout over Daniel Prude death

The video, finally made public by Prude’s family on Sept. 4, shows Prude handcuffed and naked with a spit hood over his head as an officer pushes his face against the ground, while another officer presses a knee to his back. The officers held him down for about two minutes until he stopped breathing. He was taken off life support a week later.

“We certainly do not want people to misinterpret the officers’ actions and conflate this incident with any recent killings of unarmed black men by law enforcement nationally,” Simmons wrote. “That would simply be a false narrative, and could create animosity and potentially violent blow back in this community as a result.”

The Western New York city released the emails, police reports and other documents on Monday as Mayor Lovely Warren fired Singletary and suspended Corporation Counsel Tim Curtin and Communications Director Justin Roj without pay for 30 days amid continuing fallout from Prude’s death. Simmons was named interim chief of the police department.

Simmons’ email seeking to have the city deny the Freedom of Information Law request echoed emails from other police officials worried about releasing video of the March 23 encounter as demonstrators were taking to the streets of Rochester and elsewhere to protest Floyd’s May 25 death in Minneapolis and other police killings of Black people.

Lt. Mike Perkowski told a city lawyer on June 4 that he was “very concerned about releasing this prematurely in light of what is going on” and Capt. Frank Umbrino told another police official “any release of information should be in conjunction with and coordinated with the Mayor and the Chief as it very well have some intense ramifications.”

Simmons forwarded both emails to Singletary with his message advising the chief to have the Prude family lawyer’s public records request squashed, according to the documents released Monday. Simmons suggested that the city deny the request because the case was still under investigation by the state attorney general’s office.

“I totally agree,” Singletary replied, according to the emails.

Later on June 4, as discussion of the records request continued, city lawyer Stephanie Prince told Curtin of a way to buy more time: allowing the attorney general’s office to show the family the video, as it has done in other cases, but not give them a copy of it.

“This way, the City is not releasing anything pertaining to the case for at least a month (more like 2), and it will not be publicly available,” Prince wrote.

Daniel Prude.

Warren maintains that she did not see the body camera footage until city lawyers played it for her on Aug. 4 and that Singletary initially misled her about the circumstances of Prude’s death.

After seeing the video, Warren emailed Singletary that she was “outraged” at the conduct of the officer who pressed Prude’s head against the ground, Mark Vaughn, and that he should face an immediate disciplinary investigation.

In an unsent draft of that email, Warren excoriated Singletary for having “grossly underplayed” Prude’s death by first describing it to her a drug overdose. In the draft, prepared with Deputy Mayor James Smith’s help, Warren said she strongly believed Vaughn should be fired and that she would have asked for Vaughn’s termination in March, had she seen the footage then. She suspended Vaughn and six other officers last week.

“Quite frankly, I would have expected the Chief of Police to have shown me this video in March,” Warren wrote in the draft. The toned down version sent to Singletary did not include that criticism.

“I should have known. Everyone is right. I should have known,” Warren told WHEC-TV on Tuesday. “But this incident — an unfortunate and tragic situation — had been downplayed from the very beginning as a PCP overdose.”

A cursory management review that Smith conducted on the city’s handling of Prude’s death found that stalling the release of the body camera video because of concerns about optics cost did “considerable damage” to work the city has done to improve relations between the police and the public.

“It is hard to rationalize how anyone who saw the video of Mr. Prude’s encounter with the RPD did not fully equate these events beyond a few mentions of bad publicity, politics, process or a ‘false narrative,’” Smith wrote. “Rochester is in desperate need of healing. We lost almost six months of opportunity to begin that process.”

The City Council voted Tuesday night to repeal its decision to build a new $16 million police station, WHEC-TV reported.

Read More: NY AG to form grand jury after hood death of Daniel Prude

Singletary announced his retirement last week as part of a major shakeup of the city’s police leadership but had planned to stay on through the end of the month. In announcing his retirement Sept. 8, the outgoing chief accused critics of trying to “destroy my character and integrity.”

Prude’s death has sparked nearly two weeks of nightly protests and calls for Warren’s resignation. His family has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the police department sought to cover up the true nature of Prude’s death.

___

Associated Press writers Michael Hill and Carolyn Thompson contributed to this report.

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Jazz critic Stanley Crouch dead at 74

Stanley Crouch, the often combative critic, has died after a long illness

Jazz critic Stanley Crouch has died, the New York Daily News reports. The renowned critic died Wednesday at a New York City hospital, his wife, Gloria Nixon-Crouch, announced. He is said to have suffered significant health issues for much of the last decade.

Read More: WNBA’s Maya Moore marries man she helped free from prison, Jonathan Irons

Crouch, who was also a playwright, director, and author, wrote for The Village Voice, The New York Daily News, Slate, The Root, The Daily Beast, and The New Republic. In 1993, he was the recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Grant, which awards money to creatives they deem worthy to further their work. The grants are now up to $625K paid over five years.

Crouch was born in Los Angeles on Dec. 14, 1945. He once pursued a career as a jazz drummer, decided instead he was a better writer and moved to New York City. There, he became known for what would now be considered ‘hot takes’ on music and culture both in his writing and on television where he was in demand as a cultural commentator.

While he was good friends with renowned Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and helped him launch Jazz at Lincoln Center, he took umbrage with the work of both Spike Lee and Toni Morrison.

“She has a certain skill, but she has no serious artistic vision or real artistic integrity,” Crouch once told The Washington Post. “‘Beloved’ was a fraud. It gave a fake vision of the slave trade, it didn’t deal with the complicity of Africans, and it moved the males into the wings.”

As for Lee, he once called him a “middle-class, would-be street Negro,” according to The Daily News.

Crouch’s books included collections of essays “Notes of a Hanging Judge: Essays and Reviews, 1979-1989,” “Considering Genius: Writings on Jazz,” the novel “Don’t the Moon Look Lonesome?” and “Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker,” a critically acclaimed biography of iconic jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker. Crouch appeared with Marsalis in the 2001 Ken Burns documentary Jazz and in 2019, Crouch was honored with a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master.

“Stanley was one of the first Black alternate journalists that I read on a regular basis,” writer and cultural critic Michael Gonzales, who writes for various publications including Long Reads, told theGrio. “He was writing about politics, he was writing about jazz, he was writing about art. He just kind of took the Black aesthetic further in mainstream magazines. Stanley was an incredible writer, an incredible stylist. I didn’t always like what he said but I liked the way he said it. Jazz at Lincoln Center is as much a part of his legacy as the writing is.”

Read More: Kerry Washington wins first Emmy at 2020 Creative Arts Awards

I spent a good part of my 20s arguing with #StanleyCrouch in my head. I disagreed with him about a LOT. But I also respected him and our eventual in-person arguments challenged me and made me a better writer. I’m profoundly saddened by his passing and will miss him greatly.

— jelani cobb (@jelani9) September 16, 2020

According to NPR, Crouch spent the last year of his life in a New York nursing home and fought off COVID-19 in the spring.

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WIRED25: Ghetto Gastro Sees Food as a Weapon

As part of a conversation with Gabriela Cámara at our virtual conference, the cofounders of the “Black Power Kitchen of Tomorrow” say that what we eat can both empower and oppress us.

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Nebraska bar owner charged 3 months after killing Black protester

When Jake Gardner shot James Scurlock, a 22-year-old man protesting in Omaha, it was considered self-defense – until a special prosecutor’s probe.

The death of James Scurlock, a 22-year-old Omaha protester, was considered self-defense until a special prosecutor’s probe found more.

A grand jury has voted to charge a Nebraska bar owner with manslaughter after the slaying of a young Black man outside of his establishment.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine had initially found that Jake Gardner acted in self-defense. However, additional evidence uncovered by Special Prosecutor Frederick Franklin convinced a grand jury otherwise.

Read More: Fox News host Tucker Carlson says only liberals believe climate change and systemic racism are real

Franklin announced Tuesday that their additional investigation involved interviews with more than 60 people and many videos.

The grand jury returned an indictment today against Jake Gardner,” Franklin said. “They were able to get evidence into Mr. Gardner’s state of mind, as a part of what was presented to them through this investigation.”

“There was evidence that was gathered and presented to the grand jury about activity that Jake Gardner was engaged in prior to even coming in contact with James Scurlock,” he continued. “Evidence to reasonably be construed as an intent to use a firearm for purposes of killing someone.”

Read More: Georgia police officer who attacked Black passenger fired

Scurlock was killed on May 30 as protests in Omaha inspired from the videotaped killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers spiraled into vandalism. He was walking down the street with several people when they approached The Gatsby bar, where Gardner, 38, and his father were standing.

Gardner’s father approached the group and shoved one of them, who pushed him back.

The Gatsby owner then confronted the group and flashed his weapon, at which point, two of the youths pushed him, knocking him down. He fired two “warning” shots.

Read More: California Black man falsely accused of deputy ambush: ‘Don’t feel safe at all’

According to a report from The Daily Beast, Scurlock then jumped on top of Gardner. The man told police that he “fired over his back,” fearing for his life after being put in what he called a chokehold. Gardner’s bullet hit the 22-year-old in the clavicle, killing him.

In his announcement from the Omaha Douglas Civic Center, Franklin declined to reveal what the grand jury heard but said “what I can tell you is that that evidence comes primarily from Jake Gardner himself.”

Read More: Former NFL player Miles McPherson on ‘third option’ for police relations: ‘Division is what’s killing our country’

Convened jurors found cause to charge Gardner with manslaughter, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony attempted first-degree assault and terroristic threats.

Kleine’s initial decision to not file charges against Gardner had enraged the Omaha community, who immediately protested his stance by the hundreds.

In response to Franklin’s announcement, LaVonya Goodwin, an Omaha community leader, said, “Jake Gardner’s indictments are a step in the right direction towards justice for James Scurlock and his family.”

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Why Are 2 Million People Still Getting Netflix DVDs by Mail?

The company still gets a healthy slice of revenue from disc rentals—but the service has suffered as a result of the pandemic.

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Ethical Tech Starts With Addressing Ethical Debt

The rise of “zoombombing” is just the latest example of why developers need to plan for harmful misuses as much as potential costly bugs.

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This Black Student Loan Strategist Wants To Help Black Student Loan Borrowers With New Book

According to a 2016 Brookings Institute report, Back students on average owed $7,400 more than white and other POC counterparts upon graduation. Another study conducted in 2018 also found Black students held 85.8% more debt than white students. As economic resources become more scarce under the COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, pandemic, many are looking for more financial resources to help them ease their debt. Finance expert Dr. Tisa Silver Canady is bringing her answer to the problem with a new book meant to help Black student loan borrowers.

The financial wellness advocate is helping more student loan borrowers get control of their debt with the release of her new book, Borrowing While Black, which discusses different ways for Black and other marginalized groups to take control of their debt.

“Not everyone is good at virtual studying, not everyone has a strong Wi-Fi connection, not everyone has a quiet space to learn,” Dr. Canady said in a press statement.

“The pandemic is absolutely going to affect the success of students, and any disruptions stand to affect Black students even more because they are already more vulnerable. It may mean they have to repeat classes, stay in school longer, and ultimately end up borrowing more.”

Dr. Canady went on to explain how this knowledge is more critical than ever amid the COVID-19 pandemic which has displaced numerous college students around the country and leaving graduates with little income to pay back their debt. “COVID-19 could really exacerbate the student loan crisis for Black borrowers because we typically borrow more and graduate less,” Dr. Tisa added. “Black students cannot afford to ignore their student loan debt situation during this pandemic.”

 

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I’ve been working on this book since January. It is so rewarding to see a project through from vision to reality! #melaninmoneymatriculation #comingsoon

A post shared by Dr. Tisa Silver Canady (@tisasilver) on Jun 16, 2020 at 7:54am PDT

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Biden Campaign Will Run Commercials During Every NFL Game Until Election Day

As the November election is approaching, Joe Biden and his team have decided to focus some of its advertising toward fans of football. 

NPR is reporting that the Biden campaign is intending to utilize its budget to place commercial spots during every NFL game for the remainder of the election season.

As the 2020 NFL season started this past weekend, the Biden campaign debuted the first ad called “Fresh Start” that was aired nationally. “We need to get control over the virus,” the narrator says midway through the ad. “Donald Trump failed. Joe Biden will get it done.”

The Biden team has purchased at least one advertising slot for every game between now and Election Day, a campaign spokesperson confirmed to NPR. Tracking firm Advertising Analytics says those prebookings add up to $25 million.

“I’ve never seen that before in a presidential race,” said Ad Analytics’ John Link. “That is the first time we’ve seen something of that magnitude.”

Ad Analytics said it found that Biden’s campaign had also aired seven different ads in 18 local media markets during last Thursday’s opening game. This translates to mean that Biden’s team was trying different messages for different markets. Biden’s ads aired in the so-called “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, plus Florida, North Carolina, Nevada, and Arizona. Back in the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton won two of those states, Nevada and Minnesota.

“The NFL, even pre-COVID, is the most powerful advertising vehicle,” said Link. “In some markets, you get Super Bowl-like numbers on a Sunday.”

Last Thursday night, the opening game between Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans drew some 20 million people.

Ad Analytics has reported that the Trump campaign spent $1.1 million in 21 local TV ads in swing states during the season opener.

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Is the Internet Conscious? If It Were, How Would We Know?

As always, our tech advice columnist is here to help.

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Netflix's 'Challenger' Is a Gripping Look at NASA in Crisis

A new four-part documentary about the ill-fated Challenger mission highlights the risk of putting bureaucracy before science in human spaceflight

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How to Play Xbox and PC Games on Your Android Phone

Microsoft's Game Pass Ultimate cloud-enabled gaming service launched (formerly called Project xCloud). Here's how to check it out.

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A Utah Company Claims It Invented Contact Tracing Tech

Blyncsy wants states using Apple and Google technology to pay it $1 per resident. It may not win, but the patent tussle could deter others from adopting apps.

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There's No Better Time to Be an Amateur Radio Geek

Once considered a nerdy basement hobby, lo-fi transmissions from ordinary folks save lives during wildfires, hurricanes, and other climate disasters.

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America’s Top Science Journal Has Had It With Trump

The editor of Science has abandoned staid academic-speak to take on falsehoods in the White House—decorum be damned.

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How to Watch WIRED25

Tune in starting Wednesday, September 16, for conversations with Reed Hastings, Brie Larson, and more.

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How an Epic Series of Tech Errors Hobbled Miami’s Schools

It started with the district hiring a little-known virtual charter school company, which led to balky connections and an even more troublesome curriculum.

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Christie's to auction off T. rex skeleton, expected to sell for at least $6 million

One of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossils ever unearthed is coming up for auction and could fetch between $6 million and $8 million. CNBC's Robert Frank reports.

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A T. rex skeleton is coming up for auction, expected to fetch $6 million to $8 million

One of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossils ever unearthed is coming up for auction and could fetch between $6 million and $8 million.

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How to Install Apache Cassandra on CentOS 8

Apache Cassandra is a robust free and opensource NoSQL database that stores data in key-value pairs. Cassandra was initially developed by Facebook and later on acquired by Apache Foundation. Apache Cassandra is built to

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Police shut down Jersey Shore house party thrown by YouTube stars

A small crowd initially gathered at the Broadwalk residence, but it swelled throughout the day to at least 1,500 people.

Several people were arrested Monday after hundreds flocked to Seaside Heights to see YouTube stars the Nelk Boys, who hosted a house party that violated the state’s coronavirus guidelines. 

The Nelk Boys are Canadian-born Jesse Sebastiani, Kyle Forgeard and Steve Deleonardis. On Sept. 14, they rented the infamous “Jersey Shore” house (from the widely popular MTV reality series) to celebrate the launch of a new website selling merchandise for their Full Send brand, The Hill reports.

According to police, a small crowd initially gathered at the Broadwalk residence, but as it swelled throughout the day to at least 1,500 largely maskless people, police were forced to shut down the event.

Read More: New Jersey teen who held BLM protest gets $2500 bill for police overtime

“We will not tolerate this or these kinds of things that will disrupt an image we’re trying to correct,” Seaside Mayor Anthony Vaz told NBC on Tuesday. “It was shocking to me.”

He added, “When you have numbers of people like that in a community, that scares people. And we’re not going to tolerate it.”

The Nelk Boys posted videos on Instagram documenting the party, including the moment when police arrived. They were not among those arrested and charged during the party. 

The trio, who have 5.7 million YouTube subscribers, gained Internet fame for their controversial pranks. Their followers also can’t get enough of the clips showing the massive, mask-free parties that the boys have been hosting at colleges across the country.

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45 MINUTES TILL THE DROP… getting kicked out of the shore house

A post shared by NELK (@nelkboys) on Sep 14, 2020 at 4:44pm PDT

Their YouTube channel has been suspended for creating a “public health risk” with these college campus/house parties. 

“We suspended the NELK channel from the Partner Program because they encouraged large numbers of people to disregard social distancing guidelines, creating a large public health risk,” the YouTube team said in a tweet.

The Nelk Boys previously protested coronavirus restrictions in Los Angeles by leading a crowd in a chant calling for gyms to reopen.

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Tracee Ellis Ross signs overall deal with ABC Signature

‘I am thrilled to finally be sharing the news and expanding this part of my artistry at my home studio.’

Tracee Ellis Ross has inked an overall deal at ABC Signature, formerly ABC Studios, that will see her develop and produce content under her company, Joy Mill Entertainment.

The “Black-ish” star says she will “build stories, gather creatives and shape worlds” under the multi-year deal, via her company that will be housed at the Disney Television Studios, THR reports.

ABC Signature, which Ross calls “my home studio,” produces the “Black-ish” franchise, including “Grown-ish” (which airs on Freeform), “Mixed-ish,” and the recently announced “Old-ish,” which will center on Laurence Fishburne’s and Jenifer Lewis’ characters. Series creator Kenya Barris, who left ABC in 2018 for an eight-figure deal at the streaming giant Netflix, will pen its script, theGRIO previously reported.

Read More: ‘Black-ish’ spinoff ‘Old-ish’ in development with Jenifer Lewis, Laurence Fishburne

“Mixed-ish,” a prequel to “Black-ish,” is set in the 1980s and explores the childhood of Tracee Ellis Ross’ biracial character, Rainbow. The show was recently granted a second season.

The brand is expanding y’all! Been waiting to share this! @ABCSignature https://t.co/i25vlyT6TW

— Tracee Ellis Ross (@TraceeEllisRoss) September 15, 2020

“I love sharing stories and using storytelling as a way to connect and celebrate humanity,” Ross said. “As an actor, I’ve had the joy of inhabiting nuanced and dynamic roles. As an executive producer, I am able to build stories, gather creatives and shape worlds as a way to illuminate different realities.”

Davis, president of ABC Signature, said of Ross’ new deal with the studio,  “Tracee is a beloved member of the ABC Signature family and, as everyone knows, has brought so much to our -ish universe. We also love and admire Tracee’s passion for storytelling and developing projects, so we’re thrilled that Joy Mill Entertainment will be housed at our studio. We’re already incredibly excited by the projects she’s bringing to us in this new role.”

Former One Community and BET executive Adriana Ambriz has been tapped to serve as head of development at Joy Mill Entertainment, according to the report.

“This deal continues my journey as a storyteller and content creator,” Ross continued. “I am thrilled to finally be sharing the news and expanding this part of my artistry at my home studio, ABC Signature. Jonnie Davis, Tracy Underwood, and their team have been incredible collaborators, and I am eager to continue our shared journey.”

Black-ish is set to return to ABC for a seventh season with two election-themed specials.

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Stumped by Bayes' Theorem? Try This Simple Workaround

Bayes' Theorem formula.

Bayes' Theorem, which The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy calls "...a simple mathematical formula" can be surprisingly difficult to actually solve. If you struggle with Bayesian logic, solving the "simple" formula involves not much more than guesswork. You have to translate a problem into "A given B" and "B given A", cross your fingers that you're guess for whatever A and B is is right, double check your thoughts, get thoroughly lost, and punch the resulting fractions into a calculator. The calculator will spit out an answer which may or may not be correct as you have no idea what your point-oh-something solution means in terms of the original problem. If this sounds like you, you're not alone: various studies have shown that the vast majority of physicians can't work the formula either.

But there's a more intuitive way to get to the same answer, without the counter-intuitive formula. The procedure in question? None other than the humble probability tree.

How to Use a Tree to Solve Bayes' Formula

This example problem is adapted from a problem in Gigrenzer & Hoffrage's How to Improve Bayesian Reasoning Without Instruction: Frequency Formats: 

Out of 1,000 patients, 10 have a rare disease. Eight of those diseased individuals display symptoms. Out of the 990 healthy individuals, 95 display symptoms. What is the probability a patient with symptoms actually has the disease?

Here's the traditional textbook method, using the Bayesian algorithm.

If you're good with numbers, you may be able to immediately see that the answer this question with a simple ratio: number of diseased people with symptoms / total number of people with symptoms. 

Now let's construct the same answer with a probability tree:

From there, the math is a simple ratio:

Number of people with disease and symptoms (8) / Total number with symptoms (8 + 95)

which gives us:

8 / 103 = 0.078.

Let's try another example (borrowed from Bayes' Theorem Problems):

You want to know a patient’s probability of having liver disease if they are an alcoholic. 10% of patients at a certain clinic have liver disease. Five percent of the clinic’s patients are alcoholics. Out of those patients diagnosed with liver disease, 7% are alcoholics.

Like the first problem, the first branch here is also "disease", but the second branch needs to address "alcoholism" instead of "symptoms". We're not told "how many" patients, so I'll use 1000--which is usually a sufficient number for problems like this. You're also not told explicitly the number of alcoholics (or % of non-liver disease alcoholics), but you can use a little logical deduction:

Out of 1000, patients, 5% (50 total) are alcoholic,

7% of patients with liver disease are alcoholic. That gives you 7 (green box), leaving 43 for the orange box.

Now all we have to do is figure out the ratio:

Number of people with disease and alcoholism (7) / Total number with alcoholism (50)

which gives us:

7 / 50 = 0.14

Which is exactly the same answer you would get by actually working the formula. In fact, I've never come across a Bayes' related problem that can't be answered with a probability tree and a little logical reasoning. So if the formula is giving you headaches, just do what I did--and ditch it in favor of a more intuitive approach.

References

Gigrenzer, G. & Hoffrage, U.  How to Improve Bayesian Reasoning Without Instruction: Frequency Formats. Psychological Review, 102 (4), 1995, 684–704. www.apa.org/journals/rev/

Gould, S. J. (1992). Bully for brontosaurus: Further reflections in natural history. New York: Penguin Books.

Bayes' Theorem

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LSU football coach on COVID-19: ‘Most of our players have caught it’

‘Three or four’ players have the virus and a few are currently in quarantine.

Louisiana State University football coach Ed Orgeron says a majority of the players contracted the coronavirus in the preseason.

Of the 115 athletes on the roster, Orgeron did not specify how many tested positive or when testing was conducted. He did confirm that “three or four” players have the virus and a few are in quarantine, The Hill reports. 

“Not all of our players, but most of our players have caught it,” Orgeron said during his virtual press conference on Tuesday (Sept. 15), adding later that he did not know the percentage of players who contracted the virus. 

“I think, hopefully, that once you catch it, you don’t get it again,” Orgeron added. “I’m not a doctor. I think they have that 90-day window, so most of the players that have caught it, we do feel like they’ll be eligible for games.

Read More: Ex-NFL star Derrius Guice accused of rape by 2 former LSU students

“So we look at the players that have caught it and say, ‘OK these guys should be eligible,’” Orgeron continued. “We look at the players who haven’t caught it; we talk to them about being very, very careful so they’re eligible for games. But we know that the players that haven’t caught it, we have to have some backups in their position ready in case they catch it. So we’re looking at our roster in that manner.”

Over the summer, 30 players were quarantined after a positive test or contact tracing, Sports Illustrated reported in June. 

Orgeron said players who tested positive failed to practice social distancing, and many frequent the popular nightlife district for students known as Tigerland.

In June, the Louisiana Department of Health reportedly traced more than 100 positive COVID cases back to Tigerland.

“We need football. Football is the lifeblood of our country,” Orgeron said at a July roundtable with Vice President Pence. 

“I don’t think we can take this away from our players, take this away from our state and our country,” he said. 

The university overall has had 754 positive COVID-19 cases in the last month and 50 positives from Sept. 11 to Sept. 13, according to the report.

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Swizz Beatz slammed for rejecting Missy Elliott and Janet Jackson Verzuz

Swizz says that Missy has done too much work with others for it to be a fair competition

The Verzuz series has easily been a highlight of 2020 but recently co-creator Swizz Beatz found himself in hot water after turning down a proposed battle between Missy Elliot and Janet Jackson.

Read More: With their Verzuz, Gladys Knight and Patti Labelle prove legends can still draw, and move, a crowd

For months Elliot fans have been championing her as the perfect musical legend to make the most of the social media-based series. But while discussing viable opponents for Elliot with Verzuz co-creator Timbaland, Swizz made it clear that Jackson simply wasn’t versatile enough to go toe-to-toe with her. 

“Missy can be multiple people. Janet gonna just be Janet,” Swizz said, noting that Jackson might not have enough of a catalog if the two compared hits.

Not surprisingly, die-hard Jackson fans took issue with this stance with one noting, “Swizz Cheese Beatz needs to stop discrediting Janet Jackson…..this is the second time, he has tried to discredit her on IG live. He needs to stop discrediting Janet & focus on his family & his other child (with that UK British singer)!! Y’all not finna disrespect Janet!!”

Swizz Cheese Beatz needs to stop discrediting Janet Jackson…..this is the second time, he has tried to discredit her on IG live. He needs to stop discrediting Janet & focus on his family & his other child (with that UK British singer)!!
Y'all not finna disrespect Janet!!

— 𝓡𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓮🦋❖ (@blissfullrenee) September 14, 2020

Timbaland, who produced 90s classics with Elliot on artists like Aaliyah and Missy herself, didn’t agree with this assessment, saying “They are great friends, they love each other, the celebration is going to be great. Missy is going to want to celebrate with someone of her caliber that she knows is going to be a great celebration.”

Read More: Aaliyah’s family makes music announcement on 19th anniversary of her death

Swizz Beatz saying that Janet Jackson doesn’t have the vault to do a #verzuz against Missy. Why say this shit on live?

Janet has #1 hits across THREE different decades. 27 top 10 hits on the BB Hot 100: 10 #1s and 16 #1s on the R&B Charts.

7 #1 albums across FOUR DECADES. pic.twitter.com/qmEZpbukp3

— Maya Boochielou (@stawpfeenin) September 14, 2020

Although the pushback was scathing, the producer stuck to his guns explaining that the match up just didn’t feel like a good fit to him.

“LETS BE CLEAR,” Swizz wrote in The Shade Room’s comment section. “I don’t think Missy & Janet is a good match up at all! Much love to Janet she’s ICON but I just didn’t feel that was a good match up. Janet got hits on hits but she should have a better person to celebrate with that’s all. Blessings….”

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#SwizzBeatz stepped into #TheShadeRoom with a little clarity about his previous statement!

A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) on Sep 15, 2020 at 7:27am PDT

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John Boyega quits perfume ambassdor role over Chinese ad exclusion

This isn’t the first time Boyega has called out China for racism

John Boyega says he will no longer serve as a global ambassador for the London-based perfume brand Jo Malone after the company decided to replace him in a commercial he created.

Read More: Jo Malone apologizes after John Boyega, Black families cut from China ad

According to ABC News the brand decided to replace Bodega for ads in the Chinese market with Chinese actor Liu Haoran. The brand recently released a statement apologizing and calling the replacement a misstep.

Via Twitter, Boyega said Jo Malone’s decision to, “replace my campaign in China by using my concepts and substituting a local brand ambassador for me, without either my consent or prior notice, was wrong.” 

“The film celebrated my personal story — showcasing my hometown, including my friends and featuring my family,” wrote Boyega. “While many brands understandably use a variety of global and local ambassadors, dismissively trading out one’s culture this way is not something I can condone.”

It’s back to back but I assure you this will be dealt with swiftly. I don’t have time for nonsense. We press on and strong. Stay blessed people ❤️

— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) September 14, 2020

The ad by the company owned by Estée Lauder was set to feature the actor in his hometown of London. “The London Gent,” as it was called featured Boyega riding a horse in his old neighborhood, hanging with his friends and spending time with his family, all dressed in traditional Nigerian garb.

In the original version, the actor is seen dancing and celebrating with friends but in the Chinese ad, all of the Black actors have been replaced with Chinese actors.

Crazy racism from Jo Malone. Not only did they replace @JohnBoyega, they ripped off his creative ideas and reshot his original film virtually shot-for-shot for the Chinese market.
Edit: Original left – Racist right. pic.twitter.com/AgHd9B4q7E

— Phantom Power (@PhantomPower14) September 14, 2020

This not the first time Boyega has called out the Chinese market for being racist. His character Finn in Star Wars was visibly smaller in size on the Chinese poster in comparison to the American version.

Read More: John Boyega responds after Michael Rapaport says he should be ‘grateful’ for ‘Star Wars’

The ad has since been removed and the company issued this statement, “We deeply apologize for what, on our end, was a mistake in the local execution of the John Boyega campaign.”

John Boyega is an incredible talent, artist and person and we were proud to have him as part of our Jo Malone London family. We respect John’s decision and we wish him all the best.

— Jo Malone London (@JoMaloneLondon) September 14, 2020

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Lewis Hamilton says he ‘won’t let up’ after possible investigation into Breonna Taylor shirt

Lewis Hamilton stated he wanted to bring awareness to those who have been killed

Racing driver Lewis Hamilton is committed to using his platform to highlight injustices such as the Breonna Taylor case, and not even a pending investigation could stop him.

Sunday,  Lewis – who is currently the only Black driver in Formula 1 – rocked a black T-shirt before and after a race that read “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor” on the front, along with a photo of Taylor on the back and the words “Say her name.” 

SCARPERIA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 13: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP is pictured wearing a shirt in tribute to the late Breonna Taylor before the F1 Grand Prix of Tuscany at Mugello Circuit on September 13, 2020 in Scarperia, Italy. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

READ MORE: Anthony Hamilton, D-Nice, and more to be featured on ‘OWN Spotlight: They Call Me Dad’

Even though the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (which in English translates to the International Automobile Federation) considered launching a probe into his actions, the 35-year-old athlete not only won his race over the weekend, he also remains undeterred in his commitment to social justice.

“I’ve been wanting to bring awareness to the fact there are people being killed on the street, and someone was killed in her own house and they were in the wrong house and those guys are still walking free,” Hamilton said in a post-race press conference according to BBC News.

READ MORE: California Black man falsely accused of deputy ambush: ‘Don’t feel safe at all’

He also took to his social media feed to proudly post photos of himself wearing the T-shirt on Instagram, captioning the post: “It’s been 6 months since Breonna Taylor was murdered by policemen, in her own home. Still no justice has been served. We won’t stay silent. #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor.”

SCARPERIA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 13: Nicholas Latifi of Canada and Williams, Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP and Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari kneel as Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing, Daniil Kvyat of Russia and Scuderia AlphaTauri and Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari stand in support of ending racism before the F1 Grand Prix of Tuscany at Mugello Circuit on September 13, 2020 in Scarperia, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Tuesday, the FIA, which is a nonpolitical governing body for world motorsports, announced it had decided not to investigate whether Hamilton violated the organization’s rules by for wearing the shirt.

FIA also told CNN that it has decided to instead clarify its rules on political statements before the next race later this month.

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FedEx Will Track Your Packages More Precisely Than Ever

A Bluetooth-based system coming this fall will be especially useful for high-value shipments, like medicines or vaccines.

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