NFL response to congresswoman includes call for more federal attention to illegal gambling


The NFL logo adorns the field before the NFL Super Bowl 57 football game Feb. 12, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. The NFL has responded to a Nevada congresswoman’s inquiries about the league’s gambling policies with a detailed letter that includes a call for lawmakers and law enforcement to pay additional attention to illegal gambling and put more resources toward combating it. 

(AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)

BY KYLE HIGHTOWER
August 4, 2023

The NFL has responded to a Nevada congresswoman’s inquiries about the league’s gambling policies with a letter that includes a call for lawmakers and law enforcement to pay additional attention to illegal gambling and put more resources toward combating it.

The NFL’s letter to U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, a Nevada Democrat who is co-chair of the bipartisan gaming caucus, highlights the league’s recent efforts to increase education for its approximately 17,000 players, coaches, team personnel and others about the league’s gambling rules.

“There is no higher principle at the NFL than safeguarding the integrity of the game,” NFL vice president of public policy and government affairs Jonathan Nabavi wrote in the letter, which is dated Friday and was obtained by The Associated Press. The league also pointed to its relationships with integrity monitoring services to help identify and address violations of its policies.

But while those efforts are geared toward the legal sports betting market, the letter said, the NFL believes “Congress and the federal government have a unique role to play in bringing enforcement actions against illegal operators” and noted that it has been “working to highlight the importance of federal engagement in this area.”

“We believe that additional attention and resources are needed from lawmakers and law-enforcement to address the illicit sports betting market, which still has the power of incumbency,” Nabavi wrote.

In her June 15 letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Titus asked the league for a rundown of its policies following a rash of recent gambling-related suspensions by the league.

“When players get suspended and coaches get fired, that means the system is working. The goal, however, should be to stop these bets before they are placed,” Titus wrote.

On Friday, Titus released a statement critical of the NFL’s response to her request, saying it didn’t provide an answer on the number of active investigations the NFL has into suspicious sports betting activity.

“With legal sports betting on the rise, it is more important than ever to maintain the integrity of games for players, bettors, and bookmakers,” Titus’ statement said. “That’s why I wrote all the leagues asking for information on their internal policies concerning betting, including education and enforcement. It’s very disappointing that the NFL has declined to answer our questions and instead pivoted to illegal sports betting generally in their response. It makes one wonder what they are trying to hide.”

She also reached out to the leaders in the NBA, MLB and NHL as well as the NCAA and other leagues. In the NCAA’s response to Titus last month, NCAA President Charlie Baker reported it has found 175 infractions of its sports-betting policy since 2018 and has 17 active investigations.

The NFL’s response focused on its own policies.

The NFL prohibits employees and players from betting on their own games. In addition, players and personnel are not allowed to engage in gambling in NFL facilities, disclose any nonpublic NFL information, enter a sportsbook during the NFL season, or maintain any social, business or personal relationships with sports gamblers.

But they can place non-sports wagers at legally operated casinos and horse or dog racing tracks on their personal time, including during the season.

Over the past two years, 11 NFL players have been suspended for gambling policy violations.

The causes have ranged from players who placed wagers on their own teams while not participating to players who have not abided by the league’s prohibition on betting on sports while at team facilities.
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Federal appeals court upholds Connecticut law that eliminated religious vaccination exemption

 Opponents of a bill to repeal Connecticut’s religious exemption for required school vaccinations march down Capitol Avenue before the State Senate voted on legislation on April 27, 2021, in Hartford, Conn. A federal appeals court on Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, upheld a 2021 Connecticut law that eliminated the state’s longstanding religious exemption from childhood immunization requirements for schools, colleges and day care facilities.

 (Mark Mirko/Hartford Courant via AP, File)

BY SUSAN HAIGH
August 4, 2023

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a 2021 Connecticut law that eliminated the state’s longstanding religious exemption from childhood immunization requirements for schools, colleges and day care facilities.

The decision comes about a year and a half after a lower court judge dismissed the lawsuit challenging the contentious law, which drew protests at the state Capitol.

“This decision is a full and resounding affirmation of the constitutionality and legality of Connecticut’s vaccine requirements. Vaccines save lives — this is a fact beyond dispute,” Democratic Attorney General William Tong said in a statement. “The legislature acted responsibly and well within its authority to protect the health of Connecticut families and stop the spread of preventable disease.”

The plaintiffs, We the Patriots USA Inc. and others, had argued that Connecticut violated religious freedom protections by removing the exemption. The 2021 law, they said, demonstrates a hostility to religious believers and jeopardizes their rights to medical freedom and child rearing.

“We fully intend to seek review of this decision in the United States Supreme Court, to obtain equal justice for all children — not only in Connecticut, but in every state in the nation,” Brian Festa, co-founder and vice president of We the Patriots USA Inc., said in a statement.

He said his group, which focuses on religious and medical freedom, parental rights and other matters, disagrees with the court’s conclusion that removing the exemption does not violate religious freedom under the First Amendment or the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.

In its decision, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit noted that “only one court — state or federal, trial or appellate — has ever found plausible a claim of a constitutional defect in a state’s school vaccination mandate on account of the absence or repeal of a religious exemption.”

“We decline to disturb this nearly unanimous consensus,” it concluded.

Connecticut law currently requires students to receive certain immunizations before enrolling in school, yet allows some medical exemptions. Students could seek religious exemptions as well prior to 2021, but lawmakers decided to end that after being concerned by an uptick in exemption requests coupled with a decline in vaccination rates in some schools.

The Connecticut General Assembly ultimately passed legislation that eliminated the exemption but grandfathered students in K-12 that had already received one.

Festa called the court’s decision to return part of the lawsuit to the lower court for further consideration “a victory” for special needs children in the state. One of the plaintiffs argued that Connecticut’s law denies her son a free and appropriate education under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act by not allowing him a religious exemption.

While Festa said the plaintiffs, which also include three parents and the CT Freedom Alliance LLC, are hopeful the district court will determine special needs children cannot be excluded by opposing vaccinations based on religious belief.

Tong’s office said it’s confident that claim will be dismissed by the lower court.

'Alarming': NBA Players Union Speaks Out On Orlando Magic's Ron DeSantis PAC Donation

Ben Blanchet
Fri, 4 August 2023 

The National Basketball Players Association has dropped its two cents on the Orlando Magic’s “alarming” $50,000 donation to a super PAC that supports Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The players union said in a statement that the political contribution is “alarming given recent comments and policies of its beneficiary.”

“NBA governors, players and personnel have the right to express their personal political views, including through donations and statements,” the union said in a statement. “However, if contributions are made on behalf of an entire team, using money earned through the labor of its employees, it is incumbent upon the team governors to consider the diverse values and perspectives of staff and players.”

“The Magic’s donation does not represent player support for the recipient,” the statement continued.

The union’s remarks arrive after a spokesperson for the team said that the donation to the super PAC occurred on May 19, prior to the governor’s presidential campaign announcement.

“To clarify, this gift was given before Gov. DeSantis entered the presidential race. It was given as a Florida business in support of a Florida governor for the continued prosperity of Central Florida,” Joel Glass, chief communications officer for the team, said in a statement to HuffPost.

The super PAC was calling on DeSantis to run for president at that time, however. He formally announced his campaign days later, on May 24.

NBA spokesperson Mike Bass told The New York Times that team governors “make their own decisions on the political contributions they make,” adding that it respects “the right of members of the NBA family to express their political views.”

The Orlando Magic has made several political donations in the past. The team is owned by in-laws of former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who served in the administration of former president and DeSantis rival Donald Trump.

The Magic has been sponsored by Disney, which the Florida governor has targeted in his so-called war on “woke.”

Several figures in the sports world have weighed in on the super PAC donation, including commentator Stephen A. Smith.

“We’ve got a governor in Florida that has made a plethora of decisions that the LGBTQ community has found offensive, that Black people have found offensive, that immigrants have found offensive,” Smith said on his podcast. “Where the hell else are all these other athletes? Where are you?”

In response to the donation news, New Orleans Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. went after DeSantis for backing Florida’s controversial educational standards. The standards include saying students should be taught that enslaved people had opportunities to develop skills for their personal benefit.

“So the @OrlandoMagic who have a majority black roster, a black head coach, and a black GM decided it was a good idea to support a man that claims that slavery had personal benefits for the enslaved?” Nance wrote on social media.

Prior to the news of the donation, retiring Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem slammed DeSantis and said Floridians aren’t happy with his actions.

“I happen to live there and I was born there. It’s not my fault. So please stop Florida-shaming us people,” Haslem said of his Florida ties in an interview with the Boston Globe.

“We’re not happy about what this man [DeSantis] is doing,” he added. “Diversity and inclusion and taking the [books away]. We’re not happy about that.”

Orlando Magic gave $50,000 to Super PAC backing Ron DeSantis

By Steven Lemongello

Orlando, Fla. — One name stands out among the list of millionaire and billionaire contributors to the Super PAC backing Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign: the Orlando Magic basketball team.

Orlando Magic Ltd. is listed as giving $50,000 to Never Back Down, the political committee now essentially operating as DeSantis’ campaign in many states, according to its first FEC filing.

The Magic are owned by the DeVos family, who are longtime Republican donors from the Grand Rapids area and have given millions to the party and GOP candidates over the years.

Carlos Guillermo Smith, a former Democratic state House member from Orlando and current state Senate candidate, slammed the team for contributing to DeSantis’ campaign despite holding a Pride Night event in March.


The event, which the Magic website states was “to celebrate diversity, equity, inclusion, and unity with the LGBTQ+ community,” featured a Pride Night T-shirt created by Orlando artist Adam McCabe, a halftime performance by Orlando Gay Chorus and a ceremony honoring Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, the chair of the LGBTQ group OneOrlando Alliance and the director of Hope CommUnity Center in Orlando.

McCabe and Sousa-Lazaballet could not be reached for comment.

DeSantis has drawn the ire of the LGBTQ community for the controversial “don’t say gay” law banning instruction sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade and since expanded by the state Board of Education to 12th grade.

DeSantis has also signed laws banning gender-affirming treatments for minors and cracking down on drag shows. Someone in his campaign reportedly also created a video bashing former President Donald Trump for saying he’d protect LGBTQ people following the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016 that killed 49. The video was derided as homophobic by the conservative LGBTQ group Log Cabin Republicans.

The team raised a “49” banner in 2016 in honor of Pulse victims.

“The Orlando Magic need to pick a side,” Smith said. “… Because it doesn’t square with me that you can have a Pride Night and claim to celebrate and support the LGBTQ community, and then donate $50,000 to a presidential candidate who is running against the LGBTQ community and promoting a platform to take away our rights. These two things cannot exist at the same time.”

NBA owners have made individual contributions, including Knicks owner James Dolan’s many contributions to Republicans and Democrats in New York and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban contributing to Democrat Zoe Lofgren’s campaign in 2002.

But none of the DeVos family members are listed as having contributed to Never Back Down, just the team itself.

Magic spokesman Joel Glass said while the contribution was listed as being on June 26, the check was dated and delivered on May 19, a week before DeSantis announced his bid for the presidency.

“To clarify, this gift was given before Gov. DeSantis entered the presidential race,” Glass said. “It was given as a Florida business in support of a Florida governor for the continued prosperity of Central Florida.”

Never Back Down, though, was specifically formed in March by former Trump administration official Ken Cuccinelli to “urge Ron DeSantis to run for president.” The group ran an ad in April bashing Trump for his criticism of DeSantis.

The Magic organization has made federal political contributions in the past, including $2,000 to a young conservative group in 2014, $500 to a group called Conservative Results in 2016 and $500 to Democratic Orange County Mayor Linda Chapin’s congressional campaign in 2000, according to FEC filings.

SFGate editor Alex Shultz reported that the latest check to Never Back Down could be considered the largest-ever political contribution attributed to any NBA team, with only a few $15,000 donations by the Phoenix Suns to the Republican Party in the late 1990s as a comparison.

“There’s probably a joke in here about the Magic investing in yet another overhyped prospect,” Shultz wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, referring to DeSantis’ low poll numbers in the GOP primary.

Biden’s asylum curbs at US-Mexico border can stay for now, court rules

Biden administration is appealing a legal challenge to policy restricting access to asylum at border with Mexico.

Asylum seekers looking to enter the US gather at the Zaragoza-Ysleta international bridge, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, July 6, 2023 [File: Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters]

Published On 4 Aug 2023

US President Joe Biden’s restrictions on access to asylum at the United States border with Mexico can remain in place for now, an appeals court has ruled, as the Biden administration contends with a legal challenge to the policy.

The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals late on Thursday put on hold a district judge’s July 25 ruling that found the regulation violated US law by cutting off asylum for some people caught crossing the border without a permit.

The restrictions can remain in place pending the outcome of Biden’s appeal, the 9th Circuit said, adding that it would expedite the process.

The Biden administration unveiled the policy in May, announcing that the rule would disqualify people from seeking asylum in the US if they did not first apply in countries they crossed earlier in their journeys to the border.

The new policy coincided with the expiration of a contentious public health order known as Title 42, which since 2020 had allowed US authorities to expel most people crossing the border without offering them the opportunity to apply for protection.

“This administration has led the largest expansion of legal pathways for protection in decades, and this regulation will encourage migrants to seek access to those pathways instead of arriving unlawfully in the grip of smugglers at the southern border,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in May when the asylum policy was announced.

But human rights groups immediately denounced the rule, which many have dubbed an “asylum ban”, and accused the Biden administration of violating its obligations under US and international law.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other groups challenged the Biden regulation, arguing it unlawfully denied asylum to some migrants and asylum seekers and mirrored restrictions imposed by former President Donald Trump that were also blocked in court.

Katrina Eiland, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, who argued the case, said the group was “pleased” that the Biden administration’s appeal was put on an expedited schedule and would be heard quickly.

“Because each day the Biden administration prolongs its efforts to preserve its illegal ban, people fleeing grave danger are put in harm’s way,” Eiland said in a statement.

“The Biden administration should uphold our asylum laws, which were designed to give people a fair chance to seek safety, not ban them arbitrarily despite their need for protection.”

Biden, who took office in early 2021 promising to reverse some of Trump’s most hardline, anti-immigration policies, has faced political pressure to respond to increased arrivals at the border with Mexico.

In addition to the asylum rule, the Biden administration has launched what it calls new “legal pathways” for asylum seekers to get to the US in an effort to deter people from trying to reach the border – and opened up migration processing centres in third countries, such as Colombia.

But last month, US District Court Judge Jon Tigar vacated the Biden asylum restriction at the border, though he stayed his ruling for 14 days to allow an appeal.

Tigar ruled that US law does not limit asylum access for people crossing the border without permits and that transit countries to the south do not offer safe and feasible alternatives to migrants and asylum seekers.

KEEP READING
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US judge blocks Biden’s ‘asylum ban’ at Mexico border
US Justice Dept sues Texas over floating Mexico border barrier

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

 

IAEA gains access to roofs of two of six Zaporizhzhia NPP power units: no mines discovered

"ECONOMICHNA PRAVDA" — FRIDAY, 4 AUGUST 2023, 

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not detected mines and explosives on the roofs of the third and fourth power units of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).

Source: Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency

Quote: "IAEA experts have observed no mines or explosives on rooftops of Unit 3 and 4 reactor buildings and turbine halls at Ukraine’s ZNPP, after having been given access yesterday," Grossi said.

The IAEA Director General said that the team continues to request visit to the roofs of the other four units.

Background:

• The IAEA discovered anti-personnel mines on the outskirts of the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The IAEA team saw several mines located in the buffer zone between the barriers of the internal and external perimeters of the ZNPP site during the inspection on 23 July.
• Experts reported that the mines are located in a restricted access area, to which station personnel do not have access and are directed away from the site.
• Earlier, the Russian occupiers transferred power unit four from the cold shutdown mode to the hot shutdown mode, which causes concern among experts because it creates risks to nuclear and radiation safety.

 

Kari Lake and pro-assassination antisemite muse about using the Second Amendment to stop “tyrants”

WRITTEN BY ERIC HANANOKI

PUBLISHED 08/04/23 9:

Failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake recently appeared on the podcast of Michael Scheuer, a virulent antisemite who has called for the assassinations of leading political figures like President Joe Biden. During their discussion, Lake stated that the Second Amendment is “there to stop the tyrants.” Scheuer responded by claiming that there’s “an enormous enemy in Washington” and “in the general staff of the military.”  

Lake, who is considering a bid for the U.S. Senate, is a former news anchor who has repeatedly and falsely insisted that she won her 2022 gubernatorial bid. She has referred to herself as “the real governor, the duly elected governor” and told one podcaster that Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs “should be pulled out by her collar." 

She repeatedly appeared on far-right programs during her unsuccessful campaign. She also endorsed — and then rescinded, following media criticism — an antisemitic candidate for state Senate in the non-neighboring state of Oklahoma.

Lake has attempted to stay relevant by positioning herself as Donald Trump’s potential 2024 running mate and releasing an election-denying memoir. Throughout her promotional tour for the book, Lake has appeared on shows like the QAnon-supporting X22 Report, Steve Bannon’s War Room, and right-wing troll Catturd2’s In the Litter Box w/ Jewels & Catturd. 

On July 28, the Arizona Republican appeared on Scheuer’s Two Mikes podcast, which streams on Rumble. Scheuer is a former CIA operative and QAnon conspiracy theorist who has said that Jewish people are “disloyal,” “subversive,” and “lethal enemies of Americans” who "must be stopped and then scoured from the continent.” He has also stated that numerous political figures should be assassinated, including “the Bidens, Harris, the Clintons, the Obamas,” George Soros, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

During the interview, Lake said that “the Second Amendment, in many ways, is the most important amendment” and that it’s “there to stop the tyrants.” (Elsewhere, Lake has directly accused Biden of acting tyrannically.) 

Scheuer pounced on Lake’s suggestion of using the Second Amendment against tyrants by arguing that “what we've seen now is an enormous enemy in Washington and an enormous enemy in the general staff of the military.” 

Scheuer also suggested to Lake that she consider “restoring the state militia,” an idea that she later said was “interesting.” 

ICHAEL SCHEUER: When you were preparing to be governor, did you ever give any thought to restoring the state militia?

KARI LAKE: I had just — you know, I had a lot of people ask those kind of questions and I said — you know — interesting question, I'm sure that's your top issue, but my top issue is the border. And I think we have the people to help secure the border if we just put our will there to secure the border. You know, I think that the most — reason that we are still a country is we do have an armed citizenry.

SCHEUER: Right.

LAKE: The Second Amendment, in many ways, is the most important amendment, because when all else fails, we have that. That's what's keeping the world, honestly, going still, when you've got citizens who are able to protect themselves from tyrants, and that's why it was placed there. It wasn’t placed there for target practice. It wasn't placed there for pheasant hunting. It was placed there to stop the tyrants, and our Founding Fathers were pretty darn smart.

SCHEUER: Yeah. And that's why we initially had a militia — because they were afraid of the federal government encroaching on them. And when they stole that away and made a National Guard, they left the Second Amendment alone. So it's still there. I've often wondered why governors haven't thought, "Well, you know, maybe we should have our own militia again." But it's probably just a wild thought. But it's something that's in the Constitution. No law can overrule the Constitution. And it just seems to me a state should think about that. That's all.

LAKE: Interesting.

SCHEUER: And I don't mean — I would agree with what you said. You probably have enough firepower to do what you need to do for your border. But I mean, what we've seen now is an enormous enemy in Washington and an enormous enemy in the general staff of the military.

LAKE: That's [inaudible]. Well, and our founders understood this more than anyone, because they fought back the most — the largest tyrant you can imagine, King George and the British monarchy, and they died for our freedoms. They died for us to be able to choose our elected officials, our elected representation. And that's one of the reasons I stay in this fight, because I don't want that to have been done in vain.

Scheuer invoked the Second Amendment as a solution to political problems during a July 3 exchange with Fox News host Jeanine Pirro. On that podcast, he claimed that prior elections were “rigged” and said he thanks God that “the Second Amendment remains in the Constitution because I don't know how else to take care of these vermin.” 

This is not the first time Lake has invoked the American Revolution and the Second Amendment as a remedy for alleged tyranny. During a December speech at Turning Point USA’s America Fest, Lake called for the imprisonment of Maricopa County election officials and, comparing her circumstances to the tyranny that precipitated the American Revolution, said, “I think we’re right there right now, aren’t we?” 

How a solar eruption would impact astronauts on the moon and Mars

Where was the radiation impact the worst? You might be surprised.

By Elisha Sauers on August 4, 2023

A coronal mass ejection at the sun spews plasma into space in January 2002. 

Credit: NASA / GSFC / SOHO / ESA

For the first time, instruments on Earth, the moon, and Mars measured the effects of a giant solar eruption simultaneously, offering new insight into how radiation exposure varies in different worlds.

The event was a rare kind of a coronal mass ejection — plasma spewed from the outer layer of the sun's atmosphere into space — on Oct. 28, 2021.

This outburst was so immense, it launched energetic particles over a wide expanse of space, slamming into both Mars and Earth while they were on opposite sides of the sun, at about 155 million miles apart. The burst was even able to penetrate Earth's magnetic bubble, making it just the 73rd time this has happened since the 1940s.

On Earth, the atmosphere and magnetic field shield people against the harmful health impacts of most kinds of solar weather events. Scientists are more concerned about disruptions to power grids and telecommunications systems.

But not all worlds are so lucky.

"Understanding these events is crucial for future crewed missions to the surface of the Moon," said Jingnan Guo, an astrophysicist who researched the event, in a statement.

SEE ALSO: Solar flares are shooting into space. How you'll know if one's trouble.

The new research leveraged an international fleet of spacecraft, including the European Space Agency's (ESA) ExoMars orbiter, NASA’s Curiosity rover, China's Chang’e-4 moon lander, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and Germany's EuCROPIS Earth orbiter. The results appear in a new Geographical Research Letters paper.

One of the biggest threats to astronauts who are expected to travel deeper into the cosmos over the next couple of decades and beyond will be their exposure to space radiation — often caused by powerful eruptions at the sun.

With the moon and Mars as the latest targets for exploration, NASA and the European Space Agency are trying to better understand these solar events and their risks to humans. Astronauts who receive a high level of radiation absorption — above 700 milligray — may get "radiation sickness," wherein bone marrow deteriorates and can lead to infection and internal bleeding.

If an astronaut gets a dose over 10 gray, they probably won't live more than two weeks, according to the ESA. Apollo astronauts barely missed a solar outburst of that level on the lunar surface in August 1972. Fortunately, the event happened in between the crewed Apollo 16 and 17 missions.

The measured event in October 2021 was only 31 milligray at the moon, based on data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. But experts calculate that an event every 5-or-so years may exceed the "safe dose level" on the moon if no additional radiation protection has been provided, Guo said.

Google rolls out privacy tools to make it easier to remove personal information and explicit images from searches

• By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson
• Published 10 hours ago

Google has announced the rollout of a series of new and updated privacy tools designed to give users greater control over the removal of information about themselves from search results. A new privacy dashboard will alert users if search results start to include their contact information.

As well as making it easier to request the removal of such personal data, Google is expanding its privacy protections to give people a way to remove personal, explicit images from search results. There are also expanded controls for limiting the appearance of other explicit images in searches.

Not all of the privacy tools that Google is talking about are completely new. Last year's Results about you tool, for instance, has been updated to make it easier than ever to request the removal of search results that contain your personal phone number, home address or email address. A more significant update, however, means that alerts will be sent out about new instances of personal data in search results.

Relatedly, Google has also updated its policies on personal explicit images. In a nutshell, the company is simplifying the process of requesting the removal of explicit images of yourself, even if you were the one to originally upload the content.

Google explains:

We have long had policies that enable you to remove non-consensual explicit imagery from Search. Now, we’re building on these protections to enable people to remove from Search any of their personal, explicit images that they no longer wish to be visible in Search.

For example, if you created and uploaded explicit content to a website, then deleted it, you can request its removal from Search if it's being published elsewhere without approval. This policy doesn't apply to content you are currently commercializing. More broadly, whether it's for websites containing personal information, explicit imagery or any other removal requests, we've updated and simplified the forms you use to submit requests.

Google is also taking steps to protect users from inadvertently seeing explicit images in search results. By "explicit", Google means pornographic imagery, pictures depicting violence and more. The company is expanding its SafeSearch feature globally so that such images are blurred out in search results unless the option is manually disabled in settings.

More information is available here.

Betfair sees no change or challenge to Biden vs Trump for US 2024.

Ted Menmuir August 4, 2023 Latest News, North America, Sportsbook 

The adage of ‘expect the unexpected’ appears to have been forgotten in US politics, with all signs pointing to a repeat of Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump as the contenders for the US 2024 Election. 

As it stands, nothing seems capable of derailing this outcome, even as former President Donald Trump faces his third indictment in connection with the events leading to the 6 January riots at Capitol Hill.

The indictment of a President, be it sitting or former, should be treated as a global show-stopping affair. Yet Betfair Politics sees no change in the makeup of its US 2024 markets.

Betfair Exchange remains unmoved, with Biden and Trump as the favourites to secure their respective party nominations and compete for the 2024 US Presidential Election. In terms of the US 2024 odds, Joe Biden is the favourite at 15/8, followed closely by Donald Trump at 12/5.

Sam Rosbottom – Betfair

Sam Rosbottom, Spokesman for Betfair Politics, commented: “As the 2024 US presidential election campaign trail kicks into life, the odds suggest we’ll be turning back the clock to 2020 with Joe Biden and Donald Trump as the favourites to win their party’s backing and campaign for a second term in office. Biden is the 15/8 favourite to win next year’s vote with Trump close behind at 12/5. However, there is no close competition in the nomination markets, where both are clear favourites.”

Speculation regarding presidential hopefuls for both the Republican and Democrat parties should be frantic a year ahead of the 2024 elections. Yet, Betfair sees little movement on challengers to an 80-year-old Biden and a twice-indicted Trump, who reportedly faces 78 criminal charges.

For the Republican nomination, Trump leads significantly with odds of 4/9, comfortably ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose odds have trailed to 9/1 following a lacklustre campaign. A look beyond Ron sees the contenders of Chris Christie, Tim Scott, Nikki Haley and Glenn Youngkin all index at above 30/1 odds, underlying Trump’s hold over GOP voters.

Meanwhile, in the Democrat camp, Joe Biden is also the clear favourite with odds at 2/5. Gavin Newsom and Robert Kennedy Jr. fo

Greta Thunberg pulls out of Edinburgh Book Festival over sponsor investments

The event was due to take place at the Edinburgh Playhouse on August 13.

The climate activist said she would no longer attend the event 

(Yui Mok/PA) / PA Archive

By Craig Paton

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has pulled out of an appearance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, accusing one of the event’s sponsors of “greenwashing”.

Ms Thunberg, 20, was due to speak at an event on August 13, but has pulled out in protest over sponsors Baillie Gifford, an investment management firm she claims invests “heavily” in fossil fuels.

The firm, however, rejected the accusation, saying 2 per cent of its clients’ money was invested in the sector.
The event organiser said he “respects” the decision made by the activist, but said he believes Baillie Gifford to be “part of the solution to the climate emergency”.

Greta Thunberg in London: we must raise our voices on global warming

In a statement released through the Festival, Ms Thunberg said: “I am unfortunately unable to attend the Edinburgh Book Festival.

“As a climate activist I cannot attend an event which receives sponsorship from Baillie Gifford, who invest heavily in the fossil fuel industry.


“Greenwashing efforts by the fossil fuel industry, including sponsorship of cultural events, allow them to keep the social licence to continue operating.

“I cannot and do not want to be associated with events that accept this kind of sponsorship.”

Baillie Gifford is one of the main sponsors of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, with a number of events – including one with former prime minister Gordon Brown – taking place at venues carrying the firm’s name.

A spokesperson for the company rejected the accusations from Ms Thunberg, saying: “Only 2% of our clients’ money is invested in companies with some business related to fossil fuels.

“This compares to the market average of 11%. Of those companies, some have already moved most of their business away from fossil fuels, and many are helping to drive the transition to clean energy.

“We are investing on behalf of our clients to grow their savings and retirement funds.

“When we invest in companies on their behalf, we do so over long time periods – typically 10 years or more – so this has naturally led us away from traditional fossil fuel firms. Currently, 5% of our clients’ money is invested in companies whose sole purpose is to develop clean energy solutions.

“We believe in open debate and discussion which is why we are long-term supporters of the Edinburgh International Book Festival.”

Festival director Nick Barley said he was “disappointed”, but added: “I fully respect her decision.”

Mr Barley also sought to defend the event sponsors, saying: “However, in applauding Greta for standing by her principles, we too must stand by ours.

“The Book Festival exists to give a platform for debate and discussion around key issues affecting humanity today – including the climate emergency. As a charitable organisation, we would not be in a position to provide that platform without the long-term support of organisations such as Baillie Gifford.

“We strongly believe that Baillie Gifford are part of the solution to the climate emergency.

“They are early investors in progressive climate positive companies, providing funds to help them grow.

“While they acknowledge there is still work to do, we have seen them make rapid progress throughout our 19-year relationship.”

The director apologised to those who had bought tickets to the event at the Edinburgh Playhouse, and promised refunds.