Bias alert: Twitter bans Breitbart bad boy, but not ISIS-linked London loudmouth

Milo Yiannopoulos on Breitbart News Daily (8/16/2016)

The Twitterverse has more to fear from a gay conservative than a fire-breathing ISIS recruiter if the social media giants treatment of a pair of prolific and provocative posters is to be squared.

Twitter banned Breitbart tech editor and openly gay conservative Milo Yiannopoulos for life last month after his followers tweeted objectionable comments targeting African-American Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones, but a recent case in Londons Old Bailey shows Twitter took a hands-off approach to the poisonous posts of Anjem Choudary.

Jurors in the United Kingdom were told this week that British authorities repeatedly sought to get Choudarys Twitter posts and YouTube videos taken down after his pledge of allegiance to ISIS surfaced online. Choudary, who in interviews with Fox News and other media has for years made no secret of his embrace of Shariah law and Islamic radicalism, was convicted Tuesday of "inviting support for a proscribed organization," namely ISIS. He faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced next month.

During the trial, prosecutors complained that despite Choudarys incendiary Tweets and YouTube videos, they had no power to force social media companies to remove the material.

Its a sharp contrast to the treatment Twitter last month afforded Yiannopoulos, who was banned from the 140-character forum after his "Ghostbusters" tweets, but says the ban is a reaction to years of conservative posts.

"An Islamic hate preacher convicted of inciting terrorism: fine," Yiannopoulos told FoxNews.com. "A gay man expressing concern about Muslim immigration: not fine. Welcome to the new, Shariah-compliant Twitter."

In conjunction with a scathing movie review last month, Yiannopoulos referred to Jones as a black dude and pegged her barely literate. His followers then directed a storm of racist tweets at Jones, prompting Twitter founder Jack Dorsey to personally intervene.

Following the Yiannopoulos incident, a Twitter spokesman told FoxNews.com it takes its responsibility of moderating speech seriously.

People should be able to express diverse opinions and beliefs on Twitter. But no one deserves to be subjected to targeted abuse online, a Twitter spokesman told FoxNews.com in an email. We know many people believe we have not done enough to curb this type of behavior on Twitter.

But in the British court, a researcher from the National Counter Terrorism Police Operations Center catalogued a series of failed attempts to get Twitter to rein in Choudary, saying, "the police do not have the capability to remove any material from any platform."

Choudary currently has more than 32,000 followers on Twitter and his account can still be viewed online.

Testimony also showed that YouTube refused a June 23 request to take down a Choudary video titled, "Duties of the Kilafah by Anjem Choudary" which was refused. Another video, titled, "The Caliphate will expand into Europe and U.S.," was deemed "journalistic" by the site, officials said.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/08/18/bias-alert-twitter-bans-breitbart-bad-boy-but-not-isis-linked-london-loudmouth.html

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Glastonbury"s Donn Cabral Finishes Eighth In Olympic Steeplechase

Jager wins steeplechase silver, best U.S. finish since 1952

A few seconds after Glastonbury High graduate Donn Cabral finished the Olympic 3,000-meter steeplechase final Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro, he pulled silver medalist Evan Jager in for a hug.

Cabral, who graduated from Glastonbury in 2008, had run a time of 8 minutes, 25.81 seconds and finished eighth in the final, but the moment belonged to his U.S teammate.

Jager had just ended a 32-year medal drought for the Americans in the mens steeplechase, running 8:04.28 for second behind gold medal winner Conseslus Kipruto of Kenya.

Kipruto crossed the line in 8:03.28 to become the ninth straight Kenyan to win gold in the event, which includes running, hurdling and jumping over a water pit.

Ezekiel Kemboi of Kenya, who won the gold in 2004 and 2012, finished third with a time of 8:08.47 but was disqualified hours later for what the IAAF, the sports governing body, called an infringement of the inside border." France"s Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad filed a formal complaint after the race and claimed that Kemboi made a lane violation. Mekhissi-Benabbad, who finished more than three seconds behind Kemboi, was given the bronze.

Both Kipruto and Jager broke the Olympic record of 8:05.51, set by Julius Kariuki of Kenya in 1988.

In London four years ago, Cabral and Jager made their Olympic debuts in the steeplechase and ran well, signaling a new era for American track and field. Jager finished sixth and Cabral was eighth. But in Brazil, Cabral, 26, was unable to stay in contact with the leaders for much of the race.

Jager, who trains in Portland, Ore., and is from Algonquin, Ill., is the first American man to win a medal since Brian Diemer won bronze in Los Angeles in 1984.

Jagers medal was the best for an American in the event since 1952. Horace Ashenfelter won gold for the U.S. in 1952 and George Young got bronze in 1968.

Cabral fought for position late in the final.

After spending the first half of the race behind the leaders, Cabral started inching up with about three laps left. He looked poised for a possible final kick. But at the same time, Jager was making his own move and testing Kipruto and Kemboi.

As Cabral worked to get into the top six with two laps left, Jager lengthen his stride and took over the lead. Cabral handled the water pit cleanly and avoided a late fall in the second to last lap by a competitor, but the damage was done.

He was out of space.

In 2012, Cabral ran 8:25.91 in the final.

It was the first time in 80 years that three Americans ran in the final. Hillary Bor ran 8:22.74 for seventh.

Cabral entered the final with the third fastest time in Mondays three qualifying rounds.

In his heat, Cabral ran at the back of the pack for the first few laps before he moved up late to take the third automatic qualifier with a time of 8:21.96. Bor and Jager won their qualifying heats in 8:25.01 and 8:25.86.

At the U.S. track and field trials in Eugene, Ore., on July 3, Cabral ran 8:26.37 to finish third and make the team, but he wasnt content with his performance.

After training at altitude in Flagstaff, Ariz., before the trials for six weeks, Cabral felt ready. He was healthy and prepared for the demands of elite racing. But at the trials, he needed a fall by Stanley Kebenei to make the Olympics.

Cabral ran 8:20.72 to win the steeplechase in his final warmup on July 29. He then handled the qualifying race, knowing exactly what he needed to make the final.

Cabral has a history of handling himself well in his biggest races. But Wednesdays race proved too quick for Cabral.

Mekhissi-Benabbad, the silver medalist in 2012, ran 8:11.52 for third and Soufiane Elbakkali of Morocco ran 8:14.35 for fourth.

Jacob Araptany of Uganda fell early in the race and didnt finish after hitting the front of a barrier.

Cabral was looking to become the first athlete from Connecticut to win a medal in the event in 84 years. In 1932, Manchesters Joe McCluskey was the bronze medalist in Los Angeles.

Source: http://www.courant.com/sports/olympics/hc-oly-donn-cabral-steeplechase-0818-20160817-story.html

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Donald Trump shakes up campaign staff: Top positions to Kellyanne Conway, Breitbart"s Stephen Bannon

War of words about Van Jones and Kellyanne Conway about Donald Trump speaks on Law and Order 1 #CNN

TETERBORO, N.J. (AP) -- Donald Trump announced a shake-up of his campaign leadership Wednesday, the latest sign of tumult for his struggling White House bid less than three months from his Election Day faceoff with Hillary Clinton.

The Republican nominee named Stephen Bannon of the conservative Breitbart News website as chief executive officer and promoted pollster Kellyanne Conway to campaign manager. The moves signal that Trump plans to embrace his populist, outsider persona in the campaign"s final stretch rather than moderate and extend a hand to more traditional Republicans.

"I"ve known both of them for a long time. They"re terrific people, they"re winners, they"re champs, and we need to win it," Trump told The Associated Press in a phone interview in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Paul Manafort, Trump"s controversial campaign chairman, will retain his title. But in announcing the shakeup, Trump said Bannon would now oversee the campaign staff and operations, raising questions about Manafort"s role going forward.

Manafort has spent months trying to ingratiate Trump to Republican lawmakers who have urged the billionaire businessman to dial back his fiery rhetoric and run a more traditional campaign. Trump has largely resisted those pleas and the latest staff changes seemed to guarantee he"ll continue to maintain that posture.

Bannon"s website has been a cheerleader for Trump"s campaign for months and also critical of Republican leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan. A former Goldman Sachs banker, Bannon does not have presidential campaign experience but he shares Trump"s combative approach to politics.

Conway joined Trump"s campaign earlier this year as a senior adviser. A longtime Republican strategist and pollster, she has close ties to Trump"s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.

Conway told the AP the moves were "an expansion at a critical time in the homestretch."

Manafort deputy Rick Gates, who has been traveling often with Trump, is expected to maintain a senior role with the campaign.

Manafort, who took over the reins following the departure of campaign manager Corey Lewandowski in June, has come under scrutiny because of his past work for a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Manafort helped the party secretly route at least $2.2 million in payments to two prominent Washington lobbying firms in 2012, doing so in a way that effectively obscured the party"s efforts to influence U.S. policy. Gates, who had worked with Manafort on Ukrainian issues, told the AP he and Manafort had consulted with the lobbying firms on Ukrainian politics, but called the actions lawful.

The campaign shake-up, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, comes as polls show Trump trailing Clinton nationally and in key battleground states following a difficult campaign stretch that saw him insulting the Muslim parents of a U.S. Army soldier who died in Iraq and temporarily refraining from endorsing Ryan in his primary race.

Amid the tumult, Trump has appeared increasingly agitated, discussing the possibility of losing publicly and questioning his advisers" advice. "I am listening to so-called experts to ease up the rhetoric, and so far, I"m liking the way I ran in the primaries better," a testy Trump told Time Magazine.

While Trump"s campaign staff publicly insists there is plenty of time left for the Republican to change the trajectory of the race, the candidate is facing a shrinking timeline. Early voting begins in a handful of states in September.

Details of the new pecking order were hashed out at a lengthy senior staff meeting at Trump Tower Tuesday while the candidate was on the road. A statement announcing the hires was released Wednesday. Additional senior hires are expected soon.

Both Bannon and Conway have close ties to Republican megadonor Robert Mercer, who leads a New York hedge fund. Mercer has investments in Breitbart News. He also put $13.5 million into a super PAC Conway ran during the Republican primary in support of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Mercer has authorized the pro-Cruz super PAC to begin doing work to help Trump. Super PACs are organizations that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to support a candidate, but can"t coordinate with the candidate"s campaign.

Trump"s own campaign has enjoyed a burst of fundraising from direct mail and online donations, saying it raised $64 million that way in July alone -- the vast majority of which goes to his campaign, not the Republican Party.

Although Trump has repeatedly said he plans to lean on the party to pay for key operations such as voter door-knocking, it is increasingly clear that he will have the money to build on his own if he chooses to do so.

The campaign did announce Tuesday that it would finally begin airing its first ads of the general election next week in the battleground states of Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

While polls have shown Clinton building a lead following last month"s convention, Democrats fear that a depressed voter turnout might diminish support among the minority, young and female voters who powered Obama to two victories.

Clinton said at a voter registration event at a Philadelphia high school that she"s "not taking anybody anywhere for granted" in the race for the White House.

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Pace reported from Washington. AP writer Julie Bykowicz contributed to this report.

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Follow Jill Colvin and Julie Pace on Twitter at http://twitter.com/colvinj and https://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Source: http://www.eastbaytimes.com/nation-world/ci_30257951/donald-trump-shakes-up-campaign-staff-top-positions

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Watch Simone Biles nearly pass out when crush Zac Efron surprises her in Rio

U.S. gymnastics" team freaks out when they meet Zac Efron

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Performing on the most pressure-packed stage of her career in front of millions on television hasn"t fazed Simone Biles one bit.

After all, it"s not like it was as nerve-wracking as meeting crush Zac Efron in person or anything.

Biles, 19, may be an Olympic superstar, but she"s still like many teenagers when it comes to the hunky actor.

In a surprise orchestrated by TODAY"s Hoda Kotb, the star of the U.S. gymnastics team nearly needed a defibrillator when she met the actor whose life-sized cardboard cutout sits in her bedroom.

Watch Zac Efron surprise the Final Five on NBCOlympics.com

"If you bring him out, I think I"m gonna pass out,"" Biles told Kotb Tuesday night.

Brandon Goodwin/TODAY

U.S. gymnastics star Simone Biles nearly "passed out" when she was surprised by celebrity crush Zac Efron after winning her fourth gold medal on Tuesday night.

Efron then came out to give her a big hug shortly after she had won her fourth gold medal in Rio de Janeiro and her fifth overall in the Games.

RELATED: Will Simone Biles and Aly Raisman return for 2020 Olympics? Gymnasts say...

"Stop, you"re lying,"" a flustered Biles said. "Stop, no way, no way.

"Ahhh, oh my G*d! Stop, is this real life? Oh my G*d. Stop."

Biles had told Hoda in an earlier interview that she would pass out if Efron ever came to watch her perform in Rio. That"s about the only time you"ll see her on the ground and not flying through the air in Rio.

Brandon Goodwin/TODAY

Meeting Efron was the capper to Biles" time in Rio, which has included five medals, including four gold medals.

An enthusiastic supporter of Team USA, Efron flew to Rio on Tuesday to congratulate Biles and teammates Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian.

"Their story just blew my mind,"" Efron told Hoda and Matt Lauer on TODAY Wednesday. "When I found out Simone and this team were fans, I was like, "What kind of guy am I if I don"t show up?"""

The powerful legs that helped Biles dominate the competition turned to jelly at the sight of Efron, who was hiding at the media center next door to the gymnastics venue.

"They won gold medals, they were crushing it the entire Olympics, and I was like hiding in a closet waiting to come in, so I didn"t know what to think,"" Efron said. "I kind of was getting nervous myself, but it ended up being so sweet."

TODAY

The entire U.S. women"s gymnastics team was thrilled to meet Zac Efron in Rio.

RELATED: Simone Biles on beam upset, Laurie Hernandez"s silver: "I"m so proud of her"

When the U.S. team thought they were doing a routine interview with Hoda, Efron made his entrance as their jaws dropped and they rushed to hug him.

"He"s even more gorgeous in person!" Biles said after meeting him.

Zac Efron/Facebook

Zac Efron joined Hoda and Matt on set the morning after surprising the U.S. women"s gymnastic"s team: "When I found out Simone and this team were fans, I was like, "What kind of guy am I if I don"t show up?"""

Follow TODAY.com writer Scott Stump on Twitter.

Source: http://www.today.com/popculture/watch-simone-biles-nearly-pass-out-when-crush-zac-efron-t101922

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Live updates: Devastating Blue Cut fire in Cajon Pass consumes homes at rapid rate, burning out of control

Blue Cut Fire Scorches 5,500 Acres Near Cajon Pass

It was a recipe for flaming disaster.

Unrelenting heat, gusting winds and tinder-dry chaparral that would snap when touched provided bountiful ammunition for a fast-moving fire that incinerated30,000 acres of Southern California terrainand forcedmore than 80,000to evacuate.

The fire broke out lateTuesday morningin terrain so rugged and steep that its like wadded-up paper said Michael Wakoski, battalion chief of the San Bernardino County Fire Departmentand incident commander of the Blue Cut fire.

Its almost impossible to move up and down the slopes, he said. It makes containment of the fire very difficult.

The Cajon Pass, a natural wind tunnel, created a funnel that increased wind speeds by20 mph to 30 mph,pushing the blaze north and helping it jump the 15 Freeway, he said.The fire was spotting half a mile ahead of itself.

You add the wind, the fuel and the lay of the land and they all line up for a disaster, he said. The brush is like stick.They just break off when you walk through them.Its a disaster that has been waiting to happen all year, waiting for a spark.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire that was first reportedTuesday around 10 a.m.

When firefighters arrived, a cargo train moving through the Cajon Pass stood idle on the tracks, Wakoski said.The engineer had abandoned it on the tracks.

Complicating containment was a patchwork of infrastructure that convenesin the Cajon Pass and services a large swath of Southern California, includingelectricalpower lines, high-pressure gas lines, pipelines forjet fuel and a network offiber-optic cables.

Firefighters fought hard toget ahead of the fire, but in the end, they could do little to contain it.

We got our butts kicked, Wakoskisaid.

The fire ripped through mountain pine trees, desert yucca, brush and chaparral.

Fires burn differently in different types of fuel, soyou will get a change in fire behavior very quickly. It can go from real slow burning to extreme burning in a heartbeat, he said.

Three firefighters were treated and released for smoke inhalation.

Wakoski said in his 40-year career fighting fires, he never has seen anything like this.

We are not even in the hot part of fire season yet, he said. This is October-like fire behavior conditions we"re having right now, and were only in August, so we are in for a fight.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-updates-wildfire-season-california-2016-htmlstory.html

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Cisco to lay off about 14000 employees: tech news site CRN

The Flash | Chronicles of Cisco: Entry 0419 - Part 1 | The CW

Cisco Systems Inc is laying off about 14,000 employees, representing nearly 20 percent of the network equipment maker"s global workforce, technology news site CRN reported, citing sources close to the company.

Cisco, which is due to report fourth-quarter results later on Wednesday, is expected to announce the cuts within the next few weeks, the report said. (bit.ly/2bEQfa3)

"We think it"s true," Jefferies analysts wrote in a client note, referring to the report.

"As we"ve met with investors in recent weeks, we"ve picked up on concerns that Cisco may be looking to reduce headcount in the not-too-distant future."

If confirmed, it would be the second big tech industry layoff of a similar scale announced this year. Intel Corp said in April that it would slash up to 12,000 jobs globally, or 11 percent of its workforce.

San Jose-based Cisco is facing sluggish spending by telecom carriers and enterprises on network switches and routers, its main business. In response, the company has been beefing up its wireless security and datacenter businesses.

These rumored cuts, if they turn out to be true, would be a bit of a catch-up the company is doing as it moves away from hardware, Needham & Co analyst Alex Henderson said.

"I do not think that they are going to be done after this," Henderson said.

The company has already offered many early retirement packages to employees, the CRN report said.

Cisco, which had more than 70,000 employees as of April 30, declined to comment.

The company"s shares were down 1.4 percent at $30.71 on Wednesday on the Nasdaq.

Jefferies raised its price target on the stock to $35 from $30.72 and maintained its "buy" rating.

Up to Tuesday"s close, Cisco"s stock had risen about 15 percent this year, compared with a 10.5 percent increase in the Dow Jones U.S. Technology Hardware & Equipment index.

(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera, Bhanu Pratap and Supantha Mukherjee and Rishika Sadam in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler, Sunil Nair and Anil D"Silva)

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cisco-systems-layoffs-idUSKCN10S05D

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LOOK: Simone Biles gets surprise visit, kiss from celebrity crush Zac Efron

Simone Biles FINALLY Meets & Kisses Zac Efron

If you thought Simone Biles" day couldn"t get any better after she joined exclusive company with her fourth gold medal of the Rio Olympics, well you thought wrong.

The 19-year-old gymnastics superstar realized all of her Olympic dreams in Rio de Janeiro, but she also experienced another moment of ecstasy. It has been no secret that Biles" celebrity crush is actor Zac Efron.

Prior to the start of the Olympics during a segment with the "Today" show, Biles made an impassioned pitch to the star of the High School Musical and Neighbors franchises to come down to Rio to see her and her U.S. teammates compete in the team final.

That got Efron"s attention, but he couldn"t make it in time to cheer on Team USA to their all-around gold medal. He was still cheering from afar, though.

The Twitter back-and-forth between Biles and Efron got a lot of attention, but he still wasn"t able to make it down to Brazil to catch the "Final Five" in action.

Simone Biles had a pretty nice little Tuesday. USATSI

Tuesday was the final day of artistic gymnastics competition. Biles performed in the floor exercise final, winning gold as expected. She became the fifth woman in history and first American to win four gold medals in one Summer Games in gymnastics.

After finishing her historic Olympic run, Biles was at one of NBC"s Rio studios when who should be there to surprise her? None other than Zac Efron, of course.

Judging by her picture and video-filled Twitter feed, Biles was juuuust a little excited about it.

Yeah, it was a good day to be Simone Biles.

Source: http://www.cbssports.com/olympics/news/look-simone-biles-gets-surprise-visit-kiss-from-celebrity-crush-zac-efron/

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