Facebook clamps down on political advertisers ahead of 2020 elections

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Facebook is again imposing stricter rules on political advertisers ahead of the 2020 elections.

The social network announced a set of new rules that will apply to any organization running ads related to an election or a political “issue.” The move is Facebook’s latest attempt to cut down on potential interference ahead of the 2020 election in the U.S. 

With the new rules, political advertisers will need to provide Facebook with more details about who is behind the ads before they can run. The company already required political advertisers to verify their identities, but critics have said the policy was too lax and easy to game.  Read more…

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KFC’s first-ever Beyond Chicken sold out completely in five hours

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If you weren’t lining up for some kind of fried chicken product this week, were you even living?

First Popeye’s sandwiches sold out. Now KFC has proved that whether the chicken is the real thing or not, people will queue for that finger-lickin’ deliciousness.

The Colonel went plant-based at one Atlanta restaurant on Tuesday, complete with its signature red trim wrapped in bright green, to test out its Beyond Meat fake Fried “Chicken” on real humans.

And the real humans lined up literally around the block for the popcorn chicken and “wings”, until supply ran out less than five hours into the promotion. Read more…

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Forget the VMAs. The BTS ARMY created their own award show on Twitter.

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Monday marked the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards. And while we got Lil Nas X clowning us with his giant scroll speech and Lizzo being an absolute queen, there was a distinct absence of one thing — BTS. 

That’s not to say the massively popular group didn’t win any awards. Oh no, they cleaned up, taking home “Best Group,” as well as the newly minted “Best K-pop” category for their single “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey. But the wins, while expected, were bittersweet for their fanbase, the BTS ARMY. 

Fans had been vocal about the creation of an entirely new category dedicated to K-pop. As with the controversial award show history of separating categories like “Latin Pop” and “R&B,” many felt the VMAs were preventing BTS from being successful among other mainstream players in the music industry, despite their ability to garner millions of music video views on YouTube. ARMY quickly called the VMAs out for their gatekeeping of non-white artists, trending tags such as #VMAsRacist and #VMAsXenophobic.  Read more…

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Fall movie preview: What to watch if you just wanna have fun

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Welcome to our 2019 Fall Movie Preview. All week long we’re covering the films you need to know about as we head into the final months of the year, from indie gems to awards hopefuls to blockbuster smashes. 


Our fall movie preview got off to a chilling start on Monday, but now it’s time to loosen up and have some fun — whatever that might mean for you. 

Maybe you’re into pitch-black comedy or criminal thrills. Or perhaps your idea of “fun” is getting swept up in drama and tension. Whatever your taste, the fall movie calendar has something for you.

Here’s what to watch if you’re in the mood for fun… Read more…

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Civil rights activist Rosa Parks and astronaut Sally Ride get their own Barbies

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Monday was Women’s Equality Day. It was also the day that Mattel, the company behind Barbie, released two new dolls: One honoring the Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks; the other paying homage to astronaut Sally Ride.

We’re adding two courageous women to the #Barbie Inspiring Women Series – Civil Rights activist, Rosa Parks, and the first American woman to fly in space, Sally Ride

Barbie Sally Ride doll: @Target
Barbie Rosa Parks doll: @Walmart
Or pre-order now: https://t.co/mnRXP0Sro3 pic.twitter.com/hZIdchCV1p

— Barbie (@Barbie) August 26, 2019

“Both Sally Ride and Rosa Parks made the world better for future generations of girls. By celebrating their achievements with dolls made in their likeness, we hope girls will be inspired to pursue their dreams,” a Mattel spokesperson told Mashable.  Read more…

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Popeyes is sold out of chicken sandwiches

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We all helped Popeyes win the great chicken sandwich war, but at what cost?

The fried chicken chain announced on social media Tuesday that its instantly iconic chicken sandwich — for which fans have been lining up in droves since it debuted last week — has sold out completely.

SEE ALSO: There’s a fast food chicken sandwich war and we have declared the winner

Never fear, though: Popeyes promises the sandwich will return “soon,” and that when it does, it will be a permanent part of the menu. (Isn’t that what we were promised in the first place? Whatever.) We have a feeling Popeyes isn’t really sweating the shortage — all the sandwich buzz gave the company about $23 million in free press. Read more…

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Google Maps finally lets you plan ‘mixed modes’ travel

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Sometimes getting home is a journey. 

If it takes a few transit methods to get from a party to your front door, Google Maps didn’t used to be much help. But, as announced Tuesday, the navigation app can now give transit directions that include different modes. 

“Mixed modes” will soon show up on the transit tab and will include ride-sharing and cycling options within the public transit directions. Instead of you having to manually piece together a trip, the app puts together different options for you.

You can get detailed information about ride-sharing, like the cost of either an Uber or Lyft and the different types of rides, like a carpool or SUV and how long it’ll take to get to you. The app will give info about the train or bus you’re catching and how much traffic to expect on the way. But you still have to book an Uber or Lyft in its respective app.  Read more…

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Former Google and Uber exec faces up to 10 years in jail over self-driving car trade secrets

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If you thought the Waymo v. Uber trial wrapped up when the companies settled early last year … well, nope.

An unsealed federal indictment Tuesday revealed 33 charges against engineer-turned-executive Anthony Levandowski, whose arraignment is set for this afternoon in San Jose. If convicted, Levandowski faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. 

Levandowski was an engineer at what was then called Project Chauffeur at Google (it later became Waymo) before he started his own autonomous truck company, Otto, in 2015. That business was quickly snatched up for $680 million by Uber, which was starting to develop its own self-driving car program.  Read more…

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Leslie Jones departing ‘Saturday Night Live’

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Saturday Night Live is losing a player. 

On Tuesday, Variety reported that SNL cast member Leslie Jones would be leaving the NBC sketch comedy show ahead of its Season 45 premiere this September. Mashable has confirmed the news, although Jones has not yet commented. 

Jones first joined the SNL writer’s room in early 2014, frequently serving as a guest commentator on the series’ Weekend Update segment. In October of the same year, Jones was made a featured player for the remainder of Season 40. She became a repertory player in Season 42. 

Per Variety, Jones’ departure from SNL came as part of her decision to focus on other projects, including undisclosed film opportunities and her already-confirmed Netflix stand-up comedy special. NBC has yet to announce a replacement for Jones.  Read more…

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Why Twitter took action against parody Trump account @RealPressSecBot

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Twitter suspended developer platform access to a popular bot account poking fun at President Trump, leaving its creator wondering, “Why?”

if you’re a member of the 4th estate or know any mucky mucks at twitter —— I’d real appreciate you using your powers to ask questions about this, because I have no idea why this happened:https://t.co/YX7yIVBw0I

— ?????? ????? (@russelneiss) August 27, 2019

“Well, it’s been a good run,” tweeted @RealPressSecBot creator Russel Neiss, announcing that the company had suspended the Twitter app he created which ran the account. (The account is still viewable and Neiss can still use it to manually send tweets, but the Twitter-connected app that automated the posts is no longer.) Read more…

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