Tag Archives: Investigate

Twitter allegedly has illegal bedrooms at HQ, SF officials investigate

San Francisco officials are investigating a complaint alleging that Twitter illegally converted part of its headquarters into bedrooms.

The complaint was filed to the city’s 311 service by a user on the social media network itself, after Forbes reported that some conference rooms had been converted into “modest bedrooms featuring unmade mattresses, drab curtains and giant conference-room telepresence monitors.”

Unnamed Twitter employees told Forbes that an estimated four to eight bedrooms per floor were installed in the 1355 Market St. building. The Chronicle was unable to independently verify the claims. City records show that there have been no applications to convert any of portion of the building to residential use.

Twitter owner Elon Musk appeared to confirm that the company had installed beds and criticized Mayor London Breed for scrutinizing the company rather than focusing on the city’s drug crisis.

“So city of SF attacks companies providing beds for tired employees instead of making sure kids are safe from fentanyl. Where are your priorities @LondonBreed!?” Musk posted on Twitter, linking to a Chronicle story on the reported fentanyl overdose of a 10-month-old baby.

The city’s Department of Building Inspection is seeking to conduct a site inspection for potential violations and has reached out to the building manager for more information.

“We investigate all complaints. We need to make sure the building is being used as intended. There are different building code requirements for residential buildings, including those being used for short-term stays. These codes make sure people are using spaces safely,” said Patrick Hannan, spokesperson for the Department of Building Inspection.

If building code violations are found, the agency would issue a public notice of violation.

In the wake of Musk’s purchase of Twitter, some workers said publicly that they slept in the office amid high work demands.

Last month, Esther Crawford, Twitter’s director of product management, was photographed in a sleeping bag and wearing an eye mask in what appeared to be a conference room.

“When your team is pushing round the clock to make deadlines sometimes you #SleepWhereYouWork,” she wrote in a tweet, playing on the hashtag #LoveWhereYouWork.

Musk himself posted in a now deleted tweet that he would be working and sleeping in the headquarters “until the org is fixed.”

Twitter, which has laid off its communications team, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Shorenstein, which owns 1355 Market St. with JPMorgan Chase, declined to comment.

Twitter’s 2011 lease agreement with a Shorenstein entity, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, states that the landlord “may reasonably withhold its consent” to Twitter seeking to sublease its space to a “facility for the provision of social, welfare or clinical health services or sleeping accommodations (whether temporary, daytime or overnight).” The lease does not appear to state whether Twitter could operate sleeping accommodations itself.

The 1355 Market St. building is in a Downtown General Commercial zoning district, which allows for high-density offices, hotels, entertainment and residential uses.

In April, Musk tweeted a now deleted poll titled “Convert Twitter SF HQ to homeless shelter since no one shows up anyway,” in what appeared to be a criticism of the company’s remote work policy, which he later scrapped. Dan Sider, the city Planning Department’s chief of staff, told Bloomberg CityLab at the time that “from a regulatory perspective, converting this building into a homeless shelter would be fairly straightforward.”

Separately, the California Labor Federation said on Tuesday that Twitter terminated a contract with union janitors a day after they held a strike and picket line outside of the headquarters. Laid off Twitter employees are also seeking arbitration over claims that the company did not deliver promised severance packages and give legally required layoff notices.

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf



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Adidas to investigate claims Kanye West showed pornography to staff | Kanye West

The sportswear giant Adidas is to launch an independent investigation into allegations of misconduct made this week against the US rapper and fashion designer Kanye West, including that he showed pornography to staff at company meetings.

The claims by unidentified staff at Yeezy and Adidas, which surfaced in a Rolling Stone article on Tuesday, included allegations that the musician, who has changed his name to Ye, showed an intimate picture of his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, in job interviews, and that his “problematic behavior” was overlooked by Adidas management.

Staff allegations included in a letter to Adidas obtained by the outlet included claims that Adidas “turned their moral compass off” and failed to protect employees from “years of verbal abuse, vulgar tirades, and bullying attacks”.

Adidas said in a statement on Thursday that “it is currently not clear whether the accusations made in an anonymous letter are true” but that it took the claims “very seriously” and had “taken the decision to launch an independent investigation of the matter immediately to address the allegations”.

The sportswear brand initially said it would not “discuss private conversations, details or events that lead to our decision to terminate the Adidas Yeezy partnership” but it had “been and continue[d] to be actively engaged in conversations with our employees about the events that led to our decision to end the partnership”.

In one alleged 2017 incident, Ye yelled at a senior female member of the design team that a Yeezy sneaker was not up to standards. West reportedly looked down at his foot, and up at the employee, and said: “I want you to make me a shoe I can fuck.”

Analysts estimate that the Yeezy partnership accounts for 7% of the group’s revenue. Adidas has said it believes losing Yeezy will halve its expected profits this year. It is not yet clear if Adidas will continue to sell the designs, which the company owns, without Yeezy’s logo, which it does not.

The decision to launch an inquiry comes after one of Adidas’ largest shareholders, Union Investment, demanded clarity about the alleged incidents. Last month Adidas abandoned a licensing and design contract with Ye after he made antisemitic threats.

Janne Werning, head of ESG capital markets and stewardship at Union Investment, which holds a 1% stake in Adidas, told the Financial Times: “Adidas needs to disclose when the management and the supervisory board was first informed about the internal allegations.”

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FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried donated thousands to House committee members who will investigate him

Members of the House Financial Services Committee have received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Sam Bankman-Fried and others at his now-bankrupt cryptocurrency company FTX.

Nine members of the House Financial Services Committee have received money from FTX totaling just over $300,000, according to a review of Federal Election Commission records by the Washington Free Beacon. 

FTX FOUNDER SAM BANKMAN-FRIED HIT WITH CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT THAT ALSO NAMES BRADY, BUNDCHEN, SHAQ, CURRY

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and chief executive officer of FTX Cryptocurrency Derivatives Exchange, speaks during a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., Feb. 9, 2022. (Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Bankman-Fried was a major contributor to Democratic candidates during the midterm election cycle, funneling most of his donations through a political action committee called Protect Our Future PAC.

Rep. Chuy Garcia, a Democrat from Illinois, is the only member of the committee who publicly pledged to return a $2,900 contribution from FTX leaders. The lawmaker was also the beneficiary of a nearly $200,000 ad blitz funded by Protect Our Future PAC.

Bankman-Fried funneled an estimated $262,200 to Republicans throughout the 2021-2022 election cycle, according to FEC records. His contributions to Republicans paled in comparison to the nearly $40 million he contributed to Democratic campaigns but still represented a significant sum, compared to most Americans.

HERE ARE THE DEMS WHO BENEFITED FROM THE LEFT-WING PAC THAT FTX FUNNELED $27M THROUGH

Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California and chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, during a hearing in Washington, D.C., Sept. 21, 2022. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

When asked whether Democrats who received campaign cash from FTX should give it back, committee chairwoman Rep. Maxine Waters said, “Well, I don’t want to get into that. As a matter of fact, both sides, Democrats and Republicans, have received donations. So thank you.”

Overall, in 2021 and 2022, Bankman-Fried donated nearly $38 million to various candidates and PACs, mainly giving his cash to Democratic candidates and left-wing groups, according to Federal Election Commission filings (FEC). 

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FILE – Signage for the FTX Arena, where the Miami Heat basketball team plays, is illuminated on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, in Miami.  (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File / AP Newsroom)

The majority of his political givings, though, went to the Protect Our Future PAC, a group founded in January that is dedicated to boosting candidates committed to preventing future pandemics.

On Wednesday, Bankman-Fried was hit with a class action lawsuit filed by investors alleging that he and other high-profile celebrities – such as legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady and NBA star Stephen Curry – violated Florida law and made consumers suffer more than $11 billion in damages.

Fox News’ Kristen Altus and Thomas Catenacci contributed to this report.

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Michigan State suspends 4 players as school police investigate scuffle after Wolverines defeat Spartans



CNN
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Four Michigan State University football players have been suspended while school police investigate a scuffle in a stadium tunnel after the No. 4 University of Michigan Wolverines defeated the unranked Michigan State Spartans 29-7 on Saturday.

Michigan State Head Coach Mel Tucker announced in a statement that the players have been suspended from the team after “reviewing the disturbing electronic evidence” of the altercation. The suspensions will be in effect until investigations of the incident are complete, Tucker said.

A video posted on Twitter from The Detroit News showed several Spartan players in an altercation with a Wolverine player in the tunnel at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

Michigan football Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said two of his players were “assaulted,” and one of them may have a broken nose.

“I saw the one video, the 10 on one, it’s … pretty bad,” Harbaugh said.

“What happened after the game is completely unacceptable,” Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel said.

School police from both universities are jointly investigating the incident. In his statement on player suspensions, Tucker said Michigan State will continue to evaluate “additional student-athlete participation in the altercations and contributing factors.”

Michigan State Vice President and Athletics Director Alan Haller called the evidence “alarming,” adding that “the behavior we reviewed was both uncharacteristic of our football program and unacceptable.”

Manuel said he has spoken with Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren, and “he is looking into it.”

“Police are also looking into it, and it’s because they’ve seen the video,” Manuel said. “We will leave it in their hands.”

CNN has reached out to the Big Ten for comment.

Michigan State President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. apologized to Michigan, calling the incident “unacceptable behavior.”

“I’m extremely saddened by this incident and the unacceptable behavior depicted by members of our football program,” Stanley said in a statement.

“On behalf of Michigan State University, my heartfelt apology to the University of Michigan and the student athletes who were injured. There is no provocation that could justify the behavior we are seeing on the videos. Rivalries can be intense but should never be violent.”

Tucker addressed the scuffle on Twitter.

“As Spartans our program has a responsibility to uphold the highest level of sportsmanship,” Tucker tweeted Sunday.

“While emotions were very high at the conclusion of our rivalry game at Michigan Stadium, there is no excuse for behavior that puts our team or our opponents at risk.”

MSU’s president said “Coach Tucker will be holding the players involved responsible, and our football team and university will be cooperating with all related investigations by law enforcement and the Big Ten Conference.”

The two schools released a joint statement saying, “The University of Michigan Police, in partnership with Michigan State University Police, Michigan Athletics and Michigan football, is actively reviewing footage and investigating the postgame incident.”

“Situations like these, and the safety of the community, are taken very seriously,” the statement said.

The cross-state schools have had a storied rivalry for generations.

“But this is not how we should interact after a game,” said Manuel, Michigan’s athletic director. “It’s completely and utterly unacceptable. … This is not what a rivalry should be about.”



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Iowa serial killer: Authorities investigate after woman claims father was a prolific killer



CNN
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A sheriff in western Iowa says local, state and federal authorities are “actively investigating” in a rural area where a woman claimed her late father disposed of dozens of bodies of people he killed decades ago.

“We are actively investigating this, and who wouldn’t?” Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope told CNN Affiliate KETV.

“We have a scene, but we don’t know whether it’s a crime scene,” the sheriff told KETV. “We don’t have victims, bodies. Nothing.”

The search follows a Newsweek article quoting Lucy Studey, who claimed her father, Donald Studey, killed “50 to 70” people years ago – and that she helped dispose of the bodies in a well on property he owned near Thurman, Iowa.

Susan Studey, Lucy Studey’s older sister, later told Newsweek her sister’s claims weren’t true. “My father was not the man she makes him out to be. He was strict, but he was a protective parent who loved his children … Strict fathers don’t just turn into serial killers … I’m two years older than Lucy. I think I would know if my father murdered,” she told Newsweek.

CNN has reached out to Lucy Studey for comment.

“All we have is a woman came forward and told us a story about bodies in a well,” Aistrope said. “We did bring a couple cadaver dogs. Cadaver dogs looked in there or looked around the area, and they did indicate in the area. I’m not going to say it was right over the well, but they did indicate in the area.”

Donald Studey died in 2013, according to KETV.

“We’re going to do everything we can to prove or disprove there may be a crime scene,” Aistrope said.

Local, state and federal agencies are involved, including the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the FBI, Aistrope told KETV.

“They’d asked us to assist with the investigation as well as the FBI and we’re happy to do so, you know, and try to provide manpower and resources,” assistant director with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, told KETV.

CNN has reached out to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation for more details.

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FBI investigate hacker allegedly behind Rockstar GTA 6 leak

The hacker who claimed responsibility for this weekend’s enormous leak of Grand Theft Auto 6 material is now being investigated by the FBI.

The same attacker also said they were behind last week’s high-profile hack of ride app Uber, which has provided an update on its own investigations.

“There are also reports over the weekend that this same actor breached video game maker Rockstar Games,” Uber wrote in a newly-updated blog. “We are in close coordination with the FBI and US Department of Justice on this matter and will continue to support their efforts.”

Eurogamer Newscast: Were Nintendo Direct and PlayStation State of Play a disappointment?

Uber said it believed the person responsible to be “affiliated with a hacking group called Lapsus$, which has been increasingly active over the last year or so” and which has similarly breached a list of other technology companies this year such as Microsoft, Samsung and Nvidia.

Yesterday, Rockstar issued its own statement on the hack, and admitted it had suffered a “network intrusion” which had led to the leaked information being taken from its servers.

The GTA maker said it was “extremely disappointed”, but that there would be no “long-term effect” on development. No live services, such as Grand Theft Auto Online, were interrupted.

In March this year, BBC News reported on a 16-year-old from Oxford known online as “White” or “Breachbase”, who was accused of being one of the Lapsus$ group’s leaders.

“White”‘s real identity was publicly identified by other hackers, and was one of seven arrested by City of London Police – before all were ultimately released under investigation.

“I had never heard about any of this until recently,” the 16-year-old’s father said at the time. “He’s never talked about any hacking, but he is very good on computers and spends a lot of time on the computer. I always thought he was playing games.

“We’re going to try to stop him from going on computers.”

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FA to investigate before deciding whether to further discipline Conte and Tuchel after Spurs-Chelsea clash

Well, it’s been a day since the 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge, and it will not be the last we hear about this match or the fallout what took place during and afterwards. Managers Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel were both shown red cards for an angry confrontation triggered by the post-match handshake, and it appears that the FA is going to take their time to look at the match and post-match footage before deciding whether to issue any charges to either of them

The TL;DR for the above tweet is as follows:

  • The FA will look at the match officials’ report from Anthony Taylor and investigate footage before making any decision about fines or further suspensions.
  • The FA also is investigating Thomas Tuchel’s post-match comments to the press in which he vociferously criticized the officiating
  • Cuti Romero will NOT be subject to any further discipline for the hair pull on Marc Cucarella; VAR looked at the incident during the match, meaning that by the rules no further post-hoc disciplinary action can be taken. Hair pulling is not by law considered violent conduct (but it CAN be at the official’s discretion)
  • Richarlison’s potential interference was examined but the officials decided that his position had no impact on keeper Edouard Mendy’s ability to see the ball.

It also emerged out of Tottenham Hotspur’s camp that the club has not yet decided whether it intends to appeal the red card given to Conte or not. Should the red card stand, it’s not entirely clear what that means — a straight red for a player for violent conduct normally results in a three match ban, but the rules can vary for bench cards and the nature of the infraction. All we know is that, for now, Conte will not be on the sidelines for the home match vs. Wolves next Saturday.

Incidentally, Conte refused to criticize Anthony Taylor or the match officiating in his post-match press conference. Thomas Tuchel? Not so much. Here’s what Tuchel said afterwards to raise the ire of the FA:

“I can’t understand how the first goal is not offside, and I can’t understand when a player is pulled by their hair, the other player stays on the pitch. Pull someone else’s hair, stay on the pitch and attack the last corner.

“This is for me without any explanation, and I don’t want to accept it. Both goals should not stand, and it’s a fair result because we were brilliant, and deserved to win. This is my point of view.”

Tuchel went on to add fuel to the fan-stoked controversy that Anthony Taylor has a bias against Chelsea:

“Not only the fans. You know the players. They know what’s going on when they are on the pitch. They know it.”

We’ll learn more in due course. Until then, we’ll continue to enjoy the fact that Chelsea got football’d at our hands and we got an extremely hard-earned point at the Bridge.

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JK Rowling: Police investigate online threat after Salman Rushdie comment

The Harry Potter creator said she felt “very sick” after hearing the news and hoped the novelist would “be OK”.

In response, a user said “don’t worry you are next.”

After sharing screen shots of the threatening tweet, Rowling said: “To all sending supportive messages: thank you police are involved (were already involved on other threats).”

A spokeswoman for Scotland’s police said: “We have received a report of an online threat being made and officers are carrying out enquiries.”

Rushdie, 75, was set to deliver a lecture on artistic freedom on Friday in western New York when a man rushed the stage and stabbed the Indian-born writer, who has lived with a bounty on his head since his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses” prompted Iran to urge Muslims to kill him.

Following hours of surgery, Rushdie was on a ventilator and unable to speak as of Friday evening. The novelist was likely to lose an eye and had nerve damage in his arm and wounds to his liver.

Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, New Jersey is accused of attacking Rushdie. He pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault at a court appearance on Saturday.
Rowling has in the past been criticized by trans activists who have accused her of transphobia.

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Police investigate threat to JK Rowling over Salman Rushdie tweet | JK Rowling

Police are investigating a threat against JK Rowling that was made after she posted her reaction on social media to the attack on Salman Rushdie.

Rowling tweeted on Friday: “Horrifying news. Feeling very sick right now. Let him be OK.”

A Twitter user under the name Meer Asif Asiz replied: “Don’t worry you are next.”

Rowling shared screenshots of the threat and thanked everyone who had sent supportive messages. “Police are involved (were already involved on other threats),” she wrote.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We have received a report of an online threat being made and officers are carrying out enquiries.”

The same Twitter account also posted messages praising the man who attacked and stabbed Rushdie on stage in New York state.

The tweet to Rowling appeared to have been taken down by Sunday morning.

In a statement, bosses at Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), the entertainment company behind the film adaptations of Rowling’s Harry Potter series, said they “strongly condemn” the threats made against the author.

“We stand with her and all the authors, storytellers and creators who bravely express their creativity and opinions. WBD believes in freedom of expression, peaceful discourse and supporting those who offer their views in the public arena,” the statement said.

“Our thoughts are with Sir Salman Rushdie and his family following the senseless act of violence in New York. The company strongly condemns any form of threat, violence or intimidation when opinions, beliefs and thoughts might differ.”

Rowling also called on Twitter to take action. She posted: “@TwitterSupport any chance of some support?”

The response from Twitter, Rowling said, was: “After reviewing the available information, we determined that there were no violations of the Twitter rules in the content you reported. We appreciate your help, and encourage you to reach out again in the future if you see any potential violations.”

Rowling responded by asking: “These are your guidelines, right? ‘Violence: You may not threaten violence against an individual or a group of people. We also prohibit the glorification of violence … Terrorism/violent extremism: You may not threaten or promote terrorism …’”

Twitter has been approached for comment.

Rowling is one of a number of writers who have expressed concern for Rushdie, including Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, and William Dalrymple, who described the attack as “a terrible day for literature, for freedom of speech and for authors everywhere.”



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Scotland’s police investigate threat made to JK Rowling after Rushdie tweet

Rugby Union – Six Nations Championship – Scotland vs England – BT Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Britain – February 24, 2018 Author JK Rowling in the stand before the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

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LONDON, Aug 14 (Reuters) – Scotland’s police said on Sunday they are investigating a report of an “online threat” made to the author JK Rowling after she tweeted her condemnation of the stabbing of Salman Rushdie.

The Harry Potter creator said she felt “very sick” after hearing the news and hoped the novelist would “be OK”.

In response, a user said “don’t worry you are next”

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After sharing screenshots of the threatening tweet, Rowling said: “To all sending supportive messages: thank you police are involved (were already involved on other threats)”.

A spokeswoman for Scotland’s police said: “We have received a report of an online threat being made and officers are carrying out enquiries.”

Rushdie, 75, was set to deliver a lecture on artistic freedom on Friday in western New York when a man rushed the stage and stabbed the Indian-born writer, who has lived with a bounty on his head since his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses” prompted Iran to urge Muslims to kill him.

Following hours of surgery, Rushdie was on a ventilator and unable to speak as of Friday evening. The novelist was likely to lose an eye and had nerve damage in his arm and wounds to his liver. read more

The accused attacker, 24-year-old Hadi Matar of Fairview, New Jersey, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault at a court appearance on Saturday.

Rowling has in the past been criticised by trans activists who have accused her of transphobia.

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Reporting by Andrew MacAskill
Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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