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SoundCloud is Reportedly for Sale for $250 Million

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In 2014, SoundCloud was valued at $700 million. But, now the company is reportedly struggling to make ends meet.

SoundsCloud is reportedly looking for businesses to invest, or someone to acquire the company, according to a Recode report. Sources close to the streaming music service report trying to raise more money to support the business. Also, Recode reports that it has talked to potential buyers including Spotify, without closing a deal. Also, the company has been trying to raise more than $100 million since last summer.

Now, the company has reached a point where they may sell for less than what they thought it was worth three years ago. Moreover, the company is reportedly attempting to sell for $250 million.

That said, SoundCloud is struggling to find businesses interested in investing in the streaming music company. While the music industry has changed over the years, more people are willing to buy streaming music accounts including Spotify, which currently has more than 50 million paying subscribers around the world.

To boost their revenue, SoundCloud has added a paid subscription model to their free service, which may not have been very successful. Last year, SoundCloud released a $10-a-month service. The company argued that sales would grow by 250% this year thanks to their new service.

In 2014, investors found SoundCloud to be worth $700 million after the company obtained a $70 million Twitter investment. The website claims they have 175 million unique users, but SoundCloud has not updated their numbers in the past three years.

Americans Are Not Going Out to Eat As Much

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The U.S. economy added over 200,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. February also had one of the warmest Winters in a decade. So you would assume, restaurants would have seen an uptick in the number of people deciding to eat out.

That said, people are cutting back on restaurant meals. Restaurant sales dropped 3.7%, and foot traffic dropped another 5.0% from a year ago, according to TDn2K’s Restaurant Industry report.

This news comes after a January business report, which illustrated sales growth was flat in January, which was good news for an industry that experienced ten consecutive months of negative restaurant sales.

As to why the decrease in restaurant sales? Black Box Intelligence argues that it is due to a myriad of factors. These factors include low wage gains, rising inflation, and pressure in the restaurant industry.

“Consumers are spending, but they are being battered by rising inflation,” the report explained. “The rebound in energy costs may be helping that sector but it is not doing much for households. Indeed, spending power has flatlined as wage gains are barely offsetting price increases. That is putting additional pressure on the restaurant industry.”

It is also important to point out that the IRS delayed 40 million tax refunds associated with families claiming the “Earned Income Tax Credit” or the “Additional Child Tax Credit” this year, which may have had an impact on how much disposable income families had and were willing to spend at a restaurant.

The region that decided to not visit a restaurant was the Southwest, where same-store sales dropped by nearly 8% and foot traffic dropped by over 9%. The least weak region was California where restaurant sales increased by 0.5%.

This news comes after McDonald’s announced a plan to provide fast food delivery service through Uber’s UberEats platform.

‘Stranger Fruit’ Filmmaker Slams Media and Ferguson Police Over Michael Brown’s Death

Filmmaker Jason Pollock defended the newly surfaced footage about Michael Brown’s death during an interview with CNN on Monday.

Pollock, whose documentary, Strange Fruit premiered at the South by Southwest Festival on Saturday, claims the new security footage featured in the documentary points to a cover-up of evidence by the Ferguson police, and misinformation campaign to paint Mike Brown as a bad person.

At 1 a.m., the night before Brown was shot, “you can clearly see Michael Brown walking into the store, you see him then make an exchange. he trades a little bag of weed for two boxes of cigarillos,” Pollock said when CNN host Brooke Baldwin questioned him about the video segment.

Ferguson Mike Brown
FERGUSON, MO – NOVEMBER 24, 2014: Silhouette of a police officer standing amid flames after riots broke out in Ferguson, Missouri on November 24, 2014. (shawncarrie / Shutterstock.com)

“We see a trade take place,” he said. “The security tape in question then shows Michael Brown handing the cigarillos back to store employees for what Pollock says is safekeeping until he returns the next day. Towards the end of the video, it appears that Brown goes back to the store the following morning. Pollock has implied that Brown went back to pick up his cigarillos.

“Don’t tell me that he stole from the store if they handed him a bag [of cigarillos] that they created themselves … anybody who sees this with their eyes can see what’s happening,” Pollock continued.

Critics of the video footage accused him of doctoring the video footage.

“I can now confirm that the uncut video shows the clerks throwing [the bag of marijuana] back to Mike Brown. The filmmaker edited it out,” said a statement said by Jay Kanzler who represents the store and their employees.

Pollock followed up by saying, “There isn’t another video. Bring it on! Bring it on, Jay. Bring it on!”

Pollock also called out the police department officials for what he argued was an attempt to cover up evidence.

“[St. Louis County Chief of Police] Jon Belmar gave a statement that he didn’t know about [the new footage],” Pollock said. “Well, Chief Belmar, it’s in your report. So either you don’t read your report, or somebody’s lying.”

Pollock added, “So the real question now is: who knew about this video, when did they know about it, who did they talk to, who covered it up, who wrote the wrong report, and how high up the chain does this go?”

Pollock also criticized the media when he was asked about how he was able to find the video footage.

“Brooke, I got my hands on this tape because I decided … to do real investigative journalism because I was tired of watching how the news was reporting this issue,” Pollock said.

Pollock then criticized the media for how it handled Donald Trump’s Presidential election.

“And we wonder how Donald Trump got elected – a man who lies 60 to 70% of the time. The media could have done its job,” Pollock said.

You can watch the full interview below.

American Health Care Act CBO Report: “52 Million People Would Be Uninsured”

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On Monday, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that as many as 24 million more people could be uninsured and the federal budget could decrease by over $300 billion over the next ten years under the GOP healthcare bill.

The details of the report came in a highly-anticipated report highlighting the possible impacts of the American Health Care Act, the Republican party’s plan to replace Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

The report found the effects of the American Health Care Act on a list of different topics including how many people are covered, how the federal deficit will work out, and how premiums will be impacted by the new health care plans.

Here’s a breakdown of the major findings.

14 million people would be uninsured under the new law in 2018. The number will then increase to 24 million by 2026. “The reductions in insurance coverage between 2018 and 2026 would stem in large part from changes in Medicaid enrollment — because some states would discontinue their expansion of eligibility, some states that would have expanded eligibility in the future would choose not to do so, and per-enrollee spending in the program would be capped,” the CBO said in their report.

“In 2026, an estimated 52 million people would be uninsured, compared with 28 million who would lack insurance that year under current law.”

Fewer people would get insurance from their employers

The report estimated that with penalties associated without having insurance, fewer Americans would sign up for coverage through their job. As a result, 2 million fewer people would choose not to have insurance in the next three years and by 2026 7 million people will elect not to have insurance.

“Part of that net reduction in employment-based coverage would occur because fewer employees would take up the offer of such coverage in the absence of the individual mandate penalties,” the CBO report said.

“In addition, CBO and [the Joint Committee on Taxation] expect that, over time, fewer employers would offer health insurance to their workers.”

Federal deficit will decrease

The CBO estimated that the expenses would decrease the federal deficit by $337 billion over the next 10 years. In addition, approximately $880 billion would be cut from due to the decrease in funding for Medicaid expansion and decreases in tax credits.

Premiums will increase

People getting coverage outside of their employer will not change. “In CBO and JCT’s assessment, however, the non-group market would probably be stable in most areas under either current law or the legislation,” the report said.

That said, premiums in the individual market are expected to increase in 2018 and 2019 before decreasing due to lower enrollment.

Critics of the Republican health care plan

Many of the critics of the new healthcare plan pointed that the CBO score is a way to understand the impact of the AHCA on the federal budget and the US healthcare system. But, in a statement, House Speaker Paul Ryan said that it proved the healthcare plan would work by focusing on the decrease in premiums.

“I recognize and appreciate concerns about making sure people have access to coverage. Under Obamacare, we have seen how government-mandated coverage does not equal access to care, and now the law is collapsing,” Paul Ryan said.

“Our plan is not about forcing people to buy expensive, one-size-fits-all coverage. It is about giving people more choices and better access to a plan they want and can afford. When people have more choices, costs go down. That’s what this report shows. And, as we have long said, there will be a stable transition so that no one has the rug pulled out from under them.”

That said, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer focused on the number of people who will become uninsured. “The CBO’s estimate makes clear that Trumpcare will cause serious harm to millions of American families,” Schumer said. “Tens of millions will lose their coverage, and millions more, particularly seniors, will have to pay more for healthcare. The CBO score shows just how empty the president’s promises,  that everyone will be covered and costs will go down, have been. This should be a looming stop sign for the Republicans repeal effort.”

 

Facebook Bans Surveillance of Their Users

Privacy concerns are nothing new, and revelations about how law enforcement agencies are using Facebook and Twitter to monitor innocent Americans has only heightened concerns. Now, Facebook is taking steps to combat privacy issues.

In a new policy, Facebook has officially banned powerful surveillance tools developed by third-party companies.

“Today we are adding language to our Facebook and Instagram platform policies to more clearly explain that developers cannot “use data obtained from us to provide tools that are used for surveillance,” the company explained in a statement. Our goal is to make our policy explicit. “Our goal is to make our policy explicit.”

 

Facebook has pointed out that they have shut down several ongoing surveillance operations. The policy change is just to make it clear that using the service to survey people is not okay.

The American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Media Justice and Color of Change all took part in implementing this new Facebook privacy policy change. The groups were worried about police tracking people for their beliefs, instead of any risk that they might commit a crime. That said, developers may still misuse the data, and it will be up to Facebook to track them down and enforce their policy on them.

This news comes after the American Civil Liberties Union identified 23 legal opinions that contained new or significant interpretations of surveillance law, which affects the way the government uses malware, persuades companies to avoid encryption and the collection of financial records under the Patriot Act, all of which are a secret. The legal opinions are written by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA). Then last October, the ACLU and the Yale Law School Media Freedom Clinic filed a motion with the court requesting those legal opinions released.

“The people of this country can’t hold the government accountable for its surveillance activities unless they know what our laws allow,” said Patrick Toomey, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Security Project. “These secret court opinions define the limits of the government’s spying powers. Their disclosure is essential for meaningful public oversight in our democracy.”

It is important to point out that Facebook has lately come under fire over how companies operate a business on the social media network. As Facebook stated, they removed their “ethnic affinities,” a feature that allowed advertisers to advertise to people based on their race and ethnicity. But, this only came after lawmakers publicly called out the company. The Congressional Black Caucus issued a statement last November saying “This is in direct violation of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, and it is our strong desire to see Facebook address this issue immediately,” reads the letter.

Michelle Obama Wrote ‘Black-Ish’ Star’s College Letter of Recommendation

Getting into college is getting tougher. In fact, a recent study examining the college admissions process found 50% of all college advisors reported checking an applicant’s social media profile.

But, for Yara Shahidi, the star of ABC’s Black-ish, her college application process just got a little bit easier because of former First Lady Michelle Obama; Obama wrote Shahidi a letter of recommendation.

In a recent interview with magazine interviewing the young actress, Shahidi revealed how Obama helped her out with her college admissions process. In addition, Obama gave Shahidi a back rub before she went to take her Advance Placement (AP) exams. Getting any kind of support from the First Lady would probably help anyone boost their exam grades.

Michelle Obama
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS/ USA – 7th TUESDAY OCTOBER 2014 : First lady Michelle Obama delivers a speech at the UIC Pavilion calling for voter support for Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn in the upcoming election. (nisargmediaproductions / Shutterstock.com)

“She is very amazing and such a supporter, which is something very surreal to say,” Shahidii said in the interview.

As a result, it would seem hard for any major university to look at Shahidi’s impressive resume and turn her down, but a recommendation letter from Michelle Obama, it is hard to believe any college could even think about rejecting her college application.

So what’s next for the actress? She plans on double majoring in African American studies and Sociology.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s New Role: “bring sanity to Washington”

Former Celebrity Apprentice host and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ended rumors that he is currently considering running for U.S. Senator in 2018.

On Sunday, Schwarzenegger took to Facebook to break the news. He explained that he is going to focus his political energy to stop gerrymandering and calling for independent redistricting commissions to fix the issue.

“I’m deeply flattered by all of the people who have approached me about running for Senate,” Schwarzenegger wrote, “but my mission right now is to bring sanity to Washington through redistricting reform like we passed here in California.”

You can read his full Facebook post about politics, running for Senator and his plans below.

The rumor began after Politico reported last week that Schwarzenegger was considering running for California Democrat Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat. Also, Schwarzenegger would not run as a Republican, like he did in 2003 when he ran for California governor, but he will run as an Independent.

Feinstein was elected 25 years ago, and at the age of 83, she is the oldest serving senator. That said, Feinstein has not said whether or not she will run for another term.

Arnold Schwarzenegger
LOS ANGELES – DEC 9: Cast at the “The New Celebrity Apprentice” Cast Q&A at Universal Studios on December 9, 2016 in Los Angeles, CA

Schwarzenegger’s future in politics comes after an online argument between the actor who played Terminator and President Donald Trump. Recently, Trump has poked fun at Schwarzenegger on Twitter for his low ratings as the host of Celebrity Apprentice, which Schwarzenegger has responded via social media suggesting they switch jobs.

“You take over TV because you’re such an expert in ratings,” he said,  “and I take over your job and then people can finally sleep comfortably again.”

But, Schwarzenegger may have more time on his hands as the actor stepped down as host of Celebrity Apprentice earlier this month.

Hackers are Now Targeting and Blackmailing Democratic Groups

Hackers are reportedly targeting Democrats and progressive organizations throughout the United States to ransom them.

Ransomware is a type of malicious code that prevents users from accessing their computer and must pay money in order to unlock it. But now it appears as though hackers are focusing on liberal and progressive political groups.

For example, Bloomberg reports at least a dozen groups have been targeted by Russian hackers who are looking for humiliating information within emails and secret information that can be used to attack the organizations. These organizations have been attacked with ransomware.

Also, Pennsylvania’s Senate Democratic caucus was hacked and infected with ransomware last week, according to the Associated Press. The Pennsylvania Senate hack shut down systems and data. In addition, politicians and employees were unable to use their computers on Monday.

The FBI and Pennsylvania attorney general have launched an investigation into the hack. The Associated Press also reported that the hackers have given them a deadline of a week or all of the data would be destroyed.

Meanwhile, Republican caucus’ computers were left untouched by the hackers. At this time there are no reports of who is behind this stream of hacks. But, many assume Russian hackers are behind it because only Democrats were affected by it.

That said, it is not clear if these hackers are the same one that targeted the Democratic National Committee during the Hilary Clinton and Trump presidential campaign. However, the hacks do have their similarities.

Bloomberg reports that both hacks used techniques used by Cozy Bear, a Russian group linked to hacking during last year’s Presidential campaign.

Hackers are demanding these hacked organizations to pay off the ransom with digital Bitcoin, a type of currency that is difficult to trace. Once the hacked groups pay the ransom, they are able to decrypt and unlock their system.

Some of the liberal organizations paid the Bitcoin ransoms, which ranged up to $150,000, according to Bloomberg.

This is not the first time ransomware has made the news. Washington, D.C. police CCTV cameras were hacked just days before the inauguration.

Gal Gadot Reveals a New ‘Wonder Woman’ Movie Trailer

Gal Gadot released a new trailer for the upcoming Wonder Woman movie.

Diana Prince was not always a superhero. Prince had to fight and train her way to became a fierce warrior.

In the latest Wonder Woman trailer released over the weekend, the DC Universe shared us a quick glimpse into Wonder Woman’s life in the world of Themyscira.

This new trailer features more of Wonder Woman’s journey to becoming a superhero. Unlike the previous Wonder Woman trailers released so far that included action scenes, this new trailer gives a glimpse into Diana Prince as a young girl.

Gal Gadot shared the trailer on her Twitter account over the weekend, and according to reports, this might be the last trailer we will see until the movie hits theaters this summer.

Watch the video below to see Diana train and become the fierce Warrior we know today.

 

Wonder Woman is the latest superhero movie by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the fourth in the series of DC Extended Universe movies. Filming for the movie wrapped last May.

Wonder Woman hits theaters on June 2nd.

‘Gladiator’ Sequel Maybe Coming Soon

Ridley Scott hints at the possibility of creating a Gladiator sequel.

In an industry filled with reboots, sequels, and revivals, there is no movie that is safe from the Hollywood reboot treatment. Critically acclaimed director, Ridley Scott, revealed in an interview at SXSW on Friday, that he has plans for a sequel to Gladiator.

It is important to note that in the Gladiator movie, Russell Crowe’s character, Maximus, died at the end of the movie. According to Scott, he knows “a way of bringing him back.”

“I know how to bring him back. I was having this talk with the studio — ‘but he’s dead.’ But there is a way of bringing him back,” Scott said during an interview with SXSW. “Whether it will happen I don’t know. Gladiator was 2000, so Russell’s changed a little bit. He’s doing something right now but I’m trying to get him back down here.”

Ridley Scott
LOS ANGELES – FEB 04: Ridley Scott and Giannina Facio arrives for the 69th Annual DGA Awards on February 4, 2017 in Beverly Hills, CA (DFree / Shutterstock.com)

According to Entertainment Weekly, Crowe teamed up with Nick Cave in 2009 to write a sequel to the Gladiator movie where Maximus continues to fight in the afterlife. However, it is unclear whether or not Scott is referring to the same project or if this is an entirely new project.

That said, Gladiator won five Academy Awards and brought home $457 million in the worldwide box office. Still, it goes to show that no movie is safe, even when the main character dies at the end of the film.

Scott is currently promoting his new movie Alien: Covenant, which hits theaters. He previewed three sneak-peek clips at SXSW from his new movie in the franchise, which hit theaters on May 19th.