All posts tagged: tied

EV startup Faraday Future paid .5M to company tied to founder Jia Yueting

EV startup Faraday Future paid $7.5M to company tied to founder Jia Yueting

Published by skeptic

Faraday Future paid around $7.5 million to a company controlled by its founder Jia Yueting in 2025, according to a new regulatory filing. The long-struggling electric vehicle startup made the payments in a year when it delivered only four vehicles and lost nearly $400 million. The company has pivoted to selling cheaper vans and robots imported from China. The payments happened while Faraday Future was still under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which was probing what are known as “related party transactions” between the company and entities related to or controlled by Jia, Faraday’s own filings have shown. The SEC was also investigating whether Faraday Future properly represented the level of control Jia had over the company when it went public in 2021, and whether it lied about early sales of its EVs in 2023. The SEC dropped its four-year-long investigation in March, as TechCrunch first reported, despite having sent notices to Faraday Future, Jia, and other executives last year stating that investigators were recommending an enforcement action. The closure of the …

US soldier pleads not guilty in first prediction market insider trading case tied to Polymarket bets

US soldier pleads not guilty in first prediction market insider trading case tied to Polymarket bets

Published by skeptic

A U.S. Army Special Forces soldier has pleaded not guilty to federal charges accusing him of using classified knowledge to profit on a prediction market, a case that is drawing fresh scrutiny to how insider information can be exploited in emerging betting platforms. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, entered his plea Tuesday in Manhattan federal court. Prosecutors say he used nonpublic details tied to a U.S. mission targeting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to guide bets on Polymarket, an online platform where users wager on real-world outcomes. According to the charges, Van Dyke turned roughly $33,000 in wagers into more than $400,000 by betting on developments linked to Maduro’s removal from power. Investigators say his role in planning the operation gave him access to sensitive timelines and likely outcomes before they became public. Case centers on classified information and betting Federal prosecutors have brought multiple counts, including theft of government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud and unlawful financial transactions. They say the case will lean on a wide range of evidence, from cryptocurrency exchange records to …

Scooter Braun Tied to Hollywood Smear Saga

Scooter Braun Tied to Hollywood Smear Saga

Published by Daniella Wilson

A new court filing appears to tie Scooter Braun more tightly to the entertainment industry’s emerging smear-site saga. The Hollywood Reporter first exposed the clandestine operation in February. The scandal initially surfaced via a lawsuit connected to Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s It Ends with Us legal war, which is slated for trial in May. Brought by publicist Stephanie Jones, the suit alleged a “cottage industry” of defamatory anonymous websites operating from a shared playbook orchestrated by Baldoni’s crisis publicist Melissa Nathan and online fixer Jed Wallace. A second suit filed in February by actress-turned-activist Alexa Nikolas, a target of one of these smear sites, also named Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman as a defendant. Jones and Nikolas contend they’ve uncovered digital campaigns of discreditation, in which perpetrators destroyed reputations by alleging, without substantiation, that adversaries engaged in — among other activities — prostitution, embezzlement, drug dealing, extortion and human trafficking. These efforts apparently relied on a mix of sock-puppet accounts across social media platforms, which promoted the spurious claims of vilifying websites. In response to …

Girl, 13, gang raped by 5 men who tied her up in building site | World | News

Girl, 13, gang raped by 5 men who tied her up in building site | World | News

Published by Sam Flores

A 13‑year‑old girl was brutally gang‑raped by five builders in a horror attack as she tried to find shelter from heavy rain. Construction workers allegedly spotted the young teenager under the cover of an unfinished building site on Tuesday night when they set upon her. The girl, who works at a local care facility in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, was on her commute when one of the labourers allegedly dragged her inside the structure. Reports state the vile predators tied her hands and ankles together before gagging her with a cloth to silence her cries. Several others stood guard as the assault took place. Her boss raised concerns when she failed to arrive on time. Locals joined the search and eventually discovered her on the third floor of the building. The suspects were found hiding near a rooftop water tank before being caught by residents and handed over to police. Police detained five men, all identified as labourers from Sitapur district. The girl was rushed to hospital, where she is receiving medical treatment. The case …

Polymarket took down wagers tied to rescue of downed Air Force officer

Polymarket took down wagers tied to rescue of downed Air Force officer

Published by skeptic

A Democratic congressman had harsh criticism for Polymarket for allowing users to bet on the date the United States would confirm the rescue of Air Force service members shot down over Iran. In a social media post on Friday, Representative Seth Moulton wrote, “They could be your neighbor, a friend, a family member. And people are betting on whether or not they’ll be saved. This is DISGUSTING.” (President Donald Trump announced early Sunday that the second service member, a weapons system officer, has been rescued.) Moulton also described Polymarket as a “dystopian death market” and noted that Donald Trump Jr. is an investor. The congressman recently banned his staff from participating in prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi.  Polymarket responded that it had taken the market down “immediately” for not meeting the company’s integrity standards. “It should not have been posted, and we are investigating how this slipped through our internal safeguards,” the company said. Polymarket previously saw hundreds of millions of dollars traded on contracts tied to the bombing of Iran by the United …

Woman Tied to Lindsey Buckingham Restraining Order Speaks After Attack

Woman Tied to Lindsey Buckingham Restraining Order Speaks After Attack

Published by Daniella Wilson

The woman Lindsey Buckingham filed a restraining order against in 2025 and who claims to be his daughter has admitted to a local news station that she visited him last week, as reports emerged that the ex–Fleetwood Mac guitarist was approached by an assailant and had an unknown substance thrown on him in Santa Monica last week. Michelle Dick, 54, has not been arrested in the March 25 attack, which was widely reported more than a week after it occurred. Police in Santa Monica told The Hollywood Reporter that the case is being investigated jointly by two departments. The famed “Holiday Road” singer was arriving at an appointment when a woman threw an “unknown substance” at him, according to multiple reports. Authorities in Los Angeles described the woman as a “stalking suspect” known to Buckingham from past incidents involving him and his family. “The Los Angeles Police Department’s Threat Management Unit is working with the Santa Monica Police Department to investigate this incident,” the LAPD said in a statement sent to THR on Thursday. “To …

Mercor says it was hit by cyberattack tied to compromise of open-source LiteLLM project

Mercor says it was hit by cyberattack tied to compromise of open-source LiteLLM project

Published by skeptic

Mercor, a popular AI recruiting startup, has confirmed a security incident linked to a supply chain attack involving the open-source project LiteLLM. The AI startup told TechCrunch on Tuesday that it was “one of thousands of companies” affected by a recent compromise of LiteLLM’s project, which was linked to a hacking group called TeamPCP. Confirmation of the incident comes as extortion hacking group Lapsus$ claimed it had targeted Mercor and gained access to its data. It’s not immediately clear how the Lapsus$ gang obtained the stolen data from Mercor as part of TeamPCP’s cyberattack. Founded in 2023, Mercor works with companies including OpenAI and Anthropic to train AI models by contracting specialized domain experts such as scientists, doctors, and lawyers from markets including India. The startup says it facilitates more than $2 million in daily payouts and was valued at $10 billion following a $350 million Series C round led by Felicis Ventures in October 2025. Mercor spokesperson Heidi Hagberg confirmed to TechCrunch that the company had “moved promptly” to contain and remediate the security …

European Conservative Lawmakers Warn Of ‘No-Go Zones’ Tied To Mass Immigration And Islamization

European Conservative Lawmakers Warn Of ‘No-Go Zones’ Tied To Mass Immigration And Islamization

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News, A new report backed by European conservative lawmakers is sounding the alarm over what it describes as the spread of “no-go zones” across the European Union, linking the phenomenon directly to mass immigration, Islamization, and the breakdown of state authority in major urban areas. The report was presented at a press conference on Wednesday by Sweden Democrats MEP Charlie Weimers, French nationalist MEP Marion Maréchal, and Brothers of Italy MEP Nicola Procaccini. Published by New Direction, the foundation tied to the ECR parliamentary group, the study argues that large parts of Europe are witnessing the rise of “parallel societies where the laws of the State are increasingly replaced by the codes of radicalisation and the rule of violence.” Maréchal said the findings showed the trend was no myth. “France has 751 sensitive areas and 1,362 priority neighborhoods. Our study demonstrates that no-go zones develop according to two factors: immigration and Islamization — 63 percent of Islamist terrorists are linked to these areas,” she said at the launch event. …

Excessive smartphone habits tied to emotional dysregulation in the brain

Excessive smartphone habits tied to emotional dysregulation in the brain

Published by José Betancourt

Young adults who struggle to manage their smartphone habits display altered brain connectivity patterns related to emotional processing and self-control. A newly released study maps how these neural differences correspond to difficulties in regulating negative feelings. The research was published in the journal BMC Psychology. Problematic smartphone use refers to tech habits that negatively affect traditional daily functioning. While it is not formally classified as a clinical addiction, the behavior shares similar psychological traits with addictive disorders. These include withdrawal symptoms, a buildup of tolerance, and a heavy reliance on digital devices to soothe bad moods. The amygdala is an almond-shaped structure deep within the brain that takes on a primary role in generating and processing emotions. In healthy individuals, the amygdala works in tandem with other brain networks to recognize threats and modulate emotional responses. Past neuroimaging studies indicate that people with anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder often exhibit unusual brain activity in this exact region. Yu-Lu Wang, a researcher at Qiqihar Medical University and the Zhenjiang Mental Health Center in China, led …

Senegal and Morocco tied by religion and trade but divided by AFCON fallout | Africa Cup of Nations News

Senegal and Morocco tied by religion and trade but divided by AFCON fallout | Africa Cup of Nations News

Published by Sam Flores

When governing body offficials the Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco, overturning Senegal’s victory two months after the chaotic final, football fans were stunned. The impact of the decision could spread beyond sport and weaken the bond between the nations. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list While Moroccan fans took to the streets to celebrate their team’s belated success, the decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) was met with disbelief in Senegal, with fans and authorities calling the decision “unjust”. Senegal’s government on Wednesday said it will pursue “all appropriate legal avenues” to overturn the decision and called for an international investigation into “suspected corruption” within African football’s governing body. The Senegal Football Federation (FSF) then announced on Thursday that it had instructed lawyers, apparently carrying through its threat to take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Such a move could lead to a yearlong legal battle before a ruling. CAF’s appeals board on Tuesday ruled that Senegal forfeited the final by leaving the field of …