Duke’s Zion Williamson announced his intention to enter the 2019 NBA draft Monday, where he will almost certainly be the top player off the board.
Williamson made the decision official via a post on his Instagram account.
Williamson entered college as the third-ranked player in Duke’s 2018 recruiting class behind RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish. He left as the unanimous top player in the country and one of the brightest stars in recent college basketball history.
Listed at 6’7″ and 285 pounds, Williamson resembles an NFL defensive end more than a traditional basketball player.
When Williamson steps on the floor, it becomes even more apparent he’s a once-in-a-generation athlete. He pulled off in-game dunks so captivating that NBA fans are already clamoring for him to enter next year’s Slam Dunk Contest, and he isn’t only a jaw-dropping athlete.
Williamson already has plus ball-handling for a big man, is a strong passer and uses his physical advantages to finish among the nation’s best at the rim.
His game has drawn praise from across the basketball world, with Scottie Pippen calling him the best prospect since Michael Jordan and LeBron James attending his games just to catch a glimpse.
“He’s unreal. We were talking about him the other day in our team room,” Stephen Curry told reporters. “He has a lot of hype around him and he’s unbelievably talented, but you can’t teach, like, his passion and the way that … he plays. He plays hard every possession, and that’s an underrated skill that kids can … emulate.”
The biggest concern about Williamson is whether he can withstand the rigors of an 82-game season. He missed five games because of a sprained knee he suffered when he blew his shoe apart. The incident caused Nike’s stock to drop the next day.
Williams looks like a can’t-miss NBA prospect, but he does have some flaws. He’s not a good or comfortable shooter from long range; he shot 33.8 percent from the college three-point line and was a 64 percent free-throw shooter.
To reach his potential, Williams will have to put in the work like fellow athletic marvel Blake Griffin has over the years and craft his all-around game. Griffin’s shot is still slow and hitchy, but he’s made it work and turned himself into a good three-point shooter, thus extending his prime a few extra years.
Williamson is going to be a good NBA player no matter what, but he has the ceiling of a top-10 player in the league. It’ll be critical for him to wind up with the right situation and coaching staff.
If it felt like everyone and their mother (of dragons) was watching Game of Thrones onSunday night, it’s because they were.
According to HBO, a staggering 17.4 million viewers across cable, HBO Go, and HBO Now tuned into the Game of Thrones: Season 8 premiere on Sunday — surpassing Thrones‘ previous ratings record from the finale of Season 7, which brought in 16.9 million viewers in July 2017.
The debut of Thrones’ final season marked the largest night of streaming activity in HBO’s history, and that means great things for the service’s other series.
Barry, a tense dramedy starring Saturday Night Live alum Bill Hader, followed Thrones and saw its best night ever with 2.2 million viewers.
Similarly, HBO’s long-running comedy VEEP, which followed Barry, experienced its best night since June 2016 with 1.5 million viewers.
And then Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, which followed VEEP (which followed Barry, which followed Thrones), championed its best night since August 2016, bringing in an audience of 1.7 million.
As fans play catch up on Sunday’s Thrones premiere — and dive into the five remaining Thrones episodes in the coming weeks — viewership is likely to continue climbing for HBO programming across the board.
Ultimately, Game of Thrones: Season 7 averaged 32.8 million viewers per episode. Season 8 is sure to burn that record right up. (Er… sorry, little Ned.)
Libya’s rival forces are intensifying their fight for control of Tripoli.
Troops loyal to the UN-backed government in the capital are trying to stop the advance of the warlord Khalifa Haftar, who began his offensive on the city two weeks ago.
At least 120 people have been killed.
The UN says the fighting is undermining international peace efforts.
But behind the scenes, some Western countries and other powers in the region have been giving support to Haftar.
So, can these nations with competing interests work together to stop the violence?
Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault
Guests:
Anas El Gomati – director of the Tripoli-based Sadeq Institute
Francesco Galietti – head of political risk consultancy Policy Sonar
Oliver Miles – a former British Ambassador to Libya
Jack Dorsey’s mother and father, the ’80s band Whitesnake, a “war room” associated with Donald Trump’s reelection campaign — these are a few of the more than 10,000 accounts Twitter has quietly verified in recent months, despite putting its verification program on hold.
The company has said little publicly about verification, which it suspended in 2017 following backlash over its verification of a white supremacist. But data viewed by Mashable suggests the company is verifying a flurry of accounts each month despite the supposed break.
Celebrities, and others with backchannel connections to the company, are able to become verified as Twitter ignores everyday users and those without insider access. In many ways, this secretive process is now more opaque and unfair than it was when anyone could apply on Twitter’s website. At a time when Twitter says it’s trying to be more transparent about its rules, the lack of an official verification policy is hurting groups already susceptible to abuse, critics say.
On its official FAQ page, Twitter states “our verified account program is currently on hold. We are not accepting any new requests at this time.” Despite the lack of an official request form, the company has continued to verify new accounts for more than a year. Some, such as the survivors of the Parkland shooting, or Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, have been well publicized. But many more have flown under the radar, such as Tim and Marcia Dorsey, the parents of Twitter’s CEO, both of whom got a blue check at some point in the last four months.
In a statement, Twitter said it continues to “verify select accounts,” but didn’t offer specifics on how many accounts it’s verifying. The company didn’t dispute Mashable’s findings.
“We have paused public submissions for verification while we focus on a new authentication and verification program,” a spokesperson said. “However, our teams around the world continue to work closely with trusted partners to verify select accounts.”
While Twitter typically doesn’t discuss which accounts it verifies, there is one way to gain some visibility into just how many accounts are gaining the blue checkmark: Twitter’s official @verified account, which automatically follows every verified account. Using data from third-party Twitter analytics platforms, Mashable peeled back the curtain on Twitter’s behind-the-scenes verifying.
Mashable used Twitter analytics service Follower Wonk to analyze all of the accounts @verified followed for 120 days ending on March 28th, and the results show Twitter’s verification is far from “paused.” The account followed a total of 13,767 users during that 120-day period, according to Follower Wonk’s data.
FollowerWonk data on new accounts followed by Twitter’s @verified account.
Image: follower wonk
Data from SocialRank, another Twitter analytics service, shows similar numbers during roughly the same time period. According to the company, the @verified account followed about 10,259 new accounts between November 20, 2018 and April 9, 2019. (Unlike FollowerWonk, SocialRank only tracks net follows, meaning any accounts unfollowed in a given time period are subtracted from the total number of new follows.)
A third service, SocialBlade, which only surfaces data for a 30-day period, shows @verified has followed 2,772 accounts between March 12, 2019 and April 9, 2019, and follows an average of 88 new accounts a day.
While these numbers may not offer an exact look at how many accounts Twitter is verifying, they suggest Twitter’s pause is bogus.
Verification’s messy history
Twitter first began verifying accounts in 2009. In its early days, the coveted blue checkmark was reserved mostly for celebrities and other public figures, and not much was known about how it was awarded.
In 2016, the company opened up an application process so that anyone could apply for verification. Soon after, the number of verified accounts appeared to spike, with 219 new verified accounts a day on average, according to The Next Web’s analysis at the time.
Then, in November 2017, Twitter abruptly put its verification program on hold, just days after it verified Jason Kessler, the white supremacist who organized the Unite the Right protest in Charlottesville, where counter-protester Heather Heyer was killed.
Twitter executives at the time admitted that the existing verification process had been broken for quite awhile, and that the checkmark should be a verification of a user’s identity and not seen as an endorsement.
Dorsey also said he intended the new verification process to be open to everyone.
But it’s now been 17 months since Twitter paused verification, and more than a year since Dorsey made that statement. Not only is there no sign of this long-promised reboot, the company is quietly verifying thousands of users without providing any guidance on how it’s making these decisions.
Why verification matters
Verification may be seen as a status symbol, but there are a number of benefits to the blue checkmark besides social media influence.
Allison Esposito Medina, founder and CEO of Tech Ladies, an online community for women in the tech industry, says Twitter’s silence about verification hurts people who are already more susceptible to harassment.
“It’s even more important to verify underrepresented people on Twitter, because we’re so often the people who get the brunt of the harassment on the site,” she said. “It makes being a woman or an underrepresented person on Twitter very hard because if you build up a following and you have a strong voice, but then you can’t prove that you are who you say you are, it puts you in an even more dangerous position for speaking out on anything “
Twitter should hire 3 people to work full-time for all of March to to verify 150 women a day during Women’s History Month, to partially close to verification gap on this platform for women.
— Allison Esposito Medina (@techladyallison) March 7, 2019
Lack of verification can also make you vulnerable to impersonation, an issue Matt Gisbrecht, a rapper with more than 54,000 YouTube subscribers, says he has struggled with on Twitter. Like Medina, he says his requests for verification have been denied without explanation.
“I’ve actually had people read tweets from fake accounts and think it was me saying what the fake account says,” he says. “This happened to a family member of mine recently and they actually got upset because of something a fake account said that they misjudged thinking it was me.”
Gisbrecht, who uses the name PFV professionally, says Twitter makes it nearly impossible for creators to report impersonation if they don’t use their legal name on the platform. “They want a copy of your ID to prove you’re being impersonated, and you can’t do that if your government name and business name or alias is not the same.”
Even some high-profile users have apparently been unable to benefit from Twitter’s current shadowy verification rules. Peter Ramsey, who this year won an Academy Award as the director for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, says he has been unable to become verified.
I don’t know, I wrote @Twitter an email about it, but nothing yet.
Twitter, of course, has been dealing with a number of issues over the last year and a half. Namely, rampant harassment and other kinds of abuse that have driven some high-profile users away from the platform.
While Twitter has made significant steps in combatting the spread of spam and abuse, it would appear the verification revamp is less of a priority.
At the same time, Twitter has been trying to give off the impression that it’s more transparent than in years past. The company is currently beta testing new conversation features in public view, and the company’s head of trust and safety has said she would like to publish “case studies” explaining Twitter’s rationale for banning or suspending high-profile accounts.
But when it comes to verification, at least, Twitter still has a long way to go.
Cue the Tom Petty, because nobody’s backing down in the Apple vs. Qualcomm legal battle.
On Tuesday, opening arguments from Apple and Qualcomm will begin in a federal court in San Diego. Apple is suing Qualcomm for what it alleges are anti-competitive practices. Qualcomm says Apple needs to pay for its IP, without which the iPhone would not exist. Apple has sued Qualcomm for $1 billion, but billions more could be at stake.
The battle has been brewing for years. Here is everything you need to know about the case.
How did this begin?
Beginning in 2011, Apple sold iPhones with Qualcomm chips inside that powered the device’s connection to cellular networks. For years, Qualcomm was the exclusive chip provider for Apple. But then things got messy.
What’s the issue at hand?
In addition to actually paying for Qualcomm’s chips, Apple has to pay a licensing fee for the intellectual property that enables smartphones to connect to the internet through the baseband processor. Because Qualcomm is the exclusive holder of the patents, Apple is alleging anti-competitive practices.
What went wrong?
As part of their agreement for Apple to exclusively use Qualcomm chips between 2013 and 2016, Qualcomm agreed to pay Apple a $1 billion rebate annually. Part of this agreement included Apple not cooperating with regulators, and not working with other chip makers.
As Apple improved (and raised the prices of) the iPhone, Apple reportedly became frustrated with the slice of the pie that Qualcomm was demanding, arguing that Qualcomm was riding the coattails of Apple’s innovation. Apple began exploring working with another chipmaker, Intel. It also started cooperating with Korean regulators that were looking into Qualcomm’s IP royalty policies. Then, shots were fired.
Qualcomm refused to pay the $1 billion annual fee in 2016. Apple subsequently refused to pay the royalty fees, and by 2017, switched over to using Intel chips, instead of Qualcomm.
How did this escalate to the courts?
In January 2017, Apple filed its complaint against Qualcomm, asking the courts to reduce the royalty rates, and to pay the $1 billion it owed. Qualcomm fired back with lawsuits of its own, alleging that Apple was in breach of contract for not paying royalties, and for working with Intel. What’s more, the FTC filed an antitrust suit against Qualcomm, that it prosecuted in January.
Where do the players stand legally?
The judge on the FTC case has not yet made a ruling, although she has told Qualcomm that it has to license its patents to other chipmakers — which it had refused to do before.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm won a patent infringement case against Apple related to patents involving battery life and starting up the phone. That could help set legal precedent for the main event.
What’s at stake for the companies?
Qualcomm wants its royalty money back, to the tune of $7 billion. But its whole business model—of both selling chips and licensing the IP behind the whole cellular connectivity system—is at stake.
Apple’s manufacturers, which joined Apple in the suit, and are the ones that actually pay the fees (Apple reimburses them), want $27 billion in restitution for what they think are unfair royalty payments. They could get three times that amount, if the court finds that Qualcomm has violated antitrust law.
Apple also wants Qualcomm IP fees brought down to 5 percent of the price of the chip, which would be $1.50 per device — down from $7.50.
What’s at stake for your iPhone?
This is likely to affect consumers in two ways: price and 5G connectivity.
If Qualcomm wins, Apple may raise the price of its iPhones even higher. If Apple wins, there’s no guarantee Apple won’t raise prices, but at least it has one less incentive to make them more expensive.
It could also affect when you get your 5G iPhone. Just as it did with 3G and 4G, Qualcomm holds key patents related to the mobile chip technology that will allow smartphones to connect to 5G networks. Using Intel chips, iPhones reportedly won’t get 5G until at least 2020, and maybe even later. So if Apple and Qualcomm can’t work out their differences, 5G on iPhones could still be a long, expensive way off.
Lane Kiffin has high hopes for Jalen Hurts next season after the former Alabama quarterback transferred to Oklahoma:
Lane Kiffin @Lane_Kiffin
Glad to see u being u again @JalenHurts smiling and enjoying life!! Good luck this year @OU_Football 3 in a row??? @uscfootball did 3 in 4 years @HeismanTrophy https://t.co/zNjpB1ZoA7
The tweet was in response to Hurts showing more personality with his new team. The quarterback celebrated after a score in the Oklahoma spring game Friday but realized he wouldn’t have gotten away with it at Alabama.
“I know my old coach, Coach Saban, I probably would have got a chewing for that one,” he said, per Eric Bailey of Tulsa World.
Kiffin, who is currently the head coach of Florida Atlantic, was the offensive coordinator for the Tide during Hurts’ freshman season.
He was also one of the lead recruiters for the Texas native out of high school, per247Sports.
This means Kiffin has seen Hurts’ full personality before going to the strict environment at Alabama. With Oklahoma, he might get a chance to release this part of himself once again.
Additionally, the coach has seen the quarterback’s talent firsthand when Hurts totaled 2,780 passing yards and 954 rushing yards in his first collegiate season. After sitting behindTuaTagovailoalast year, he could be ready to break out in 2019.
After BakerMayfieldandKylerMurray won the Heisman Trophy as Oklahoma quarterbacks in the past two years, there is no reason to doubt Hurts having the ability to follow the trend.
According toSam Hellmanof 247Sports, Hurts is listed at 6-1 odds to win the Heisman, putting him in a tie for third behind onlyTagovailoaand Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence.
The Spanish-language ad shot in Florida indicates how seriously Joe Biden would court the growing Latino vote. | Matt Rourke/AP Photo
In the run-up to his expectedpresidential campaign announcement, former Vice President Joe Biden’s supporters cut a Spanish-language ad in South Florida over the weekend emphasizing healthcare, education and his biography.
The Saturday film shoot was a hushed affair — paid local actors signed non-disclosure agreements promising not to discuss the job. But some posted images on social media of the Fort Lauderdale commercial anyway, prompting a flurry of emails warning of legal exposure and requesting that those involved delete any images of the shoot and not talk to the media about it.
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“We are in a hot mess with campaign and client because someone leaked footage,” read a Monday email to the actors obtained by POLITICO. The email surmised that the footage was from “some moms taking photo/video of their kids while they were being filmed.”
Biden’s spokesman, Bill Russo, said his team “wouldn’t comment on that” when asked Monday about the commercial shoot. It was unclear who was behind the commercial, whether it was Biden, his American Possibilities political committee or another group.
Biden is expected to announce after Easter Sunday — offers have been accepted by prospective campaign staffers and a state chairman isbeing lined up. But supporters caution that nothing is final until the former vice president gives the final word.
The South Florida commercial shoot is the second tied to Biden in as many weeks: On April 4, Biden was spotted filming in front of his childhood home in Scranton, Pa.
The Spanish-language ad shot in Florida indicates how seriously Biden would court the growing Latino vote, which is crucial in early state Nevada on Feb. 20 as well as California, which has moved its primary up to March 3. Florida’s primary is not scheduled until March 17, but it’s the biggest swing state in the nation with a Hispanic voting population that exceeds 16 percent.
One source familiar with the South Florida shoot on Saturday said the commercial used a diverse array of local Spanish-language actors. There was no script, but actors read words in Spanish such as “faith” and “opportunity” while standing in front of a green screen. The ad also included images of Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, and President Trump, according to the source, adding that the ad included a discussion about healthcare and education.
Biden’s name proved to be an unexpected tongue-twister for one actor, so the crew came up with a workaround by having her call Biden by the Spanish-language version of his avuncular nickname: “Tio Joe.”
The Monday email sent to the South Florida actors included a message from a group acting as a conduitbetween the talent agency and what it called “the campaign and client.”
That message complained that “photos/videos were leaked from our political shoot on Saturday. This is a VERY SERIOUS matter, as to why we had everyone sign an NDA agreement.”
The words “VERY SERIOUS” were highlighted in red font along with a request that anyone “PLEASE DELETE” any images they took onset and a request that people “DO NOT COMMENT” if they’re contacted by the press.
“If found photos or videos were posted after signing the NDA,” the email warned, “legal action can occur.”
When asked who she thought would end up on the Iron Throne, AOC said that — ideally — she’d like to see the monarchy give way to democracy. “Can you imagine if no one ends up on the throne and they transition to democracy?” she said. “Wouldn’t that be badass?”
Of course, that is probably not going to happen, particularly because everyone in Game of Thrones is about to be decimated by White Walkers. (If you’re into the show’s climate change allegory, let’s just say the Seven Kingdoms could use a Green New Deal right about now.)
AOC gets it. Perhaps, she said, Jon and Dany will win it all and they can simply build a second throne to accommodate both of them. This was a viable answer (sort of) in a pre-Sunday night world, but now that Jon Snow knows he banged his aunt … probably not going to happen.
If you stan all things DC Comics and own an Xbox One, April 15 is a happy day.
That’s because the DC Universe subscription service is launching an Xbox One app, growing a platform lineup that already supports various iOS and Android devices as well as desktop and mobile web browsers. In addition to housing a collection of more than 20,000 comics available on demand, DC Universe also offers streaming video connected to a variety of DC properties.
There are old TV shows like Batman: The Animated Series, Wonder Woman, and the recently added Shazam! alongside newer offerings like Doom Patrol, Titans, and Young Justice: Outsiders (as well as upcoming shows Swamp Thing, Harley Quinn, and Stargirl). DC Universe is also where the brand’s animated movies premiere; Justice League vs. the Fatal Five is coming next, on April 16.
There are live-action movies as well. It’s a rotating selection, but right now it looks like the four ’80s/’90s Batman movies — two from director Tim Burton starring Michael Keaton, one starring Val Kilmer, and one starring George Clooney — are available. (There’s also a variety of animated movies you can stream.)
DC Universe costs $7.99 per month or $74.99 per year. It may take some time for the Xbox app to roll out in your area, so just keep checking if it’s not there yet. You can sign up for the service either through the app or online at dcuniverse.com.
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