MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell came up with a shoddy defense for Michael Cohen after he admitted during former President Donald Trump's trial he stole money from the Trump Organization. During his third day of testimony, Cohen admitted he pocketed money from the Trump Organization that was supposed to go to Red Finch, a technology company. Trump's attorney, Todd Blanche, asked Cohen about his claim he was shorted $100,000 on his yearly bonus from the Trump Organization in 2017. Cohen said he would normally get a bonus of $150,000. "I was angered because of the reduction in the bonus, and so I just felt it was almost like self-help," Cohen testified. "And again $130,000, to have my bonus cut by two-thirds was very upsetting to say the least." "You didn't just steal the $30,000, because it was grossed up; it was $60,000," Blanche responded. O'Donnell said Cohen was not stealing money from Trump, but rather trying to "rebalance" the bonus he thought he deserved. O'Donnell also noted the money Cohen took was less than the normal amount he had received in the past. 'Now, there’s an argument to be made that actually you’re just an opportunistic thief.' "Later, when Cohen was asked about that on redirect by the prosecution, it didn’t really sound like stealing $30,000. It sounded a lot like Michael Cohen, doing the little that he could within that calculation to rebalance the bonus he thought he was deserved, and it still came out as less than the bonus he thought he deserved and the bonus he’d gotten a year before," O'Donnell said. — (@) In contrast, attorney Danny Cevallos told MSNBC Cohen admitting he stole money from Trump's business undermines the excuse he has put on for years: that he did illegal things only out of loyalty to Trump. "Now, there’s an argument to be made that actually you’re just an opportunistic thief. You literally pocketed money from your employer. And I — as a — as an attorney, the idea, first of all, of paying in bags of cash is — look, defense attorneys, I do not like to accept cash. I — I — frankly, I refuse to accept cash. It’s only asking for trouble," Cevallos said. "But dealing in these — these sandwich bags of cash, these brown paper bags of cash to pay people is already problematic. But the idea that he would just grab a wad of cash and stick it in his pocket, I think, has moved Michael Cohen from this figure where he’s part Tom Hagen from ‘The Godfather,’ but really more like Fredo Corleone, to now this guy is just a thief," he added. On CNN, attorney Elie Honig said the crime Cohen admitted to doing is more serious than the charges Trump is facing in the trial. "And by the way, the fact that he was ever charged with larceny is important because stealing $60,000 through fraud, which would be larceny in New York State is more serious of a crime than falsifying business," Honig explained. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A teenager in Virginia has died after shooting himself in the head while filming a social media video.Last week, 17-year-old Raleigh Freeman III, better known on the local rap scene as Rylo Huncho, was on an Instagram livestream when tragedy struck.One video shows Huncho pretending to fire a gun and then slit his throat as he raps about the 'homicide' of another individual.While talking to the camera, Huncho was flashing a handgun with a built-in laser. He then said, "F*** y'all, n***a," pointed the gun at his head, and apparently accidentally pulled the trigger. The gun discharged with the livestream video still going.Huncho was immediately raced to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Suffolk, Virginia, the Direct reported, and it appears he clung to life for some time. Hours later, Twin Porter, described as a close "associate" of Huncho, reported on Facebook that Huncho had died. "And to get a text saying he passed away is heartbreaking and to hear the mean things y’all are saying about Railey [sic] is so wrong on every level please god give his mother the strength to deal with the devastating pain she’s in," Porter posted to Facebook on Thursday morning.Because of the shocking nature of the livestream, the video of it then went viral on social media. Out of respect for the young man and his family, Blaze News is not sharing the video.A GoFundMe page initiated by Monica Savage, who is believed to be Huncho's cousin, claimed that Huncho was his mother's only child. "Suicide/accidental was the cause of his death we are still trying to figure out why," Savage wrote. The account has since accrued nearly $2,700 of its $15,000 goal.A brief glance at Huncho's TikTok page reveals that he made a lot of references to violence in the content he created. One video shows Huncho pretending to fire a gun and then slit his throat as he raps about the "homicide" of another individual. "I tryin' cut dat n***a neck and watch that n***a f***in' [die]," Huncho says in the video. @rylohuncho Im tryna cut that nicca neck n watch that nicca fuccin die ??‍? In another TikTok video, Huncho raps about drinking heavily and carrying a weapon. "B***h, I walk up in this school sippin' dirty lemonade. You know I feel just like a man cuz I walk off with a Glock," he says. @rylohuncho Wtw Hip Hop Vibe reported that Huncho's death "has sparked conversations about the responsibilities of social media platforms and the influence they have on young users." The Direct indicated that investigation into his death remains "ongoing."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Archaeologists in China unearthed three 1,800-year-old tombs complete with unique "residential" layouts and at least 70 artifacts that once belonged to a wealthy family. The post Archaeologists Unearth Han Dynasty Tombs In China Featuring Connected Rooms, Windows, And Dozens Of Ancient Treasures appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Measuring 2.5 inches long, this head would have been part of an axe likely wielded by a member of the Globular Amphora culture that remains largely mysterious to this day. The post An Ancient Axe Head Was Found By A Man Weeding His Raspberry Patch In Poland appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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Smartphone vendors have struggled in recent years, with one notable exception: Apple. While others saw sales and profits dive amid economic uncertainty, Apple did something unexpected by selling more expensive iPhones without increasing the price. Apple increased the average selling price for the iPhone, taking advantage of the growing popularity of Pro versions of phones like the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15. But now, an increasing number of reports claim that Apple has been facing stiffer iPhone competition in China than ever. Huawei's resurgence is one factor contributing to an uptick in Android phone sales in the country at the expense of the iPhone 15. The latest development concerns a move many Apple fans would love to see in their home markets. Apple cut the iPhone 15 prices in China ahead of the iPhone 16 launch, and the discounts are significant. I can't help but wonder if that's not something that Apple should consider doing globally, not just in China. And I'm not talking about just the iPhone 15, but every new iPhone generation in the six-month period that precedes the next-gen model's arrival. Continue reading... The post What if Apple slashed iPhone 15 prices globally instead of just in China?  appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: $50 off new Beats Solo 4, $249 iPad 9th-Gen, $19 Roku Express, $180 ASUS laptop, more Best Ring Video Doorbell deals in May 2024 Today’s deals: $120 off eufy X10 Pro Omni, First M2 iPad Air discount, $99 Ninja smokeless grill, more Today’s deals: $399 iPad Air 5, Igloo coolers, $150 off M3 MacBook Air, Vitamix blenders, Ninja sale, more

Well, now we know why OpenAI abruptly removed the "Sky" voice option for ChatGPT, the one that sounded suspiciously like Scarlett Johansson. According to a statement released this afternoon from the actress, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman himself had actually offered her the opportunity to provide her voice for the chatbot. "He told me that he felt that by my voicing the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives and help consumers to feel comfortable with the seismic shift concerning humans and AI," Johansson's statement reads. "He said he felt that my voice would be comforting to people." The actress goes on to say that she declined the offer -- even though, as anyone who's been following the rollout of ChatGPT-4o already knows, the chatbot's ScarJo-like voice was front-and-center in the company's marketing. Johansson, of course, voiced the AI in Spike Jonze's 2013 movie Her, which Altman himself obliquely referenced in a tweet once everyone started saying the same thing about ChatGPT's "Sky" voice option: https://x.com/sama/status/1790075827666796666 Let's not forget, Altman was also abruptly fired by the OpenAI board last fall for not being "consistently candid" in his communications with board members. Keep that in mind as you read the rest of ScarJo's full statement below: "When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference," Johansson says. "Mr. Altman even insinuated that the similarity was intentional, tweeting a single word 'her' -- a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human." "Two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 demo was released, Mr. Altman contacted my agent, asking me to reconsider. Before we could connect, the system was out there. As a result of their actions, I was forced to hire legal counsel, who wrote two letters to Mr. Altman and OpenAI, setting out what they had done and asking them to detail the exact process by which they created the 'Sky' voice. Consequently, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to take down the 'Sky' voice. "In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity. I look forward to resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected." Don't Miss: OpenAI’s big reveal: Making ChatGPT feel and sound so much more human The post Scarlett Johansson issues blistering statement against OpenAI and Sam Altman over ‘Sky’ appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: $79 AirPods, $249 iPad 9, free smart bulbs, Lexar memory sale, 20% off Galaxy S24, more Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2024: Get $415+ free Best Apple Watch deals for May 2024 Today’s deals: $120 off eufy X10 Pro Omni, First M2 iPad Air discount, $99 Ninja smokeless grill, more

Here are two peoples almost identical in blood – the same language and religion; and yet a few years of quarrelsome isolation – in comparison with the great historical cycles – have so separated their thoughts and ways Read moreSection: NewsPremiumPreviewRead Later