5 Things you need to know

1. Alexa, please for the love of god be something other than a timer. Executives are sweating bullets after this report. link

2. It was a fun ride. Southwest Airlines has now ended it’s opean seating policy, after 50 years.

3. GDP: The US economy grew by 2% rate for it’s second quarter [link]

4. OpenAI was on track to hit 2BN in annual growth. Now

5.How much did the Crowdstrike outage cost fortune 500 companies? 5.4BN :( [link]

Mr. Beast breaks silence “Disgusted” by grooming alligations

Breaking: YouTube sensation MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has severed ties with longtime collaborator Ava Kris Tyson amid grooming allegations. Tyson, a transgender woman and frequent presence on MrBeast's record-breaking channel, has faced intense backlash over claims of inappropriate online interactions with a minor.

MrBeast's channel, launched in 2012, has ballooned to over 300 million subscribers, with Tyson co-hosting and gaining her own following. However, she is now stepping back from her role after allegations surfaced that she sent inappropriate photos to someone she met at age 13, when Tyson was 20.

The controversy stems from a revisiting of Tyson's social media behavior over the past decade. Tyson has been the target of anti-LGBTQ+ harassment since her 2023 transition. Recent videos allege that in 2016, Tyson, then 20, exchanged sexually explicit messages with a 13-year-old user named LavaGS. Lava, now a 20-year-old editor, also worked for MrBeast and visited his studio, leading some to accuse Tyson of "grooming."

Despite defending Tyson against criticism in June and April 2023, MrBeast announced he is taking "immediate action to remove Ava from the company, my channel and any association with MrBeast" due to the allegations. Tyson has denied the grooming claims, pointing to posts from LavaGS supporting her. She stated,

Tyson's departure comes as MrBeast's channel, already the most subscribed on YouTube, surpasses 205 million followers. The incident highlights the scrutiny and challenges influencers face in the wake of resurfaced online behavior.

Bring Tithings and TikTok Coins

TikTok Obsession Proves Costly for Church Embezzler

Kristen Marie Battocletti, a former administrative assistant at St. Francis of Assisi University Parish in Tuscaloosa, has found herself in a world of trouble. Between April and October 2023, Battocletti got a little too familiar with the parish's finances, embezzling a whopping $300,000. But this wasn't your run-of-the-mill embezzlement scandal – oh no, this one has a deliciously modern twist.

It seems Battocletti had a bit of a TikTok problem. Of the stolen loot, more than $220,000 went towards funding her TikTok Coins habit. And what was she doing with all those coins, you ask? Why, showering her favorite TikTok creators with digital gifts, of course!

But Battocletti's TikTok spree didn't go unnoticed for long. The FBI caught wind of her more than 600 unauthorized transactions, and soon she was singing a very different tune – one of wire fraud, to be exact. And the piper, as they say, must be paid. Battocletti now faces up to 20 years in prison, plus a $250,000 fine. Yikes, that's a lot of coins.

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