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Artificial intelligence fueling a rise of sextortion cases

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:45 GMT

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) - Artificial intelligence is already revolutionizing society – from healthcare and education to cybersecurity and even our courts. Despite all of its benefits, it has also given criminals an edge when it comes to deceiving us. Financial sextortion is a crime in which a bad actor attempts to leverage personal material (think: naked pictures or videos) to force a victim into giving into their demands -- usually money or other compromising material. These crimes have grown in scope to regularly target minors. New advances in technology have also allowed the crimes to evolve from stealing explicit or personal media directly from victims to using their likeness to create entirely fictitious images, video or audio recordings. “Traditionally, when we saw business email compromises, someone would send you an email saying ‘please wire me money for this owed debt,’” said FBI Norfolk Assistant Special Agent In Charge Jason Bilnoski. “Combine that now with ...

These are the best US cities for starting a career right now, study finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:45 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Another graduating class has secured their degrees and are preparing to find jobs in an economy and market vastly different from pre-pandemic years.When it comes to the best American cities for young professionals to launch a career in 2023, neither San Francisco nor New York City cracked to the top five, according to a new study.A new study from Bankrate found that younger generations have different values in today's remote work-friendly environment."The coronavirus pandemic pushed flexible work to no longer be a transient response but an enduring feature of the working world," according to Alex Gailey, Bankrate analyst. "More than ever, young workers crave work-life balance, the flexibility to work remotely and higher pay – and these cities offer what young professionals are looking for." Fears of an ‘internet apocalypse’ are brewing: How likely will upcoming solar storms wreak havoc? An April survey from LinkedIn found that a whopping majority of Gen Z professionals...

'The Out-Laws' stars Adam Devine and Nina Dobrev on working with a James Bond

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:45 GMT

Pierce Brosnan heads the A-list cast of the new Netflix film “The Out-Laws."All the crazy flight problems last week kept him from interviews, but we caught up with two of his costars, Adam Devine and Nina Dobrev.The talked about what it was like to work with the former James Bond. And you may remember Devine from the Pitch Perfect movies and Modern Family. He said this movie is not groundbreaking and that's o-k.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too! Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

How the green plant growing on Lady Bird Lake is beneficial to its habitat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:45 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thousands of paddleboarders and kayakers are expected to float on Lady Bird Lake for the Fourth of July.If you’ve looked at the lake lately, you may have wondered what’s growing out on the water?From all sides of the surface, large green plant patches paint the waterways.According to the Austin Watershed Protection Department, these pervasive plants are Cabomba Caroliniana, also known as fanwort.Brent Bellinger is the department’s conservation program supervisor.“The growth really gets going in the summer and the plant is kind of living its best life right now in these warm waters,” he said.Bellinger said the plant lives in Austin’s waterways year-round. Yet, it grows a lot larger in the summer. What is growing in Lady Bird Lake? “This is a plant that can get 15 feet tall,” he said. “If you're in five feet of water, there's going to be a lot more biomass at the surface.”Berezi Fenix got tangled in it, while kayaking under the Barton Springs Bridge.“I’ve been seeing...

‘Good Morning America’ visits Stillwater, honors business owner and community booster

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:45 GMT

‘Good Morning America’ surprised a Stillwater business owner and community booster during their broadcast Monday morning.The ABC morning show kicked off a weeklong series — traveling through American main streets — with its stop in the Washington County river town.Residents from across Minnesota poured into downtown Stillwater early Monday, carrying signs saying “Mainstreet U.S.A,” “This is our home” and “We heart MN!”GMA hosts Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos and Michael Strahan weren’t in attendance, but ABC News correspondent Alex Perez was broadcasting live.“Stillwater, Minnesota has one of the most amazing, beautiful main streets across America,” Perez said, “You’ve been here once or a million times, it always feels like home.”What happened next came as a surprise to viewers and attendees.Perez turned to the crowd and asked for Sara Jespersen, the owner of the Lumberjack and Mad ...

Wildlife Museum opens new addition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:45 GMT

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Wildlife Museum in Amsterdam opened a new edition Jul. 1, 2023. The new building has hundreds of animals from Africa and North America. Robert Kazmierski, director of the museum, said the exhibit took five years to curate and he hopes the museum can provide an educational opportunity for students who are on summer break. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! “They can see the sizes of these animals standing right next to them, take some great pictures," Kazmierski said. "Take this back to the schools and see if they can do some field trips here.” Kazmierski said the work is not over yet, he is also working on putting together a research library.

Colorado tells doctors: Keep seeing patients covered by Friday Health Plans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:45 GMT

Some Colorado doctors have refused to see patients covered by the nearly defunct insurer Friday Health, but state officials are trying to reassure them they will get paid.The parent company Friday Health Plans, which is based in Alamosa, experienced a rapid decline this year as multiple states announced they wouldn’t allow the company to sell any more policies or had placed it into receivership, meaning they took control of any assets in their own state’s subsidiary to ensure claims were paid.Friday, which sold insurance in seven states including Colorado, won’t be available anywhere in 2024.The Colorado Division of Insurance said the Colorado-specific branch of the company has enough funds to continue paying claims this year. If claims were to exceed its funds, however, the state’s Life and Health Insurance Protection Association would pay out up to $500,000 for each Friday member’s care. The association collects fees from member companies, and state l...

The wait for U.S. passports is creating travel purgatory and snarling summer plans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:45 GMT

WASHINGTON — Seeking a valid U.S. passport for that 2023 trip? Buckle up, wishful traveler, for a very different journey before you step anywhere near an airport.A much-feared backup of U.S passport applications has smashed into a wall of government bureaucracy as worldwide travel rebounds toward record pre-pandemic levels — with too few humans to handle the load. The result, say aspiring travelers in the U.S. and around the world, is a maddening pre-travel purgatory defined, at best, by costly uncertainty.With family dreams and big money on the line, passport seekers describe a slow-motion agony of waiting, worrying, holding the line, refreshing the screen, complaining to Congress, paying extra fees and following incorrect directions. Some applicants are buying additional plane tickets to snag in-process passports where they sit — in other cities — in time to make the flights they booked in the first place.So grim is the outlook that U.S. officials aren’t even den...

Suspect arrested following violent assault video in Baldwin Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:45 GMT

A suspect seen on video punching a man in Baldwin Park last month was arrested over the weekend, authorities said.The incident occurred around 7:23 a.m. on Saturday, June 24, according to the surveillance video posted to the Baldwin Park Police Department's Instagram page. The video showed the victim walking past a parked vehicle when the suspect, identified by police as Manuel Alejandro Valenzuela, jumped out of the passenger side of the vehicle and punched him in the head. An assault suspect is seen in an image provided by the Baldwin Park Police Department on July, 2, 2023. The victim quickly got up and was punched again by the attacker as he was putting his hat back on. The victim didn't go down after the second punch and put his hands up in an apparent attempt to defend himself from any further attacks when the video cuts off. Manuel Alejandro Valenzuela is seen in this image provided by the Baldwin Park Police Department on July 2, 2023. Valenzuela was arrested on suspicion of...

Man shot to death near Palmdale intersection, LASD says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:45 GMT

An investigation is underway after a man was shot to death in Palmdale early Monday morning.The attack was reported at about 4:45 a.m., when deputies responded to the intersection of 75th Street and Avenue W, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a news release. There, they found an adult man who'd been shot at least one time. He was declared dead at the scene.The man's name and age have not yet been released, nor has any information about the shooter or shooters.Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. To provide information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit lacrimestoppers.org.