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Over the weekend, rapper Nicki Minaj made a surprise appearance at Turning Point USAs AmericaFest convention, where she praised President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, mocked California Governor Gavin Newsom, and instructed listeners, If you are born a boy, be a boy. On TikTok, her queer fans appear to be overwhelmingly disappointed. The event was hosted by Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative pundit Charlie Kirk, who now serves as the CEO of the conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA. Kirk took the stage with Minaj, where the two discussed Minajs recent alignment with the MAGA movement. During the talk, Minaj called Trump and Vance role models for young men. For Minaj, the appearance was an official confirmation of a political stance that shes been hinting at on social media for several months. Back in 2020, the rapper said that she was not gonna jump on the Donald Trump bandwagon. This November, she signaled otherwise by reposting an official White House TikTok celebrating the administrations supposed successes, including the claim Our cities are safer than ever, which appears to be a reference to the administration deploying the National Guard and ICE officers to multiple major cities, as well as the anti-trans sentiment, No men in womens sports. Now, Minajs queer listernerswho have always represented a large portion of her fanbaseare expressing feelings of betrayal on TikTok. Nicki Minaj’s queer fans speak out In past years, Minaj positioned herself as an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, offering words of encouragement to her gay fans and, at one point, describing herself as bisexual. By aligning with MAGA, repeatedly promoting anti-trans rhetoric, and working with Turning Point USA (which has an extensive track record of anti-LGBTQ+ animus), she appears to be alienating some of her most dedicated supporters. One of the most-viewed clips from Minajs appearance is a TikTok with nearly 300,000 likes in which the rapper states, If you are born a boy, be a boy, adding, boys will be boys, and theres nothing wrong with thatapparently discouraging trans women from transitioning. The comments are flooded with negative comments from disappointed fans. She built her career from the queer community, one user wrote. Literally almost half her fandom is part of the LGBTQ community, another added. A number of commenters noted Minajs guest appearance on season 12 of RuPauls Drag Race as further evidence of her shifting support. Others have shared that they plan to revoke support for the rapper after the recent appearance with Kirk. In one TikTok with nearly 50,000 likes, an old clip of Minaj championing her gay fans is overlaid with the caption, I miss the old Nicki who actually cared about the LGBTQ community. R.I.P. 1982-2019 Nicki, you wouldve hated 2025 MAGA Nicki.
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E-Commerce
Elusive street artist Banksy appeared to confirm Monday that a new mural in London, depicting two children lying down and pointing up at the sky, is his latest work. The artist posted two photos of the artwork on his official Instagram account Monday, hours after its appearance on a wall on the side of a building in Bayswater, west London sparked speculation over whether Banksy was behind it. The black and white mural, painted above a garage, depicts two figures dressed in winter hats and boots lying on the ground, with one of them pointing a finger upwards. An identical image appeared at the foot of a tower in central London on Monday, but the graffiti artist did not post that version on his account. Banksy began his career spray-painting buildings in Bristol, England, and has become one of the worlds best-known artists. His paintings and installations sell for millions of dollars at auction and have drawn thieves and vandals. While his work is often critical of government policy on migration and war, the latest artwork did not seem to carry an overt political message. In September, he made headlines with a mural showing a judge holding a gavel looming over an unarmed protester holding a blood-splattered placard. That piece, which appeared on an external wall of a Royal Courts of Justice building, was swiftly covered up and authorities said it had to be removed out of consideration of the building’s historical significance.
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E-Commerce
Google‘s corporate parent on Monday announced an agreement to buy data center energy specialist Intersect for $4.75 billion as part of its effort to secure the vast amounts of electricity needed to power artificial intelligence technology. Alphabet, which depends on Google’s search engine and other online services for most of its revenue, is buying out Intersect in its entirety after purchasing a stake in the San Francisco-based startup a year ago. Intersect had previously raised $2.1 billion from Google and other early investors. After the acquisition is completed during the first half of next year, Alphabet intends to allow Intersect to operate independently while continuing its efforts to secure the energy sources needed for the sprawling data centers being built to power the AI services rolling out from Google and rivals such as OpenAI. The power-hungry data centers, which are being likened to AI factories, are fueling a backlash in communities where residents have been interpreting their steadily rising electricity bills as evidence that they are helping foot the boom for a technology boom that could still go bust. Intersect focuses on finding ways to increase and diversify the supply of energy in an effort to keep hold down power costs. It’s already working on a data center for Mountain View, California-based Alphabet in Haskell County, Texas. Google’s inroads with AI have helped increase Alphabet’s stock price by more than 60% so far this year, generating an additional $1.4 trillion in shareholder wealth.
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E-Commerce
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