#X A V I ♕

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — There's a post making the rounds on social media claiming starting today, Facebook is going to make users' posts current and deleted public. That's not true. The post tells Facebook users that if they don't share a particular post, their information will be made public. Here is an example of the post: Last month, The New York Times reported that Facebook admitted that they gave certain companies access to users' private messages. But Facebook said they never did so without a user's permission. "To be clear: none of these partnerships or features gave companies access to information without people’s permission, nor did they violate our 2012 settlement with the FTC," Facebook wrote in a blog post. Facebook also had an issue with privacy when a bug in its platform may have given third-party apps access to photos of nearly 7 million users.

Earlier this week, Huawei rang in 2019 by wishing everyone a Happy New Year using Twitter for iPhone. Reuters now reports, however, that Huawei is taking things to a new level by demoting the employees responsible for the blunder and slashing their pay. While Huawei quickly deleted the tweet in question, screenshots went viral – as is often the case when Android manufacturers are caught tweeting from iPhone. In a memo obtained by Reuters, Huawei vice president Chen Lifang slammed the employees responsible for the tweet, saying “the incident caused damage to the Huawei brand.” As for what exactly happened that led to Huawei tweeting “Happy New Year” from Twitter for iPhone, the memo explains that an outsourced social media manager experienced problems with their desktop computer, so they turned to a nearby iPhone to send the tweet: The mistake occurred when outsourced social media handler Sapient experienced “VPN problems” with a desktop computer so used an iPhone with a roaming SIM card in order to send the message on time at midnight, Huawei said in the memo. Further, even though the tweet was sent by an outsourced social media handler, Huawei is partly blaming in-house management. In the memo, the company says the mistake showed “procedural incompliance and management oversight.” In light of the blunder, Huawei has demoted two employees by one rank and reduced their monthly salaries by over $700 (5,000 yuan). Additionally, Huawei says that its digital marketing director will also have their pay rank frozen for twelve months. While Huawei certainly isn’t the first Android manufacturer to be caught using Twitter for iPhone – Samsung is a regular victim – this is certainly the first time a company’s internal response to such an error has been made public. https://twitter.com/MKBHD/status/1079963374061080576/photo/1

Mercedes-Benz has gone back to the drawing board with the S-Class in a bid to provide the upcoming seventh-generation model with a range of electrified powertrains, driver assistance features, technology and outright comfort to lift it beyond rivals such as the Audi A8 and BMW 7 Series. The new Mercedes flagship, which is due in UK showrooms next year, has been developed to support two distinctly different saloon models for the first time. While standard versions are set to receive a range of plug-in hybrid drivetrains, the German car maker also plans to introduce an aerodynamically optimised pure-electric version that insiders say will serve as the flagship model for its new EQ electric vehicle sub-brand. Badged EQ S, the new model will offer a claimed range in excess of 310 miles on the latest WLTP test cycle when it goes on sale in 2022. Plug-in hybrid versions of the S-Class will feature part-time zero-emission capability for distances of up to 62 miles, together with the option of a newly developed 4Matic four-wheel drive system with fully variable apportioning of drive between the front and rear axles. The EQ S forms part of Mercedes’ £9 billion programme to introduce more than 10 dedicated electric vehicles to the UK market within the next six years. In a further change, it is believed that Mercedes-Benz has decided to do away with its long tradition of offering the standard S-Class, which goes under the internal codename W223, with two different wheelbases. Nothing is official at this stage, but it is understood that the growth of the E-Class to a length of 4920mm is behind a decision to produce the new S-Class exclusively in long-wheelbase guise, with the car measuring around 5280mm in length. However, while the standard S-Class sits on the MRA platform, the more technically advanced four-wheel drive EQ S will be the first Mercedes-Benz model to be based on the new modular electric architecture (MEA) platform. Unlike the structures being developed to underpin smaller EQ models, it is not based on an existing platform but has been developed as dedicated EV architecture with a flat floor to house batteries. The drivelines set to power hybrid versions of the new S-Class are based around Mercedes’ latest 3.0-litre and 2.9-litre in-line six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines and the AMG-developed 4.0-litre V8, all of which operate in combination with a disc-shaped electric motor housed within the automatic gearbox and a lithium ion battery located in the boot floor. The pure-electric EQ S is set to receive two electric motors – one acting on the front axle and the other driving the rear – providing permanent four-wheel drive in all variants. In the upcoming EQ C, this set-up delivers more than 400bhp and some 516lb ft, although engineers involved on the development of the EQ S suggest it will offer even greater levels of power and torque, with a planned AMG performance model earmarked to produce more than 600bhp. Despite the differing platforms, both the standard S-Class and the EQ S are set to share the same active suspension system. A development of the existing S-Class’s AirMatic+ system, it works in combination with a 48V electrical architecture and a stereo camera that scans the road ahead to adjust the spring and damper action on each wheel, allowing it to not only counteract body lean in corners but also to better control pitch. Stylistically, the new S-Class is claimed to break new ground with a lineage that sources at Mercedes-Benz’s design studio contend will influence a whole new generation of models. Recent prototype spy shots preview a design that will feature distinctive tri-band LED multibeam headlights, a new interpretation of the classic Mercedes-Benz grille and door handles that retract back into the bodywork to help improve aerodynamic properties. It is understood that the EQ S will adopt its own distinct styling. Reflecting the packaging advantages inherent in electric vehicles, the EQ S will receive a shorter bonnet and more heavily raked windscreen than the standard version of the new S-Class, similar to that of the Mercedes CLS.

It's safe to say Knoxville's Emily Andzulis made an impression while competing on NBC's "The Titan Games." The mixed martial artist and massage therapist was the first to take part in the new athletic competition show's premiere on Thursday night, and she became the first female titan champion. In honor of her sister Sharon Shepard, a bone cancer survivor, Andzulis powered through two rounds of competition to become the champion. She will return on the show at the end of its season to face off against seven other female champions for a chance to win $100,000, according to "Titan Games" host Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. How Emily Andzulis became champion In the show's first round, Andzulis faced off against physical therapist Ayonna Procier in the Herculean Pull challenge. The Herculean Pull featured two stages. The first involved pulling two 100-pound silver poles out of two holes. The second involved engaging in a suspended tug of war with a giant gold pole. Andzulis reached the gold pole first and pulled it farther to her side. Procier was able to catch up though, and Andzulis fell behind for a bit. The turning point came when Procier fell off the structure holding the pole. She couldn't recover, and Andzulis got the win. Because she won the first round, Andzulis advanced to Mount Olympus, the next phase of the show that features seven trials. Andzulis faced off against Julie Dudley, a firefighter and grandmother. Mount Olympus involved pushing down a 1,000-pound wall, driving 450-pound structures up a 25-degree incline, climbing over six spinning cylinders and other challenges. Andzulis garnered a small lead on the cylinders and used her martial arts skills on The Cliffs obstacle, where she punched through a wall to make holes she could use to climb it. She maintained her lead and finished the course ahead of Dudley. Emily Andzulis shares about her sister While on the show, Andzulis shared her motivations for going on the show. She did it in part for Shepard. In a previous interview with the News Sentinel, Andzulis said she and her sister did martial arts together until Shepard was diagnosed with cancer. After enduring several bone surgeries, Andzulis helped Shepard learn how to walk again. She lives with Shepard and her family. "Emily's the definition of a sister," said Shepard. "She's sacrificial, she's does everything for me. She's my best friend." "I know there's going to be a moment in this competition where it's going to break me, but that's when I'm going to fight back in honor of my sister. I will be a titan," said Andzulis.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is preparing to ask the Pentagon to extend the deployment of thousands of troops near the southwestern border and to send additional troops to erect barbed wire and barriers, CBS News has learned. The request would extend the military's operation at the border, which is set to end on Jan. 31, and deploy additional engineers to erect 160 more miles of concertina wire. So far, the military has erected 70 miles of fencing. In late October, the Trump administration deployed more than 5,000 active-duty soldiers near the U.S.-Mexico border to assist the Border Patrol and National Guard units already stationed there. The White House and DHS said the operation was designed to anticipate the arrival of caravans of migrants from Central America, but critics denounced it as a politically motivated maneuver to galvanize President Trump's base ahead of the November midterm elections. Mr. Trump's rigid stance on border wall funding and Democrats' refusal to budge to his demands have fueled an impasse in budget negotiations on Capitol Hill. The government has been partially closed since Dec. 22 and the shutdown has stretched into the new congressional session, when Democrats took control of the House. Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis left the administration at the end of the year after Mr. Trump dismissed him prior to his planned departure date in February. Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan is serving as acting secretary as the administration searches for a permanent replacement to lead the Pentagon.