(Reuters) -Insider co-founder Henry Blodget is stepping down as the CEO of the publication that he helped create more than

Authorities have poured water on the suggestion that TikTok challenges are in some way responsible for recent drownings in the US. It was widely reported that a so-called “boat jumping” or “boat jump” trend had inadvertently claimed the lives of four people this year, after an official in Alabama issued a stark warning. Cpt. Jim Dennis, the head of Alabama’s Childersburg Rescue Squad, told local news site WBMA: “[Over the] last six months we have had four drownings that were easily avoidable – they were doing a TikTok challenge.” He explained: “It’s where you get in a boat going at a high rate of speed, you jump off the side of the boat, don’t dive, you’re jumping off feet first and you just kinda lean into the water.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Cpt. Dennis’s comments were picked up by a number of news outlets, encouraging further discussion on the potentially nefarious power of social media trends. @tndtok First responders in Alabama are seeing a spike in drownings related to a TikTok boating challenge, where people jump off of a boat moving at high speeds. #boat #tiktokchallenge #alabama #firstresponders #jumpoffboat However, he later rowed back on his mention of the video-sharing app, insisting that remarks attributed to him were taken out of context during interviews he gave promoting boating safety, AL.com reports. “It got blown way out of proportion,’’ he said of the publicity. “We’ve had four drownings in the last six to eight months and some of those were just drownings,’’ he added. The first responder confirmed that he’d worked on one death of someone jumping from a boat, but admitted: “To say that’s the reason they died, I can’t say that. That would be a matter of opinion.” Meanwhile, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) issued its own statement on the issue, saying: “On Monday, July 3, a news story was shared regarding ‘first responders warning against a deadly boating TikTok trend after recent drownings’ in Alabama. “However, please be advised the information released to the news outlet was incorrect. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Marine Patrol Division does not have any record(s) of boating or marine-related fatalities in Alabama that can be directly linked to TikTok or a trend on TikTok.” They added: “One individual was fatality injured after jumping from a moving vessel in 2020 and a similar marine-related fatality occurred in 2021, however, both fatalities cannot be linked to TikTok.” Cpt. Dennis acknowledged that in one of the fatal cases he worked on, the victim did jump from a moving boat. But, he said he had no proof that it was linked to any TikTok challenge. A second person also died after jumping off a boat, but he said his squad had received conflicting statements as to whether the vessel was moving or stationary. He continued: “If we have a drowning, we may know unofficially what it is but to make an official statement, that would have to come from ALEA. Sometimes it’s a year or two before they get the final coroner’s report.” Still, the rescue chief was keen to emphasise the dangers of boat jumping. “Just from growing up around water, when you’re jumping off boats that are moving at a high rate of speed, things can happen,’’ he said. “Water is the hardest surface known to man. We cut diamonds and steel with it. When you’re moving at a high rate of speed and you hit the water wrong, it’s like hitting a brick wall. Your neck is the weakest part and you run the risk of breaking it. “There is a TikTok challenge, but I do know jumping off of a moving boat is nothing new,’’ he added. “As far as TikTok, there’s not a challenge on there that’s any good.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Ukraine's troops would soon run short of essential ammunition and equipment if Republican hardliners succeed in stopping US military aid, undermining operations on the ground and reducing their ability to...

A man once managed to sell Elon Musk a container he got for £78 for £600,000. Talk about a markup. Back in 1989, an American man and his brother bought a mystery box without knowing its contents. When they opened it, they found a white sports car which was used in the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. The film featured an iconic Lotus Esprit that could transform into a submarine and travel underwater. Nicknamed on-set as ‘Wet Nellie’, it was reportedly thought to have cost more than $100,000 (£78,400) to build in the 1970s. According to NBC News, Doug Redenius, the co-founder of the Ian Fleming Foundation said of the discovery: “They really didn’t know what it was at first. They had no idea how valuable their discovery was." It took more than 24 years after finding the car for the brothers to put it up for auction. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter In 2013, the Guardian reported that Elon Musk entered the London auction anonymously and outbid the competition, purchasing the submarine car for $997,000 (£616,000). He then revealed it was him. In a statement, he said: “It was amazing as a little kid in South Africa to watch James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me drive his Lotus Espirit off a pier, press a button and have it transform into a submarine underwater. I was disappointed to learn that it can’t actually transform. What I’m going to do is upgrade it with a Tesla electric powertrain and try to make it transform for real.” How random. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is seeking to move the Fulton County, Georgia, prosecution against him to federal court so that he can try to get the case dismissed under federal law.

HANOI, Vietnam--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 13, 2023--

By Noemie Olive JERUSALEM (Reuters) -French President Emmanuel Macron proposed on Tuesday that an international coalition fighting against Islamic State

Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout hit back-to-back home runs to help the Los Angeles Angels defeat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 in the finale of a three-game series

We've long been told to craft long, hard-to-guess passwords for our online accounts, but lengthy

Kansas State and Chris Klieman are finalizing a new contract that would give the Wildcats’ football coach a substantial pay raise while keeping him tied to the program for the next eight seasons

Apex Legends players are calling on Respawn to reverse Pathfinder's nerfs after Valkyrie's current state has been deemed too problematic.

Since it was announced last night that Sinead O'Connor has died aged 56, people have been remembering her life. The Irish singer's family announced the death "with great sadness" on Wednesday evening (July 26). The cause of death was not made public. O'Connor wrote a memoir and lines from it feel heartbreaking now, knowing she has died. The book, written in 2021 is called Rememberings. The closing lines look towards life after the coronavirus pandemic and read: "Then between albums and tours, I'll have an occupation. Not be sitting round for a year at a time with nothing but idle hands. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter "Because of the virus, it feels like the end of the world and the beginning of another. "Maybe a better one." The Grammy-winning singer shot to international stardom in 1990 with the hit ballad Nothing Compares 2 U, and released 10 studio albums between 1987 and 2014. A 2022 documentary about O'Connor, called Nothing Compares, was set to be aired on television for the first time by Sky on 29 July. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.