Who Had the Worst Week?

• Maryland failed to renew a web domain featured on one of its commemorative license plates, and now 800,000 cars in the state are advertising for an online casino in the Philippines.
• An AI-enabled drone “killed” its human operator in an Air Force simulation when the operator tried to prevent the drone from completing its mission. This is how the world ends, by the way.
• Twitter is now valued at about one-third of the $44 billion that Elon Musk paid for it last fall, according to the investment firm Fidelity.
• Hard Rock Cafes were the hottest restaurant chain going in the 1980s, which naturally meant Denver got one in 1998. Now, 25 years later, Denver’s Hard Rock Cafe is closing. The pandemic and construction on the 16th Street Mall were too much.
• Chick-fil-A is no stranger to the culture wars, but this time it’s different. Conservative activists are accusing the chain of “going woke” because it adopted a diversity, equity and inclusion policy and hired an executive to be in charge of DEI efforts.
• Amazon has agreed to pay a $30 million fine for violating the privacy of Ring and Alexa customers.
• In May, Denver saw the highest number of eviction filings in more than five years.
• A man attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a three-foot sailboat had his 1,900-mile voyage dashed after about a mile when it began taking on water.
• A woman wanted by police poisoned a lookalike with a piece of cheesecake in order to steal her identity.

So, who won the week?

• The Denver Nuggets‘ sweep of the L.A. Lakers meant they had nine days off before starting the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. Fortunately for Denver, the Nuggets showed no rust and now lead the series 1-0.
• Celebrities, they’re just like us! Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez bought a $61 million L.A. mansion that has 12 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms and a 12-car garage. Not to be outdone, Beyoncé and Jay-Z dropped $200 million on a 30,000-square-foot home in Malibu. They paid cash.
• “Sex and the City” fans are abuzz about reports that Kim Cattrall will reprise her role as Samantha in a spin-off.