Mark Zuckerberg Holocaust Deniers Can Stay on FB ...

Mark Zuckerberg is coming under fire for refusing to ban Holocaust deniers on Facebook.

The FB CEO made the controversial statement in an interview with tech site Redcode, in which he says ... "I’m Jewish, and there’s a set of people who deny that the Holocaust happened." He goes on ... "I find that deeply offensive. But at the end of the day, I don’t believe that our platform should take that down because I think there are things that different people get wrong. I don’t think that they’re intentionally getting it wrong ..."

Zuck elaborated a bit more, saying it's difficult to "impugn" and "understand" the deniers' intent ... and continued to chalk up their message as just missing the mark on the truth.

Twitter, meanwhile, was up in arms over his thoughts on censorship -- or a lack thereof -- calling his position spineless and supportive of conspiracy theories and fake news.

Free speech is a hot topic these days in the country. Case in point ... this.

Mark Zuckerberg Big Ballin' With Roger Goodell ... In Idaho

Here's a glimpse into what summer camp would look like if you had a boatload of money ...

Mark Zuckerberg, Roger Goodell, Robert Kraft and a whole host of rich people converged on Sun Valley Resort in Idaho this week to have talks about what rich people should do with their riches next.

The camp -- Allen & Co.'s annual invite-only business conference -- has been credited with helping lay the bricks for huge deals like Disney's merger with ABC and Verizon's acquisition of Yahoo! in the past.

Sooo ... what can we read into seeing Kraft, Goodell, Zuckerberg and ex-Steelers coach Bill Cowher all being in attendance??

Probably not much ... the conference is said to include golf and even white-water rafting outside of the mogul elbow-rubbing.

So, yeah ... a little different than your summer camps, huh?

Christian Slater 'Mr. Robot' Predicted Hackings But, the Future Looks ...

NOT FAR FROM REALITY
TMZ.com

Christian Slater makes no bones about it ... "Mr. Robot" anticipated the Facebook and Russian hacking scandals 3 years ago, and the world is just now catching on to it. Too little, too late?

We got Christian Tuesday at LAX, and asked him about the eerie comparisons between his hit show, which tackles the dangers of cybersecurity ... and the recent plague of high-profile hackings of political, retail and social media platforms.

Christian -- who plays Mr. Robot, the "fsociety" hacktivist leader -- credits the show's creator, Sam Esmail, for having the vision back in 2015 when the show premiered. He also gives him props for scaring the crap outta us.

Not to worry, Christian says the future's not totally doomed. Or so he thinks.

Mark Zuckerberg 44 Senators Later ... Cruz Throws Political Punch

APRIL 2018
POLITICALLY SPEAKING ...
Washington Post

Mark Zuckerberg got an intense, lengthy grilling Tuesday from dozens of senators, and none was more demanding -- and political -- than Sen. Ted Cruz.

Most senators asked Zuck about privacy and data-related issues, but Sen. Cruz decided to hammer the CEO over the alleged censorship of conservative-themed FB pages. At one point, Cruz asked if the honcho's company took note of its employees' political views, to which Zuckerberg said no.

But, then Cruz asked about a specific employee getting fired -- presumably because he leaned right. Zuckerberg refused to elaborate, but safe to say Cruz got under the Harvard dropout's skin.

MZ will be back Wednesday for round 2 on Capitol Hill.

BTW ... Zuck had a pretty thick cushion under his butt during more than 4 hours of testifying. Maybe he needed the extra comfort, or maybe -- at 5'7" -- he just needed a boost.

Probably both.

Kevin O'Leary On Facebook Breach ... Users Don't Give A Rats Ass!!!

DATA SHMATA!
TMZ.com

Kevin O'Leary straight-up says 99 percent of Facebook users don't give a damn about its data breach crisis ... and business will continue as usual in no time.

We got the "Shark Tank" star leaving Craig's Monday night and wanted to get his take on whether Facebook's latest scandal will bring down the social media giant. Kevin's adamant ... FB will NOT go down after it shockingly announced more than 87 million users -- mostly in the U.S. -- had their personal data improperly accessed by the data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica.

Kevin says it's simple ... a whole new generation simply couldn't give a crap.

He's also got strong feelings about the Capitol Hill hearings. Ya know ... the one Mark Zuckerberg got dolled up for.

Mark Zuckerberg I Be on My Suit & Tie For Capitol Hill Grilling

SUIT & TIE
TMZ.com

Y'know Mark Zuckerberg's in some serious s**t when he ditches his hoodies and t-shirts.

The Facebook honcho went traditional biz attire -- dark suit, blue tie -- as he showed up on Capitol Hill Monday morning for meetings with lawmakers. We asked him about the change in attire. As they say, wait for it ... you've gotta see his reaction at the end of the video.

Zuck is scheduled to testify this week for Senate and Congressional committees looking into the Facebook privacy scandal. FB's been under fire because the data of 87 million users was allegedly accessed to influence the 2016 presidential election.

The company's execs say they have a plan to avoid a repeat, but politicians want to grill Zuckerberg on the deets. We might finally find out if he actually sweats.

Akon Hey, Mark Zuckerberg ... Let's Run in 2020 and Beat Trump!!!

AKON/ZUCKERBERG 2020
TMZ.com

Akon can see himself in the White House ... and he wants Mark Zuckerberg to help him beat President Trump in 2020.

We got the singer at LAX Thursday and wanted to know how he would defeat Trump, hypothetically speaking. Our guy barely finished asking the question when Akon pounced at the opportunity to debate 45, and obviously thinks he could take him down on several topics.

You can tell he's been thinking about how to make improvements, and even explained to us why he'd go with Zuckerberg as veep.

You'll recall ... Akon recently told us about his beef with the feds -- for rejecting his proposal to get electricity up and running in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, and also with Trump's "s**thole" comment.

Still, he thinks Trump has what it takes to be a great prez. Or, at least, he did.

Kevin Smith Hospitalized After 'Massive Heart Attack'

Director Kevin Smith-- the director behind iconic flicks like "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy" -- says he's lucky to be alive after suffering a massive heart attack Sunday evening.

The 47-year-old had performed the first of 2 standup comedy shows at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA when something went wrong.

"After the first show this evening, I had a massive heart attack," Smith says.

"The Doctor who saved my life told me I had 100% blockage of my LAD artery (aka 'the Widow-Maker')."

"If I hadn’t canceled show 2 to go to the hospital, I would’ve died tonight. But for now, I’m still above ground!"

Smith posted a photo from the hospital covered by tubed and wires.

Kevin's friend, Tom Arnold, tweeted out, "Fans of Kevin Smith please take comfort he is in a good hospital with great doctors but if he needs 2nd or 3rd opinions from the worlds finest cardiologists we’ve got him covered too."

Kylie Jenner Facebook Up $13B Since Slamming Snapchat

Kylie Jenner's good for business ... if you're in the Facebook business. Sorry, Snapchat.

As we reported ... Snapchat's value plummeted a whopping $1.3 billion the day after Kylie tweeted 18 simple words to bash the app. And, as of Friday's market close, it kept going south.

Snap Inc. market value:

Feb. 21 – $22.78B (The day Kylie tweeted)

Feb. 22 – $21.40B

Feb. 23 – $21.41B

This is music to the ears of Snapchat's rival ... Facebook. The social media giant, of course, owns Instagram. Snap and the 'Gram have been dueling for a few years now, but SC's best feature -- posting "stories" -- finally made its way to IG, which has since gotten the upper hand.

The biggest tell ... Facebook's bottom line in market value:

Feb. 21 – $516.83B

Feb. 22 – $519.97B

Feb. 23 – $532.86B

Kylie might not have intended for any of this to happen ... but such is her influence.

NYC Pipe Bomber to Trump 'You Failed to Protect' America

The New York City bomber allegedly went on Facebook just before setting off a homemade device and told President Trump he'd failed to protect the U.S.A.

According to the federal criminal complaint filed Tuesday against Akayed Ullah, the bomber took to the social media site with his message to the Prez while on the way to the Port Authority subway before the explosion.

Per the docs, obtained by TMZ, Ullah allegedly wrote ... "Trump you failed to protect your nation" ... which prosecutors say he posted Monday morning before the incident. They go on to say the message was written with ISIS in mind.

MOMENT OF DETONATION

During a presser about the attack, US Attorney Joon Kim also revealed a search of Ullah's apartment uncovered a handwritten note that read, "Oh America Die In Your Rage."

As we reported ... Ullah was captured alive after detonating what many called a pipe bomb strapped to his person. Three other people were injured, leaving one temporarily deaf.

As for Trump ... he released a statement Monday essentially saying his travel ban was necessary to prevent attacks like this. Sounds like he'll have more ammo for that point now.

Bullied Student Keaton Jones' Mom Gets Backlash Over Confederate Flag

Photos and words posted by Tennessee student Keaton Jones' mother have many people questioning whether she deserves any of the sympathy generated by Keaton's viral video.

Kimberly Jones' Facebook page reportedly features several photos of herself and friends displaying the Confederate flag. There's also a post in August where she seems to be telling people to stop whining about slavery and racism. It's not clear exactly what she's referring to, but the post was written 2 weeks after the neo-nazi rally in Charlottesville.

One of the photos on her page shows Keaton and a few other kids. Keaton is holding the U.S. flag and another kid is holding the Confederate flag.

The video Kimberly posted of Keaton talking about getting bullied has won over a ton of celebs -- many of whom have invited him and his mom to Hollywood and sporting events.

CRY FOR HELP

You gotta wonder ... if Kimberly's posts -- especially the one where she shows zero sympathy for "butt hurt Americans" -- will make celebs and others reconsider their sympathy for her and Keaton.

Dan Rather Burger Boner!!! Loses In-N-Out Virginity

Dan Rather just broke a BIG story that changes everything -- for him, at least, because the legendary newsman just bit into his first In-N-Out burger!

Dan was seriously moved by the experience after making the long-awaited fast food stop in the Bay Area. Yeah, he's 86 years old, but as he wrote ... "I can honestly say it was worth the wait."

The CBS news vet is touring to promote his book, "What Unites Us." Sounds like he found a new chapter in between the patties of a double-double: "When in doubt, I now will 'In N Out.' And a great milkshake can certainly be a big part of #WhatUnitesUs."

Don't forget the fries, Dan.

Chris Pratt Try Dating Me Online Just Avoid My FB Impostor!

SENDING A MESSAGE
TMZ.com

Chris Pratt, who just filed for divorce, will not join the hordes on online dating services.

We got Chris leaving Jimmy Kimmel's studio in L.A. Monday night, and asked for a status update on his Facebook impostor sitch. Sounds like it's still pending.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Chris sent a message to his female fans over the weekend warning 'em of a guy posing as him on the social media site ... supposedly asking for numbers and dates.

Follow Chris' advice and avoid the dude at all costs. Besides, if you're really looking to court the almost-single Pratt Pratt Pratt ... there's only 1 dating site he'd ever consider.

Chris Pratt Warns Women of C.P. 'Imposter' I'm Gonna Punch Him in the Mouth!!!

Chris Pratt is on the warpath against a dude who is posing as him to score dates.

Chris is ballistic someone is pretending to be him on Facebook, hitting on women and trying to get their phone numbers. He posted a warning, "If I find out who it is I'll have their account shut down and seriously would like to punch them right in the GD mouth," adding, "You hear that imposter!?"

He goes on to call the faux Pratt a predator, saying, "Makes me sick."

Apparently this guy is impersonating Chris a lot and has hit up a number of women.

Chris ends with this ... "Stop right now or you will @be very unhappy with the outcome. Go find Jesus. Praying for you."

Matt Lauer Already Scrubbed from 'Today' Social ... Mostly

Matt Lauer, formerly the face of NBC, is already a ghost as far as the network's online presence is concerned.

Lauer's been replaced on the "Today" cover photos for the show's social media -- specifically Facebook and Twitter. They used to feature Matt and Savannah Guthrie, but now it's more group shots of all NBC's morning personalities.

Matt is still featured in old "Today" Facebook and Twitter photos and clips -- so, they're not trying to rewrite history. Not yet, anyway.

As we reported ... Lauer was abruptly fired Wednesday after a complaint about inappropriate sexual behavior was filed against him.

Mark Zuckerberg Sorry About Our Awesome VR Demo in Flooded Puerto Rico!!!

SLAPPIN' HANDS

Mark Zuckerberg admits using hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico as the backdrop to roll out Facebook's new 360-degree virtual reality technology ... was a super tone-deaf idea. No duh.

Zuckerberg issued an apology for the demonstration he and other FB staffers pulled off on Tuesday. The technology is, no doubt, cool -- using VR to drop your friends into your home, your vacation ... or maybe even your decimated homeland ... in the case of millions of Puerto Ricans.

The video is stunning -- make sure you wait for the high-five between Mark and his social media honcho, Rachel.

Tone-deaf is a HUGE understatement.

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