TPM Reader DC shares her thoughts on the latest revelations about Uber …
This line from your piece about Uber today struck me, “But if you think Uber isn’t safe or is tied to creepy or menacing behavior that may directly affect you, that’s the kind of perception – accurate or not – that could sink the whole operation.”
That’s really the thing. I’m a 41 year old mother of 2 and I primarily use Uber to ferry my children around various cities (DC more than NYC, because the DC cabs are so weird and sketchy). And that’s the thing – I’ve chosen to use Uber instead of the weird, sketchy DC cabs (in NYC, I’ve typically used Uber when it is raining or when the cabs are changing shifts), but why would I use Uber if they’re even weirder and sketchier than the DC cabs? I’m not saying that wealthy mothers make up a big part of Uber’s sales, but I’m very hesitant to use Uber right now and I don’t think I’m alone in that.
For the moment, the clearest coverage is on Gawker reporter Adam Weinstein’s twitter account. Check here.
From the AP 22 minutes ago …
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State University is warning of a dangerous situation on the Tallahassee campus.
A telephone alert early Thursday urged people to take shelter in a nearby building and stay away from doors and windows. The alert provided no details of what sparked the warning, and campus and Tallahassee police declined immediate comment to The Associated Press.
There was a major debate within the NSA back in 2009 over whether to end the phone records collection program that was a key Snowden revelation back in 2013. The agency dissent was serious enough that the new Obama administration debated ending the program in 2009, but ultimately chose not to.
Did SCOTUS already greenlight Obama’s immigration executive order? (Hint: Seem like yes.)
Did Chris Christie quietly dump his crackpot Ebola quarantine policy when no one was looking? It looks like he did. But we may need your help to prove it.
Remember, last month, Christie and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a new policy in which health care workers who’d had contact with Ebola victims in West Africa would be subject to a mandatory 21 day quarantine regardless of symptoms. After Kaci Hickox was released from her ramshackle quarantine in North Jersey, Christie blusterfully insisted that nothing had changed about his policy had changed. So what’s happened since then?
Ashton Kutcher, best known for lying to people on camera for laughs, has endorsed the idea of going after “shady journalist” Sarah Lacy over her critical coverage of Uber. Without mentioning that he is an investor in Uber.
Months ago there was a series of articles suggesting that whatever bad publicity Uber was getting, it was still publicity. And for Uber there really was no such thing as bad publicity.
I think that has now changed.
As recently as yesterday, I was seeing people either saying they’d deleted their Uber apps or exhorting other people to do so on social media. But then it seemed largely a matter of principle or solidarity with high-profile journalists like Sarah Lacy who’d crossed swords with Uber execs.
Friday is the day for the immigration executive order and President Obama plans to unveil it in Las Vegas.
So believe it or not, Steve King gets a veto on who gets to be the GOP nominee in 2016. Kilgore has the story.
Accuser speechless after CNN host suggests she should have bitten Bill Cosby’s penis to avoid rape.