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Kelly Bradley

Barnes & Noble hacked: Is your credit card at risk?

Barnes & Noble says hackers may have stolen customer data

Barnes & Noble, the country’s largest bookseller, reported that thieves hacked into payment devices and may have stolen customer credit and debit card information at 63 different stores nationwide, including 20 in California. Other states involved include Connecticut, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

The hackers allegedly planted bugs in a single card reader at each of the stores. This way, when customers slide their card through the machine and enter their personal identification number, they may be at risk.

After learning of the security breach, the bookseller immediately disconnected all PIN pads in its nearly 700 stores. Instead of going back to the original system, customers will now have to swipe their cards on readers that are connected to the cash registers—a process that is secure, according to Barnes & Noble.

No employees are suspected of the crime. Fraud examiner and chief security officer with technology security company HBGary said, “This was an organized crime effort—a large group made a concerted effort to penetrate these stores. It’s not company insiders pulling something like this off. I don’t think Barnes & Noble could have done anything above and beyond what it was already doing to prevent this.”

Online purchases were not affected and Barnes & Noble is working with banks as well as card issuers to identify hacked accounts so that additional fraud-protection measures can be taken.

Customers who were affected by the security breach should take action in changing their PIN numbers on debit cards, reviewing recent activity and notifying your bank should you discover any unauthorized purchases.

Obama responds to Trump’s announcement

Obama talks Trump on the ‘Tonight Show’ with Jay Leno

President Obama made a visit to the Tonight Show where he took time to respond to Donald Trump’s “huge” announcement. Trump attempted to make a deal with the president saying that he would donate $5 million to a charity of Obama’s choice if in exchange, he release his college and passport records by the end of October.

Trump continually voiced his opinion via Twitter saying “…By releasing his records, he can come clean with the American people and have $5 million to go to a charity.” He also went on to say “Obama has no problem leaking national security secrets. Why can’t he release his records? Especially when $5M is going to charity.” Shockingly enough, Trump is a strong supporter of Mitt Romney and is hoping this creates doubt regarding Obama and his birth place.

However, Trump’s efforts to raise suspicion about the conspiracy theory that Obama was actually born outside of the U.S. don’t seem to be worrying Obama. When Leno asked the president why the reality TV star seemed to have it out for him, Obama joked “You know, this all dates back to when we were growing up together in Kenya. We had constant run-ins on the soccer field, and he wasn’t very good at it. When we finally moved to America, I thought it would be over.”

Obama also told Leno that he has never actually met Donald Trump in person. However, Obama did roast the media mogul at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with Washington while he sat in the crowd.

Movie theatre accidentally screens ‘Paranormal Activity 4’ instead of ‘Madagascar 3’

A movie theatre in the U.K. accidentally screened a horror film instead of a kid’s movie

A movie theatre in Nottingham, U.K. made the mistake of screening the much anticipated horror film Paranormal Activity 4 instead of Madagascar 3 to a theatre full of children. Needless to say, the kids as well as their parents were not amused. Paranormal Activity 4 and Madagascar 3 don’t exactly go hand-in-hand. When you’re expecting to see animated penguins and lions, Paranormal Activity 4 may slightly disappoint.

Movie-goers suspected something was wrong when the opening scene of Paranormal Activity 4 played. Let’s just say it wasn’t kid friendly. Apparently parents grabbed their children and immediately ran out of the theatre. According to Natasha Lewis who took her 8-year-old to the movie, the unexpected horror scene was “enough to make grown men jump, so you can imagine the terror in these young faces.”

Lewis went on to say, “Everybody just scrambled for the exits, all you could hear were children crying and screaming. Everyone was very upset. I’ve watched a few horror films in my time but the Paranormal Activity films are the scariest since The Exorcist. It was only about two minutes worth of the film but it was enough to scar them for life.”

Of course the movie theatre refunded everyone’s money and later screened the original movie, Madagascar 3.

Benghazi suspect held in Tunisia

A man is suspected of participating in the Benghazi attacks

When a Tunisian national posted an update on a social media platform about the fighting regarding the September 11 assault on the U.S. consulate, he provided a clue to the intelligence community. This post was from Ali Ani al-Harzi and he is now suspected of participating in the attacks in Libya.

Al-Harzi is a member of violent extremist networks in North Africa and has been connected to jihadist organizations in the Middle East.

He fled Libya for Turkey and has since been located and tracked down by U.S. intelligence. According to Turkish officials, al-Harzi was held for less than a week by the U.S. government and was then sent to Tunisia. There, he was held in military custody and transferred to a jail in preparation for a court trial.

It’s unclear what al-Harzi’s role was in the attacks, therefore, it is not yet known what he may be charged with.

With the upcoming election, Republicans are attempting to place the blame on Democrats for trying to cover up a terrorist attack and mislead the public. However, the Democrats are firing back by saying the Republicans have attempted to politicize a national tragedy.

According to a U.S. intelligence official, “there was nothing that would have given us some indication that an attack was being planned or imminent.”

Honey Boo Boo fakes sleep to avoid Dr. Drew

Honey Boo Boo decides to take a nap to avoid Dr. Drew’s questions

During a recent interview with Dr. Drew, Honey Boo Boo decided to fake a nap in order to avoid his question—a strategy I’m sure many wish they could pull off. When the reality TV sensation closed her eyes, Dr. Drew asked “Honey Boo Boo, you all right? Let me ask you some questions.” However, Honey Boo Boo wasn’t having it. She proceeded to let out a long groan, shut her eyes and put her head down.

She didn’t want to answer Dr. Drew’s question “Is it difficult to be on TV?” After responding with several snores, Dr. Drew took a different approach asking, “Is there something exciting you’d like to talk about? Her mother, June, even chimed in saying, “Alana, come on now let’s get this done so we can go.”

Eventually, the agitated 7-year-old shot back with a strong “NO” after being asked if she was enjoying her newfound fame. She replied, “My fans come up to me and I hate it!” She’s fed up with strangers coming up to her, making it impossible for her to live a normal life. Honey Boo Boo has been making talk-show rounds for the last week, leaving her exhausted and restless with each interview.

The entire interview with Honey Boo Boo airs Tuesday night at 9 p.m. on HLN.

Taylor Swift’s ‘Red’ receives dismal reviews

Taylor Swift’s new album ‘Red’ steps away from her country roots

Taylor Swift’s recently released fourth album titled Red is a 16-track CD once again expressing Swift’s experiences with the ups and downs of love. However, many are disappointed with the Grammy winner’s new album, calling it mediocre. Swift has gravitated away from her country roots to take on more pop-like songs, and because of this, she is facing criticism.

The President of Big Machine Records, Scott Borchetta, spoke on the change of genre telling Swift, “If it’s country, run toward it, if it’s pop, run toward it, if it’s rock, run toward it. You have artistic license to do your music. I want to encourage you to go to the edges.” Unfortunately, Swift’s bold transition from country music isn’t boding well with some of her fans. It’s also come as a shock to country radio because of its extreme pop/rock undertones.

Swift’s song State of Grace resembles a U2 feel while We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together sounds similar to something Avril Lavigne would produce. Although Swift’s songs may sound different, the messages within them remain the same. The song All Too Well allegedly spills details on her relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal with lyrics like “Dancin’ round the kitchen in the refrigerator light” and “You call me up again just to break me like a promise/So casually cruel in the name of being honest.”

As far as Swift’s other songs go, you’ll just have to decode the secrets for yourself.

Donald Trump to reveal big Obama announcement

Donald Trump is saying his announcement will be a game changer

Donald Trump is preparing to make an announcement about President Obama tomorrow which has the potential to change the minds of voters before Election Day. Trump posted on Twitter last week telling his followers he had an announcement about the president. He also told Fox and Friends “It’s going to be announced probably on Wednesday. I have something very, very big concerning the President of the United States.” When asked if it was regarding personal issues or business, he replied “It’s all in one, everything. It’s very big. Bigger than anybody would know.”

Michael Cohen, EVP and Special Counsel to Donald Trump commented on his announcement saying “Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to disclose the nature of Mr. Trump’s announcement. Without question it will be big.”

However, many are skeptical of the Celebrity Apprentice star and what his announcement could possibly contain. Maybe it’s his carpet-like toupee or his pumpkin colored skin, but many aren’t taking him seriously.

Trump previously attempted to run for Oval Office but was not successful for obvious reasons. As much as the U.S. desperately needs a president who has experience with bankruptcy and goes through wives like Michael Phelps goes through Olympic medals, it’s probably not in the near future.

David Letterman joked saying “The White House is saying Donald Trump has ‘zero percent chance’ of being elected. Isn’t that a little high?” Although Trump wasn’t successful in the world of politics, he is certainly succeeding in getting back into the headlines.

Stay tuned tomorrow for Donald Trump’s announcement regarding President Obama.

Lea Michele shoots down pregnancy rumors

Lea Michele jokes on Twitter about recent rumors that she’s pregnant

It has been confirmed that the Glee star, Lea Michele, is not pregnant despite rumors that she showed a baby bump. The rumors stemmed from a picture that showed Michele wearing loose-fitting clothing and carrying a large purse—a strategy many celebrities utilize to cover up any signs of being pregnant.

The picture allegedly showed a baby bump, which quickly got people talking. It seems these days it’s easy to confuse a baby bump with a big lunch.

Lea Michele took to Twitter to shake off the speculation. The Glee star happily tweeted “My first fake pregnancy rumor! I’ve finally made it!” Glee creators can breathe a sigh of relief that the Lea Michele’s character, Rachel Berry, won’t be sidelined for upcoming seasons.

Michele’s on screen and off screen boyfriend, Cory Monteith, should be used to the pregnancy scare seeing as he dealt with one on the show. Don’t worry, you’re safe yet again, Cory. The pair have been romantically linked off-screen since February 2012.

Glee is currently in its fourth season, with Michele and Monteith’s characters separated after Rachel left Lima, Ohio for a performing arts school in New York City.

KKK files lawsuit against the state of Georgia

The KKK filed a lawsuit after being denied participation in a highway cleanup program

The Ku Klux Klan filed a lawsuit against the state of Georgia because the group’s application to pick up litter as a part of the Adopt-A-Highway program was denied. The KKK claims that the state violated the group’s right to freedom of speech. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of the KKK last month.

Georgia claims that state agencies cannot be tried by citizens due to sovereign immunity. The state cannot legally commit a wrong and thus cannot be sued. The state of Georgia also claims that the KKK missed the deadline to file the suit.

According to a report by the Associated Press, “The International Keystone Knights of the KKK in Union County applied in May to the state’s Adopt-A-Highway program, hoping to clean up along part of Route 515 in the Appalachian Mountains.” Who knew the KKK was striving to become more environmentally conscious? Georgia claims their permit was denied because of the 55 mph speed limit, making it ineligible for the Adopt-A-Highway program. Although, I’m sure drivers seeing KKK members casually picking up litter on a highway might pose as a small distraction as well as a safety hazard.

The KKK also had a denied request for an Adopt-A-Highway permit in 2001 in Missouri. However, their permit was denied for different reasons. The KKK had the United Supreme Court rule in their favor against Missouri after the state denied their request due to the organization’s history.

Cristiano Ronaldo reaches 50 million ‘likes’ on Facebook

Cristiano Ronaldo is the first athlete to 50 million ‘likes’

Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid forward, has reached a mere 50 million ‘likes’ on Facebook, making him the most popular athlete on the social network. Ronaldo even surpassed the Biebs and Katy Perry by about 3 million likes. Upon hearing the news, the soccer star tweeted “I really want us to keep sharing all the good moments together – and the best is still to come THANK YOU ALL #50M.”

Just to put things in perspective, the population of Senegal is about 12.8 million people. 50 million is about equal to the population of South Korea or South Africa and is more than the population of Canada, Argentina and Colombia.

Ronaldo is right up there with Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Shakira, Eminem, and Rihanna. Of course these results shouldn’t be too surprising considering he not only plays on one of the most popular teams in the world but he has the stunning model looks to go along with it.

Cristiano Ronaldo made his international debut in 2003 at age 18. He helped to lead Portugal to the Euro 2004 final on home turf. Ronaldo also captured the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year award. Today, he is considered one of the top two players in the world, alongside Lionel Messi.