user: News: Starsky had Hutch. Hall had Oates. Does Donald Trump have Tom Brady?

On Thursday the Republican presidential frontrunner bragged yet again about his friendship with the star NFL quarterback.

Speaking at a press conference to announce that he had signed a pledge not to run for the White House as a third-party candidate, Trump described Brady as “a great friend of mine” and said he “just talked to him a little bit ago”.

On Thursday morning, a federal court overturned a four-game suspension handed to Brady by the NFL over the Deflategate scandal, which concerned allegations that footballs were inappropriately deflated before the Patriots’ AFC championship game victory over the Indianapolis Colts in January.

Trump, who went on to insist that Brady was “a very honest person”, has often talked about his relationship with the quarterback.

Last Friday he said at another press conference that Brady was “a great friend of mine” and added: “I know Tom Brady. Tom Brady is an honest guy. He’s a great guy. He’s a great champion and winner.”

Trump went on to insist that NFL should “leave Tom Brady alone”.

Related: Deflategate: NFL to appeal after judge overturns Tom Brady's ban

Trump, who has talked on the phone with Brady on at least one occasion in recent weeks, has also exchanged notes with the star. It may take some effort, though, for Trump to persuade Brady to vote for him.

Brady is a registered voter in Massachusetts and is unaffiliated with either party, which means he can vote in that state’s Republican presidential primary.

However, Brady votes infrequently. According to an elections official in Boston, the only recorded elections in which he has voted were the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections and in Boston’s 2013 mayoral contest.

A spokesman for the Patriots refused to respond to questions about Brady’s relationship with Trump, saying: “We will not ask him about his private life.”

Title: Donald Trump can't stop bragging about his 'great friend' Tom Brady


News: Ad-blocking software is now being used by nearly 10% of desktop Internet users in the U.S., according to a report from comScore.

The data referenced in the report, released Wednesday, was collected in December from comScore’s panel of around 1 million U.S. desktop users. It indicates a slightly lower rate of adoption and escalation in the use of ad blocking than data from some other companies that have made headlines in recent months.

Online publishers and advertising companies are paying close attention to any available data as they become increasingly concerned by the rise of ad-blocking technologies, which allow people to prevent online ads from appearing as they browse the Internet.

Despite the growing concern from publishers, comScore’s data suggest the overall ad-blocking rate for U.S. desktop users remained relatively stable during the second half of last year, amounting to 9.7% of users in December compared with 9.5% in May.

Adoption among younger users is higher than average, according to comScore. About 16.5% of users aged 18-24 employed desktop ad-blocking tools in December, compared with 12.5% of users between the ages of 25 and 34. For those over the age of 34, the rate was about 8%.

Reliable data on the adoption of ad blocking has proved hard to come by, much to the frustration of online publishers looking to benchmark their experiences against their peers or an industry average.

Media coverage of the issue has focused largely on data and research provided by technology companies selling ad blocking-related tools and services of their own, and much of the information varies wildly.

For example, deals site Retale conducted a survey of 500 U.S. adults in January that found 57% of respondents admitted to employing an ad blocker to prevent viewing display ads while on a PC.

Meanwhile, a report published last year by Adobe and PageFair, which sells tools to help advertisers thwart ad blockers, said U.S. ad-blocking rates were 17% in May and 15% in June. The companies also estimated that ad blockers led to $22 billion in lost advertising revenue in 2015.

But some may feel comScore, which is known for its measurements of Web traffic and advertising, offers a more neutral view of the issue.

ComScore’s overall numbers seem to be in keeping with what some major online publishers have reported in recent months. In January, Slate’s director of product development estimated the publication was losing around 8% of its potential online ad revenue because of ad blocking, for example.

ComScore’s data doesn’t reflect the adoption of ad-blocking tools on mobile, although some publishers say the ad-blocking problem is less pronounced there, as far as they are aware. However, mobile device giant Apple did start allowing ad-blocking software to be used in its popular Safari mobile browser in September.

Write to Jack Marshall at Jack.Marshall@wsj.com

Title: Ad Blockers Are Employed by 10% of U.S. Desktop Users, comScore Finds


News: As college students settle into a new year at school, Lady Gaga has released a new video sending a powerful message about sexual assault on campus.

“Til It Happens to You,” with lyrics by Diane Warren, was written for the documentary The Hunting Ground, which debuted earlier this year. The new video was directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Thirteen) and shows college students experiencing assault in terrible, but unfortunately all too common, situations: in a dorm room, at a party, in a campus bathroom. “Til it happens to you,” Gaga sings, “you don’t know how it feels.” The video concludes with each survivor getting support from the community and overcoming the stigma of sexual assault.

A portion of proceeds from sales of the song will go to organizations working to combat sexual assault and support survivors.

We hope u feel our love&solidarity through the song & perhaps find some peace in knowing u r not alone through this film #TilItHappensToYou

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) September 18, 2015

Title:

assistant: Lady Gaga's Latest Music Video Is a Sexual Assault PSA