Cambridge Analytica Going Out Of Business; U2 Embraces Augmented Reality On World Tour
CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well, two African-American men whose arrest at a Philadelphia Starbucks sparked protests over racial bias have now reached a settlement. The city agreed to give them what they asked for, $1 each, but it must also fund a 200,000 grant to establish a program for high school students who want to be entrepreneurs. As for Starbucks, it reached a confidential financial settlement will work with the men on its diversity effort, it also agreed to give them an opportunity to complete their college degrees for free. Well, Cambridge Analytica the data company at the heart of the Facebook scandal is calling it quits. The Trump presidential campaign had been among its clients, but the firms says, business dried up, after Facebook accused it of misusing the personal information of millions of its users. CNN's Brian Stelter reports.</s>BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: The shadowy political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica is shutting down. The company says it can no longer operate, because its customer base has dried up. This comes in the wake of "The New York Times, Guardian and Channel 4," news investigations into the company's use or misuse of data to target voters and other members of the public in incredibly sophisticated ways. You'll recall that Facebook kicked Cambridge Analytica off the platform back in March, when those stories were about to come out. Facebook said the company had essentially misused data from tens of millions of users. Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, then went to Capitol Hill to testify on the matter and vowed to make changes. Meanwhile Cambridge Analytica has essentially defended itself and said it's been innocent of these charges. In a statement on Wednesday the company reaffirmed it always acted ethically with people's data. Here is part of the statement, the company says despite Cambridge Analytica's unwavering confidence, that its employees had acted ethically and lawfully, the siege of media coverage has driven away virtually all of the company's customers and suppliers. As a result it has been determined that it is no longer viable to continue operating the business which left Cambridge Analytica with no realistic alternative to place in the company and to administration. Staffers in New York and London and elsewhere where told to pack up and go home on Wednesday. They apparently will restore receive sovereign, et cetera. The company is also still under investigation. We know that British lawmakers and British investigators are probing the company's practices and so are some lawmakers here in the United States. Now, the company was creating these detailed psychographic profile of voters. It worked for the Trump campaign and other campaigns as well. There's been a lot of debate about just how effective the company's practices are. Now what remains to be seen is whether Cambridge Analytica will reemerge in some new form or some new name. But this practice of targeting voters and trying to get much data as possible and then reaching individuals on a one-to-one basis, it seems likely that is going to continue in various forms and in fact it will get more sophisticated with every passing election. But Cambridge Analytica, the company, the name, that is shutting down. Brian Stelter, CNN, New York.</s>CHURCH: Well, Kanye West is facing a backlash after suggesting this week that Africa-Americans chose to be slaves for 400 years and proclaiming his affection for the U.S. President. Well, now a radio host Charlamagne tha God, has released another interview with the rapper. He told CNN anchor, Hala Gorani, about Kanye's pews on Donald Trump.</s>CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD, RADIO HOST: I think that Kanye is not aware of Trump's policies, I don't think he is aware of Trump's ideologies, I don't think he is aware of how Trump is oppressing and marginalizing a lot of people in this country. I think that he is just intrigued by the fact that Donald Trump reminds him of himself just by being a person that is outspoken and will say whatever they want, when they want to say it. The unorthodox way that Donald Trump has become President, you know, I think that is what Kanye is intrigued by. But, you know, I'm not here to celebrate style when it comes to a President. I want to celebrate substance. And I think Donald Trump lacks a lot of substance. So, you are right. That is the question that all of us are asking. Why is somebody like Kanye West is standing next to somebody a lot of us consider a racist bigot?</s>CHURCH: Charlmagne said he told Kanye he's comments on TMZ were dangerous and harmful. He also said, Kanye should apologize. U2 is kicking off its new world tour in Tulsa Oklahoma in the coming hours. The rock band is bringing fans a unique experience with the help of augmented reality. Fans will get a new perspective of lead singer, Bono, like never before using their smart phones. Laurie Segall got a look at that.</s>LAURIE SEGALL, CNN SENIOR TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: -- Thinking behind using augmented reality to kick off the show?</s>THE EDGE, LEAD GUITARIST, U2: Total emersion is our gig. And I guess it just helps, it is use to really make the -- amplify the sound so that it gets across in a more clear, direct, potent way. So if it doesn't serve the sound we would not consider it.</s>BONO, U2, LEAD VOCALIST: You'll see that this kind of image we have of consciousness is like this big iceberg and then it starts to melt. And we had to compact that experience, because of battery life. And then we want to do some intimacies. We wanted this very raw, naked version of the singer. I mean, we tend to use my story in U2, because I'm the singer. It could be anybody's story in general.</s>SEGALL: I don't know what it's like to be you guys on the stage and looking out at a thousand bazillion screams, right, but I am sure that is complicated, because you want people be present for you, but now --</s>THE EDGE: -- don't worry about the phones, it when they held up a laptops -- it get a little over the stuff.</s>BONO: You remember -- it's a very unsound thing to think that people should be interested in your most private thoughts to a bunch of (inaudible) maniacs. And we want people's complete attention, are we really getting cross, you know, if somebody goes to the bathroom during one of ourselves. So I think to try and have fun with this potential for distraction and make the phone part of the actual experience of being on the show that is part of the appeal of using A.R.</s>CHURCH: Fantastic, all right, well, even the future wife of a prince apparently has to pass the test. We will take a look at the questions Megan Markle faces to become a British citizen. Back in just a moment.