Streetfighters, Hooligans and Nazis: Inside Sweden's Most Notorious Underground Fight Club

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Thumb Candy Media</div></div></div>As Snapchat looks to grow its stable of original series, it has set its sights on beauty and fashion content.The platform's latest original will feature two aspiring stylists competing against one another to style the perfect look based on a given theme. The reality series will be hosted by celebrity stylist <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sophielopez/?hl=en">Sophie Lopez</a> (the stylist for actress <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-kate-hudson-stays-in-shape-2017-6">Kate Hudson</a> among others), who will critique their final looks, offer tips on what styles to buy as well as how to wear them.To read more about "Nail The Look," which launches in time for New York Fashion Week tomorrow,<a href="http://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-david-maddocks-putting-spring-cole-haan-s-step-164463/"> click here:</a>In other news:<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-tells-advertisers-reaches-25-million-more-people-than-exist-us-census-data-2017-9">Facebook says it can reach 25 million more people in the US than census data shows exist.</a> The statement came in response to Pivotal Research Group analyst Brian Wieser highlighting an apparent discrepancy between Facebook's ad manager for marketers and US census figures in a note distributed to clients on Tuesday.<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/whatsapp-will-charge-businesses-to-message-customers-2017-9">Facebook is also about to start making money off WhatsApp by charging businesses.</a> WhatsApp's program for businesses will charge large companies that want to be verified and have access to a suite of automated tools for helping and responding to customers. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-response-trump-ending-daca-2017-9">Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg has called Trump ending DACA 'cruel' and 'a sad day for our country.' </a>Zuckerberg <a href="https://dreamers.fwd.us/Business-Leaders">quickly organized a joint letter</a> with roughly 300 business leaders from companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon calling on the government to protect the rights of so-called Dreamers. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-exec-wishes-google-was-making-hbos-acclaimed-show-insecure-2017-9">YouTube says if the timing was right, it could have made Issa Rae's HBO's "Insecure."</a> Business Insider caught up with YouTube chief business officer <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-youtube-exec-said-google-will-merge-youtube-red-and-google-play-music-2017-7">Robert Kyncl</a> and top Google speechwriter <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/maany-peyvan/1080179/">Maany Peyvan</a> to talk about "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Streampunks-YouTube-Rebels-Remaking-Media-ebook/dp/B01LXNJAH9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1504632836&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=Streampunks&amp;tag=bisafetynet2-20">Streampunks</a>" and what YouTube's plans are going forward.<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-could-bid-billions-james-bond-movies-rights-2017-9">Apple could bid billions on 'James Bond' movies.</a> Apple is looking to bid on the film rights for the "James Bond" franchise, the Hollywood Reporter <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/apple-amazon-join-race-james-bond-film-rights-1035539">said on Wednesday</a>, joining a long list of powerful suitors for the franchise including Amazon and Warner Bros.<a href="http://gizmodo.com/lenovo-gets-a-slap-on-the-wrist-for-loading-up-computer-1800018926">Lenovo has been given a slap on the wrist by the FTC for loading up computers with dangerous adware, according to Gizmodo.</a> It will pay $3.5 million in penalties.<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-reported-price-gouging-prior-to-hurricane-irma-2017-9">Amazon is under fire for reported Hurricane Irma price gouging, with 'life-sustaining necessities' selling for wildly inflated prices.</a> People have been disturbed to find wildly inflated prices for essentials such as water on the e-commerce site. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/saks-fifth-avenue-opens-in-store-wellness-center-photos-2017-9">Saks Fifth Avenue unveiled an experiment to defy the retail apocalypse with a $45.9 billion market.</a> The store has dedicated an entire floor to athleisure-focused shops and offerings like workout classes, salt rooms, and even vitamin guru services. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/an-ad-exec-explains-how-burning-man-is-really-a-marketing-festival-2017-9">An ad executive explains how Burning Man is really a massive marketing festival.</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonbond57/">Jon Bond</a>, co-chairman at The Shipyard says that there's no better place to look than <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-burning-man-like-2014-9">Burning Man</a> if you want an example of how to build a brand today. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/seeking-nominations-for-most-innovative-marketing-executives-2017-8">Business Insider is seeking nominations for the most innovative marketing executives in the world.</a> Submit your ideas via <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKgEP6uZBuqCsMPrksMVAvgTVllrFEAfcc2X-EtTXATqe7pQ/viewform?usp=sf_link">this anonymous survey</a>. Follow us at <a href="http://read.bi/2eHPhLy">@BI_Corporate </a> to be among the first to hear about news and updates from Business Insider. Also, sign up for the <a href="http://read.bi/2uscrJP">Executive Summary</a> , a new biweekly newsletter that brings the latest marketing news, trends, and company updates straight to your inbox. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mysterious-white-stripes-on-chicken-affect-meat-quality-2017-8">What those mysterious white stripes on chicken are - and what it means for cooking</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

What you need to know in advertising today

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="31432" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Shia-Labeouf">Shia LaBeouf</keyword> has a long and public history of violent misdemeanors, but this has not stopped his career and star power from ascending. </li><li>As his private life became increasingly volatile, so too did his onscreen characters. </li><li>Insider spoke to three industry experts about Shia LaBeouf's career, the <a href="https://www.insider.com/fka-twigs-sues-shia-labeouf-allegations-physical-emotional-abuse-lawsuit-2020-12">potential result</a> of <keyword id="2504517" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="FKA-Twigs">FKA Twigs</keyword>' lawsuit, and the dangers of abusive behavior off-screen being rewarded on-screen. </li></ul>"Shia LaBeouf hurts women. He uses them. He abuses them, both physically and mentally. He is dangerous," British musician FKA Twigs <a href="https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/lawsuit-fka-twigs-shia-la-beouf/35d97cbb8df917bf/full.pdf">alleged in her lawsuit filed last month</a> against her ex-partner actor Shia LaBeouf. Soon after the lawsuit was revealed by The New York Times, Australian singer Sia, who worked with LaBeouf on a 2015 music video, also <a href="https://www.insider.com/shia-labeouf-sexual-assault-lawsuit-sia-calls-pathological-liar-2020-12">tweeted her own allegations</a> against the actor, calling him a "pathological liar" who conned her into an "adulterous <keyword id="6355233" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Relationship">relationship</keyword>, claiming to be single." These recent allegations are the latest and darkest in a long and violent line of misdemeanors that have plagued but never halted LaBeouf's career.In fact, as LaBeouf's private life became increasingly violent and abusive, so did the characters he played onscreen, creating a toxic cycle of abuse that rewards extreme behavior with lucrative roles, critical acclaim, and leaves LaBeouf victims vulnerable at the center.<h2>LaBeouf was positioned to be Hollywood's next big leading man</h2><h2><div type="image" title="Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox" height="1503" width="2004" msid="80269794" hostid="261"></div></h2>The 34-year-old actor, and one-time star of the Disney Channel's popular family comedy "Even Stevens," began his big-screen career in the position most former child actors and their parents pray for: at the feet of Steven Spielberg. The pair worked together on the 2007 thriller "Disturbia," which Spielberg executive produced, and when LaBeouf officially traded in his Disney credentials, he found himself at DreamWorks taking up the role of Spielberg's go-to tween. The legendary director handpicked LaBeouf to be the face of Michael Bay's "Transformers" franchise and drafted him in as the son - and heir apparent - of Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones in 2008's "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."Back then, LaBeouf was assumed to be Hollywood's bankable lead for his generation - an admittedly talented white man who could be cast in any role from action thriller to family comedy.In 2007 when he was only 21, Vanity Fair put him on the cover of its August issue <a href="https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2007/8/landing-in-hollywood">with the title "the next Tom Hanks."</a> "He was being positioned as a mega Hollywood male star," Stacy Jones, CEO of Hollywood Branded, a Los Angeles-based <keyword id="4578" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment">entertainment</keyword> marketing agency, told Insider. "He became not only a recognizable name, but one that can command and drive his peer audience to watch his films, making him largely responsible for bringing millions of dollars to the movies he has worked on."And he was paid handsomely too. By 2011, after the release of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/transformers-4-what-mark-wahlbergs-633470">LaBeouf was paid a reported $15 million</a>.A few years later, however, LaBeouf's rap sheet, which had previously been populated by juvenile misdemeanors, was becoming increasingly longer, fueled by repeated cases of public intoxication. It eventually led to <a href="https://www.insider.com/shia-labeouf-most-controversial-moments-timeline">numerous DUI, assault, and disorderly conduct cases. </a>But as LaBeouf's life became darker, the acting roles didn't stop coming. Instead, while he was persona non grata at Disney and excluded from all other family-friendly work, another side of the industry opened up and seemed to tap into his extreme and abusive behavior - knowing that audiences understand LaBeouf is willing to flagrantly push past the safe and established boundaries of dramatic performance. In 2012's "Lawless," for example, LaBeouf plays a young and violent moonshine maker during America's prohibition era. And his erratic behavior on set, <a href="https://ew.com/movies/2019/09/20/shia-labeouf-tom-hardy-lawless-naked-wrestling/">which included naked wrestling</a> with his co-star Tom Hardy, was so extreme that his female costar asked to leave the film.LaBeouf later explained that during the length of the film's shoot, he was fueled by <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2012/08/shia-labeouf-method-harassed-mia-wasikowska.html">so-called method drinking</a> in order to achieve a "drunk bloat" look.<div type="image" title="lawless shia labeouf tom hardy" height="908" width="1211" msid="80269795" hostid="261"></div>Soon after, he was enlisted by the infamous Danish director Lars Von Trier for the erotic and controversial "Nymphomaniac" series, which he followed up with a role in the WW2 drama "Fury" alongside Brad Pitt.Again, tales of his violent state on-set made it to the press. LaBeouf admitted to slashing his own face with a knife, pulling his tooth out, and refusing to shower for weeks on end to get into character. It was later reported that both Brad Pitt and director David Ayer repeatedly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/06/shia-labeouf-brad-pitt-fury-no-wash">warned LaBeouf about his behavior</a> on set.A few months later, the actor made headlines once again after a video recording published by Entertainment Tonight shows LaBeouf arguing with his then-girlfriend actor Mia Goth. During the footage, LaBeouf can be heard saying: "This is the kind of thing that makes a person abusive." And later in the video after he has left the scene, he says: "If I'd have stayed there, I would've killed her."Soon after, LaBeouf enjoyed the best reviews of his career for his performance as an unruly, violent drifter in Andrea Arnold's epic road movie, "American Honey," which premiered at the Cannes film festival. LaBeouf himself acknowledged the trend of being rewarded for his bad behavior during a 2016 interview with Variety."I don't think I'd be working with the directors I've been working with if I had not f---ed up a bit," he said. "They wanted a f---ing fireball. They wanted a loose cannon."And in response, he willingly stepped into the role."Part of it was posturing," he said, speaking about his issues with alcoholism during the same interview with Variety. "I never knew how to drink. I never liked to drink, but I knew you had to drink.""It was a weird post-modern fascination with the f----ups. When I met Robert Downey Jr., I was like, 'Man, you got all this f-king texture. How do I do this? How do I build texture?'"<h2>'Where is the line between reality and fiction? Does it become blurred?'</h2><div type="image" title="Pieces of a Woman" height="1161" width="1549" msid="80269798" hostid="261"></div>Despite the industry's <a href="https://www.insider.com/me-too-hashtag-sexual-harassment-assault-2017-11">supposed reckoning with abuse</a> in the wake of #MeToo, particularly against women, LaBeouf's behavior didn't affect his ability to get hired all the way up to his most recent Netflix's new drama, "Pieces of a Woman." The powerful film is <a href="https://www.insider.com/vanessa-kirby-amazing-performance-pieces-of-a-woman-review-2020-9">led by British actress Vanessa Kirby</a> but is haunted by the eerie similarities between LaBeouf's violent, alcoholic character and the allegations reported in the Times.Independent Los Angeles-based casting director Nicki Katz, who has had an extensive career casting numerous award-winning films, commercials, and television shows told Insider that she is always searching for performers who can bring "authenticity" and the "willingness to dive into a character when they walk into a room." LaBeouf's "rugged" looks and "imperfect life" she explained would be seen as preferable traits for dark, dramatic roles. "So if I might be casting a role that is in recovery," she continued, "we might actually look at actors that have experienced recovery. But it might be a red flag if the actor's just got out of recovery, so that could be a typecasting scenario when you're not sure it's a safe choice for them or your crew." Although Katz explained that on many independent feature films, which LaBeouf has predominantly starred in over the last decade, "the budgets are so tight that you have to take risks" and "if an offer is made and the actor accepts then you set up a meeting with the director and see if they can creatively get on the same page and then give it the green light."This negotiation between "risk" and production perhaps explains part of the reason why so many dangerous practices have been able to pervade the film industry for so long. Still, it's impossible to ignore how what we see on the big screen can have both a direct and indirect impact on real-life, especially for the actors embodying oftentimes violent and abusive portrayals. Media psychologist Charlotte Armitage told Insider that, in many ways, acting out abusive behavior onscreen can often blur the lines for actors."The problem is if you have an abusive background and you have abusive tendencies, and then that continues to almost be rewarded in your film roles," she began, "it is reinforcing that negative behavior as a positive because you're acting it on screen." "And if actually the two people are quite closely linked, so the individual themselves is very similar to the character that they're playing, but the character gets recognition and film roles, and a heck of a lot of money for doing it, then that line will become blurred on some level for that individual, without a doubt," Armitage added. "Where is the line between reality and fiction?"<h2>'It's possible that there will be criminal charges, but unlikely'</h2><div type="image" title="Shia LaBeouf" height="2661" width="3991" msid="80269799" hostid="261"></div>The accusations leveled against LaBeouf in Twigs' lawsuit are both disturbing and plentiful. But legal experts told Insider that the actor is unlikely to face any legal consequences. "It's possible that there will be criminal charges, but unlikely," Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told Insider. "<keyword id="29854" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="domestic-abuse">Domestic abuse</keyword> and sexual assault are two of the most under-reported crimes where the victims often don't come forward, but they're also the two most falsely reported crimes, and it's very difficult to pursue a criminal case as a prosecutor when there is no contemporaneous account of the assault or the violence."But Neama explained that the inconsistent apology LaBeouf gave to the Times, where he admits to having a "history of hurting the people closest to me," is unusual and helps the prosecutor's case.As does stylist Karolyn Pho, another ex of LaBeouf's, who described similarly violent experiences to the Times, some of which are also outlined in the lawsuit, including one incident where LaBeouf drunkenly pinned her to a bed and head-butted her until she bled."That is what we call a prior bad acts witnesses and that can be powerful," Neama said. "That's how Bill Cosby was convicted and Harvey Weinstein."When presented with the claims made against him, LaBeouf responded to the Times saying: "many of these allegations are not true"But within days of the allegations, Netflix scrubbed LaBeouf's presence from their "Pieces of a Woman" publicity material. His name is <a href="https://www.insider.com/netflix-awards-campaign-removed-shia-labeouf-fka-twigs-accusations-2020-12#:~:text=Shia%20LaBeouf%20has%20been%20removed,%22Pieces%20of%20a%20Woman.%22&amp;text=The%20changes%20have%20come%20after,physically%20and%20emotionally%20abused%20her.her.">no longer a part of the film's synopsis</a> and isn't featured in its "for your consideration" awards ads.The streamer's actions were swift - thankfully studios can no longer ignore allegations of abuse as they once did - though the amount of bad publicity makes its decision rather easy. But what happens next in this toxic cycle?Perhaps a better question for Hollywood's gatekeepers is how can they stop contributing, facilitating, and profiting from cycles of abuse for their bottom line?

Hollywood has fed Shia LaBeouf's long and violent history of abuse, experts say

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Earlier this November, Starbucks <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/christmas-gets-earlier-every-year-in-nyc-2015-11">kicked off the holiday season</a> with its&#xa0;highly anticipated red cups - but now, thanks to a viral Facebook video, some people aren't feeling too cheery about this year's festive cup design.&#xa0;After ordering a drink at Starbucks, Josh Feuerstein, a <a href="http://www.joshuafeuerstein.com/about-josh/4585043155">self-proclaimed American evangelist and internet personality</a>, discovered that the 2015 Starbucks cups are just red, instead of decorated with ornaments or reindeer as they have been in past years.Feuerstein was displeased to find that the cups didn't say "Merry Christmas" on them, so when the barista asked for his name, he said it was "Merry Christmas," forcing the Starbucks employee to write the holiday sentiment on his cup.&#xa0;Here's a look at the video.&#xa0;"Starbucks REMOVED CHRISTMAS from their cups because they hate Jesus ... SO I PRANKED THEM ... and they HATE IT!!!!," <a href="https://www.facebook.com/joshua.feuerstein.5/videos/689569711145714/">Feuerstein captioned the video</a>.&#xa0;<div><div id="fb-root"></div><div class="fb-video" data-allowfullscreen="1" data-href="/joshua.feuerstein.5/videos/vb.443476065755081/689569711145714/?type=3"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"></div></div></div>He asks that "all great Americans and Christians" try his name trick at Starbucks and that people use the hashtag #MerryChristmasStarbucks to spread the word.&#xa0;It worked. The video has been shared more than 400,000 times since being posted on Thursday and #MerryChristmasStarbucks was a trending topic on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/merrychristmasstarbucks?source=whfrt&amp;position=2&amp;trqid=6214890727035799170">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23merrychristmasstarbucks%20&amp;src=typd">Twitter</a> over the weekend. The original Facebook video had over 10 million views as of Sunday evening.Online, reactions to the hashtag have been mixed.&#xa0;Some people came out in support of Feuerstein's campaign against Starbucks.&#xa0;<div></div><div></div>&#xa0;While others pointed out there might be bigger issues in the world than the new red cups.&#xa0;<div></div><div></div>The red cup tradition dates back to 1997, <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks-red-cups-2015">according to the Starbucks website</a>."In the past, we have told stories with our holiday cups designs," <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks-red-cups-2015">Jeffrey Fields, Starbucks vice president of Design &amp; Content explained</a>.&#xa0;"This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories."And, as noted by by several Twitter users, that "purity of design" bears a striking similarity to another infamous red drinking vessel: the Solo cup.&#xa0;<div></div><div></div>&#xa0;H/T <a href="http://time.com/4104107/starbucks-holiday-cup-christians/?xid=time_socialflow_facebook">Time</a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-wonderlic-test-questions-rookie-intelligence-2015-11">Take the IQ test that every NFL rookie has to take</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="5pdXczdzqV5h2Rd6lL3YL_t_8z97IAi1" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Some Christians are unhappy with Starbucks' new holiday red cups

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image">AP Photo/Robert F. BukatyA SWAT robot, a remote-controlled small tank-like vehicle with a shield for officers, is demonstrated for the media in Sanford, Maine on Thursday, April 18, 2013</div></div></div>A <a href="https://www.aclu.org/smart-justice-fair-justice/aclus-report-police-militarization-finds-weapons-and-tactics-war-used">sobering new report</a> from the American Civil Liberties Union reveals how the U.S. military transfers a shocking amount of military-grade equipment to local cops who often misuse these tools.
The Defense Department gives this military-grade equipment to cops <a href="http://www.dps.mo.gov/dir/programs/cjle/dod.asp">through its 1033 program</a>, which has the motto "<a href="http://www.nd.gov/surplus/docs/lesonews_vol2.pdf">From Warfighter to Crimefighter</a>." The idea is that police can repurpose equipment once used on the battlelines to fight the drug war and terrorists at home.
Back in 1990, the military transferred only about $1 million worth equipment through this program, according to the ACLU. That number ballooned to nearly $450 million by 2013, suggesting that America's police officers are militarized than ever. The problem with this shift is that military-grade equipment can pack more punch than local cops really need.
"As the saying goes, if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail," the ACLU noted.
These toys often encourage cops to adopt a "warrior" mindset and use force against citizens more than they really need to, the ACLU says. Armed to the teeth with semiautomatic weapons and flashbang grenades, cops too often burst into people's homes and carry out unnecessary SWAT raids. In the process, SWAT teams killed a 26-year-old mother <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/us/30lima.html">holding her infant son</a> in Ohio, and they <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/parents-toddler-injured-flash-bang-botched-raid-call-justice-article-1.1825366">critically injured a Georgia toddler</a> with a grenade.
In Gwinett County, Georgia, the SWAT team received nearly 60 military-grade semiautomatic weapons through the 1033 program between July 10, 2010 and Oct. 6, 2013. That SWAT team broke down doors roughly half the time it was deployed, sometimes damaging unarmed people's property, according to the ACLU.
Aside from receiving equipment through 1033, cities also use grants from the Department of Homeland Security to purchase military-grade equipment. The city of Keene, New Hampshire <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/16/police-tank-purchase-new-hampshire_n_1279983.html">received a grant to buy</a> a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenco_BearCat">Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck,</a> known as a BearCat, to combat terrorism. The city's application went on to cite Keene's pumpkin festival as a possible terrorist threat, the ACLU report notes. From the ACLU report:
Not even Keene city officials believed that the city actually needed the BearCat to thwart terrorism. To explain why the police included the word "terrorism" on their application for federal funding for this purchase, a city councilmember said, "Our application talked about the danger of domestic terrorism, but that's just something you put in the grant application to get the money. What red-blooded American cop isn't going to be excited about getting a toy like this? That's what it comes down to."
While cops began gearing up in the name of fighting terrorism after Sept. 11, 2001, the trend actually began as part of the drug war of the 1980s, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/12/police-militarization-9-11-september-11_n_955508.html">Radley Balko has written in the Huffington Post</a>. SWAT teams began to proliferate to crack down on drugs. Then, after 9/11, police got an influx of funding for military-grade equipment, Balko noted. The military and police began to cooperate more.
"The military's job is to annihilate a foreign enemy," Balko wrote. "Cops are charged with keeping the peace, and with protecting the constitutional rights of American citizens and residents. It's dangerous to conflate the two."

Frightening ACLU Report Shows How Militarized America's Cops Really Are

APFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.Facebook has kicked its push for TV-like shows into high gear and is aiming to premiere its first slate of programming in mid-June, multiple people familiar with the plans told Business Insider.Facebook plans to have roughly two-dozen shows for this initial push and has greenlit multiple shows for production, according to people familiar with the discussions. They said that the social network has been looking for shows in two distinct tiers: a marquee tier for a few longer, big-budget shows that would feel at home on TV, and a lower tier for shorter, less expensive shows of around 5-10 minutes in length that refreshes every 24 hours.The new video initiative means that Facebook will play a much more hands-on role in controlling the content that appears on its nearly 2-billion-member social network. And it comes as companies like Amazon, YouTube, and Snapchat are locked in an arms race to secure their own premium video programming. Facebook sees high-quality, scripted video as an important feature to retain users, particularly the young demographic that is increasingly flocking to rival Snapchat, as well as a means to rake in brand advertising dollars traditionally reserved for traditional television.Whether Facebook's users will embrace such programming remains to be seen. The short video clips that autoplay in Facebook's News Feed have been a success for most publishers, but there's no guarantee that consumers will begin to think of Facebook as a destination for watching longer-form shows.Facebook declined to comment for this story.<h2>VR dating and A-list celebs</h2>GettyFacebook's Ricky Van Veen.The effort to snag exclusive shows is being led by CollegeHumor cofounder Ricky Van Veen, who Facebook <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-wants-to-bankroll-its-own-original-shows-2016-12">hired in December</a> to be its global creative strategy chief. His small team has been meeting with production companies and hearing pitches for episodic shows 5-30 minutes in length, which will live in a revamped version of Facebook's video tab.Multiple people mentioned Netflix's "House of Cards" as a representation of the caliber of shows that have been pitched to Facebook for its higher tier, while another cited "Scandal" as an example. As to the lower tier, Facebook is looking for production budgets that fall somewhere between TV and digital shows, similar to the shows on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-verizon-go90-an-video-app-mix-between-youtube-and-netflix-2017-3">Verizon's go90 service</a>, one person said. One show Facebook has greenlit is a virtual reality dating show from Condé Nast Entertainment in which people go on first dates in VR before they meet in real life, according to one person who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. Condé Nast didn't return a request for comment.Facebook has tapped A-list celebrities to star in some of the shows, according to multiple people briefed on the plans. One agency has already attached an A-list Hollywood star to a show, according to a person familiar with the talks.While Facebook is interested in a range of content, one genre Facebook is targeting intensely is teen-centric shows."They are obsessed with Snapchat," one person said. "Facebook is targeting [younger users] to expand the audience demo," another said. Snapchat has been <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-shows-what-are-they-2017-5">actively pursuing show deals</a> with many of the same of the same companies as Facebook for its Discover section. "They are definitely in a race right now," a third person said.Another area Facebook is looking closely at is sports and has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-in-talks-with-mlb-to-stream-one-baseball-game-per-week-2017-2">reportedly held talks with the MLB</a>. "Sports is probably something that we'll want to try at some point," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on a recent earnings call.One person cautioned that the mid-June launch date could be pushed back. Another said Facebook had initially planned to unveil its shows around its developer conference in mid-April, but decided to instead make the debut in time for the Cannes Lions advertising festival, which starts on June 17.<h2>The ad play</h2>The new video strategy pits Facebook directly against YouTube, which <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-show-details-ellen-degeneres-kevin-hart-katy-perry-demi-lovato-2017-5">announced on Thursday </a>that it would fund a slate of original shows starring big names like Ellen DeGeneres, Kevin Hart, and Katy Perry. The new shows will be supported by ads and available for anyone to watch, instead of living in YouTube's $9.99-a-month subscription service.FilmMagic for YouTubeKevin Hart's YouTube show was announced Thursday."Five years ago, 85 percent of all original series were ad-supported," Robert Kyncl, YouTube's business chief, said at an event on Thursday when explaining the company's strategy. "This year, that number has fallen to just over two-thirds. And with significantly more content coming to subscription services, that shift is accelerating. So we see these shows as a way for us to partner with [advertisers] to buck this trend."Facebook's thinking seems in line with YouTube's, as Facebook's primary means of monetizing its original shows will be through mid-roll ads, multiple people said. The social network has been testing the ads for months with a handful of publishers in live and recorded videos, but hasn't made the format widely available.In discussions with partners, Facebook executives have repeatedly said that they eventually want to move toward a revenue-sharing model for scripted shows through mid-roll ads. To start, Facebook is purchasing the rights to some shows upfront with plans to recoup its costs through mid-roll later.<h2>Living room screens</h2>A concern among partners is that Facebook executives have yet to explain why people will seek out longer shows in the Facebook app's video tab. "Facebook hasn't figured it out," one partner said. "That's a needle they have to thread," another person said.Business InsiderFacebook's Apple TV app.Facebook released <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-releases-apple-tv-video-app-2017-3">a standalone video app for the Apple TV</a> and other set-top boxes in March that could presumably also be used to feature its original shows, the people said."The goal is going to be creating some anchor content initially that helps people learn that going to the video tab that that's a great destination where they can explore and come to Facebook with the intent to watch the videos that they want," Zuckerberg said during Facebook's last earnings call with investors. "And then the long-term goal is actually not to be paying for specific content like that, but doing a revenue share model once the whole economy around video on Facebook is built up." <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/wpp-ceo-sir-martin-sorrell-ces-interview-2017-1">WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell on Snapchat becoming the 'third force' to Google and Facebook</a></h3> Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Facebook wants to launch its big attack on TV next month - here's what we know

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The town of Ferguson, Missouri saw <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ferguson-mo-michael-brown-shooting-2014-8">massive riots this weekend</a> in response to the police shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old, and cops showed up with a heavily armed SWAT team.
Members of this police force in a town of 21,000 carried 5.56-mm rifles based <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4_carbine">on the military M4 carbine</a>. They wore body armor, stood in front of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenco_BearCat">Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck</a> (known as a BearCat), and would have been mistaken for soldiers if they weren't wearing "Police" patches, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/police-militarization-ferguson-2014-8">as Business Insider's Paul Szoldra wrote</a>. 
This is just one of America's highly militarized police forces, as detailed in a <a href="https://www.aclu.org/smart-justice-fair-justice/aclus-report-police-militarization-finds-weapons-and-tactics-war-used">sobering report</a> from the American Civil Liberties Union that came out in June. That report reveals how the U.S. military transfers a shocking amount of military-grade equipment to local cops who often misuse these tools.
The <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Department gives this military-grade equipment to cops <a href="http://www.dps.mo.gov/dir/programs/cjle/dod.asp">through its 1033 program</a>, which has the motto "<a href="http://www.nd.gov/surplus/docs/lesonews_vol2.pdf">From Warfighter to Crimefighter</a>." The idea is that police can repurpose equipment once used on the battlelines to fight the drug war and terrorists at home.
Back in 1990, the military transferred only about $1 million worth equipment through this program, according to the ACLU. That number ballooned to nearly $450 million by 2013, suggesting America's police officers are militarized than ever. The problem with this shift is that military-grade equipment can pack more punch than local cops really need.
"As the saying goes, if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail," the ACLU noted.
That report found the state of Arizona had a particularly large cache of military weapons. The Maricopa County Sheriff's office alone <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/arizona-has-this-massive-military-grade-weapons-cache-2014-6">120 assault rifles, five armoured vehicles, and 10 helicopters</a>, according to the ACLU report.
These toys often encourage cops to adopt a "warrior" mindset and use force against citizens more than they really need to, the ACLU says. Armed to the teeth with semiautomatic weapons and flashbang grenades, cops too often burst into people's homes and carry out unnecessary SWAT raids. In the process, SWAT teams killed a 26-year-old mother <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/us/30lima.html">holding her infant son</a> in Ohio, and they <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/parents-toddler-injured-flash-bang-botched-raid-call-justice-article-1.1825366">critically injured a Georgia toddler</a> with a grenade.
In Gwinett County, Georgia, the SWAT team received nearly 60 military-grade semiautomatic weapons through the 1033 program between July 10, 2010 and Oct. 6, 2013. That SWAT team broke down doors roughly half the time it was deployed, sometimes damaging unarmed people's property, according to the ACLU.
Aside from receiving equipment through 1033, cities also use grants from the Department of Homeland Security to purchase military-grade equipment. The city of Keene, New Hampshire bought a BearCat to combat terrorism. The city's application went on to cite Keene's pumpkin festival as a possible terrorist threat, the ACLU report notes. 
While cops began gearing up in the name of fighting terrorism after Sept. 11, 2001, the trend actually began as part of the drug war of the 1980s, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/12/police-militarization-9-11-september-11_n_955508.html">Radley Balko has written in the Huffington Post</a>. SWAT teams began to proliferate to crack down on drugs. Then, after 9/11, police got an influx of funding for military-grade equipment, Balko noted. The military and police began to cooperate more.
"The military's job is to annihilate a foreign enemy," Balko wrote. "Cops are charged with keeping the peace, and with protecting the constitutional rights of American citizens and residents. It's dangerous to conflate the two."

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