Wanda Sykes has no plans to return as Academy Awards host.

The 58-year-old comedian – who fronted this year’s ceremony alongside Regina Hall and Amy Schumer – insisted while being at the helm of the 2022 Oscars in March was an “amazing honour”, it’s not something she’d like to revisit.

Asked whether she’d do it again during an appearance on ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan’ this week, she quipped: “Oh, hell no!

“I shouldn’t say it like that, but you know what it was? It was an amazing honour. I think it’s something you wanna do. You do it once.

“I don’t know if I would want to do it again, it’s a huge job.”

This year that was certainly true, as the ceremony made headlines after Will Smith struck presenter Chris Rock on stage after the comedian joked about the ‘King Richard’ actor’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

The show continued despite the shocking incident, and Smith went onto apologise to the Academy as he accepted his best actor trophy.

Reflecting on her reaction, Sykes added: “It was just like, what is happening? Couldn’t believe it! Shocked!

“‘OK, so everybody’s just gonna sit here?’ It was like, the show just kept going on. I would look behind the curtains, like, ‘He’s still sitting here?!’ “

Back in May, Wanda admitted she was “still traumatised” by the incident, which came after Rock joked about Smith’s hair.

Speaking during a comedy gig in Orlando, she said: “I’m still traumatised. I can’t talk about it. I get emotional.”

The star was also angered that Will, who claimed the Best Actor gong for his performance in ‘King Richard’, was allowed to remain at the ceremony following the controversial incident.

Wanda said: “I couldn’t believe he was still sitting there, like an a******. Shouldn’t you be sitting there with a lawyer or LAPD, motherf*****?

“I hope he gets his s*** together. Until then, f*** him.”

By Jennifer Rigby and Julie Steenhuysen

LONDON (Reuters) – BA.5, part of the Omicron family, is the latest coronavirus variant to cause widespread waves of infection globally.

According to the World Health Organization’s most recent report, it was behind 52% of cases sequenced in late June, up from 37% in one week. In the United States, it is estimated to be causing around 65% of infections. [W1N2YN01P]

RISING CASE NUMBERS

BA.5 is not new. First identified in January, it has been tracked by the WHO since April.

It is a sister variant of the Omicron strain that has been dominant worldwide since the end of 2021, and has already caused spikes in case rates – even with reduced testing – in countries including South Africa, where it was first found, as well as the United Kingdom, parts of Europe, and Australia.

Coronavirus cases worldwide have now been rising for four weeks in a row, WHO data showed.

WHY IT IS SPREADING

Like its closely related sibling, BA.4, BA.5 is particularly good at evading the immune protection afforded either by vaccination or prior infection.

For this reason, “BA.5 has a growth advantage over the other sublineages of Omicron that are circulating,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, told a news briefing on Tuesday.

For many people, this means that they are getting re-infected, often even a short time after having COVID-19. Van Kerkhove said the WHO is assessing reports of re-infections.

“We have ample evidence that people who’ve been infected with Omicron are getting infected with BA.5. No question about it,” said Gregory Poland, a virologist and vaccine researcher with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

If that seems particularly common now, it could be simply because so many people got Omicron, researchers have suggested.

NO MORE SEVERE

While rising cases have caused more hospitalisations in some countries, deaths have not gone up dramatically.

This is largely because vaccines continue to protect against severe illness and death, if not infection, and manufacturers and regulators are also looking at tweaked vaccines that directly target the newer Omicron variants.

There is also no evidence that BA.5 is more dangerous than any of the other Omicron variants, the WHO’s Van Kerkhove stressed, although spikes in cases can put health services under pressure and risk more people getting long COVID.

The WHO and other experts have also said that the ongoing pandemic – prolonged by vaccine inequity and the desire in many countries to “move beyond” COVID-19 – would only lead to more new and unpredictable variants.

Scientists are already drawing attention to BA.2.75, first identified in India, which has a large number of mutations and is spreading fast.

The WHO said on Tuesday that the pandemic remained a global health emergency, and countries should consider public health measures like masking and social distancing when cases surge, alongside vaccinations.

“What people fundamentally don’t understand is that when there is this high level of community transmission, this will mutate,” Poland said. “Who knows what’s going to come next. We are playing with fire.”

(Reporting by Jennifer Rigby in London and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) on Wednesday approved American Airlines’ request to resume service to some smaller Cuban airports after President Joe Biden reversed his predecessor’s policy.

American sought approval for flights from Miami to Santa Clara, Holguin, Matanzas/Varadero and Santiago de Cuba after the administration of then President Donald Trump barred passenger airline flights between smaller Cuban airports.

The airline said in a filing the flights “will enhance service and access between the U.S. and these non-Havana points, after more than two years during which such service was suspended.”

American added it will “fulfill the public interest by offering and maintaining the best connectivity to Cuba via its Miami hub and providing substantial competition to other U.S. carriers serving Cuba.”

Last month, USDOT revoked a series of restrictions on flights to Cuba, including ending a prohibition on U.S. airline flights to Cuban airports other than Havana. The Trump administration had issued a series of aviation restrictions in 2019 and 2020 in a bid to increase U.S. economic pressure on the Cuban government.

The USDOT order in June was issued at the request of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said the action was “in support of the Cuban people, and in the foreign policy interests of the United States.”

The White House in May had signaled the planned move as part of a broader revision of policy toward Cuba.

Under President Donald Trump, USDOT imposed a cap on charter flights to Cuba at 3,600 per year and later suspended private charter flights to the country. The department also barred charter flights to any Cuban airports except Havana.

Then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Cuba “uses tourism and travel funds to finance its abuses and interference in Venezuela. Dictators cannot be allowed to benefit from U.S. travel.”

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

Bradley Cooper is reportedly dating Huma Abedin.

The ‘A Star Is Born’ actor is said to have been in a relationship with Hilary Clinton’s longtime political aide – who has 10-year-old son Jordan with her ex-husband, disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner – after they were introduced by Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

As reported by PageSix, a source said: “Anna definitely played matchmaker. She’s BFFs with Bradley and adores Huma…

“Bradley has been quietly dating Huma for a few months now, [and] they’ve been keeping it really quiet.”

Meanwhile, it’s said the couple are “perfect” together.

The insider added: “They are perfect for each other. They’re both into power and politics and human affairs.”

Meanwhile, the 47-year-old big screen star recently opened up about co-parenting with his ex Irina Shayk, with whom he has five-year-old daughter Lea.

The couple were together for four years before their split in the summer of 2019, and Bradley called Shayk an “incredible” mother to their child.

He added: “Every single thing is absolutely shaded or brought out in glorious colors by the fact that I get to be a father to a wonderful human being. It’s just the absolute greatest thing.”

And Abedin – who separated from Weiner in 2016 following a sexting scandal involving the politician – previously insisted she had “moved on” from the controversy.

Back in October, she said: “I think for most of my adult life, certainly in the last 25 years that I’ve been in public service or in the public eye, I have been the invisible person behind the primary people in my life.

“But what I realise is that, if you don’t tell your story, somebody else is writing your history.”

And she noted she is trying to stay civil and “in a healthy relationship” with her ex for the sake of their son.

She explained: “Anthony is always going to be in my life because he is the father of my child. I want to make sure he’s healthy, that we are in a healthy relationship, that our son sees model behavior that is healthy for him.”

Britney Spears’ ex-husband Jason Alexander has officially pleaded not guilty to all charges after allegedly trying to crash her wedding.

The ‘Toxic’ hitmaker’s ex – who allegedly breaking into her home before her wedding to Sam Asghari – had been charged with felony stalking, as well as trespassing and refusing to leave private property, vandalism and battery.

Ventura County Senior Deputy District Attorney Erin Meister told PageSix the 41-year-old was arraigned on Tuesday (12.07.22) on the criminal complaint in Ventura County Superior Court, where he appeared from jail via Zoom.

He entered a not guilty plea on all counts.

Alexander – who was married to the singer for two days in 2004 – also faces a special enhancement accusation which he denied on Tuesday, as he was on probation for an unrelated case out of Tennessee at the time of his alleged crimes in California.

Jason’s next hearing is a pretrial conference set for August 2 and he remains in jail in lieu of a $100,000 (£84,000) bail and faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

He live-streamed himself on June 9 ahead of Britney and 28-year-old Sam Asghari’s wedding day getting past security and allegedly breaking into the ‘Toxic’ singer’s $7.4 million (£6.2 million) mansion in Thousand Oaks, California.

One of Britney’s security team claimed he tried “multiple times” to open the singer’s locked bedroom door on the second floor of the mansion, with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department later confiscating a box cutter and other items from Jason.

At a June 27 preliminary hearing, his public defender argued the felony stalking count should be lessened to a misdemeanour as there was insufficient evidence Jason was there to harm Britney.

The judge disagreed and upheld the charges before ruling Jason would remain behind bars.

Mum-of-two Britney, 40, was granted a restraining order against Jason and fired her security team following the incident.

The pair’s 2004 marriage was annulled 55 hours later with Britney’s lawyers claiming the singer “lacked understanding of her action”.

Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina have teamed up to launch a genderless skincare range.

The actor’s partner has revealed the idea for the couple’s wellness brand S’Able Labs – which is Elbas spelled backwards – came about after they had a conversation about cosmetics in which ‘The Wire’ star admitted he felt he couldn’t use products which are aimed at women.

In an interview with Vogue, Sabrina explained they decided to create a brand which includes all genders and ethnicities, saying: “We realised quickly that there was no one doing it in the wellness space that looked like, spoke like or felt like us – there was no representation for people of colour who wanted to be into wellness and fit in. Plus everything was gender-focused – I’d have conversations with my husband on products he didn’t think he could use (because they were aimed at women), but could.”

They went on to create S’Able Labs which Sabrina describes as an “affordable but luxury” brand which aims to promote self-care for everyone.

She went on: “When you are happier, doing good just comes naturally. That’s why self-care is such an important thing in partnerships and relationships – when you’re feeling really good about yourself, you’re able to share that with other people and it’s infectious.”

Sabrina added of her business partnership with her husband: “It’s definitely had its hardships – we’d be completely lying if we didn’t admit that off the bat. But at the same time, it’s brought us so much closer together … And Idris is really new to the skincare journey – so it’s great to be able to share amazing skincare with him – he finally gets it!”

The products include the Qasil Cleanser which retails for £28, Black Seed Toner which sells for £35 and the Baobab Moisturiser which has a £50 price tag.

‘Succession’ leads the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations with 25 nods.

Brian Cox, who plays the patriarch of the media dynasty, Logan Roy, and his on-screen son Jeremy Strong are both up for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Nicholas Braun, Matthew MacFadyen and Kieran Culkin – who play Cousin Greg, Tom Wambsgans, and Roman Roy respectively – are all up for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Sarah Snook and J. Smith Cameron – who bring to life Siobhan Roy and Gerri Kellman- are both up for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

Apple+ sitcom ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘The White Lotus’ both trail behind with 20 nominations, including Jennifer Coolidge, who is up for a gong for her work in the HBO series that she is due to reappear in the second series in an unconfirmed role.

HBO Max’s ‘Hacks’ and Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building’ follow behind with 17 nominations each – however nothing for Selena Gomez.

The runaway South Korean hit ‘Squid Game’ has made history by becoming the first non-English language to be nominated in the Best Drama Series. The most watched Netflix series of all time secured a whopping 14 nominations, including the lead actor Lee Jung-jae being up for Lead Actor in a Drama series.

‘Abbot Elementary’ creator Quinta Brunson has also made history as the first Black women to be nominated for three Emmys.

Outstanding Drama Series

‘Better Call Saul’

‘Euphoria’

‘Ozark’

‘Severance’

‘Squid Game’

‘Stranger Things’

‘Succession’

‘Yellowjackets’

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman, ‘Ozark’

Brian Cox, ‘Succession’

Lee Jung-jae, ‘Squid Game’

Bob Odenkirk, ‘Better Call Saul’

Adam Scott, ‘Severance’

Jeremy Strong, ‘Succession’

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jodie Comer, ‘Killing Eve’

Laura Linney, ‘Ozark’

Melanie Lynskey, ‘Yellowjackets’

Sandra Oh, ‘Killing Eve’

Reese Witherspoon, ‘The Morning Show’

Zendaya, ‘Euphoria’

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Nicholas Braun, ‘Succession’

Billy Crudup, ‘The Morning Show’

Kieran Culkin, ‘Succession’

Park Hae-soo, ‘Squid Game’

Matthew Macfayden, ‘Succession’

John Tuturro, ‘Severance’

Christopher Walken, ‘Severance’

Oh Yeong-su, ‘Squid Game’

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Patricia Arquette, ‘Severance’

Julia Garner, ‘Ozark’

Jung Ho-yeon, ‘Squid Game’

Christina Ricci, ‘Yellowjackets’

Rhea Seehorn, ‘Better Call Saul’

J. Smith Cameron, ‘Succession’

Sarah Snook, ‘Succession’

Sydney Sweeney, ‘Euphoria’

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Adrien Brody, ‘Succession’

James Cromwell, ‘Succession’

Colman Domingo, ‘Euphoria’

Arian Moayed, ‘Succession’

Tom Pelphrey, ‘Ozark’

Alexander Skarsgard, ‘Succession’

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Hope Davis, ‘Succession’

Marcia Gay Harden, ‘The Morning Show’

Martha Kelly, ‘Euphoria’

Sanaa Lathan, ‘Succession’

Harriet Walter, ‘Succession’

Lee You-mi, ‘Squid Game’

Outstanding Comedy Series

‘Abbott Elementary’

‘Barry’

‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’

‘Hacks’

‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’

‘Only Murders in the Building’

‘Ted Lasso’

‘What We Do in the Shadows’

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Bill Hader, ‘Barry’

Donald Glover, ‘Atlanta’

Nicholas Hoult, ‘The Great’

Steve Martin, ‘Only Murders in the Building’

Martin Short, ‘Only Murders in the Building’

Jason Sudeikis, ‘Ted Lasso’

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Rachel Brosnahan, ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’

Quinta Brunson, ‘Abbott Elementary’

Kaley Cuoco, ‘The Flight Attendant’

Elle Fanning, ‘The Great’

Issa Rae, ‘Insecure’

Jean Smart, ‘Hacks’

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Carrigan, ‘Barry’

Brett Goldstein, ‘Ted Lasso’

Toheeb Jimoh, ‘Ted Lasso’

Nick Mohammed, ‘Ted Lasso’

Tony Shaloub, ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’

Tyler James Williams, ‘Abbott Elementary’

Henry Winkler, ‘Barry’

Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Alex Borstein, ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’

Hannah Einbinder, ‘Hacks’

Janelle James, ‘Abbott Elementary’

Kate McKinnon, ‘Saturday Night Live’

Sarah Niles, ‘Ted Lasso’

Sheryl Lee Ralph, ‘Abbott Elementary’

Juno Temple, ‘Ted Lasso’

Hannah Waddingham, ‘Ted Lasso’

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Jerrod Carmichael, ‘Saturday Night Live’

Bill Hader, ‘Saturday Night Live’

James Lance, ‘Ted Lasso’

Nathan Lane, ‘Only Murders in the Building’

Christopher McDonald, ‘Hacks’

Sam Richardson, ‘Ted Lasso’

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

Jane Adams, ‘Hacks’

Harriet Sansom Harris, ‘Hacks’

Jane Lynch, ‘Only Murders in the Building’

Laurie Metcalfe, ‘Hacks’

Kaitlin Olson, ‘Hacks’

Harriet Walter, ‘Ted Lasso’

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

‘Dopesick’

‘The Dropout’

‘Inventing Anna’

‘Pam Tommy’

‘The White Lotus’

Outstanding Television Movie

‘Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers’

‘Ray Donovan: The Movie’

‘Reno 911!: The Hunt for Q-Anon’

‘The Survivor’

‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas’

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Colin Firth, ‘The Staircase’

Andrew Garfield, ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’

Oscar Isaac, ‘Scenes from a Marriage’

Michael Keaton, ‘Dopesick’

Himesh Patel, ‘Station Eleven’

Sebastian Stan, ‘Pam Tommy’

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Toni Collette, ‘The Staircase’

Julia Garner, ‘Inventing Anna’

Lily James, ‘Pam Tommy’

Sarah Paulson, ‘Impeachment: American Crime Story’

Margaret Qualley, ‘Maid’

Amanda Seyfried, ‘The Dropout’

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Murray Bartlett, ‘The White Lotus’

Jake Lacy, ‘The White Lotus’

Will Poulter, ‘Dopesick’

Seth Rogen, ‘Pam Tommy’

Peter Sarsgaard, ‘Dopesick’

Michael Stuhlbarg, ‘Dopesick’

Steve Zahn, ‘The White Lotus’

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Connie Britton, ‘The White Lotus’

Jennifer Coolidge, ‘The White Lotus’

Alexandra Daddario, ‘The White Lotus’

Kaitlyn Dever, ‘Dopesick’

Natasha Rothwell, ‘The White Lotus’

Sydney Sweeney, ‘The White Lotus’

Mare Winningham, ‘Dopesick’

Outstanding Animated Program

‘Arcane’

‘Bob’s Burgers’

‘Rick And Morty’

‘The Simpsons’

‘What If…?’

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance

F. Murray Abraham, ‘Moon Knight’

Julie Andrews, ‘Bridgerton’

Chadwick Boseman, ‘What If…?’

Maya Rudolph, ‘Big Mouth’

Stanley Tucci, ‘Central Park’

Jessica Walter, ‘Archer’

Jeffrey Wright, ‘What If…?’

Outstanding Narrator

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, ‘Black Patriots: Heroes Of The Civil War’

David Attenborough, ‘The Mating Game’

W. Kamau Bell, ‘We Need To Talk About Cosby’

Lupita Nyong’o, ‘Serengeti II’

Barack Obama, ‘Our Great National Parks’

Outstanding Variety Talk Series

‘The Daily Show With Trevor Noah’

‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’

‘Last Week Tonight With John Oliver’

‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’

‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series

‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’

‘Saturday Night Live’

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)

‘Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: The Facts Of Life And Diff’rent Strokes’

‘The 64th Annual Grammy Awards’

‘The Oscars’

‘The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar And 50 Cent’

‘The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!’

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)

‘Adele: One Night Only’

‘Dave Chappelle: The Closer’

‘Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts’

‘Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special’

‘One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett Lady Gaga’

Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special

‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman’

‘Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy’

‘The Problem With Jon Stewart’

‘The World According to Jeff Goldblum’

‘VICE’

Outstanding Structured Reality Program

‘Antiques Roadshow’

‘Fixer Upper: Welcome Home’

‘Love Is Blind’

‘Queer Eye’

‘Shark Tank’

Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program

‘Below Deck Mediterranean’

‘Cheer’

‘Love on the Spectrum’

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked’

‘Selling Sunset’

Outstanding Competition Program

‘The Amazing Race’

‘Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Girls’

‘Nailed It!’

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’

‘Top Chef’

‘The Voice’

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program

Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowsi and Jonathan Van Ness, ‘Queer Eye’

Nicole Myer, ‘Nailed It!’

Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, Kevin O’Leary, ‘Shark Tank’

Padma Lakshmi, ‘Top Chef’

Amy Poehler Nick Offerman, ‘Making It’

RuPaul, ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’

Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Special

‘Controlling Britney Spears (The New York Times Presents)’

‘George Carlin’s American Dream’

‘Lucy and Desi’

‘The Tinder Swindler’

‘We Feed People’

Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Series

‘100 Foot Wave’

‘jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy’

‘The Andy Warhol Diaries’

‘The Beatles: Get Back’

‘We Need to Talk About Cosby’

Exceptional Merit In Documentary Filmmaking

‘Changing The Game’

‘Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches’

‘When Claude Got Shot’

Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series

‘Carpool Karaoke: The Series’

‘I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson’

‘Late Night With Seth Meyers: Corrections’

‘Stephen Colbert Presents: Tooning Out the News’

‘The Randy Rainbow Show’

Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series

Anthony A. Anderson, ‘Anacostia’

Bill Burr, ‘Immoral Compass’

Brendan Gleeson, ‘State of the Union’

Tim Robinson, ‘I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson’

Ikechukwu Ufomadu, ‘Words With Ike (Cake)’

Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series

Jacinte Blankenship, ‘Intersection’

Patricia Clarkson, ‘State of the Union’

Desi Lydic, ‘Desi Lydic Foxplains’

Rhea Seehorn, ‘Cooper’s Bar’

Sydnee Washington, ‘Bridesman’

Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction Or Reality Series

‘The Daily Show With Trevor Noah: Between the Scenes’

‘Full Frontal With Samantha Bee Presents: Once Upon A Time In Late Night’

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race: Whatcha Packin’ With Michelle Visage’

‘Saturday Night Live Presents: Stories From The Show’

‘Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen’

Outstanding Short Form Animated Program

‘The Boys Presents: Diabolical’

‘Love, Death + Robots’

‘Robot Chicken’

‘Star Wars: Visions’

‘When Billie Met Lisa’

(Reuters) – U.S. first lady Jill Biden’s attempt to compliment Latinos flopped on Monday when she said they were as unique as “breakfast tacos,” prompting criticism from across the political spectrum.

Speaking in San Antonio at the annual conference of UnidosUS, formerly known as the National Council of La Raza, Biden attempted to praise Raul Yzaguirre, who led the civil rights and advocacy organization for 30 years.

“Raul helped build this organization with the understanding that the diversity of this community, as distinct as the bodegas of the Bronx, as beautiful as the blossoms of Miami, and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio, is your strength,” Biden said.

In New York City, people love the convenience stores known as bodegas that are often run by Dominican or Puerto Rican merchants. Biden mispronounced the word as “bogedas.”

Miami has long been a destination for Latinos who migrate to the United States.

San Antonio is also one of the great Latino cities in the United States, with a population of nearly 1.5 million people that is 65% Hispanic or Latino, according to U.S. Census data.

The largely Mexican-American city is fond of its breakfast tacos, part of the local cuisine.

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists was not impressed, saying Biden and her speech writers ought to “better understand the complexities of our people.”

“We are not tacos. Our heritage as Latinos is shaped by a variety of diasporas, cultures and food traditions, and should not be reduced to a stereotype,” the association said in a statement.

Conservatives on social media jumped on the gaffe, wondering what the liberal outrage would sound like if a prominent Republican had said it.

“No wonder Hispanics are fleeing the Democratic Party!” U.S. Representative Andy Biggs, a Republican from Arizona, wrote on Twitter.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Bradley Perrett)

Los Angeles (AFP) – Here is a list of the nominees in key categories for the 74th Emmy Awards, which will be handed out in Los Angeles on September 12.

HBO’s “Succession” topped the nominations list with 25, followed by “Ted Lasso” and “The White Lotus” at 20 each.

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

“Better Call Saul”

“Euphoria”

“Ozark”

“Severance”

“Squid Game”

“Stranger Things”

“Succession”

“Yellowjackets”

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES

“Abbott Elementary”

“Barry”

“Curb Your Enthusiasm”

“Hacks”

“The Marvelous Mrs Maisel”

“Only Murders in the Building”

“Ted Lasso”

“What We Do in the Shadows”

LEAD ACTOR, DRAMA

Jason Bateman, “Ozark”

Brian Cox, “Succession”

Lee Jung-jae, “Squid Game”

Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”

Adam Scott, “Severance”

Jeremy Strong, “Succession”

LEAD ACTRESS, DRAMA

Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve”

Laura Linney, “Ozark”

Melanie Lynskey, “Yellowjackets”

Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve”

Reese Witherspoon, “The Morning Show”

Zendaya, “Euphoria”

LEAD ACTOR, COMEDY

Donald Glover, “Atlanta”

Bill Hader, “Barry”

Nicholas Hoult, “The Great”

Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”

Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”

Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”

LEAD ACTRESS, COMEDY

Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs Maisel”

Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”

Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant”

Elle Fanning, “The Great”

Issa Rae, “Insecure”

Jean Smart, “Hacks”

SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA

Nicholas Braun, “Succession”

Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”

Kieran Culkin, “Succession”

Park Hae-soo, “Squid Game”

Matthew Macfadyen, “Succession”

John Turturro, “Severance”

Christopher Walken, “Severance”

Oh Yeong-su, “Squid Game”

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA

Patricia Arquette, “Severance”

Julia Garner, “Ozark”

Jung Ho-yeon, “Squid Game”

Christina Ricci, “Yellowjackets”

Rhea Seehorn, “Better Call Saul”

J. Smith-Cameron, “Succession”

Sarah Snook, “Succession”

Sydney Sweeney, “Euphoria”

SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY

Anthony Carrigan, “Barry”

Brett Goldstein, “Ted Lasso”

Toheeb Jimoh, “Ted Lasso”

Nick Mohammed, “Ted Lasso”

Tony Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”

Henry Winkler, “Barry”

Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY

Alex Borstein, “The Marvelous Mrs Maisel”

Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”

Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”

Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live”

Sarah Niles, “Ted Lasso”

Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary”

Juno Temple, “Ted Lasso”

Hannah Waddingham, “Ted Lasso”

OUTSTANDING LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES

“Dopesick”

“The Dropout”

“Inventing Anna”

“Pam and Tommy”

“The White Lotus”

OUTSTANDING TELEVISION MOVIE

“Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers”

“Ray Donovan: The Movie”

“Reno 911! The Hunt for QAnon”

“The Survivor”

“Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas”

LEAD ACTOR, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Colin Firth, “The Staircase”

Andrew Garfield, “Under the Banner of Heaven”

Oscar Isaac, “Scenes from a Marriage”

Michael Keaton, “Dopesick”

Himesh Patel, “Station Eleven”

Sebastian Stan, “Pam and Tommy”

LEAD ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Toni Collette, “The Staircase”

Julia Garner, “Inventing Anna”

Lily James, “Pam and Tommy”

Sarah Paulson, “Impeachment: American Crime Story”

Margaret Qualley, “Maid”

Amanda Seyfried, “The Dropout”

SUPPORTING ACTOR, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Murray Bartlett, “The White Lotus”

Jake Lacy, “The White Lotus”

Will Poulter, “Dopesick”

Seth Rogen, “Pam and Tommy”

Peter Sarsgaard, “Dopesick”

Michael Stuhlbarg, “Dopesick”

Steve Zahn, “The White Lotus”

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Connie Britton, “The White Lotus”

Jennifer Coolidge, “The White Lotus”

Alexandra Daddario, “The White Lotus”

Kaitlyn Dever, “Dopesick”

Natasha Rothwell, “The White Lotus”

Sydney Sweeney, “The White Lotus”

Mare Winningham, “Dopesick”

Top 10 programs with most overall nominations:

“Succession” – 25

“Ted Lasso” – 20

“The White Lotus” – 20

“Hacks” – 17

“Only Murders in the Building” – 17

“Euphoria” – 16

“Barry” – 14

“Dopesick” – 14

“Severance” – 14

“Squid Game” – 14

With the number of confirmed and probable monkeypox cases rising rapidly in countries around the world, public health officials say it is critical for everyone to look out for potential symptoms.

The virus could infect anyone, though it does not spread as easily as Covid-19 and typically requires prolonged face-to-face or intimate contact, according to guidance from the CDC.

Here’s what you need to know:

Monkeypox symptoms

Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, chills, exhaustion and swollen lymph nodes followed by a rash.

The distinctive features of monkeypox happen after the first symptoms, said Dr. Aileen Marty, professor of infectious diseases in the Department of Medicine at FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. After an incubation period of five to 21 days, but usually six to 12 days, infected people get early symptoms like a bad headache, fever, back pain, muscle ache and swollen lymph nodes.

These early symptoms generally last one to three days and then comes the rash.

“The rash is unusual because it classically starts on the face and the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, followed by rash elsewhere — but in the current outbreak, that has not been the usual spread. In this outbreak, lesions have manifested first in the groin, and the prodrome (early symptom) has not been as severe or notable,” Marty said in a previous interview with the Herald.

Infectious period

People are infectious from a few hours before the first symptom manifests until the scabs are dry and gone.

According to the CDC, lesions progress through the following stages before falling off: macules (flat lesions), papules (well-defined skin bump), vesicles (blister, filled with clear fluid, usually), pustules (bulging fluid containing pus) and scabs.

The illness typically lasts for two to four weeks. The rash is typically painful, Marty adds, and the scabs contain infectious viral particles.

What to do if you have symptoms?

Even if you don’t think you’ve been in contact with anyone who has monkeypox, if you are experiencing symptoms, the CDC recommends that you speak with your health care provider to determine whether you need to be tested.

These tests are now more widely available to physicians since Labcorp, a company that operates one of the largest clinical lab networks in the world, began testing for monkeypox using the CDC’s orthopoxvirus test as of Wednesday.

“The ability of commercial labs to test for monkeypox is a key pillar in our comprehensive strategy to combat this disease,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky in a statement to the press Wednesday. “This will not only increase testing capacity but will make it more convenient for providers and patients to access tests by using existing provider-to-lab relationships.”

Washington (AFP) – In a first, a pharmaceutical company applied Monday for US approval to make its birth control pill available over-the-counter, weeks after the US Supreme Court overturned a federal right to abortion care.

HRA Pharma, a subsidiary of Perrigo, said in a statement it was seeking the switch away from prescription-only for its product Opill, a progestin-only daily birth control pill — also referred to as a mini pill or non-estrogen pill. 

Over-the-counter (OTC) birth control has long been backed by major medical organizations as a way to reduce barriers to contraception access.

The timing of the application — which comes amid a wave of state-level restrictions and bans on abortion following the top court’s ruling — was “coincidental,” according to an HRA spokeswoman, who said the company had been compiling research for its application for the past seven years.

“This historic application marks a groundbreaking moment in contraceptive access and reproductive equity in the US,” said Frederique Welgryn, chief strategic operations and innovation officer at HRA Pharma, in a statement. 

“Moving a safe and effective prescription birth control pill to OTC will help even more women and people access contraception without facing unnecessary barriers.”

Over-the-counter birth control is backed by major medical organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

It is also standard practice in many countries, including Brazil, Greece, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, South Korea and Turkey. 

Generally speaking, wealthier countries favor more regulations and thus prescription only birth control.

But according to ACOG, “Data support that progestin-only hormonal methods are generally safe and carry no or minimal risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE),” also known as blood clots.

“Several studies have demonstrated that women are capable of using self-screening tools to determine their eligibility for hormonal contraceptive use,” adds the organization, in an opinion on the matter published on its website.

A 2016 study found that nearly one third of US women who have tried to obtain prescription contraception reported access barriers.

The application will now be reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration, a process that would normally take around a year to complete.

London (AFP) – British composer Monty Norman, best known for writing the iconic theme music for the James Bond films, died on Monday at the age of 94, his official website announced.

“It is with sadness we share the news that Monty Norman died on 11th July 2022 after a short illness,” read the statement.

Norman was born Monty Noserovitch in east London, to Jewish parents, on April 4, 1928.

He began his singing career with big bands before turning to composing, penning songs for musicals and films including “Songbook” and “Poppy and Make Me An Offer” and for pop stars such as Cliff Richard.

His best-known work came when he was asked to score the first James Bond film, “Dr No”, in 1962, although the producers drafted in John Barry to rearrange the piece.

Barry said he had actually written the piece, but Norman won a libel case against the Sunday Times when it made similar claims.

The theme became an integral part of the Bond brand, featuring in 24 subsequent films.

By Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden, marking the first major federal gun safety bill passed in three decades, said the United States is “awash in weapons of war” on Monday and renewed his call for assault weapons to be banned.

Congress has shown little inclination to outlaw assault weapons after a ban on such weapons expired in 2004, but Biden is hoping to use growing American outrage about mass shootings to lead to greater pressure on lawmakers to change their mind.

“Assault weapons need to be banned. They were banned. … I’m determined to ban these weapons again, and high-capacity magazines,” he said.

The Democratic president also said lawmakers should add safe storage laws requiring personal liability “for not locking up your gun.”

Biden also said he supports the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment that gives Americans the right to possess firearms, but said “the right to bear arms is not an absolute right to dominate all others.”

Biden, joined by Vice President Kamala Harris, spoke at an event on the White House South Lawn to commemorate recent passage of the gun safety bill, the first such new law on guns in 30 years.

In the audience were many members of Congress who approved the legislation and family members of some of the people killed in mass shootings, including the recent attacks in Uvalde, Texas; Buffalo, New York; and Highland Park, Illinois.

The bipartisan bill came together just weeks after mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo that killed more than 30 people, including 19 children at an elementary school.

The law includes provisions to help states keep guns out of the hands of those deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. It also blocks gun sales to those convicted of abusing unmarried intimate partners and cracks down on gun sales to purchasers convicted of domestic violence.

The gun bill came the same week as the Supreme Court expanded gun owners’ rights.

Gun control has long been a divisive issue in the nation, with several attempts to put new controls on gun sales failing time after time.

Biden, who is looking to improve sagging public approval ratings ahead of Nov. 8 midterm elections for control of Congress, made securing victories on gun control a part of his campaign pitch to voters.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason, Steve Holland, Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Bradley Perrett and Jonathan Oatis)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A judge declined to delay the contempt of Congress trial of Donald Trump’s former close adviser Steve Bannon, just one week before it is set to begin, CNN and NBC News reported.

Bannon was indicted last year for refusing to answer questions from the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of the former president.

Bannon told the panel over the weekend he was ready to testify, a change of heart from days before he was due to be tried for contempt of Congress.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese)

Washington (AFP) – Racial minorities receive less oxygen in the intensive care unit than white patients because of a flaw in a medical device found in hospitals across the world, a US study said Monday.

The pulse oximeter, first developed in the 1970s, clips to a patient’s finger and uses red and infrared light absorption to assess hemoglobin. But it is known to generate falsely elevated readings in people with darker skin.

In new research published in JAMA Internal Medicine, Eric Raphael Gottlieb and colleagues looked back at records of 3,069 patients at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston who spent at least 12 hours in the hospital’s ICU.

They compared oxygen saturation estimates on the pulse ox devices to more accurate direct readings taken of hemoglobin oxygen saturation.

After controlling for other variables, they found that Black, Asian and Hispanic patients were given 0.2 to 0.4 liters per minute less oxygen than their white counterparts.

“Our findings present a unique and compelling opportunity to improve equity through device reengineering and by reevaluating how data are interpreted,” the team wrote.

Another recent study on the same topic showed that measurement biases in oxygen saturation levels was associated with a time delay in eligibility for Covid-19 treatment for Black and Hispanic patients.

An accompanying editor’s note said devices exist that perform more equitably, but have never been widely distributed.

“Health care systems, including academic centers, are large-scale purchasers of pulse oximeters,” the editorial said. “If they make a commitment to buy only devices that function across skin tones, manufacturers would respond.”