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Published by BANG Showbiz English Reese Witherspoon is developing a new adaptation of ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’. The ‘Legally Blonde’ star’s Hello Sunshine company and Build-A-Bear Entertainment are teaming up for a new take on the classic children’s tale. The movie marks the first feature for Hello Sunshine’s kids and animation division and will present the title character as a powerful female protagonist. Reese and Hello Sunshine’s head of kids and animation, Claire Curley, will executive produce the film alongside Build-A-Bear’s Sharon Price John and Patrick Hughes for Foundation Media Partners. Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden said the aim is “for this collaboration to provide families a new way to experience and share” the production company’s mission. Curley said in a statement: “Over the last 25 years, Build-A-Bear has created a trusted fanbase rooted in family, personal connection, and storytelling with teddy bears, making them the perfect partner for this project. “We’re excited to collaborate with them to bring a new perspective to such a timeless tale that we know will inspire young audiences.” Build-A-Bear Workshop CEO Sharon Price John added: “We are thrilled to partner with Hello Sunshine and Reese Witherspoon, who, through her energy, experience and intuition, has consistently proven her ability to bring talented people together and bring out the best in them. “You could feel the magnetic creativity in the air from our early discussion about the concept and I believe the success of Hello Sunshine is a proof-point of the potential of this project.” Hello Sunshine was founded by Witherspoon and is known for putting women at the heart of its stories. The production company is also home to Reese’s Book Club and the new RBC app. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Timothy Aeppel (Reuters) – Workers at Wyatt Bassett’s furniture factory in Virginia use powerful tools to churn out the company’s trademark dressers and headboards, so screening new hires for drugs is a no-brainer. Or it used to be. Virginia last year fully legalized marijuana — the first state in the South to do so. The upshot is that “being positive for cannabis does not necessarily disqualify you for employment,” said Bassett, CEO of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Co., which has 575 employees. Faced with a shortfall in applicants, employers across the U.S. are balancing pressure to ease up on testing for a legal drug with concerns that this could impact safety and raise issues of liability. The U.S. jobless rate ticked up to 3.7% last month, but it remains near a five-decade low. “With the war for talent and the labor shortage, especially in some lower paying jobs, it’s tough to find and retain folks — so many are deciding to not test, except for safety sensitive jobs,” said Julie Schweber, a senior knowledge adviser at the Society for Human Resource Management. Companies with multiple operations in different parts of the country face an added challenge, she said, because laws differ from state to state. The challenge of balancing workplace safety and the growing prevalence — and legalization — of some types of drugs is especially acute for manufacturers and others who use dangerous equipment. Last June, Amazon.com Inc. said positive tests for marijuana use would no longer disqualify people from jobs that are not regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, such as truck drivers. The e-commerce giant — like many other employers — said it will treat cannabis like alcohol, even though traces of its use linger in the human body far longer and can show up on some types of tests after a worker is no longer impaired by its use. “We will continue to do impairment checks on the job and will test for all drugs and alcohol after any incident,” wrote former-CEO Dave Clark, in a blog post at the time of the announcement. Data from Quest Diagnostics, which handles testing for companies, shows a steady increase in positivity rates for marijuana tests over the past decade — coinciding with the wave of legalization. In 2012, only 1.9% of workers not subject to federally mandated drug testing requirements failed a pre-employment screening. Last year, that had grown to 4.1%. The jump in positive tests after accidents grew even more during that period, up from 2.4% to 6.7%. The majority of Fortune 1000 companies have some type of screening in place, but many companies are dropping cannabis tests from the list, said Barry Sample, a senior science consultant who compiles Quest’s data. Still, Quest estimates between 30 to 35 million employment-related drug tests are conducted in the U.S. annually. Most of the tests Quest conducts use urine samples. Other tests rely on swabbing saliva or hair samples. “None of this testing can say whether someone is impaired,” said Sample. Rather, the tests will simply indicate the presence of the drug based on a pre-set threshold. Cannabis use for medical reasons is now legal in 37 states, while recreational use is legal in 19. Quest’s data also shows that states that allow recreational use of cannabis have higher positivity rates. Sample said many employers are shifting screening efforts to focus on drugs that remain illegal and where use in some industries also appears on the upswing. In manufacturing, for instance, Quest found the positivity rate clicked up last year for both methamphetamine and cocaine. Insurance experts say it is too early to see if the changes will drive up insurance rates for companies that drop testing. “Nobody is going to come out and say, ‘We’re increasing premiums because you have more stoned workers on the job,'” said Mark Pew, a consultant who specializes in workers’ compensation insurance in Georgia. But if, over time, companies that have looser drug screening policies have higher accident rates than those who stick to tougher rules, that could change, he said. Matt Zender, a senior vice president for workers’ compensation strategy with AmTrust Financial Services Inc., said one factor that may obscure or offset the impact of more drug use on the job is the general move toward safer workplaces. “If you just look at claims per 100 hours of work, overall people are getting injured less often than they were in the past,” he said. Meanwhile, companies continue to fine tune their approaches on the issue. A California manufacturer of plastic bags, contacted by Reuters about their drug screening policies, was surprised to learn that his human resources department was automatically rejecting applicants who test positive for cannabis. “My nephew would never get a job if I enforced that on him,” Kevin Kelly, CEO of Emerald Packaging Inc. in Union City, Calif., said in an email. He said he had now directed his hiring managers to drop the requirement, adding that workers at the factory are not allowed to be impaired on the job. Cannabis use is fully legal in California. (Reporting by Timothy Aeppel in New York; Editing by Claudia Parsons) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Britney Spears has told her mom to “go f*** yourself”. The ‘Hold Me Closer’ hitmaker has accused her family of not standing up for her during her 13-year conservatorship – which ended in November 2021 – and claimed she was forced to undergo weekly medical checks or run the risk of her father Jamie Spears, who was co-conservator of her affairs, having her committed to a “psych ward”. She ranted on Instagram: “For 13 years, I had to meet doctors weekly to bring up my past which made it worse !!! As for my whole family including my brother, sister, cousins, aunts, uncles, and well damn the whole audience… were either stoned or drunk of their a**** !!! “I was the mother f****** Saint who was scared to move or I knew my dad would put me somewhere if I didn’t cooperate … even in America, the land of the free!!!! Years go by and he still puts me in a psych ward !!!! Not one mother f****** person stood up for me !!! (sic)” Following her more general rant about her family, Britney then directed her ire to Lynne Spears, days after she used the comments section of her pop star daughter’s Instagram account to apologise for “anything and everything” that has hurt the ‘Toxic’ singer and urged her to get in touch. Britney wrote: “Mom take your apology and go f*** yourself !!! And to all the doctors for f****** with my mind … I pray you all burn in hell !!! Kiss my mother f****** a**!!!! (sic)” Earlier this week, Lynne urged Britney to “unblock” her so they could communicate directly. Lynne wrote: “I am soooo sorry for your pain! I have been sorry for years! I love you so much and miss you. “Please unblock me so I can speak to you in person! Britney, deep down you know how much I love and miss you! I apologize for anything and everything that’s hurt you!(sic)” Lynne posted her comment following a post from the 40-year-old singer – who didn’t invite her parents or siblings when she married Sam Asghari earlier this year – calling for a “genuine apology” from her family. Britney had written: “I can understand that my posts complaining about my past may seem consistent !!!! It must seem like I have an extremely hard time letting it all go … but for me the real problem to me is that my family to this day honestly have no conscious whatsoever and really believe in their minds they have done nothing wrong at all !!!! “They could at least take responsibility for their actions and actually own up to the fact they hurt me!!!! “For me just a genuine apology would help give me closure but it honestly blows my mind every day of my life even after what is known what they did to me, they still act as if that’s ok !!!! “Their reaction it shows that I don’t have a family that values me or respects me …. AT ALL !!! That’s the hard part for me and as much as I loved them, it’s something that I’ll probably ever won’t be able to get over. “When I post in those moments, I just want to speak from my heart cause it’s extremely hard for me and then I look back and I see how many people say get over it … I’m working on becoming stronger.(sic)” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jada Pinkett-Smith is writing a memoir. The 51-year-old actress – who has been married to Hollywood star Will Smith, 54, since 1997 and has son Jaden, 24, and 21-year-old daughter Willow with him – is set to release the as-yet-untitled tome in autumn 2023 and it will chart her journey from depression to finding her “authentic feminine power.” A press statement read: “Jada chronicles lessons learned in the course of a difficult but riveting journey — a rollercoaster ride from the depths of suicidal depression to the heights of personal rediscovery and the celebration of authentic feminine power” The ‘Red Table Talk’ host is set to reveal all about her “unconventional upbringing” as the child of drug addicts in her autobiography and detail her rise to fame alongside close friend and late rap star 2Pac – who was shot dead in 1996 aged 25 – before telling of the years that she found love with the Academy Award-winning actor, who published his own memoir ‘Will’ in late 2021. The statement added: “With no holds barred, Jada reveals her unconventional upbringing in Baltimore — from the child of two addicts to a promising theatre student and a violent interlude as a petty drug dealer — followed by a parallel rise to stardom alongside her close friend 2Pac, then falling in love with and marrying Will Smith, and a joyous embrace of motherhood.” Dey Street Books VP and editorial director Carrie Thorton said: “The world has imposed many labels and narratives on Jada Pinkett Smith. This is down to the realities of our media landscape, but also the roles thrust upon women by culture. At the center of all the speculation and false stories is a woman who, like so many women, has had to reconcile her personhood with the needs of those she loves. This memoir is Jada giving the world her truth, taking readers on a journey from lost girl to woman warrior. It is my great honour to take that journey with her.” View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Kanye West is somehow perplexed by the immense uproar over the offensive “White Lives Matter” T-shirts he wore alongside Candace Owens at Paris Fashion Week. “He thinks it’s a [politically correct] thing,” spilled a source to a news publication. “He wants to give a voice to the ‘other side’ [of the race debate in America]. He doesn’t understand why people aren’t seeing that.” @RealCandaceO/twitter A-list celebrities have spoken out against West’s violently offensive runway stunt, as according to the New York Times, the Anti-Defamation League previously deemed the controversial phrase “hate speech” as it’s “attributed to white supremacists (including the Ku Klux Klan).” CANDACE OWENS BERATES GIGI HADID FOR SLAMMING KANYE WEST & NOT PETE DAVIDSON FOR HAVING TATTOOS OF KARDASHIAN CHILDREN’S NAMES The rage against the 45-year-old’s “White Lives Matter” shirts triggered an infamous Instagram frenzy from West, who can’t seem to fathom why so many people have spoken out against his disrespectful ways. mega On Wednesday, October 5, the father-of-four took to his social media account with a screenshot of an article which showcased Hailey Bieber‘s outspoken support for Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, a journalist who had originally been targeted by the fashion designer after she criticized his runway behavior. “Wait Am I canceled again??? __Justin [Bieber]__ please let me know,” West wrote, seemingly asking the 25-year old model’s husband to help him resolve the ordeal. mega Hailey was among many individuals to join Gigi Hadid‘s emotional outcry against West, who referred to him as a “disgraceful bully” who hurts people through his online and in-person antics. “My respect for you runs deep my friend!” Hailey told Hadid on her Instagram Story, adding, “To know you is to adore you and to work with you is an honor. The most kind. The most talented. The most fun. The most chic.” The brunette bombshell’s support came after Hadid slammed West and praised Karefa-Johnson. “You wish u had a percentage of her intellect. You have no idea haha,” Hadid commented on one of the rapper’s Instagram posts. KHLOÉ KARDASHIAN BEGS KANYE WEST TO ‘STOP TEARING’ KIM KARDASHIAN DOWN ‘AND USING OUR FAMILY WHEN YOU WANT TO DEFLECT’ “If there’s actually a point to any of your s**t. She might be the only person that could save you,” she continued. “As if the ‘honor’ of being invited to your show should keep someone from giving their opinion? Lol. You’re a bully and a joke.” mega As OK! previously reported, a source dished that Kim Kardashian was “disgusted” by her ex-husband’s ruthless behavior. “Kim is not surprised by Kanye decision to wear that on his shirt and thinks that he is, once again, trying to get attention,” spilled an insider. “She knows that he loves to start controversy and she is not even feeding into this. Sure, she thinks that he is making a horrible choice and that the message is very offensive to so many.” Page Six reported on the source who stated West was confused by the negative response to his controversial T-shirts. View the full article

Published by AFP Actor Kevin Spacey arrives to attend a civil trial hearing on sexual misconduct accusations brought against him by Anthony Rapp in Manhattan federal court in New York on October 6, 2022 New York (AFP) – Five years after sexual misconduct allegations ended his Hollywood career, Kevin Spacey appeared in a New York court Thursday to face a civil lawsuit brought by actor Anthony Rapp, who accuses the disgraced Oscar winner of assaulting him as a teenager, in 1986. One of the first stars to be caught up in the global #MeToo reckoning over sexual abuse, the 63-year-old Spacey smiled as he arrived at a federal court in Manhattan at around 9 am (1300 GMT), just after Rapp entered the building. Jury selection was slated to begin about a half hour later in a case presided over by Judge Lewis Kaplan. “Star Trek: Discovery” star Rapp, who turns 51 this month, filed a complaint in September 2020 against Spacey for advances and an alleged sexual assault at a party in Manhattan in 1986, when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was in his late 20s. The “House of Cards” actor, who built his worldwide fame since the 1980s in movies such as “The Usual Suspects” and “American Beauty,” has always denied allegations of sexual abuse. But Spacey, whose full name is Kevin Spacey Fowler, has disappeared from public view after becoming caught up in the early days of the #MeToo movement. Global fame The #MeToo movement exploded in October 2017, when more than 80 women in the movie industry accused — and ultimately brought down — the previously untouchable producer Harvey Weinstein. At the end of the month, Rapp accused Spacey for the first time, in great detail, in an interview with BuzzFeed News. The next day, on Twitter, Spacey presented his “sincerest apology” to Rapp for any “deeply inappropriate drunken behavior,” saying he did not recall the incident. After a 2020 criminal charge of sexual assault was dismissed by a judge, Rapp filed a civil suit. According to a court document, Rapp claims that during the 1986 party, Spacey lifted him up, and that his hand “grazed” his buttocks while doing so. Rapp claims Spacey then placed him back down on a bed and “briefly placed his own clothed body partially beside and partially across” the 14-year-old’s. During his testimony 35 years after the incident, Rapp agreed there had been “no kissing, no undressing, no reaching under clothes, and no sexualized statements or innuendo,” during an incident that had lasted no more than two minutes. ‘An impartial jury’ “Mr Spacey will appear Thursday and throughout the trial. We look forward to his vindication by an impartial jury,” his lawyer Jennifer Keller previously told AFP in an email. If found guilty, Spacey faces significant damages. Kaplan had dropped Rapp’s initial charge of sexual assault, ruling it had been brought too late and was not covered by a New York state law on child protection, implemented in 2019. Spacey has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault of three men between March 2005 and April 2013 in Britain, and in 2019 charges against the actor of indecent assault and sexual assault were dropped in Massachusetts. View the full article

Published by AFP At least 66 abortion clinics in 15 US states shut down in the nearly four months after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to the procedure Washington (AFP) – At least 66 clinics in 15 US states have stopped performing abortions since the June Supreme Court ruling that overturned the constitutional right to the procedure, according to a report published on Thursday. The Guttmacher Institute, a group which supports abortion rights, said there had previously been 79 clinics offering abortions in the 15 states which have implemented strict abortion bans. That number has since fallen to 13 clinics, all of them in Georgia, which has banned abortion after six weeks of gestation, before many people even know they are pregnant, it said. The institute said 26 clinics in the 15 states have closed their doors entirely, while 40 remain open providing reproductive health services other than abortion. The Guttmacher Institute said the 15 states are home to nearly 22 million girls and women of reproductive age — between the ages of 15 and 49 — nearly one-third of the total US population of women of reproductive age. The institute said more than 125,000 abortions were performed in 2020 in the 14 states where abortion is no longer available at all and another 41,000 in Georgia. “Individuals who can no longer obtain an abortion from a clinic in these states are now forced to travel to another state for abortion care,” Guttmacher said. This extra step to access the procedure can impose travel and child care costs along with those associated with having to take time off work, it said, while some women are instead forced to continue their pregnancy. Meanwhile, states where abortion remains legal “are being inundated with people from states with abortion bans seeking care,” the report said. “These dramatic increases in caseloads mean clinic capacity and staff are stretched to their limits, resulting in longer wait times for appointments even for residents of states where abortion remains legal,” it said. The institute predicted that the “already precarious abortion access landscape is likely to continue to deteriorate” with a total of 26 states certain or likely to impose near-total abortion bans within a year. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Chris Gallagher WASHINGTON (Reuters) -“Zombie Killer” tomahawk axes were among the weapons that Donald Trump supporters recommended bringing to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, an FBI agent testified on Thursday at the trial of five members of the far-right Oath Keepers. FBI agent Michael Palian read from what he described as a planning document prepared by Thomas Caldwell, one of the five on trial for charges including seditious conspiracy for their alleged role in planning the attack, which was intended to overturn then-President Trump’s election defeat. “Each team member shall be equipped with a striking weapon,” Caldwell wrote in the document sent on Dec. 2, 2020, Palian said in his third day of testimony. “When the battle is joined, apply the striking weapon wherever it will do the most good.” Knives, multitools and a “Zombie Killer” tomahawk were recommended as weapons. Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and four associates – Caldwell, Kenneth Harrelson, Kelly Meggs and Jessica Watkins – are accused of plotting to prevent Congress from certifying the election victory of Democrat Joe Biden on Jan. 6, 2021, in a failed bid to keep Trump, a Republican, in power. Some of the defendants are among the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol building after the then-president falsely claimed the election had been stolen from him through widespread fraud, prosecutors say. The five defendants are charged with several felonies, including seditious conspiracy, a Civil War-era statute that is rarely prosecuted and carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Rhodes, a Yale-educated attorney and former U.S. Army paratrooper, is the most high-profile defendant on trial, but Thursday morning’s testimony focused largely on Caldwell’s alleged role. Caldwell, in the operations plan, instructed Oath Keeper members not to use their actual names, how to create cover stories for their “mission” and to use “burner phones” because their personal cellphones were traceable. “The OTC (Overall Tactical Commander) should consider having limited firearms available which can be rapidly introduced into the mission area,” Caldwell also wrote. He added that they should make weapons “non-attributable” by wearing gloves and wiping them down before use to remove any fingerprints. Palian also read messages sent by Caldwell during the storming of the Capitol that gave the FBI agent the impression that Caldwell had entered the Capitol building, although he has not been charged with having done so. “We have planted a flag on Capitol steps,” Caldwell wrote in a Facebook message dated Jan. 6, 2021, at 2:11 p.m., which he followed with another message at 2:28 p.m. saying, “We are surging forward. Doors breached,” and yet another at 3:06 p.m. stating simply: “Inside.” Attorneys for the defendants have said the evidence will show that the defendants did nothing illegal and that the Oath Keepers are simply a peacekeeping group that has done security work at events around the country in recent years. (Reporting by Chris Gallagher; editing by Scott Malone, Richard Pullin and Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jonathan Allen NEW YORK (Reuters) -A federal judge in New York on Thursday temporarily blocked parts of the state’s new gun law to allow the Gun Owners of America, an advocacy group, to pursue a lawsuit challenging the legislation. The law came into effect on Sept. 1, creating new requirements for obtaining a license, including submitting social media accounts for review, and creating a long list of public and private places where having a gun became a felony crime, even for license holders. Lawmakers in New York’s Democratic-controlled legislature had passed the law during an emergency session in July after the U.S. Supreme Court found the state’s licensing regime for firearms to be unconstitutional following a challenge by the New York affiliate of the National Rifle Association, a powerful gun-owners’ rights group. Chief Judge Glenn Suddaby of the U.S. District Court in Syracuse agreed to issue the order at the request of six New York residents who are members of Gun Owners of America, which competes with the National Rifle Association in political influence. He said his order would not take effect for three days to allow the New York government to appeal his ruling in a higher court. Suddaby last month ruled that much of the new law was unconstitutional in dismissing an earlier lawsuit by Gun Owners of America in which he found neither the group nor an individual member of it had standing to sue before the law came into effect. (Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Mark Porter) View the full article

Published by DPA A woman holds two books, “The Shame” and “The Years,” by Annie Ernaux in a Leipzig bookstore. The French author Annie Ernaux receives the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature. Jan Woitas/dpa French author Annie Ernaux has been awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature “for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory,” the Swedish Academy announced on Thursday. Among her most successful works is “Les années” (The Years), and “L’événement” (Happening), about a student’s unwanted pregnancy and abortion in 1960s France. It was adapted into a film by director Audrey Diwan that won the Golden Lion at the 2021 Venice Film Festival. In announcing the award, the academy noted the “universal consequence of her work that can reach everyone.” The 82-year-old French author, who writes non-fiction as well as novels turning on everyday life, was chosen from a list of 233 candidates – the names on this longlist are kept secret. Before the prize was announced, many experts counted the Frenchwoman among the narrow favourites. Ernaux is considered by critics to be a master of autofiction – a mix of the autobiographical and fiction. The German literary critic Denis Scheck had her on the list as his winner pick. Both aesthetically and politically, this year’s decision was “a delightful choice,” he told dpa on Thursday. Academy secretary Mats Malm said he had not been able to reach Ernaux by phone before making the announcement. She learned of the award shortly afterward through a call from Swedish news agency TT, the agency reported. “No, really?” she said in amazement. The phone had been ringing constantly – but she hadn’t answered it, she said. She was very surprised, she later told Swedish Radio, calling it an “honour.” At the same time, she said, the Nobel Prize also comes with “a great responsibility.” Reviewing Ernaux’s “Se perdre” (Getting Lost) for Britain’s Guardian newspaper last month, the critic said the book would “become a kind of totem for lovers: a manual to help them find their centre when, like Ernaux, they are lost in love.” Ernaux was born in 1940 in Lillebonne, in France’s Normandy region, and grew up in modest circumstances. In her work, she frequently deals with the experiences of a life marked by gender, language and class differences, said Anders Olsson, chairman of the Nobel literature committee. Last year the prize went to the relatively unkown Tanzanian author Abdulrazak Gurnah “for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fates of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents,” in the words of the academy. Louise Glück, who was US Poet Laureate in 2003 to 2004, received the 2020 prize. French author Annie Ernaux is pictured before a reading at Lit. Cologne, the international literature festival. Ernaux takes the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature. Horst Galuschka/dpa View the full article

Published by AlterNet By Alex Henderson In 2012, Colorado-based baker Jack Phillips was praised by far-right Christian fundamentalists after refusing to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple. And a decade later, the Christian Right is still rallying to Phillips’ defense — only this time, his legal battle involves a transgender woman who filed a discrimination lawsuit against him. According to Associated Press reporter Colleen Slevin, “The Colorado baker who won a partial Supreme Court victory after refusing on religious grounds to make a gay couple’s wedding cake a decade ago is challenging a separate ruling he viol… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters UK (Reuters) – The chair of British Rowing has called on the sport’s world governing body to follow swimming’s lead and create an “open” category for transgender athletes. Transgender rights have become a major talking point as sports seek to balance inclusivity while ensuring there is no unfair advantage. World swimming’s governing body FINA voted in June to restrict the participation of transgender athletes in elite women’s competitions and create a working group to establish an “open” category. World Rowing allows an athlete who was male at birth to compete in the female category if they reduc… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Steve Holland FORT MYERS, Fla. (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden met with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday to assess the devastation from Hurricane Ian, and stressed the need for a united federal and state effort for the lengthy recovery ahead. Biden, a Democrat, and DeSantis, his potential Republican presidential rival, have clashed over multiple issues including COVID-19 vaccines, abortion and LGBT rights. They largely set those differences aside during the visit to hard-hit Fort Myers as Biden pledged federal support for a cleanup and rebuilding effort that could cost taxpayers billions of dollars and take years to complete. Biden and DeSantis greeted each other warmly and stood shoulder to shoulder as they met with victims of the hurricane. “Mr. President, welcome to Florida. We appreciate working together across various levels of government,” DeSantis, often a blistering critic of the president, told Biden during remarks after the tour. “We’re in this together,” said Biden, who referred to DeSantis as ‘Guv,’ and complimented the “good job” the governor had done. “We’ve worked hand-in-glove. We have very different political philosophies.” More than 100 people died and nearly 400,000 homes and businesses remained without power in Florida on Tuesday, five days after Hurricane Ian crashed across the state. Biden opened his remarks by saying the storm showed climate change was real and needed to be addressed, something some in DeSantis’s Republican party have denied. “I think the one thing this has finally ended is a discussion about whether or not there’s climate change and we should do something about it,” he said. Climate change is making hurricanes wetter, windier and altogether more intense, experts say. The president also stressed the amount of federal help Florida receive for storm aid and as part of Democrat-backed spending, including $13 billion over the next five years for highways and bridges. “The key here is building back better and stronger to withstand the next storm. We can’t build back to what it was before. You got to build back better, because we know more is coming,” he said. Biden and his wife, Jill, arrived in Fort Meyers early Wednesday afternoon, two days after visiting Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory battered by Hurricane Fiona last month. Biden got an aerial view of the destruction during a helicopter flight and called the destruction “horrific.” BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, INSURANCE QUESTIONS Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell said it would cost the federal government billions of dollars to repair the damage from the storm. “We are still very much in the lifesaving and stabilization mode. They are just beginning the assessments of what the actual extent of damages to the infrastructure. It’s going to be in the billions,” Criswell told reporters on Air Force One. Biden and Criswell also suggested Wednesday that Florida’s insurance industry, which faces tens of billions of dollars in losses for the storm, could come under increasing scrutiny. “The fact of the matter is, states like Florida, where they’ve had a lot of natural disasters because of flooding and hurricanes and the like – the insurance industry is being very stretched,” Biden said. “We’re going to have to have a hard look at whether or not the insurance industry can be sustained.” Biden visited Florida in July after a condominium complex collapsed and killed nearly 100 people, and stressed cooperation with DeSantis at the time. But before Hurricane Ian hit, Biden had planned a rally in the political battleground state where Democratic officials expected the president to attack the governor. On climate change, Biden has made reducing carbon emissions a focus of his presidency, while DeSantis backed funding to harden Florida’s defenses against flooding but also opposed some previous disaster-relief aid and pushed pension funds not to consider environmental impact when they invest. (Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu; Writing by Jeff Mason and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Heather Timmons, Aurora Ellis and Lincoln Feast) View the full article

Published by New York Daily News NEW YORK — Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey goes on trial Thursday in Manhattan to defend himself against the first in a string of sexual assault allegations he faces worldwide. Spacey, 63, is accused of forcing himself on a teenage boy almost half his age in the late 1980s. Actor Anthony Rapp claims he was 14 when Spacey allegedly thrust himself on top of him inside a bedroom at Spacey’s tony Upper West Side apartment. Rapp, who filed a Manhattan Federal Court civil lawsuit, is demanding $40 million in damages. He claims the abuse happened at a party Spacey hosted in 1986, where Rapp was the youn… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online mega An investigator who interviewed Jeffrey Dahmer and knew his family reveals the shocking motives behind the serial killer’s heinous acts and cannibalism of his victims, RadarOnline.com has learned. Nancy Glass was one of the few investigative reporters who had access to Dahmer and was able to interview the man convicted of murdering at least 17 young men from 1978 until his arrest in 1991. Glass has revealed some of Dahmer’s motives behind his actions that she learned from a 1993 interview for CBS’Inside Edition. mega In a Wednesday interview for the Australian radio show, Kyle and Jackie O, Glass shared that “he said he chose to eat them because he wanted them to be part of him.” Glass added that “he was so desperate, so desperately lonely, so ashamed of being gay.” In an eerie afterthought, Glass told the hosts that during her time spent with Dahmer for the interview, he seemed “completely normal.” The chilling recall of Dahmer’s demeanor suggests that he was capable of either being a master manipulator in body language and/or was devoid of all empathy to his victims and their families, allowing him to carry on as normal — for whatever normal can be to a serial killer cannibal. The journalist also revealed that before ever corresponding with or interviewing Dahmer in prison, she took steps to understand his background by interviewing his family. mega “I was involved with the family for several years. And the father [Lionel Dahmer] never thought anything was wrong [with Jeffrey]. He never noticed it,” Glass recalled on building a relationship with the Dahmer family. They granted Glass’ request to correspond with Jeffrey in prison. Dahmer’s home life has been well shared as a story of trauma and grave neglect, that can be speculated played a hand in laying the foundation for the monster he was destined to become. Glass stated that Dahmer’s “desperately lonely” disposition stemmed back as far as when he was a newborn, when his mother, Joyce Flint, forbid anyone to touch or hold him, “except to change his diaper,” Glass said of Joyce’s mothering. Glass noted that this resulted in “bonding issues” that would later manifest in the killing and eating of his victims’ corpses as a way to “be part of him.” When asked if she felt any empathy towards Dahmer throughout their correspondence and prison interviews, Glass simply replied, “no.” “You guys interview how many people? And basically, I’m the same as you. You go at it from a very professional standpoint,” she told the radio show hosts. “When you’re you’re interviewing a politician. You’re careful, right? You don’t judge. But ask the question so that everybody listening can judge – and that was my job.” It was ultimately Dahmer’s deeply engrained fear of abandonment and inability to connect and form social bonds that drove his vial actions, never allowing his victims the opportunity to leave him. View the full article

Published by AlterNet By Alex Henderson Former football star Herschel Walker, who is hoping to unseat Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock in Georgia’s 2022 U.S. Senate race, is campaigning as an anti-abortion hardliner — declaring that he opposes abortion even in cases of rape or incest or even if a pregnant woman’s life is in danger. But on Monday night, October 3, the Daily Beast reported that Walker had impregnated a woman in 2009 and paid for an abortion. Walker has vehemently denied her allegations, although his son Christian Walker finds the allegations and the Beast’s reporting to be totally credible. … Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet By Alex Henderson In Oklahoma, the OU Health hospital is counting on federal pandemic relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. But Republicans in that state have given OU an ultimatum: if they want to receive $108 million in Rescue Plan funds, Oklahoma Children’s Hospital — which is part of the OU system — will have to stop providing gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Washington Post reporter Kimberly Kindy, in an article published on October 4, explains, “The move, which Oklahoma Gov. Kevin J. Stitt (R) signed into law on Tuesday, marks the first time conservative sta… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP Scooby-Doo and chums have been solving mysteries for generations, and the most recent installment of the franchise finally confirms what many already knew — Velma is gay Los Angeles (AFP) – After decades of rumor and innuendo, one of animation’s worst kept secrets has finally been confirmed: Scooby-Doo’s Velma is lesbian. Clips from Halloween special “Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo,” released this week, show the brainy sleuth’s glasses fogging up and her cheeks reddening when she first meets villainous costume designer Coco Diablo. “OK, who am I kidding? I’m crushing big time Daphne! What do I do? What do I say?” she asks her friend in another scene. The gang of amateur detectives in “Scooby Doo” have been solving mysteries since 1969, delighting generations of children as they unmask a villain who invariably declares he “would have gotten away with it, if it weren’t for you pesky kids.” The titular oversized dog, who will do anything for a “Scooby snack,” stumbles through crimes discovering clues with the help of friends, Shaggy, Daphne, Fred and Velma, who collectively make up “Mystery Incorporated.” Fans have long agreed that Velma is queer, but the new movie marks the first definitive confirmation. Producers of the franchise’s various series and movies have previously spoken about Velma Dinkley’s sexuality, even if they were not able to make it explicit on screen. In 2020 producer Tony Cervone posted an Instagram photo of Velma and another female character against a rainbow-themed Pride backdrop. “We made our intentions as clear as we could ten years ago,” he wrote in the caption at the time. “Most of our fans got it. To those that didn’t, I suggest you look closer.” Audie Harrison, director of the new movie, told NPR he did not expect Velma’s same-sex attraction to be “so groundbreaking,” and that he had “just set out to have fun with the comedy of an awkward teenage crush.” He added: “That being said, it does feel great to be a part of normalizing representation, especially with such a well-known franchise like Scooby-Doo!” Fans took to social media to celebrate the news. “OMG LESBIAN VELMA FINALLY CANON CANON IN THE MOVIES LETS GOOOOOO,” said one tweet which received well over 200,000 likes. “LET’S GO LESBIANS #Velma” wrote another. View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Armie Hammer made a rare outing to a golf club following the scandal that destroyed his marriage and career. The 36-year-old embattled Hollywood star was sporting noticeably new facial hair on Tuesday during his solo day out, RadarOnline.comhas learned. Hammer was photographed rocking a thick mustache and soaking up the sunshine at a Santa Monica club just one year after being publicly accused of sexual abuse and cannibalism. The unemployed former A-lister looked stoic as he slung his bag over his shoulder to exit the facility. Mega Wearing a blue sports shirt and a baseball cap with gray shorts and sandals, Hammer held onto his cell phone and appeared tense when he spotted the paparazzi nearby. His attempt to fly under the radar with his new stache didn’t work. In the pictures obtained by Daily Mail, Hammer glared at the photographers as he waited on the corner to cross the street when the lights turned. His hairy face isn’t the only new addition to the Death on the Nile actor. As RadarOnline.com reported, Hammer was seen in August with two bizarre tattoos after returning to the United States fresh from abruptly quitting his job at a Cayman Islands timeshare. Mega He reportedly took the job because he allegedly had no money after leaving a rehab facility in Florida where he sought treatment for sex, drugs, and alcohol. In July, Hammer walked away from his position after his new job title made headlines. He moved in with Robert Downey Jr., who allegedly paid for the trouble star’s rehab. The Call Me By Your Name actor’s job was exposed after someone tweeted that he was their friend’s parents’ concierge. Last year, Hammer was publicly accused of rape and cannibalism. Months before the allegations, his wife of 10 years, Elizabeth Chambers, filed for divorce. Mega “Elizabeth’s priority has always been her children and their well-being. The past year hasn’t been easy, but she and Armie have always had love for each other,” a source said at the time. “They’re slowly figuring things out as a couple, but being parents to their two kids will always come first.” Hammer and Chambers share two kids together — daughterHarper Grace, 7, and son Ford Douglas Armand, 5. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Alec Baldwin has reached a settlement with the family of Halyna Hutchins. The cinematographer was killed on the set of the Western movie in October 2021 after Alec discharged a prop gun that he had been informed was “cold”. The Hutchins family had filed a lawsuit against the ‘Beetlejuice’ star and other members of the production in February, alleging several violations of industry standards but it has now been settled as all parties believe Halyna’s death was an accident. The exact terms of the settlement, which is subject to court approval, have not been disclosed. ‘Rust’ will now resume production in January 2023 with Halyna’s husband Matthew Hutchins involved as an executive producer and all the cast members returning. In an Instagram post, Alec said: “We are pleased to announce today the settlement of the civil case filed on behalf of the family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna’s son. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation.” Matthew said he has “no interest” in apportioning blame for his wife’s tragic death and wants to pay tribute to Halyna’s “final work”. In a statement, he said: “We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of ‘Rust’, including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed. “The filming of ‘Rust’, which I will now executive produce, will resume with all the original principal players on board in January 2023.” Hutchins added: “I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin). “All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.” View the full article

Published by DPA Mexico's military forces have announced plans to set up their own airline to boost tourism in the country. Jacky Muniello/dpa Hotels, museums, national parks and an unused presidential plane: Mexico’s military is setting its sights on tourism with plans for army-operated flights to popular regions. The country’s armed forces are set to operate their own airline for tourism purposes in future, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has announced. The announcement comes after newspaper El Universal published military documents showing the plans after they were leaked by a hacker group earlier in October. The airline is set to begin operations next year with 10 rented aircraft, López Obrador said. The airline will also use the luxurious presidential plane that the head of state has been trying in vain to sell since he took office in 2018. According to the report by El Universal, the military also wants to operate several hotels, two museums and two national parks through a new tourism company called Itzamná, particularly in the popular holiday region around Cancún and Tulum on the Caribbean coast. Under the left-wing nationalist López Obrador, the armed forces are gaining more and more influence, for example in internal security and construction projects. Another newly founded military company is already responsible for the administration of four airports and the Tren Maya (Maya Train) railway project. View the full article

Published by PopCrush A man on Reddit decided to skip his “homophobic” sister’s wedding to party at a gay bar with his boyfriend instead. The man, 23, explained he grew up idolizing his sister, 29, and when he came out as a teenager she was supportive. However, that changed when she met her now-husband in college. “He grew up in a very traditional Christian household. They met at a frat mixer at Bama (she was in a sorority, he was in a frat),” he wrote via Reddit. He explained his sister had always been “neutral” when it came to politics, but after meeting her partner, she became “visibly uncomfortable” whenever he… Read More View the full article

Published by Chicago Tribune CHICAGO — “Dahmer: Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” offers viewers 10 hours of television featuring a serial killing cannibal and necrophiliac from Milwaukee. The popularity of this series is stunning and yet another example of the public’s taste for demons and true crime “entertainments.” This show hit the top of the Netflix rankings with nearly 200 million hours viewed following its Sept. 21 premiere and the 10-episode limited series shot to the No. 1 show on the service across dozens of countries. It has also been attended with controversy, as social media exploded due to Netflix’s decisi… Read More View the full article

Published by Euronews (English) The Slovenian parliament on Tuesday passed an amendment allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt after a constitutional court ruling made it the first country in Eastern Europe to do so. The family law amendment was passed by 48 MPs, with 29 against and one abstaining. Slovenia, which emerged from the break-up of Yugoslavia, is the first former communist country to endorse this reform in Europe, as most of its neighbours do not allow civil unions or same-sex marriages. The government of Estonia came the closest in 2016 by agreeing to recognize same-sex unions created in other countries. Cr… Read More View the full article