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Published by Reuters By Stephen Nellis (Reuters) – Apple Inc introduced new iPhone 14 models capable of using satellites to send emergency messages and an adventure-focused Ultra Watch for sports like diving and triathlons. The outdoor-focused products will test whether Apple’s relatively affluent customer base will keep spending in the face of rising inflation. Prices of the high-end iPhone 14s are the same as last year’s iPhone 13 models. But Apple dropped its cheapest option, the iPhone mini, meaning the cheapest model now costs $100 more than last year. The iPhone 14 will start at $799 and the iPhone Plus at $899 and be available for preorder starting Sept. 9. The iPhone Pro will cost $999 and the iPhone Pro Max $1,099 and be available Sept. 16. “It’s interesting that they decided to essentially maintain pricing despite inflationary pressure,” said D.A. Davidson analyst Tom Forte. “The decision or the strategy is Apple believes that it can sustain margins by discontinuing a lower-priced device in the lineup.” Apple said its satellite SOS will work with emergency responders. It also said that in some situations, users will be able to use its FindMy app to share their location via satellite when they have no other connectivity. The service will be free for two years with the iPhone 14. Apple did not say what would happen after that period. Shares in Globalstar Inc jumped 20% on Wednesday after the satellite services firm announced it will be the satellite operator for Apple’s emergency SOS service. Apple will pay for 95% of the approved capital expenditure for the new satellites that would be needed to support the service, but Globalstar said it will still need to raise additional debt to construct and deploy the satellites. The stock had gained almost 70% from mid-June to Tuesday’s close, following speculation of working with Apple. Other companies are working on similar functions. SpaceX founder Elon Musk said last month it is working with T-Mobile to use its Starlink satellites to connect phones directly to the internet. Apple’s iPhone 14 Plus model will have a larger screen like Apple’s iPhone Pro models but an A15 processor chip like the previous iPhone 13. The Cupertino, California-based company also showed a trio of new Apple Watches, including a new Watch Ultra model aimed at extreme sports and diving and designed to challenge sportswatch specialists such as Garmin and Polar. “Apple is competing for a consumer segment that already has high loyalty towards their existing products and vendors, and it will need to prove itself over time,” said Runar Bjorhovde, an analyst at Canalys. The Ultra has a bigger battery to last through events like triathlons and better waterproofing and temperature resistance to operate in outdoor environments, as well as better GPS tracking for sports. The new Watches include an upgraded budget model called the SE and a Series 8 Watch with crash detection and low-power mode for 36 hours of battery life. The Series 8 with cellular will start at $499 and the SE will start at $299 with cellular. The Ultra, which includes cellular in its base model, will start at $799 and be available Sept. 23. Apple said the new Series 8 watch has a temperature sensor that will work in conjunction with its previously released cycle tracking app to retroactively detect ovulation. The company emphasized the privacy approach of its cycle tracking. Privacy and reproductive health data has become a focus for tech companies in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended a constitutional right to abortion in the United States. Apple said it does not have the key to decrypt health data such as cycle tracking. Apple also touted that its second-generation AirPods Pro will double the amount of noise cancellation over the original version. But while accessories like the Apple Watch have driven incremental sales from Apple’s existing user base, the iPhone remains the bedrock of its business with 52.4% of sales in its most recent fiscal year. Apple’s stock was up 0.8% after the presentation, lagging the S&P 500’s gain of 1.8% for the session. Apple did not give any hints or a preview of its mixed-reality headset on Wednesday. The device is expected to have cameras that pass-through view of the outside world to the wearer while overlaying digital objects on the physical world. Analysts do not expect the device to go on sale until next year at the earliest. A rival headset called Project Cambria is in the works from Meta Platforms Inc, which is spending billions of dollars on the project. (Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Henderson and Lisa Shumaker) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) -A requirement under the U.S. law known as Obamacare that private insurance plans cover drugs that prevent HIV infection at no cost to patients violates both federal law and the Constitution, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday, siding with conservative lawyers who had challenged the measure on religious grounds. Ruling in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor found that the HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, mandate stemmed from a recommendation by an advisory body formed in violation of constitutional requirements and could infringe upon the rights of employers under a law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The mandate is part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as Obamacare is formally called. The legal challenge was filed in 2020 by eight individuals and two businesses, all from Texas. They argued that the free PrEP requirement, as well as free coverage requirements for contraceptives and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, requires business owners to pay for services that “encourage homosexual behavior, prostitution, sexual promiscuity and intravenous drug use” despite their religious beliefs. The conservative America First Legal Foundation is helping to represent the plaintiffs. The group was founded by Stephen Miller, who served as an adviser to Republican former President Donald Trump. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network said in a statement that the ruling could threaten free preventive care more broadly, including routine cancer screenings. O’Connor, an appointee of Republican former President George W. Bush, ruled in 2018 in a previous case that the ACA, a landmark U.S. healthcare law signed by Democratic former President Barack Obama in 2010, was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court subsequently ruled in 2021 that Texas and other states that had challenged Obamacare with the support of Trump’s administration lacked the proper legal standing to pursue that case. The ACA has survived several reviews by the U.S. Supreme Court. O’Connor has not yet specified how his new ruling will be enforced. It is not clear what the judge’s decision means for the advisory body, called the Preventive Services Task Force (PSTF), which is convened by an official of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and recommends a wide range of preventive services to be covered under the ACA. The judge found that the U.S. Constitution requires that the task force’s members be appointed directly by the president. O’Connor has not yet ruled on the challenge to the contraceptives mandate and rejected the challenge to the HPV vaccine mandate. The HPV vaccine sold by Merck & Co prevents cancers caused by the virus. HHS said in a statement that it “continues to work to ensure that people can access healthcare, free from discrimination.” A lawyer for the plaintiffs had no immediate comment. The PrEP drugs approved in the United States to prevent HIV infection, which can cause AIDS, are made by Gilead Sciences Inc and by ViiV Healthcare, a joint venture of GSK Plc, Pfizer Inc and Shionogi & Co Ltd. A GSK spokesperson said PrEP coverage was “critical to ensuring health equity and helping end the HIV epidemic” and that the company would follow the case as it develops. (Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York, Editing by Will Dunham, Alexia Garamfalvi and Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by AFP PrEP, short for pre-exposure prophylaxis, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2012 and is now routinely recommended for high-risk people who are HIV-negative to prevent them from being infected Washington (AFP) – A US judge ruled Wednesday in favor of Christian employers who refuse, on religious grounds, to provide workers with health insurance that covers the cost of drugs that help prevent HIV/AIDS. District Judge Reed O’Connor of a Texas federal court, known for making several rulings hostile to former president Barack Obama’s sweeping health care law, took aim at a new aspect of the legislation nicknamed “Obamacare.” The law requires private insurers to reimburse certain preventive care as defined by health authorities. In 2020, they included PrEP — pills that act to prevent HIV transmission. Two companies and several individuals went to court to challenge the coverage of the drugs, saying it violates their religious beliefs by making them “complicit in facilitating homosexual behavior,” O’Connor said in his decision. One of the plaintiffs was facing fines of $100 per employee per day for failing to comply with the Obamacare law, said the judge, who ruled that the requirement to reimburse the cost of PrEP pills violates the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration will likely appeal the ruling, which was strongly criticized by the leader of the House of Representatives. “This disturbing decision amounts to open homophobia,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. PrEP, short for pre-exposure prophylaxis, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2012 and is now routinely recommended for high-risk people who are HIV-negative to prevent them from becoming infected. When taken daily, PrEP reduces the risk of infection by 99 percent, but only 23 percent of people who could benefit from it were using the medicine in 2019. View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Sarah K. Burris WASHINGTON, D.C. — MSNBC’s a shift he was seeing in the electorate heading into November after the Aug. 23 primary and special elections in New York, when passionately pro-choice Democrat Pat Ryan trounced his opponent. Until very recently, the only real data that could illustrate the impact of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision was a Kansas ballot measure that would amend the state’s constitution to make it easy to ban abortion outright in the state. On August 2, 2022, voters resoundingly rejected this amendment. Weeks later, data is now starting to roll in showing two majo… Read More View the full article

Published by ScreenCrush Hasbro has turned a lot of its most popular toy brands into multimedia franchises in recent years. The list of toys-turned-movies includes Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Power Rangers. And they’ve even turned some board games into movies or shows, like Clue and Ouija, which did well enough to get a sequel. But a TV show based on a toy oven? That’s definitely breaking new ground. And now it’s happening, over at Netflix. The streaming service will soon launch Easy-Bake Battle: The Home Cooking Competition, which according to its official plot synopsis is “inspired by Hasbro’s iconic Easy-Bake Oven,… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Lynda Edwards, Staff Reporter What does an oil rig supervisor earning $963 per day have in common with a diner’s head cook or a dollar store manager? Probably nothing, except this upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case. The justices’ decision could make it almost impossible for workers to get overtime pay from employers who insist the employees are salaried — not hourly workers. It’s one of several could-be landmark cases SCOTUS will hear this fall that could affect ordinary life for Americans. Lawyers arguing face the Supreme Court on October 12. Michael Hewitt was a Helix manager earning $963 p… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet By David Badash,The New Civil Rights Movement U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is under fire for running interference for Donald Trump while attacking the U.S. Dept. of Justice, rather than admit the former president’s reported removal and refusal to return highly classified documents – including at least one of a foreign government’s nuclear secrets – is a threat to democracy, the nation’s defense, and worldwide security. Senator Rubio, who is being challenged by Democratic Rep. Val Demings in a tight re-election race, serves as the vice chair of the Intelligence Committee, and sits on the Gan… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega A Fox News producer’s email warning host Jeanine Pirro to stay off the air was uncovered in Dominion Voting System’s defamation lawsuit against the network, Radar has learned. The shocking development was revealed on Tuesday. The email was reportedly sent shortly after Election Day 2020 when Fox News hosts, like Pirro, went on television and claimed the election had been stolen from then-President Donald Trump. Mega According to NPR, who confirmed the email’s existence via two sources familiar with the message, the Fox News producer who sent the email was worried about the legal ramifications the false claims Pirro spouted would have on the network. The producer’s worries were not unfounded. In the months following Pirro and the other hosts’ false claims on the network, Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit accusing both Fox News and Fox News’ parent company of defamation. “The Dominion Software System has been tagged as one allegedly capable of flipping votes,” Pirro told the network’s viewers on November 14, 2020 – the day the election was called in now-President Joe Biden’s favor. Pirro also falsely suggested Dominion’s voting machines were not only proven to have flipped votes for Trump to Biden, but the machines were also discarding ballots cast for Trump. Mega Evidence of a Fox News producer’s email warning Pirro not to go on air and falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen from Trump comes just weeks after a Delaware state judge ruled Dominion’s $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox Corporation could move forward. The suit alleged the network’s top executives – including Rupert Murdoch and his son, Lachlan Murdoch – “exerted direct control over Fox News’ programming decisions” and was therefore responsible for the false claims against Dominion’s voting machines. The voting machine company also claimed Dominion suffered “enormous and irreparable economic harm” and estimated its loss of profits for the next eight years to be more than $600 million due to the false claims made on Fox News about their machines. Despite Dominion’s ongoing lawsuit, a spokesperson for Fox News recently described the company’s billion-plus damages claim as “outrageous, unsupported and not rooted in sound financial analysis, serving as nothing more than a flagrant attempt to deter our journalists from doing their jobs.” Mega Dan Webb, Fox News’ current outside attorney for the ongoing case, also recently claimed the network did nothing wrong and was simply reporting then-President Trump’s claims that Dominion committed voter fraud. “All you’re reporting to the public is that somebody — in this case, the president of the United States — has made the allegation of voter fraud by Dominion,” Webb told NPR this week. He added, “I don’t know how anything could be more newsworthy than the president of the United States making the allegation, and his lawyers making the allegations in court, because that’s so fundamental.” View the full article

Published by Reuters DUBAI (Reuters) – Gulf Arab states have demanded that U.S. streaming giant Netflix remove content deemed offensive to “Islamic and societal values” in the region, Saudi Arabia’s media regulator said on Tuesday. It did not specify the content, but mentioned that it included content aimed at children. Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya TV, in a programme discussing the issue, showed blurred out animation clips that appeared to show two girls embracing. The Riyadh-based General Commission for Audiovisual Media statement said the content violated media regulations in the Gulf Cooperation Council, which groups Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. If Netflix continued to broadcast the content then “necessary legal measures will be taken”, it said, without elaborating. Netflix did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The UAE issued a similarly worded statement regarding Netflix content on Tuesday, saying it would follow up on what the platform broadcasts in coming days and “assess its commitment to broadcasting controls” in the country. Same-sex relationships are criminalised in many Muslim-majority nations and films featuring such relationships have in the past been banned by regulators in those countries, while others with profanity or illicit drug use are sometimes censored. The UAE and other Muslim states earlier this year banned Walt Disney-Pixar’s animated feature film “Lightyear” from screening in cinemas because it features characters in a same-sex relationship. (Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi in Riyadh and Alexander Cornwell in Dubai; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien) View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) -Steve Bannon, a prominent associate of former U.S. President Donald Trump, is expected to face a new criminal indictment and surrender to state prosecutors on Thursday, the Washington Post reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Bannon’s prosecution will likely mirror aspects of a federal case in which Bannon was pardoned, the paper reported on Tuesday. https://wapo.st/3qi9xFg In 2021, Trump granted clemency to Bannon as part of a wave of pardons and commutations issued in his final hours in office. Bannon was charged with swindling the president’s supporters in connection with an effort to raise private funds to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. He pleaded not guilty. The details of the new indictment could not be confirmed, the Washington Post said. A spokesperson for Bannon dismissed it as a political ploy. “This is nothing more than a partisan political weaponization of the criminal justice system,” the spokesperson said in an email to Reuters. The state case will be handled in the New York Supreme Court by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the Washington Post said. A spokeswoman for the Manhattan District Attorney declined to comment on the report. “The SDNY (Southern District of New York) did the exact same thing in August 2020 to try to take me out of the election. It didn’t work then, it certainly won’t work now,” Bannon said in a statement issued by his spokesperson. In July, Bannon was convicted of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the committee investigating last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol, a verdict the committee called a “victory for the rule of law.” Bannon was a main adviser to the Republican Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, then served as his chief White House strategist during 2017 before a falling out between them that was later patched up. Bannon also has played an instrumental role in right-wing media. (Reporting by Abinaya Vijayaraghavan and Jahnavi Nidumolu in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) View the full article

Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A document describing a foreign government’s military defenses, including its nuclear capabilities, was found in the FBI’s search last month of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The Post report, which cited people familiar with the matter, did not identify the foreign government discussed in the document, nor did it indicate whether the foreign government was friendly or hostile to the United States. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment on the report. Trump representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The FBI recovered more than 11,000 government documents and photographs during its Aug. 8 search at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, according to court records. According to the Post report, some of the seized documents detail top-secret U.S. operations that require special clearances, not just top-secret clearance. Some of the documents are so restricted that even some of the Biden administration’s senior-most national security officials were not authorized to review them, the Post said. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Trump for removing government records from the White House after he departed in January 2021 and storing them at Mar-a-Lago. On Monday, a federal judge agreed to Trump’s request to appoint a special master to review records seized in the FBI search, a move that is likely to delay the Justice Department’s criminal investigation. (Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Sandra Maler) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Oprah Winfrey has inspired Jennifer Hudson’s new talk show. The 40-year-old singer is launching her eponymous TV talk show on September 12, and Jennifer has admitted to looking to Oprah for inspiration. She shared: “You know, Oprah’s it. Those shows are embedded in all of us. They’re there and they’re the blueprint.” Jennifer has already enjoyed huge success during her career, including winning an Oscar for her starring role in the 2006 musical ‘Dreamgirls’. But the ‘Spotlight’ hitmaker insists she won’t be resting on her laurels. She told E! News’ ‘Daily Pop’: “It’s all there from the heart. I’m following my heart. “I love people, I love talking, and so, y’all gonna give me a couch and a camera to talk to, where’s it at? Who you want me to talk to?” Jennifer previously announced the launch of her talk show on social media. The chart-topping star wrote on Twitter: “I can’t believe I get to say this, but welcome to my show !!! “Let’s light up daytime beginning September 12th! Wait a minute that’s my birthday !!! (sic)” Jennifer – who has son David Jr, 13, with former fiance David Otunga – is excited to “connect” with new people and to let viewers see who she really is. She said: “I have experienced so much in my life; I’ve seen the highest of the highs, the lowest of the lows, and just about everything in between but as my mother always told me, ‘Once you think you’ve seen it all, just keep on living.’ “People from around the world have been a part of my journey from the beginning – twenty years ago – and I’m so ready to join their journey as we sit down and talk about the things that inspire and move us all. “I have always loved people and I cannot wait to connect on a deeper level and let audiences see the different sides of who I am, the human being, in return.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Barack Obama and his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, return to the White House on Wednesday for the unveiling of their official portraits, hosted by fellow Democrat Joe Biden some five years after the former president left office. Large, formal portraits of U.S. presidents and first ladies adorn walls, hallways and rooms throughout the White House, and customarily a former president returns for the unveiling during his successor’s tenure. But the Obamas, who have remained popular since leaving the political limelight, did not have their ceremony while Republican President Donald Trump held power. Trump, before winning election in 2016 and succeeding Obama in 2017, was a longtime proponent of the “birther” movement that falsely suggested Obama was not born in the United States. A spokesperson for Obama declined to comment on the timing of the Obamas’ portrait unveilings. White House Historical Association president Stewart McLaurin said there was no prescribed process for presidential portraits. “It’s really up to the current president in the White House and the former president that is portrayed in the portrait to determine the right moment, but there is no set timeline,” he said. Obama hosted former president George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, for their portrait unveilings in 2012 during Obama’s first term. Now Obama will be hosted by his former vice president, current President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill. The Obamas and Bidens became close during Obama’s presidency, going through the ups and downs of their political and personal lives, including the death of Biden’s son, Beau, from cancer. “Over the course of their eight years together in office, a close partnership between the two men grew through the highs and lows of the job and life,” Biden’s press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, told reporters on Tuesday. The current president and first lady were honored to host the unveiling of the portraits, “which will hang on the walls of the White House forever as reminders of the power of hope and change,” she said. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at 1:30 p.m. ET in the White House East Room. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Bradley Perrett) View the full article

Published by Fort Worth Star-Telegram A Watauga, Texas, church where the pastor called for gay people to be executed is facing the possibility of its second eviction in a year. Stedfast Baptist Church lost its Hurst location in a strip shopping center at strip center at 700 W. Bedford Euless Road in February, after a Tarrant County judge ruled that the church violated its lease by making threats and creating dangerous nuisance. According to filings in the Tarrant County Justice of the Peace Court No. 1, a nonjury trial is scheduled for 8 a.m. Wednesday via Zoom. Details outlining why Stedfast faces eviction weren’t available as co… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) -A U.S. federal appeals court on Tuesday unanimously upheld Washington state’s ban on conversion therapy for children, rejecting a therapist’s claim that it undermined his free speech and targeted him because he is Christian. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Washington’s legislature acted rationally and did not violate the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment by imposing the ban to protect the “physical and psychological well-being” of children. Enacted in 2018, the ban subjects licensed health care providers to discipline, including possible fines and license suspensions or revocations, for trying to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of people under age 18. More than 20 U.S. states have laws against conversion therapy. “Washington, like other states, has concluded that health care providers should not be able to treat a child by such means as telling him that he is ‘the abomination we had heard about in Sunday school,'” Circuit Judge Ronald Gould wrote for a three-judge panel. “States do not lose the power to regulate the safety of medical treatments performed under the authority of a state license merely because those treatments are implemented through speech rather than through scalpel,” he added. The therapist, Brian Tingley, who lives in Tacoma and practices in nearby Fircrest, Washington, said the ban amounted to censorship. The state countered that the ban targeted conduct and protected children from a harmful practice. Roger Brooks, a lawyer for Tingley, said his client plans to appeal. “The government has no business censoring conversations between clients and counselors,” Brooks said. In his 58-page decision, which upheld a lower court ruling, Gould noted that the appeals court had in 2014 upheld a similar conversion therapy ban from California. He also said that ruling was not undermined by a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-abortion/u-s-top-court-blocks-california-law-on-anti-abortion-centers-idUSKBN1JM1SH that California could not require Christian-based “crisis pregnancy centers” that opposed abortion to give women information about how to end their pregnancies. The American Psychological Association has called conversion therapy harmful to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who defended the state ban, welcomed Tuesday’s decision. “Conversion therapy does not work, and can be particularly harmful to minors,” he said in a statement. The case is Tingley v Ferguson et al, 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 21-35815. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New YorkEditing by Marguerita Choy) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Harry Styles and Nick Kroll kissed on the lips at the ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ premiere. The two actors – who both star in Olivia Wilde’s upcoming thriller – locked lips in the crowd after the movie’s premiere at Venice Film Festival this week. The star duo – who play Jack Chambers and Bill in the film – looked dapper in blue as they kissed each other and hugged during the standing ovation. In a video shared by Variety reporter Ramin Setoodeh, the crowd can be heard cheering after the celebratory moment. The show of solidarity comes after a difficult time for ‘Don’t Worry Darling’, with rumours of a rift between the director Wilde and leading lady Florence Pugh. The actress missed the press conference this week due to her filming commitments for ‘Dune’, and she was later arrived in Venice after the media event before walking the red carpet with the rest of the cast. Asked to “clear the air”, Wilde – appearing alongside Styles, Chris Pine and Gemma Chan – insisted she felt “honoured” to have her as her lead. She said: “Florence is a force, and we are so grateful that she’s able to make it tonight despite being in production on ‘Dune’. “I know, as a director, how disruptive it is to lose an actor even for a day, so I’m very grateful to her, to Denis Villeneuve for helping us. “And we’re really thrilled we’ll get to celebrate her work tonight. I can’t say enough how honored I am to have her as our lead. She’s amazing in the film.” However, she refused to comment on reports of a “falling out”. She added: “As for all the endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there, I mean, the internet feeds itself. “I don’t feel the need to contribute. It’s sufficiently well nourished.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jason Momoa has shaved off his long hair to raise awareness of the single-use plastics crisis. The 43-year-old actor – known for his roles in the likes of ‘Aquaman’ and ‘Game of Thrones’ – has ditched his trademark locks in favour of a much shorter buzz cut and he gave fans a peek at his new look in an Instagram video. And the start of the clip, he laughed: “Aloha, everyone. Hand me those braids.” Someone off camera gave him a pair of short braids which had already been cut off, and he explained the reason behind the drastic image overhaul. He said: “I’m tired of these plastics bottles. We got to stop [using] plastic forks, all that s***. It goes into our land, into our ocean. Momoa also urged people to start using reusable water bottles instead of plastic ones. He added: “It’s just so sad, so please anything you can do to eliminate single-use plastic in your lives, help me.” In the caption, he encouraged his followers to focus on “protecting our land and oceans”. he wrote: “Heres to new beginnings let’s spread the aloha. be better at protecting our land and oceans. we need to cut single use plastics out of our lives and out of our seas. plastic bottles, plastic bags ,packaging, utensils all of it. let’s aloha our ‘āina together aloha j. (sic)” In the comments, he received plenty of support from his fans and fellow stars, with Marisa Tomei sharing a red love heart and simply writing: “What!! (sic)” A follower wrote: “Hair grows back and it’s for a great cause! I’m sure it will look amazing” Another admirder added: “I never thought I’d see the day… Somehow he’s still smoking hot – the man’s got a gift”. And a different fan quipped: “You could have a fundraiser for the ocean selling those braids lol”. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Brendan Fraser believes severely obese people are “incredibly strong physically and mentally” after he played an overweight character in ‘The Whale’. The actor, 53, stars as reclusive English teacher Charlie in the film, who tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter while he battles his obesity. The Guardian reported he said at a press conference after it premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Suday (04.09.22): “It gave me an appreciation for those whose bodies are similar. I learned that you need to be an incredibly strong person, physically, mentally, to inhabit that being. “Charlie’s physical mobility is limited to his home space, which is his couch. “His story is told behind closed doors. He’s a light in a dark space. I think it’s poetic that the trauma he carries is manifest in the physical weight of his body. “I needed to learn to absolutely move in a new way. I developed muscles I did not know I had. I even felt a sense of vertigo at the end of the day when all the appliances were removed, as you’d feel stepping off a boat on to the dock here in Venice.” The film, directed by ‘Requiem for a Dream’ filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, is said to alredy be generating an Oscars buzz. It marks Brendan’s first lead role in a movie since his straight-to-DVD 2013 thriller ‘Breakout’, with reports it prompted an eight-minute standing ovation at its premiere when the actor’s name appeared in the credits. Brendan’s character weighs around 600 pounds in the movie, and the actor had to wear a huge fat suit and prosthetics for the part. The actor, who shares three sons with his actress wife of 23 years Afton Smith, 54, told Vanity Fair about taking the part as he liked a challenge: “If there’s no risk, then why bother? I want to learn from the people I’m working with at this point in my career. “I’ve had such variety, a lot of high highs and low lows, so what I’m keen for, in the second half of my time doing this, is to feel like I’m contributing to the craft, and I’m learning from it. “This is a prime opportunity. I wanted to disappear into it. My hope was that I would become unrecognisable.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Julia Harte (Reuters) – U.S. states have enacted more than 30 new voting restrictions since 2020, from voter ID requirements to limits on mail-in voting, fueling tensions between Republicans and Democrats ahead of November’s general election. Republicans, who have largely embraced former President Donald Trump’s false claims of fraud in the 2020 election, say the measures are necessary to ensure election integrity. Democrats say they are aimed at making it harder for voters who traditionally back the Democratic Party to cast their votes. Most of the measures were backed by Republican state legislators and opposed by Democrats, but the divide is not purely red and blue. And the debate over each law sometimes comes down to the fine print of the details. VOTER ID Ten U.S. states have imposed stricter voter identification requirements since 2020, according to the Brennan Center for Justice and the Voting Rights Lab, which track voting legislation across the country. Opponents of voter ID measures do not object to the requirement that voters verify their identity when voting – which is already standard in every state – but rather the means used to verify them. Unlike many European democracies, where government-issued IDs are more ubiquitous, studies have found that millions of U.S. voters lack photo ID. Two of the most controversial 2021 laws changed the ID rules for absentee or mail-in ballots. Georgia now requires voters who lack driver’s licenses or state ID cards to include in their absentee ballot application a photocopy of another government-issued ID, which many voters may not be able to easily produce. Previously, absentee voters’ identities were verified by signature-matching. Texas’ law permits voters to use a broader set of IDs when applying for and casting mail-in ballots. But it automatically rejects them if the voter uses a different ID number than what they provided when registering to vote. In Texas’ March primary, election officials rejected one out of every eight mail-in ballots, according to data from the secretary of state’s office. That rate – 12.4% – vastly exceeded Texas’ 0.8% mail ballot rejection rate during the 2020 presidential election. Officials blamed most of the increase on the new law, according to local news reports. Advocates of the Georgia and Texas measures say they are necessary to ensure that voters are who they claim to be, and cite studies that show some voter ID laws have not depressed turnout. Opponents say there is no need for stricter ID rules because voter fraud is already vanishingly rare, and point to studies showing that voter ID laws in states such as North Carolina reduced turnout by voters of color. MAIL-IN VOTING Mail-in voting laws are especially complex in the United States. Only 11 countries in the world do not require voters to provide an excuse to vote by mail, according to the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA). Two-thirds of U.S. states are in this category. But since 2020, 18 states have passed laws making it harder for voters to apply for, receive, or cast mail-in ballots, according to the Brennan Center and the Voting Rights Lab. Some states’ laws restricted mail-in voting one way while easing it other ways. Kentucky’s Republican-controlled legislature passed a law that allowed voters to fix absentee ballots if they made errors, but also limited the application period for absentee ballots. Proponents of limiting mail-in voting say it adds to the cost of running elections and creates more opportunities for ballots to be intercepted by unintended recipients who might fraudulently cast them. Advocates of expanding mail-in voting say limiting it hinders voters who cannot go to a polling place. VOTER LIST MAINTENANCE Unlike many democratic countries, the United States does not have compulsory voter registration through a centralized system. As a result, states must periodically review their lists of registered voters to ensure they are up to date. Since 2020, seven states have enacted laws that facilitated the de-listing of voters. Advocates of the laws say they are necessary for ensuring only eligible voters are kept on the list. But opponents say the laws make it harder for voters to know they have been removed or remedy wrongful removals. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in April enacted a law he said would improve election security by requiring election supervisors to clean up voter rolls every year rather than every two years, and establishing a statewide Office of Election Crimes and Security to investigate election “irregularities.” Voter advocates criticized the law, saying it created more opportunities for voters to be wrongly purged from the rolls and intimidated by investigators from the new office. PARTISAN V. NONPARTISAN ELECTION ADMINISTRATION The United States has one of the world’s most fractured election administration systems. In most U.S. states, elections are overseen by elected or appointed state officials. Within each county, elections are run by local officials such as clerks and judges, sometimes in conjunction with nonpartisan or bipartisan election boards. Few state-level voting laws sought to change election management authority before the hotly contested 2020 election, in which Trump falsely blamed his loss on voter fraud. But since that election, 25 states have enacted laws that shifted power away from traditional election managers and, in many cases, ceded control to partisan actors, according to the Voting Rights Lab. Advocates of the laws, who were overwhelmingly Republican, argued they would bolster oversight of local election officials. Such laws are unusual in other democracies. The human rights body Council of Europe adopted guidelines in 2010 that called for high-level positions within election-management bodies to be “dispersed among parties” to ensure balance. (Reporting by Julia Harte; editing by Ross Colvin and Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Harry Styles has “no idea” what he is doing in the acting world. The pop superstar features in the new movie ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ but confessed that he feels out of his comfort zone as an actor. Harry told reporters at the Venice Film Festival: “Music I’ve done a lot longer so I’m a bit more comfortable. What I like about acting is I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing.” The ‘As It Was’ singer explained that he considers music and acting to be “opposite in a lot of ways”, but he embraces the “fun” sense of the unknown that comes with both professions. Harry, 28, said: “Making music is a really personal thing. “There are aspects of acting where you’re drawing from experiences a bit, but for the most part you’re pretending to play someone else. “That’s what I find the most interesting about it. They can aid each other in a way. Any time you get to view the world through a different lens, it can help to create whichever way it goes. I find it really different. I think the fun part is that you never know what you’re doing in either one of them.” The former One Direction star revealed that he plans to combine both music and acting going forward. Styles explained: “I feel very lucky I get to do something I love as a job. I feel like being able to explore this has made me feel even luckier I get to do two things I really enjoy. “In terms of the future… I enjoy both. It’s all fun to play in both worlds and see how they affect each other.” View the full article

Published by AFP Then-president Donald Trump walks with secretary of defense Mark Esper (C) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley (R), and others after security forces cleared the area in front of the White House of protesters on June 1, 2020 Washington (AFP) – Former Pentagon chiefs warned Tuesday that the deep divisions in US politics are putting unwanted pressure on the armed forces and expressed concern that civilian political interference in the military could worsen. Eight former defense secretaries and five ex-joint chiefs chairmen signed a statement on 16 “Best Practices of Civil-Military Relations” that came after several years — particularly under former president Donald Trump — in which the Pentagon became enmeshed in political machinations. “We are in an exceptionally challenging civil-military environment,” they wrote. “Politically, military professionals confront an extremely adverse environment characterized by the divisiveness of affective polarization that culminated in the first election in over a century when the peaceful transfer of political power was disrupted and in doubt,” they said. “Looking ahead, all of these factors could well get worse before they get better.” The statement, published by the defense-focused “War on the Rocks” website, did not cite any examples to illustrate civil-military tensions. But it did make reference to the challenge to the 2020 election results by Trump and his supporters that led to the violent January 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol. The Pentagon has been accused of stalling the deployment of National Guard troops to confront the attackers. Also during the Trump years, military personnel were asked to help in a number of non-traditional activities, including building a border wall and guarding the border against undocumented migrants, and helping police cities hit by violent protests. Legal orders In one incident, Trump had then-defense secretary Mark Esper and General Mark Milley, who is still the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, walk alongside him in front of the White House after police cleared the street of people protesting the murder of Black man George Floyd by police. Both later expressed regrets they took part in what was widely labelled a political “photo op” for the president. Under President Joe Biden, the military has been forced to undertake a haphazard and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan that senior Pentagon leaders did not agree with. And Biden was widely criticized last week for giving a deeply political speech attacking Trump’s supporters while two Marine guards stood behind him. The officials stressed that the military leadership must accept orders even when they disagree with them, but said the orders must be legal. “Regardless of the process, it is the responsibility of senior military and civilian leaders to ensure that any order they receive from the president is legal.” The statement was signed by defense chiefs under both Democratic and Republican administrations, including Robert Gates, Leon Panetta, Mark Esper and James Mattis. The latter two served under Trump and were both fired after they clashed with the president. View the full article

Published by Reuters (In Sept 1 story, corrects paragraphs 19-20 to show that quote reflects the words of Trump lawyer Trusty, not Trump lawyer Kise) By Francisco Alvarado and Sarah N. Lynch WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) -A federal judge on Thursday appeared sympathetic to former President Donald Trump’s request to appoint a special master to review the documents the FBI seized from his home in August, though she declined to issue a ruling immediately on the matter. At a hearing in West Palm Beach, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon pressed the Justice Department on why it opposes the appointment of a special master – an independent third party sometimes appointed by a court in sensitive cases to review materials potentially covered by attorney-client privilege to ensure investigators do not improperly view them. “Ultimately, what is the harm of appointing a special master to review these materials?” asked Cannon, a Trump appointee. “What I’m wondering from the government – what is the harm beyond delaying the investigation?” She also suggested that she could feasibly carve out an exception which would permit U.S. intelligence officials to continue conducting their national security damage assessment pending the appointment of the special master before the criminal probe can continue. “Would your position change if the special master were allowed to proceed without affecting the [Office of the Director of National Intelligence] review for intelligence purposes, but pausing any use of the documents in a criminal investigation?” she asked federal prosecutors. “It would not change,” said Julie Edelstein, the department’s deputy head of counterintelligence. “There is no role for the special master.” Thursday’s hearing came less than two days after prosecutors laid out fresh details about their ongoing criminal investigation into whether Trump illegally retained government records and sought to obstruct the government’s probe by concealing some of them from the FBI. In their filing, prosecutors revealed that Trump’s representatives falsely certified that a thorough search had been conducted and all government records had been returned to the government. The certification was made on June 3, when three FBI agents and a top Justice Department official traveled to Mar-a-Lago following the issuance of a grand jury subpoena to retrieve all remaining records. During that visit, prosecutors said Trump’s lawyers never claimed he had declassified any of the materials, and they handed over 38 pages marked as classified inside a double-taped envelope. However, his attorney at the same time also prohibited government investigators from opening or looking inside some of the boxes that Trump kept inside one of his storage rooms, they said. The department ultimately decided to seek court approval for a search warrant, after the FBI developed evidence of possible obstruction. “The government developed evidence that a search limited to the storage room would not have uncovered all the classified documents at the premises,” prosecutors said. “The government also developed evidence that government records were likely concealed and removed from the storage room and that efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government’s investigation.” The FBI ultimately searched Trump’s home on Aug. 8, and recovered more than 33 boxes and other items, including more than 100 pages marked as classified. Cannon said on Thursday she would unseal a more detailed inventory of the property the FBI seized from Trump’s home following its unprecedented search, after media outlets filed a motion with the court to make it public. EXECUTIVE PRIVILIGE Trump’s newest attorney, former Florida Solicitor General Chris Kise, made his first appearance in the case on Thursday and presented some of Trump’s arguments to the judge. On Thursday, Kise and Trump’s other attorney James Trusty told Cannon that the former president wants to protect materials that were subject to a legal doctrine known as executive privilege, which can shield some presidential communications. “The problem is, we haven’t had access to the actual materials,” Trusty told her. But the Justice Department has argued that such a claim is illogical, and that no special master is needed in the case. “He is no longer the president,” said Jay Bratt, the department’s head of counterintelligence. “And because he is no longer president, he did not have a right to take those documents. He was unlawfully in possession of them.” Typically, a special master is appointed in cases involving the searches of the homes or offices of attorneys, where some of the materials could be covered by attorney-client privilege. A special master was appointed, for instance, after the FBI searched the homes and offices of Trump’s former lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Michael Cohen. But some legal experts, along with the Justice Department, have argued a special master makes no sense here because a former president cannot shield executive branch records from the executive branch itself, as Trump is attempting. In addition, Trump waited so long to make his request that the department’s filter team, a group of agents who are not part of the investigation, have already reviewed the materials, and determined only a limited number may be covered by attorney-client privilege. At Thursday’s hearing, Edelstein told Cannon that any ruling to appoint a special master would be unprecedented, noting it has never been used in this way. “Well, there has never been a seizure of this magnitude with a former president,” Cannon replied. “I am not sure it is as cut and dry as you suggest.” (Reporting by Francisco Alvarado in West Palm Beach, Fla., and Sarah N. Lynch in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Matthew Lewis and Richard Pullin) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Florence Pugh‘s stylist is adding to the never-ending drama centered around the Don’t Worry Darling cast and their director Olivia Wilde. While the 26-year-old actress has remained quiet about her feud with Wilde, Rebecca Corbin-Murray wasted no time throwing not-so-subtle jabs Olivia’s way. Radarhas learned that Pugh’s stylist flew to Italy with the star over the weekend to dress her in couture for the Don’t Worry Darling press tour at the Venice Film Festival. The actress and director’s rivalry was on full display when they hit the red carpet on Monday. In photos obtained by RadarOnline.com, Pugh and Wilde were always separated by one cast member in photo opts, never choosing to stand together and squash the beef. Mega That’s where Rebecca came in. Taking a shot at the film’s director, Pugh’s stylist addressed the public feud. Posting a behind-the-scenes shot in the actress’ hotel room, Rebecca captioned the photo with two simple words: “Miss Flo.” Wilde coined her leading lady with that nickname in the audio she sent Shia LaBeouf, in which she begged him to come back to the project after he quit. LaBeouf has since leaked that recording. Mega Wilde started an all-out war with LaBeouf when she claimed that she replaced himwith her real-life boyfriend Harry Styles due to his “combative energy” on the set. She also claimed LaBeouf’s “process was not conducive to the ethos that [she] demands in [her] productions.” The actor shot back, and he brought receipts. “I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo,” Wilde could be heard saying in the leaked audio. “If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace.” As for Wilde’s beef with Pugh, RadarOnline.com discovered the actress took issue with how Olivia conducted herself on the Don’t Worry Darling set. Mega Pugh grew angry and bitter towards Wilde for frequently disappearing with the movie’s leading man, aka her much-younger boyfriend. Her romance with Styles was “pretty obvious,” with the pair being hard to find in between shooting, according to Puck News. “Pugh, in particular, was angered by the absences, according to these sources, and one source personally witnessed a tense conversation about this issue between the two,” the outlet reported. However, the women aren’t the only ones beefing with co-stars. Styles sparked drama when he appeared to spit on Chris Pine. View the full article

Published by AFP A medical worker prepares the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine booster to be given to children 12-15 years old at a hospital in Hartford, Connecticut Washington (AFP) – Barring the emergence of drastically different variants, Covid boosters will likely be recommended annually in a similar manner to influenza vaccines, US health officials said Tuesday. The announcement came after the Food and Drug Administration last week authorized updated bivalent shots against both the original strain of the coronavirus and the BA.4 and BA.5 lineages of the Omicron variant, which are predominant. “We likely are moving towards a path with a vaccination cadence similar to that of the annual influenza vaccine, with annual updated Covid-19 shots matched to the currently circulating strains,” President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci told reporters. However, the elderly and immunocompromised may require more frequent shots — and the annual strategy would have to be reviewed in case of a “curveball” such as a dangerous new variant that differs dramatically from predictions. Ashish Jha, the White House Covid coordinator, added the message was “simple” — if you are 12 or older, and have been previously vaccinated, now is the time to get boosted. If you were recently infected or vaccinated, “it’s reasonable to wait a few months,” he added. People can get their Covid booster at the same time as the flu booster, he said. “I really believe this is why God gave us two arms, one for the flu shot and the other one for the Covid shot.” Officials expect millions of people to receive their bivalent boosters, made by Pfizer and Moderna, in the month of September, and are focused especially on people aged 50 and up. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walenksky said projections showed that uptake of Covid boosters at rates similar to annual flu coverage could prevent as many as 100,000 hospitalizations and 9,000 deaths. The updated vaccines were recommended by the CDC last week on the basis of favorable animal data, which showed they produced a greater immune response and lowered levels of the virus in the lungs, compared to older shots. The Omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5 lineages comprise 99 percent of circulating coronavirus in the United States and are predicted to continue to dominate this fall and winter. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Echo Wang and Helen Coster (Reuters) -The blank-check acquisition firm that agreed to merge with former U.S. President Donald Trump’s social media company failed on Tuesday to secure enough shareholder support for a one-year extension to complete the deal. At stake is a $1.3 billion cash infusion that Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which operates the Truth Social app, stands to receive from Digital World Acquisition Corp, the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that inked a deal in October to take TMTG public. The transaction has been on ice amid civil and criminal probes into the circumstances around the deal. Digital World had been hoping that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which is reviewing its disclosures on the deal, would have given its blessing by now. Digital World Chief Executive Patrick Orlando told a special meeting of his shareholders on Tuesday he would push back to noon on Thursday the deadline for the vote on extending the life of the SPAC by 12 months. Digital World needs 65% of its shareholders to vote in favor of the proposal, but the support as of late Monday fell far short, Reuters reported. Digital World did not disclose the margin on Tuesday. Digital World shares fell 17% to $20.74 in New York early Tuesday afternoon. Digital World is set to liquidate on Thursday and return the money raised in its September 2021 initial public offering to shareholders unless action is taken. Digital World shareholders had been given more than two weeks to vote on the SPAC’s extension and it is unclear if two additional days would make a difference. Most Digital World shareholders are individuals and getting them to vote through their brokers has been challenging, Orlando said last week. If Digital World fails to get enough shareholder support, its management has the right to unilaterally extend the life of the SPAC by up to six months. It is unclear whether Digital World would pursue this option and if it would provide regulators enough time to conclude whether to allow the deal to proceed. TMTG representatives did not respond to a request for comment. Trump appeared to manage expectations for the deal with a post over the weekend on Truth Social: “I don’t need financing, ‘I’m really rich!’ Private company anyone???” Digital World has disclosed that the SEC, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and federal prosecutors have been investigating the deal with TMTG, though the exact scope of the probes is unclear. The information sought by regulators includes Digital World documents on due diligence of potential targets other than TMTG, relationships between Digital World and other entities, meetings of Digital World’s board, policies and procedures relating to trading, and the identities of certain investors, Digital World has said. PIPE AT RISK If the deal is completed, TMTG would receive $293 million that Digital World has on hand plus $1 billion committed from a group of investors in the form of a private investment in public equity (PIPE). The PIPE is scheduled to expire on Sept. 20 unless the deal is completed. Investment bankers for Digital World have been reaching out to investors in the last few weeks to gauge their interest in extending the PIPE, a person familiar with the matter said. It is unclear how TMTG is getting by without access to Digital World’s funding. It raised $22.6 million through convertible promissory notes last year and another $15.4 million through bridge financing in the first quarter. The agreement with Digital World caps the indebtedness that TMTG can assume prior to the deal closing at $50 million. Digital World has said it believes TMTG will have “sufficient funds” until April 2023. TMTG said last week that Truth Social is “on strong financial footing” and would begin running advertisements soon. Trump started using Truth Social in April, two months after it launched on Apple Inc’s app store. He has more than 4 million followers – a fraction of the 89 million he had on Twitter Inc before he was banned over his role in the January 2021 U.S. Capitol riots by thousands of his supporters. (Reporting by Echo Wang and Helen Coster in New York; Editing by Richard Chang) View the full article