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Fran Drescher says actors strike she’s leading is an ‘inflection point’ that goes beyond Hollywood

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:25 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fran Drescher believes that the walkouts that have shut down Hollywood are about something much bigger than the actors union she leads, or the writers striking alongside them, or the entertainment industry.Drescher told The Associated Press the moment is about the entire world of work, and a larger stand against corporate leaders who value shareholders over the people who create their product.“At some point you have to say no more,” Drescher, the former “Nanny” star who is now president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, said in an interview at the union’s headquarters Wednesday. “I think that it’s taken on a bigger scope, it’s greater than the sum of its parts. I think it’s a conversation now about the culture of big business, and how it treats everybody up and down the ladder in the name of profit.”Drescher, 65, has been president of the actors guild since September of 2021, when she defeated “Stranger Things” a...

Judge orders new trial in 1993 murder, but discredits theory that prison escapee was the killer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:25 GMT

A judge has ordered new trials for two men convicted of murdering a woman in 1993 inside her home near Buffalo, New York, but who have always maintained their innocence.Additional DNA analysis and the fact that the original prosecutors withheld evidence that could’ve helped the defense means the convictions of Brian Scott Lorenz and James Pugh should be overturned, the judge ruled Wednesday.However, Erie County state Supreme Court Justice Paul Wojtaszek did not credit a sensational claim made during a reexamination of the case: that the real killer was Richard Matt, a convicted murderer who escaped from an upstate New York prison in 2015 and was fatally shot by a federal agent.Deborah Meindl, 33-year-old a nursing student and mother of two, was stabbed dozens of times and strangled inside her home in Tonawanda.Her husband Donald Meindl, who had a $50,000 life insurance policy on his wife and who was carrying on a relationship with a 17-year-old employee at the Taco Bell he man...

Police arrest two men in suspected torching of British pub cherished for its lopsided walls

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:25 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Two men were arrested Thursday on suspicion of torching an historic British pub in central England that was famous for its lopsided walls and sagging foundation, police said.The suspects were being questioned by Staffordshire Police about the Aug. 5 blaze that gutted the 18th century Crooked House pub in the village of Himley, 110 miles (180 kilometers) northwest of London.Locals mourning the loss of the tavern, which had recently been sold, were doubly devastated when it’s charred skeletal remains were bulldozed two days later before the cause of the fire had been determined and before local authorities had granted permission to demolish it.Fans of the pub dubbed “Britain’s wonkiest” for its slumping foundation and sloping walls had hoped it would be restored and many are now pushing for it to be rebuilt brick by brick.A 66-year-old man from Dudley, and 33-year-old from Milton Keynes were arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, police said.T...

Nigeria’s unemployment rate falls to 4.1%, using new methodology. Analysts say it’s an undercount

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:25 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s statistics agency on Thursday reported the country’s unemployment rate as 4.1%, the lowest in many years, but one analysts said was an undercount because of the agency’s new methodology.The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) now classifies the employed in Nigeria as those working for at least one hour a week, as against the 20-hour-a-week parameter it had been using.In its new labor force report, the bureau said about three in four working-age Nigerians aged at least 15 were employed in the first quarter of 2023.Analysts said the unemployment statistics with the updated methodology do not reflect the true number of jobless people in Africa’s most populous country, where many have lost their jobs as a result of surging inflation and where the government has struggled to create enough jobs.The true unemployment rate in Nigeria might be more than the 33% recorded in 2020 when the NBS last released the labor data, said Akintunde Ogunsola, an Abuja-...

India’s Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agree on efforts to de-escalate border tensions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:25 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s prime minister and China’s leader agreed Thursday to intensify efforts to de-escalate tensions at the disputed border between them and bring home thousands of their troops deployed there, according to an official from India’s foreign ministry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of a Johannesburg summit where the BRICS bloc of developing economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — invited six other countries to join the group, including Saudi Arabia and Iran. ,India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra told Indian reporters that Modi, in an impromptu meeting with Xi, highlighted India’s concerns about their unresolved border issues. The disputed boundary has led to a three-year standoff between tens of thousands of Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Ladakh area. A clash three years ago in the region killed 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese.Kwatra said the two leaders agreed to inten...

Sex offender arrested at school's festival in Northwest Indiana

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:25 GMT

GRIFFITH, Ind. — A registered sex offender was arrested while at a Catholic school's annual festival in Northwest Indiana.On Aug. 17, a Griffith police officer noticed Scott Porta, 55, and contacted another officer working part time security at St. Mary's Western Days Festival, which is a Catholic school celebrating its 50th anniversary running the fest.The officer recognized Porta, who is a registered sex offender, from past contacts with him.Porta, who is barred from entering any school grounds, was located in the beer garden, according to court records. Man accused of spraying possible bodily fluid on woman at Northwest Indiana Walmart In 2002, he was convicted of child solicitation of a 12-year-old.Porta was arrested and charged with serious sex offender on school property.He pleaded not guilty on Monday.

Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato all rumored to be parting ways with manager Scooter Braun: What to know

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:25 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Scooter Braun is one of the most recognizable names in the music business for his singular work as an executive and entrepreneur. He’s managed many of your favorite artists, propelling the likes of Justin Bieber to stratospheric fame, and earned the ire of Taylor Swift and her legions of fans for his business practices.On Friday, rumors circulated online that Justin Bieber was leaving Braun, his longtime manager — and the man credited with discovering him. In the days that followed, speculation grew, and media outlets began reporting that some of Braun’s other hype-profile clients like Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato were also parting ways with him — all of which has yet to be confirmed.Braun hasn’t issued a public statement, but did tweet in jest, writing “Breaking news… I’m no longer managing myself.”As the story continues to unfold, here’s everything we know — and everything we don’t — about what's going with Scooter Braun and his powerful client roster.Who has ...

ERCOT asks Texans to conserve power Thursday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a Conservation Appeal from 3 – 10 p.m. Thursday due to extreme temperatures, continued near-record demand, and forecasted low wind-power generation. Understanding ERCOT’s emergency alert levels "Due to low wind-power generation and high demand, operating reserves for ERCOT are expected to be low for several hours this afternoon into the evening," the utility said.ERCOT requested Texans conserve electricity use, if safe to do so. This is a voluntary request.The utility said it set a new, all-time, unofficial peak demand record of 85,435 MW on Aug. 10, 2023. In 2022, ERCOT said the August peak demand was 78,465 MW.ERCOT alert levelsConservation Alert: This is a voluntary request to reduce electrical use, ERCOT said. While ERCOT said it is not in emergency operations, it asks the public and “all government agencies to implement all programs to reduce energy use at their facilities.”Energy Emergency Level 1:...

Bat Fest returns to Austin for 17th annual event

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The 17th annual Bat Fest in downtown Austin begins at 4 p.m. Saturday, according to event organizers.The venue for the event is the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge and the Austin American Statesman parking lot.Regular GA advance admission is $35, and VIP tickets are being sold for $300. GA tickets will also be sold at the gate for $40 cash.Announced performers include:Flo RidaMike RyanThat Mexican OTGeorge BirgeMike JonesTim DuggerAlien Ant FarmLil FlipBaxleyParker RyanChris CastanedaDJ GripOrganizers said there would be two stages of live music.The Congress Bridge North Stage, at the north end of the bridge, will operate from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., and the Austin American Statesman Stage, found at the parking lot adjacent to the bridge, will operate from 4 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.More information about the event can be found here.

Trump is set to surrender at a Georgia jail on 2020 election charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:25 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump is set to turn himself in Thursday to authorities in Georgia on charges that he illegally schemed to overturn the 2020 election in that state, a county jail booking expected to yield a historic first: a mug shot of a former American president.Trump's surrender, coming amid an abrupt shake-up of his legal team, follows the presidential debate in Milwaukee the night before featuring his leading rivals for the 2024 Republican nomination — a contest in which he remains the leading candidate despite broad legal troubles. His presence in Georgia, though likely brief, is swiping the spotlight anew from his opponents after the debate in which they sought to seize on his absence to elevate their own presidential prospects.The Fulton County prosecution is the fourth criminal case against Trump since March, when he became the first former president in U.S. history to be indicted. Since then, he's faced federal charges in Florida an...