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Disney CEO Bob Iger says ‘No. 1 priority’ is turning around Marvel, acknowledges ‘too many sequels’ after box office misses

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

(CNN) — Disney chief executive Bob Iger said Wednesday that his number one priority for the entertainment giant is turning around the creative engine at Marvel Studios, the production house once known for cranking out billion-dollar blockbusters that has recently seen several box office misses.“Quality needs attention to deliver quality, it doesn’t happen by accident,” Iger said. “And quantity, in our case, diluted quality — and Marvel has suffered greatly from that.”“I would say right now my number one priority is to help the studio turn around creatively,” he added.Iger, speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin at The New York Times’ annual DealBook summit, acknowledged that Disney had “diluted” the caliber of films produced by Marvel.The company, he added, had “made too many” film sequels that had not been well received by audiences or critics. “There has to be a good reason to make them,” Iger said.“Often, the story is not a...

GOP Rep. George Santos refuses to resign and warns his expulsion from Congress would set a precedent

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A defiant Rep. George Santos is refusing to resign and warned on Thursday that his expulsion from Congress before being convicted in a court of law would establish a precedent that “is going to be the undoing of a lot of members of this body.”The first-term Republican congressman from New York could well become just the sixth member of Congress to have been expelled by colleagues. Republicans and Democrats have offered resolutions to remove him, and the House is expected to vote on one of them Friday.While Santos survived two earlier expulsion efforts, a critical House Ethics Committee report released on Nov. 16 has convinced more members that his actions merit the House’s most severe punishment.Santos preempted the vote with a press conference just outside the Capitol early Thursday. He noted that, of the previous expulsions, three were for disloyalty to the Union during the Civil War and two were for lawmakers who had been convicted in federal court. In sho...

Appeals court reinstates gag order that barred Trump from maligning court staff in NY fraud trial

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York appeals court Thursday reinstated a gag order that barred Donald Trump from commenting about court personnel after he disparaged a law clerk in his New York civil fraud trial.The decision from a four-judge panel came two weeks after an individual appellate judge had put the order on hold while the appeals process played out.There was no immediate comment from Trump’s lawyers.The trial judge, Arthur Engoron, imposed the gag order Oct. 3 after Trump posted a derogatory comment about the judge’s law clerk to social media. The post, which included a baseless allegation about the clerk’s personal life, came the second day of the trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit.James alleges Trump exaggerated his wealth on financial statements used to secure loans and make deals. Trump denies any wrongdoing. The former president, the front-runner for the Republican 2024 presidential nomination, contends the lawsuit is a political attack by J...

Global deal to phase out fossil fuels is in trouble

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A global deal on ending the use of fossil fuels was mired in division as U.N. climate talks opened on Thursday in Dubai, with major polluters and the oil-rich host country signaling they weren’t on board.Deciding how to describe the shift away from coal, oil and gas — the primary drivers of climate change — is one of the top political issues at this year’s talks known as COP28. The debate largely fixates on whether to phase those fuels “out” versus “down,” whether the word choice makes a practical difference, and whether nations should set deadlines for ditching their polluting energy sources. Some take the argument a step further: Does a phaseout mean eliminating all fossil fuels, or just those whose planet-warming pollution isn’t being captured before it hits the atmosphere?The European Union and an alliance of vulnerable countries have staked the success of the conference on a deal to “phase out” fossil fuels, ending centuries of reliance o...

Spending Bill Deal Reached, Dem Budget Chiefs Say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

House and Senate Democrats said Thursday they agreed to a deal on a long-overdue spending bill after their weeks of inaction fueled a political maelstrom.Ways and Means Committee Chairs Rep. Aaron Michlewitz and Sen. Michael Rodrigues announced just after 10:30 a.m. they “reached an agreement on the supplemental budget to close the books on Fiscal Year 2023,” which ended June 30.As has become their custom when announcing agreements, they did not provide any details about what the compromise bill will include or whether it will feature the $250 million both branches initially approved for the emergency shelter system, which drew opposition from Republicans who pushed unsuccessfully to reform the state’s response to an influx of migrants.The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation reported Wednesday that 99 percent of the spending in the two nearly $3 billion bills overlaps.“On behalf of our fellow conferees, we’re pleased to announce that we’ve reached an agreement...

‘Chemical incident’ at facility leaves worker injured in Nashua, NH

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

Authorities in New Hampshire say a worker was taken to a hospital following a “chemical incident” in Nashua early Thursday morning.The Nashua Fire Rescue Department said the incident was first reported around 6:25 a.m., when emergency crews and HazMat team members were called to a facility on E. Spit Brook Road. Officials noted at the time that there was “no threat outside the facility” as they continued their response.According to the fire chief, the situation was under control by 7:30 a.m., with one worker at the facility taken to a hospital. Details on their condition have not yet been released.The chief added that both the Nashua Fire Marshal’s Office and officials with OSHA were investigating the matter.https://twitter.com/nashuafire/status/1730197687411073024

New York appeals court reinstates gag order against Donald Trump in civil fraud trial

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

New York (CNN) — A New York appellate court has reinstated a gag order prohibiting former President Donald Trump from making public statements about the court staff in the ongoing civil fraud trial.Judge Arthur Engoron had originally issued the order barring Trump from making public statements about the court staff after numerous comments about his clerk, who Trump says is biased against him.Hundreds of threats against Engoron and a law clerk were made public last week. Engoron’s clerk has received 20-30 calls per day to her personal cell phone and 30-50 messages daily on social media platforms and two personal email addresses, according to court papers.The appeals court paused the gag order earlier this month, but on Thursday said it should be restored.“Now, upon reading and filing the papers with respect to the motion, and due deliberation having been had thereon, It is ordered that the motion is denied; the interim relief granted by order of a Justice of this Court...

4 people charged in Kowloon Restaurant brawl, 1 for using a glass bottle: Saugus Police

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

More than a week after the infamous Thanksgiving Eve brawl at the iconic Kowloon Restaurant on Route 1 in Saugus, four people have been charged in connection to the chaotic fight.One of the individuals charged in the brawl is accused of using a glass bottle in the mayhem. The fight turned bloody, according to videos that went viral on social media.Saugus Police announced on Thursday that it’s charging these four people in connection with the brawl:32-year old Rosaria Sophia McCauly of North Reading — two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (to wit glass bottle) and disorderly conduct.19-year-old Arnold John Carey Marujo of Somerville — procuring liquor to someone less than 21 and disorderly conduct.19-year-old Donovan Clark of Lynn — procuring liquor to someone less than 21, disorderly conduct and assault and battery.35-year-old Anthony John Micelli of North Reading — assault and battery and disorderly conduct.Related ArticlesCrime &am...

Anthony Fauci will testify before Congress on COVID origins and the US pandemic response

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

By FARNOUSH AMIRI (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Anthony Fauci, former chief White House medical adviser, is expected to testify before Congress early next year as part of Republicans’ yearslong investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and the U.S. response to the disease.Fauci, who served as the nation’s top infectious disease expert before retiring last year, will sit for transcribed interviews in early January and a public hearing at a later date. It will be his first appearance before the Republican-controlled House.The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic first requested a sit-down with Fauci in February, but an agreement over the timing and details of the interviews was just reached with Fauci’s attorneys earlier this month, according to a letter sent Thursday from the committee.“It is time for Dr. Fauci to confront the facts and address the numerous controversies that have arisen during and after the pandemic,” Rep. Brad Wenstrup, the GOP chairman of the com...

Greek author Vassilis Vassilikos, whose political novel inspired award-winning film ‘Z,’ dies at 89

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek novelist Vassilis Vassilikos, whose political book “Z” inspired the Academy Award-winning film of the same name, died Thursday in Athens at age 89.The best-known among the scores of books he wrote, “Z” was based on the murder of a left-leaning Greek member of Parliament by right-wingers in 1963. Published in 1966, it was translated into several languages but was banned in Greece by the right-wing dictatorship that ruled from 1967-74. It quickly became a symbol of resistance to the regime.The 1969 movie by Greek director Costa-Gavras won the Academy Award for best foreign language film.Vassilikos was born Nov. 18, 1934 in the northern town of Kavala, and studied law, as well as television directing. He was exiled by the military regime in 1967, and lived in Italy and France. From July 2019 to May 2023 he served as a member of Greece’s Parliament with the left-wing Syriza party.Culture Minister Lina Mendoni praised Vassilikos’ narrative skills a...