‘We Are Who We Are’ Director Luca Guadagnino Knows a Cure for Melancholy
FILMMAKERS KNOW the power of a close-up, and Luca Guadagnino has created iconic ones: lovelorn Timothée Chalamet at the end of the 2017 film “Call Me By Your Name” comes to mind, or a blue-eyed Tilda Swinton in a climactic moment in 2015’s “A Bigger Splash.” When the 49-year-old director appears up close himself via a Zoom call from Spain, he seems ebullient and astute, despite lop-sided glasses (“Ahh, I broke them this week!”) and an intense day of activities as the president of the San Sebastián Film Festival jury.
Source:Wall Street Journal
October 22, 2020 16:18 UTC
After police social media scandal, Santa Clara County D.A. will drop charges in 14 cases
The move, announced Thursday, demonstrates a growing push among law enforcement leaders and community advocates to demonstrate consequences for officers who misuse social media, an increasing problem in California and other states. In June, posts made in a law enforcement group on social media were leaked by an anonymous source claiming to be the spouse of a Bay Area officer. AdvertisementNationwide, law enforcement members have come under scrutiny — and landed in trouble — for their actions on social media. That has prompted police leaders to push officers to pause and think about consequences and interpretations before they post — though, legally, departments cannot ban officers from engaging on social media. In San Jose, the incident has emboldened those calling to defund police.
Source:Los Angeles Times
October 22, 2020 16:16 UTC
Santa Claus won't be coming to Macy's this year
Santa Claus won't be coming to Macy's this year Macy’s said Santa Claus won’t be greeting kids at its flagship New York store this year due to the coronavirus, interrupting a holiday tradition started nearly 160 years agoNEW YORK -- Macy's said Santa Claus won't be greeting kids at its flagship New York store this year due to the coronavirus, interrupting a holiday tradition started nearly 160 years ago. Santa also won't be showing up at its Chicago and San Francisco stores, which have similar Santalands. Macy's has been using Santa Claus to draw crowds to its New York store since the early 1860s, calling itself “The Home of Santa Claus" for decades. And Macy’s had a starring role in the 1947 film “Miracle on 34th Street,” where a girl discovers the real Santa inside the store. “Moving to a virtual engagement will safely bring the magic of Santa Claus to children of all ages this year," Macy's said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Source:ABC News
October 22, 2020 16:08 UTC
Oklahoma men accused of cannibalism castrated willing man in remote cabin, police say
The victim told authorities he met Gates and Allen, who claimed to have 15 years of experience performing gender reassignment surgeries, through a website. A day after the castration, Allen took the victim to the hospital because the man was bleeding, the report said. On the way to seek medical help, Allen threatened to dump the injured man into the woods if he passed out, the victim told police. Once at the hospital, the victim told doctors the men “tried to get him to participate in cannibalism,” the affidavit said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPBail for each of the men was set at $295,000, the newspaper reported.
Source:Fox News
October 22, 2020 16:07 UTC
In Xi Jinping’s China, Nationalism Takes a Dark Turn
The wave of nationalism sweeping through China, amplified by party propaganda, the political ambitions of Xi Jinping and the country’s success in containing Covid-19, is taking a darker turn, with echoes of the country’s Maoist past. Angry mobs online have swarmed any criticism of China’s leaders or a perceived lack of loyalty to the country. Targets are being harassed and silenced. Some have lost their jobs.
Source:Wall Street Journal
October 22, 2020 16:07 UTC
Democratic turnout advantage in pre-election vote narrows in key states
(CNN) Democrats continue to maintain their lead over Republicans in pre-Election Day ballots cast in the battleground states of North Carolina and Florida, but that gap is narrowing as in-person early voting ramps up. In North Carolina, the margin between Democrats and Republicans who have already cast their ballot has been cut in half since last Monday, according to the most recent party data from Catalist, a company that provides data, analytics and other services to Democrats, academics and nonprofit issue-advocacy organizations. The data shows Democrats led Republicans in ballots cast in the Tar Heel State by 32 percentage points (50%-18%) at the beginning of last week, but that margin has narrowed to just 16 points (43%-27%). This is not predictive of an ultimate outcome, as polls suggest Democrats across the country are more likely to vote prior to Election Day than Republicans. In-person early voting began in North Carolina on October 15 and, so far, there is a big difference between who is voting by mail and who is voting in person.
Source:CNN
October 22, 2020 16:07 UTC
Pelosi shuts down reporter asking question on Joe Biden's 'corruption'
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday refused to address allegations of "corruption" against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and quickly shut down a question from a reporter on the topic. A journalist at Pelosi's weekly news conference at the Capitol asked the California Democrat about "serious allegations of corruption involving Joe Biden." But Pelosi cut off the reporter, identified as the Washington Examiner's Kerry Picket, before she could finish, saying: “I’m sorry, I’m not answering your question." The paper revealed that Rudy Giuliani provided them with emails allegedly belonging to Hunter Biden. SENATE HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE INVESTIGATING HUNTER BIDEN EMAILS"The Attorney General of Delaware's office indicated that the FBI has 'ongoing investigations regarding the veracity of this entire story.'
Source:Fox News
October 22, 2020 16:04 UTC
Seattle, Portland, New York sue over Trump's 'anarchy' label
Seattle, Portland, New York sue over Trump's 'anarchy' label New York, Seattle and Portland — three cities recently labeled “anarchist jurisdictions” by the U.S. Justice Department — are suing to to invalidate the designation and to fight off the Trump administration’s efforts to withhold federal dollarsSEATTLE -- New York, Seattle and Portland — three cities recently labeled “anarchist jurisdictions” by the U.S. Justice Department — filed a lawsuit Thursday to invalidate the designation and fight off the Trump administration's efforts to withhold federal dollars. “The Trump administration’s political threats against Seattle and other Democratic cities are unlawful and an abuse of federal power," Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said in a news release announcing the federal lawsuit. The Justice Department last month identified New York City, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle as three cities that could have federal funding slashed. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, argues that unless Congress says otherwise, the president can’t add conditions to money Congress has appropriated. “They’ve actually taken this anarchist designation and started to include it in applications for federal grants,” Johnson said.
Source:ABC News
October 22, 2020 15:57 UTC
What’s Going On in This Graph? | Oct. 28, 2020
Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021. This graph shows the ages of presidents and prime ministers of 36 democratic nations while they were in office. By Friday morning, Oct. 30, we will reveal the graph’s free online link, additional background and questions, shout-outs for great student headlines, and Stat Nuggets. After looking closely at the graph above (or at this full-size image), answer these four questions:What do you notice? What’s going on in this graph?
Source:New York Times
October 22, 2020 15:56 UTC
How to watch tonight's presidential debate
Washington (CNN) Less than two weeks from Election Day, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are scheduled to appear onstage for the final general election presidential debate of 2020. Thursday's televised event may be the last opportunity for both candidates to reach a massive national audience before November 3. The virtual format was put forward after Trump tested positive for coronavirus and spent three days hospitalized. Here's everything you need to know about the final debate, which is taking place in-person in Nashville, Tennessee. What time is the debate?
Source:CNN
October 22, 2020 15:56 UTC
US considering declaring major human rights organizations are anti-Semitic
Washington (CNN) The US State Department is considering declaring that several widely respected human rights organizations are anti-Semitic, according to multiple sources who have been made aware of the conversations. The organizations include Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam with sources telling CNN that many diplomats believe a declaration would be dangerous and undercut US policy on countries such as China, Cuba or Venezuela where the Trump administration has joined with these groups, and relied on their work, to call out human rights abuses. This week, through informal channels, a State Department official asked some of the human rights groups to clarify their position on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, according to sources familiar with the discussions. Human Rights Watch has urged businesses, on human rights grounds, to suspend activity in Israeli settlements in the West Bank because they are illegal under international law, but they have never taken a position for or against the BDS movement. Similarly Oxfam opposes trade with those Israeli settlements but does not fund or support any activities calling for a boycott, divestment or sanctions.
Source:CNN
October 22, 2020 15:56 UTC
Scientists have found a rare half-male, half-female songbird
Researchers have discovered a rare songbird that is male on one side of its body, and female on the other. "Everyone here, I mean the whole crew, was just so excited," Annie Lindsay, the nature reserve's bird banding program manager, told CNN. This songbird is the fifth half-male, half-female bird to be discovered by the nature reserve. Male and female Grosbeaks are distinguished by their color: males have pink "wing pits," while females are yellow-brown. Lindsay was able to take feather samples of this songbird, which the nature reserve plans to use for a genetic analysis to see what else they can find out about it.
Source:CNN
October 22, 2020 15:45 UTC
Sandra Oh celebrates Asian culture in film 'Over the Moon'
Sandra Oh celebrates Asian culture in film 'Over the Moon' Sandra Oh’s role in the new animated feature “Over the Moon” may not be her largest but it has deep meaningNEW YORK -- Sandra Oh’s role in the new animated feature “Over the Moon” may not be her largest, but it has deep meaning. The story is set in China and Oh voices the stepmother of a girl named Fei Fei, grieving after the loss of her mother. The Golden Globe-winning actor says she was drawn to the role because Fei Fei is a smart, intrepid female in a complex family situation, in a story that celebrates Asian culture. One being in some ways the foil or the obstacle for the main character of Fei Fei because she doesn’t want her life to change. We don’t really talk about it that much and we don’t really see it...
Source:ABC News
October 22, 2020 15:45 UTC
Trump’s increasingly brazen pleas for a manufactured October Surprise
So to recap, Trump wants dirt on each of arguably the three most high-profile Democrats of the past decade, including both his presidential predecessor and his 2016 and 2020 electoral opponents. It was evident from Trump’s plea two weeks ago that he wanted something to work with by Election Day. ADOf course, it’s pretty evident that is not really Trump’s goal. If the FBI and Justice Department did it in 2016, Trump and his supporters might reason, why not now? I would argue it’s a near carbon copy of what we saw with the Ukraine scandal that led to Trump’s impeachment.
Source:Washington Post
October 22, 2020 15:41 UTC