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  • Tornadoes kill 3 in Oklahoma as governor issues state of emergency for 12 counties amid storm damage

    Tornadoes kill 3 in Oklahoma as governor issues state of emergency for 12 counties amid storm damage

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    Tornadoes that tore across Oklahoma left a wide trail of destruction Sunday, leveling homes and buildings and knocking out power for tens of thousands of residents. At least three people were killed, including a child.Dozens of reported tornadoes have wreaked havoc in the nation’s midsection since Friday, with flood watches and warnings in effect Sunday for Oklahoma and other states — including Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas.In Oklahoma, a tornado ripped through Holdenville, a town of about 5,000 people, late Saturday, killing two people, and injuring four others, Hughes County Emergency Medical Services said in a statement Sunday. Another person was killed along Interstate 35 near the southern Oklahoma city of Marietta, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.In Holdenville, houses were demolished and road signs were bent to the ground in the community roughly 80 miles (129 kilometers) from Oklahoma City. The sound of chainsaws could be heard in the distance as workers began tackling the damage.Video below: Tornado spotted in Ashland, Nebraska”My prayers are with those who lost loved ones as tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma last night,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement.He issued an executive order Sunday declaring a state of emergency in 12 counties due to the fallout from the severe weather as crews worked to clear debris and assess damage from the severe storms that downed power lines. Later in the day, he planned to tour the southern Oklahoma city of Sulphur, where some buildings were reduced to piles of rubble.More than 30,000 customers were without power in Oklahoma as of midday Sunday, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks electric utility outages. In Texas, nearly 52,000 customers were without power.In Sulphur, authorities reported unspecified injuries along with significant destruction as the tornado began in a city park before tearing through Sulphur’s downtown area. Search and rescue operations were underway, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.Video below: Large tornado crossing interstate in NebraskaPhotos from local news media showed several leveled buildings and roofs ripped off of homes. The Murray County Sheriff’s Office urged people to stay away from the city to clear the way for first responders following extensive damage from tornadoes, according to a statement posted by the agency on Facebook.”Stay home and do not come to look,” the sheriff’s office said.A hospital was damaged in Marietta, according to the Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management, which also said that I-35 was closed at the border with Texas “due to overturned vehicles and powerlines across the highway.”Video below: Tornado seen near Lincoln, NebraskaResidents in other states were also digging out from storm damage. A tornado in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, demolished homes and businesses Saturday as it moved for miles through farmland and into subdivisions, then slammed an Iowa town.Dozens of reported tornadoes wreaked havoc Friday in the Midwest, causing a building to collapse with dozens of people inside and destroying and damaging at least 150 homes in Omaha alone. Fewer than two dozen people were treated at Omaha-area hospitals, said Dr. Lindsay Huse, health director of the city’s Douglas County Health Department.”Miraculous,” she said, stressing that none of the city’s injuries were serious. Neighboring communities reported a handful of injuries each.Video below: Sister station KCCI tracks large tornado in IowaThe tornado damage started Friday afternoon near Lincoln, Nebraska. An industrial building in Lancaster County was hit, causing it to collapse with 70 people inside. Several were trapped, but everyone was evacuated, and the three injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said.One or possibly two tornadoes then spent around an hour creeping toward Omaha, leaving behind damage consistent with an EF3 twister, with winds of 135 to 165 mph, said Chris Franks, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Omaha office.Ultimately the twister slammed into the Elkhorn neighborhood in western Omaha, a city of 485,000 people with a metropolitan-area population of about 1 million.Firefighters worked into the evening to make sure no one was trapped. By Saturday morning, the sounds of chainsaws filled the air there. Lumber from the damaged homes lay in piles. Fences were knocked over, and the trees were skeletal, missing most of their branches.Staci Roe surveyed the damage to what was supposed to be her “forever home,” which was not even two years old. When the tornado hit, they were at the airport picking up a friend who was supposed to spend the night.”There was no home to come to,” she said, describing “utter dread” when she saw it for the first time.Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds spent Saturday touring the damage and arranging for assistance for the damaged communities. Formal damage assessments are still underway, but the states plan to seek federal help.A second tornado then passed over Eppley Airfield on the eastern edge of Omaha, destroying four hanger buildings with 32 privately owned planes inside. No one was hurt, and the passenger terminal was not hit. The airport has resumed operations, although access to areas used by noncommercial pilots is limited so crew can clean up the mess, the airfield said in a news release.Video below: Downed trees and damaged power lines in Elkhorn, NebraskaAfter hitting the airport, the storm moved into Iowa, taking aim at the small town of Minden.Forty to 50 homes were completely destroyed. Two injuries were reported but none were life-threatening, said Jeff Theulen, chief deputy of the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, at a late Friday briefing.Even as the National Weather Service worked to evaluate the damage, the forecast for Saturday was ominous. It issued tornado watches for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa. Large hail also was possible. Some schools canceled proms because of the forecasts.“Tornadoes, perhaps significant tornadoes,” were possible Saturday afternoon and evening, said weather service meteorologist Bruce Thoren in Norman, Oklahoma.___Associated Press journalists Acacia Coronado in Austin, Texas, and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.

    Tornadoes that tore across Oklahoma left a wide trail of destruction Sunday, leveling homes and buildings and knocking out power for tens of thousands of residents. At least three people were killed, including a child.

    Dozens of reported tornadoes have wreaked havoc in the nation’s midsection since Friday, with flood watches and warnings in effect Sunday for Oklahoma and other states — including Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas.

    In Oklahoma, a tornado ripped through Holdenville, a town of about 5,000 people, late Saturday, killing two people, and injuring four others, Hughes County Emergency Medical Services said in a statement Sunday. Another person was killed along Interstate 35 near the southern Oklahoma city of Marietta, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

    In Holdenville, houses were demolished and road signs were bent to the ground in the community roughly 80 miles (129 kilometers) from Oklahoma City. The sound of chainsaws could be heard in the distance as workers began tackling the damage.

    Video below: Tornado spotted in Ashland, Nebraska

    “My prayers are with those who lost loved ones as tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma last night,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement.

    He issued an executive order Sunday declaring a state of emergency in 12 counties due to the fallout from the severe weather as crews worked to clear debris and assess damage from the severe storms that downed power lines. Later in the day, he planned to tour the southern Oklahoma city of Sulphur, where some buildings were reduced to piles of rubble.

    More than 30,000 customers were without power in Oklahoma as of midday Sunday, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks electric utility outages. In Texas, nearly 52,000 customers were without power.

    In Sulphur, authorities reported unspecified injuries along with significant destruction as the tornado began in a city park before tearing through Sulphur’s downtown area. Search and rescue operations were underway, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

    Video below: Large tornado crossing interstate in Nebraska

    Photos from local news media showed several leveled buildings and roofs ripped off of homes. The Murray County Sheriff’s Office urged people to stay away from the city to clear the way for first responders following extensive damage from tornadoes, according to a statement posted by the agency on Facebook.

    “Stay home and do not come to look,” the sheriff’s office said.

    A hospital was damaged in Marietta, according to the Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management, which also said that I-35 was closed at the border with Texas “due to overturned vehicles and powerlines across the highway.”

    Video below: Tornado seen near Lincoln, Nebraska

    Residents in other states were also digging out from storm damage. A tornado in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, demolished homes and businesses Saturday as it moved for miles through farmland and into subdivisions, then slammed an Iowa town.

    Dozens of reported tornadoes wreaked havoc Friday in the Midwest, causing a building to collapse with dozens of people inside and destroying and damaging at least 150 homes in Omaha alone.

    Fewer than two dozen people were treated at Omaha-area hospitals, said Dr. Lindsay Huse, health director of the city’s Douglas County Health Department.

    “Miraculous,” she said, stressing that none of the city’s injuries were serious. Neighboring communities reported a handful of injuries each.

    Video below: Sister station KCCI tracks large tornado in Iowa

    The tornado damage started Friday afternoon near Lincoln, Nebraska. An industrial building in Lancaster County was hit, causing it to collapse with 70 people inside. Several were trapped, but everyone was evacuated, and the three injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said.

    One or possibly two tornadoes then spent around an hour creeping toward Omaha, leaving behind damage consistent with an EF3 twister, with winds of 135 to 165 mph, said Chris Franks, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Omaha office.

    Ultimately the twister slammed into the Elkhorn neighborhood in western Omaha, a city of 485,000 people with a metropolitan-area population of about 1 million.

    Firefighters worked into the evening to make sure no one was trapped. By Saturday morning, the sounds of chainsaws filled the air there. Lumber from the damaged homes lay in piles. Fences were knocked over, and the trees were skeletal, missing most of their branches.

    Staci Roe surveyed the damage to what was supposed to be her “forever home,” which was not even two years old. When the tornado hit, they were at the airport picking up a friend who was supposed to spend the night.

    “There was no home to come to,” she said, describing “utter dread” when she saw it for the first time.

    Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds spent Saturday touring the damage and arranging for assistance for the damaged communities. Formal damage assessments are still underway, but the states plan to seek federal help.

    A second tornado then passed over Eppley Airfield on the eastern edge of Omaha, destroying four hanger buildings with 32 privately owned planes inside. No one was hurt, and the passenger terminal was not hit. The airport has resumed operations, although access to areas used by noncommercial pilots is limited so crew can clean up the mess, the airfield said in a news release.

    Video below: Downed trees and damaged power lines in Elkhorn, Nebraska

    After hitting the airport, the storm moved into Iowa, taking aim at the small town of Minden.

    Forty to 50 homes were completely destroyed. Two injuries were reported but none were life-threatening, said Jeff Theulen, chief deputy of the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, at a late Friday briefing.

    Even as the National Weather Service worked to evaluate the damage, the forecast for Saturday was ominous. It issued tornado watches for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa. Large hail also was possible. Some schools canceled proms because of the forecasts.

    “Tornadoes, perhaps significant tornadoes,” were possible Saturday afternoon and evening, said weather service meteorologist Bruce Thoren in Norman, Oklahoma.

    ___

    Associated Press journalists Acacia Coronado in Austin, Texas, and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.

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  • Oregon lodge famously featured in ‘The Shining’ will reopen to guests after fire forced evacuations

    Oregon lodge famously featured in ‘The Shining’ will reopen to guests after fire forced evacuations

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    Oregon’s historic Timberline Lodge, which featured in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film “The Shining,” will reopen to guests Sunday after a fire that prompted evacuations but caused only minimal damage.The lodge said Saturday in a Facebook post that it will support guests while repairs are being done, as well as work to ensure water quality. Historic preservation efforts are also underway.”There are challenges ahead but we are through the worst of it,” the hotel said. “First responder and Timberline staff efforts have been nothing short of remarkable during a very difficult time. This successful recovery is because of their dedication.”Embers from the lodge’s large stone fireplace apparently ignited the roof Thursday night, the lodge said. Guests and staff were evacuated as firefighters doused the flames, and no injuries were reported.Damage from the fire and the water used to extinguish it is “benign” and contained to certain areas, the lodge said.Its ski area reopened Saturday.Timberline Lodge was built in 1937, some 6,000 feet (1,828 meters) up the 11,249-foot (3,429-meter) Mount Hood, by the Works Progress Administration, a U.S. government program created to provide jobs during the Great Depression.It is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of Portland.Kubrick used the exterior of the lodge as a stand-in for the Overlook Hotel in “The Shining,” a psychological horror movie based on the 1977 Stephen King novel of the same name.

    GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. —

    Oregon’s historic Timberline Lodge, which featured in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film “The Shining,” will reopen to guests Sunday after a fire that prompted evacuations but caused only minimal damage.

    The lodge said Saturday in a Facebook post that it will support guests while repairs are being done, as well as work to ensure water quality. Historic preservation efforts are also underway.

    “There are challenges ahead but we are through the worst of it,” the hotel said. “First responder and Timberline staff efforts have been nothing short of remarkable during a very difficult time. This successful recovery is because of their dedication.”

    Embers from the lodge’s large stone fireplace apparently ignited the roof Thursday night, the lodge said. Guests and staff were evacuated as firefighters doused the flames, and no injuries were reported.

    Damage from the fire and the water used to extinguish it is “benign” and contained to certain areas, the lodge said.

    Its ski area reopened Saturday.

    Timberline Lodge was built in 1937, some 6,000 feet (1,828 meters) up the 11,249-foot (3,429-meter) Mount Hood, by the Works Progress Administration, a U.S. government program created to provide jobs during the Great Depression.

    It is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of Portland.

    Kubrick used the exterior of the lodge as a stand-in for the Overlook Hotel in “The Shining,” a psychological horror movie based on the 1977 Stephen King novel of the same name.

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  • Henry Cavill and girlfriend Natalie Viscuso ‘excited’ to welcome first baby together

    Henry Cavill and girlfriend Natalie Viscuso ‘excited’ to welcome first baby together

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    “Argyle” star Henry Cavill and his girlfriend Natalie Viscuso have announced they are expecting their first baby together.Cavill told “Access Hollywood” that he’s “very excited” about growing his family, revealing the news at the New York City premiere of “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.””I’m very excited about it. Natalie and I are both very excited about it. I’m sure you’ll see much more of that,” he said.Cavill and Viscuso, a television executive, have been dating for several years. They made their public debut on a red carpet in October 2022.The couple went Instagram official in April 2021, sharing identical pictures of themselves playing a game of chess together. Cavill called Viscuso “my beautiful and brilliant love Natalie.”Viscuso captioned hers, “teaching my dear Henry how to play some chess…or…maybe he let me win?”

    “Argyle” star Henry Cavill and his girlfriend Natalie Viscuso have announced they are expecting their first baby together.

    Cavill told “Access Hollywood” that he’s “very excited” about growing his family, revealing the news at the New York City premiere of “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.”

    “I’m very excited about it. Natalie and I are both very excited about it. I’m sure you’ll see much more of that,” he said.

    Cavill and Viscuso, a television executive, have been dating for several years. They made their public debut on a red carpet in October 2022.

    The couple went Instagram official in April 2021, sharing identical pictures of themselves playing a game of chess together. Cavill called Viscuso “my beautiful and brilliant love Natalie.”

    Viscuso captioned hers, “teaching my dear Henry how to play some chess…or…maybe he let me win?”

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  • 13-year-old girl who died saves her father’s life through kidney transplant

    13-year-old girl who died saves her father’s life through kidney transplant

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    Dhima Martin now asks why. Why did this happen to her daughter? “I was praying for a miracle in the hospital. Her life was a miracle. I love her. And I miss her every day, every moment,” Martin told sister station WPBF 25 News.Her 13-year-old daughter, Symaria Glenn, was healthy. She was vibrant. But on January 31, her life changed. “She complained of a headache. Unbeknownst to me, how severe it was, her brain was bleeding. So, she was taken to a local hospital and then airlifted to Joe DiMaggio’s Children’s Hospital,” Martin said. Her daughter was in the hospital for about a week before she died. “I still believed in God to do the impossible, save her,” she said. Her family had made the decision to donate her organs and ended up saving five people’s lives. One of them was actually the life of the teen’s father. He had never told his children he was on dialysis. But he was in dire need of a kidney transplant. And it turned out that Glenn’s kidney was a match to her father’s. “She would have wanted that. She would have wanted to save her father,” Martin said. The tragedy also occurred just a couple of days before Martin was about to get married. “Went from a time to celebrate love, to watching my daughter lay there unresponsive and unconscious and then losing her,” she said. And now, she wears beautiful, handmade bracelets that her daughter made for her as a wedding gift. “She wanted to be an actress, so would memorize monologues, singing songs, she was a big Taylor Swift fan,” Martin said. April is Donate Life Month, and officials say, “Every 8 minutes, another person is added to the national transplant waiting list, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.”Martin and her loved ones wanted to share the heroic actions and the beautiful life of their daughter.

    Dhima Martin now asks why. Why did this happen to her daughter?

    “I was praying for a miracle in the hospital. Her life was a miracle. I love her. And I miss her every day, every moment,” Martin told sister station WPBF 25 News.

    Her 13-year-old daughter, Symaria Glenn, was healthy. She was vibrant. But on January 31, her life changed.

    “She complained of a headache. Unbeknownst to me, how severe it was, her brain was bleeding. So, she was taken to a local hospital and then airlifted to Joe DiMaggio’s Children’s Hospital,” Martin said.

    Her daughter was in the hospital for about a week before she died.

    “I still believed in God to do the impossible, save her,” she said.

    Her family had made the decision to donate her organs and ended up saving five people’s lives.

    One of them was actually the life of the teen’s father. He had never told his children he was on dialysis. But he was in dire need of a kidney transplant.

    And it turned out that Glenn’s kidney was a match to her father’s.

    “She would have wanted that. She would have wanted to save her father,” Martin said.

    The tragedy also occurred just a couple of days before Martin was about to get married.

    “Went from a time to celebrate love, to watching my daughter lay there unresponsive and unconscious and then losing her,” she said.

    And now, she wears beautiful, handmade bracelets that her daughter made for her as a wedding gift.

    “She wanted to be an actress, so would memorize monologues, singing songs, she was a big Taylor Swift fan,” Martin said.

    April is Donate Life Month, and officials say, “Every 8 minutes, another person is added to the national transplant waiting list, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.”

    Martin and her loved ones wanted to share the heroic actions and the beautiful life of their daughter.

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  • What to know about the latest bird flu outbreak in the US

    What to know about the latest bird flu outbreak in the US

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    A poultry facility in Michigan and an egg producer in Texas both reported outbreaks of avian flu this week. The latest developments on the virus also include infected dairy cows and the first known instance of a human catching bird flu from a mammal.Although health officials say the risk to the public remains low, there is rising concern, emerging in part from the news that the largest producer of fresh eggs in the U.S. reported an outbreak.Here are some key things to know about the disease.What are experts saying? Dr. Mandy Cohen, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the agency is taking bird flu seriously, but stressed that the virus has already been well studied.”The fact that it is in cattle now definitely raises our concern level,” Cohen said, noting that it means farmworkers who work with cattle — and not just those working with birds — may need to take precautions.The good news is that “it’s not a new strain of the virus,” Cohen added. “This is known to us and we’ve been studying it, and frankly, we’ve been preparing for avian flu for 20 years.”What is bird flu? Some flu viruses mainly affect people, but others chiefly occur in animals. Avian viruses spread naturally in wild aquatic birds like ducks and geese, and then to chickens and other domesticated poultry.The bird flu virus drawing attention today — Type A H5N1 — was first identified in 1959. Like other viruses, it has evolved over time, spawning newer versions of itself.Since 2020, the virus has been spreading among more animal species — including dogs, cats, skunks, bears and even seals and porpoises — in scores of countries.In the U.S., this version of the bird flu has been detected in wild birds in every state, as well as commercial poultry operations and backyard flocks. Nationwide, tens of millions of chickens have died from the virus or been killed to stop outbreaks from spreading.Last week, U.S. officials said it had been found in livestock. As of Tuesday, it had been discovered in dairy herds in five states — Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico and Texas — according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.How often do people get bird flu? This bird flu was first identified as a threat to people during a 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong. In the past two decades, nearly 900 people have been diagnosed globally with bird flu and more than 460 people have died, according to the World Health Organization.There have been only two cases in the U.S., and neither were fatal.In 2022, a prison inmate in a work program caught it while killing infected birds at a poultry farm in Montrose County, Colorado. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered.This week, Texas health officials announced that a person who had been in contact with cows had been diagnosed with bird flu. Their only reported symptom was eye redness.What are the symptoms of bird flu? Symptoms are similar to that of other flus, including cough, body aches and fever. Some people don’t have noticeable symptoms, but others develop severe, life-threatening pneumonia.Can it spread between people?The vast majority of infected people have gotten it directly from birds, but scientists are on guard for any sign of spread among people.There have been a few instances when that apparently happened — most recently in 2007 in Asia. In each cluster, it spread within families from a sick person in the home.U.S. health officials have stressed that the current public health risk is low and that there is no sign that bird flu is spreading from person to person.What is the economic impact? While it’s too early to quantify the potential economic impact of a bird flu outbreak, many of these latest developments are concerning, particularly the transmission of the virus from one species to another, said Daren Detwiler, a food safety and policy expert at Northeastern University.”We don’t have a magic forcefield, an invisible shield that protects land and water runoff from impacting other species,” Detwiler said. “There is a concern in terms of how this might impact other markets, the egg market, the beef market.”If the outbreak is not quickly contained, consumers could ultimately see higher prices, and if it continues to spread, some industries could experience “reputational strain,” possibly affecting the export industry, Detwiler added.The egg industry already is experiencing some tightening of supply following detections of bird flu late in 2023 and in early January, coupled with the busy Easter season, where Americans typically consume an average of 3 billion eggs, said Marc Dresner, a spokesperson for the American Egg Board.Still, even with the outbreak in Texas and the nearly 2 million birds that were killed there, Dresner said there are an estimated 310 million egg-laying hens in the U.S. and wholesale egg prices are down about 25% from a February peak.___Associated Press reporters Jonathan Poet in Philadelphia and Mike Stobbe and videojournalist Sharon Johnson in Atlanta contributed to this report.

    A poultry facility in Michigan and an egg producer in Texas both reported outbreaks of avian flu this week. The latest developments on the virus also include infected dairy cows and the first known instance of a human catching bird flu from a mammal.

    Although health officials say the risk to the public remains low, there is rising concern, emerging in part from the news that the largest producer of fresh eggs in the U.S. reported an outbreak.

    Here are some key things to know about the disease.

    What are experts saying?

    Dr. Mandy Cohen, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the agency is taking bird flu seriously, but stressed that the virus has already been well studied.

    “The fact that it is in cattle now definitely raises our concern level,” Cohen said, noting that it means farmworkers who work with cattle — and not just those working with birds — may need to take precautions.

    The good news is that “it’s not a new strain of the virus,” Cohen added. “This is known to us and we’ve been studying it, and frankly, we’ve been preparing for avian flu for 20 years.”

    What is bird flu?

    Some flu viruses mainly affect people, but others chiefly occur in animals. Avian viruses spread naturally in wild aquatic birds like ducks and geese, and then to chickens and other domesticated poultry.

    The bird flu virus drawing attention today — Type A H5N1 — was first identified in 1959. Like other viruses, it has evolved over time, spawning newer versions of itself.

    Since 2020, the virus has been spreading among more animal species — including dogs, cats, skunks, bears and even seals and porpoises — in scores of countries.

    In the U.S., this version of the bird flu has been detected in wild birds in every state, as well as commercial poultry operations and backyard flocks. Nationwide, tens of millions of chickens have died from the virus or been killed to stop outbreaks from spreading.

    Last week, U.S. officials said it had been found in livestock. As of Tuesday, it had been discovered in dairy herds in five states — Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico and Texas — according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

    How often do people get bird flu?

    This bird flu was first identified as a threat to people during a 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong. In the past two decades, nearly 900 people have been diagnosed globally with bird flu and more than 460 people have died, according to the World Health Organization.

    There have been only two cases in the U.S., and neither were fatal.

    In 2022, a prison inmate in a work program caught it while killing infected birds at a poultry farm in Montrose County, Colorado. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered.

    This week, Texas health officials announced that a person who had been in contact with cows had been diagnosed with bird flu. Their only reported symptom was eye redness.

    What are the symptoms of bird flu?

    Symptoms are similar to that of other flus, including cough, body aches and fever. Some people don’t have noticeable symptoms, but others develop severe, life-threatening pneumonia.

    Can it spread between people?

    The vast majority of infected people have gotten it directly from birds, but scientists are on guard for any sign of spread among people.

    There have been a few instances when that apparently happened — most recently in 2007 in Asia. In each cluster, it spread within families from a sick person in the home.

    U.S. health officials have stressed that the current public health risk is low and that there is no sign that bird flu is spreading from person to person.

    What is the economic impact?

    While it’s too early to quantify the potential economic impact of a bird flu outbreak, many of these latest developments are concerning, particularly the transmission of the virus from one species to another, said Daren Detwiler, a food safety and policy expert at Northeastern University.

    “We don’t have a magic forcefield, an invisible shield that protects land and water runoff from impacting other species,” Detwiler said. “There is a concern in terms of how this might impact other markets, the egg market, the beef market.”

    If the outbreak is not quickly contained, consumers could ultimately see higher prices, and if it continues to spread, some industries could experience “reputational strain,” possibly affecting the export industry, Detwiler added.

    The egg industry already is experiencing some tightening of supply following detections of bird flu late in 2023 and in early January, coupled with the busy Easter season, where Americans typically consume an average of 3 billion eggs, said Marc Dresner, a spokesperson for the American Egg Board.

    Still, even with the outbreak in Texas and the nearly 2 million birds that were killed there, Dresner said there are an estimated 310 million egg-laying hens in the U.S. and wholesale egg prices are down about 25% from a February peak.

    ___

    Associated Press reporters Jonathan Poet in Philadelphia and Mike Stobbe and videojournalist Sharon Johnson in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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  • Adam Sandler is working on ‘Happy Gilmore 2,’ according to Christopher McDonald

    Adam Sandler is working on ‘Happy Gilmore 2,’ according to Christopher McDonald

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    It sounds like Adam Sandler might be teeing up a sequel to his famed 1996 golf comedy “Happy Gilmore,” at least according to actor Christopher McDonald.Video above: Adam Sandler has been named Hollywood’s best-paid starMcDonald, who played Shooter McGavin – the notorious arch nemesis of Sandler’s character Happy Gilmore – teased the possibility of a “Happy Gilmore 2” during an interview on Friday’s episode of “Audacy’s 92.3 The Fan” radio show.”I saw Adam about two weeks ago… And he shows me the first draft of ‘Happy Gilmore 2,’” McDonald said, referring to a script he said that Sandler showed him.He joked that the hosts he was speaking with may want to “cut that out” of the radio show because, he said, “I don’t wanna be a liar, but he did show me that, and I thought, ‘Well, that would be awesome.’””So, it’s in the works. Fans demand it, dammit!” McDonald said. He later added that when he saw the script, he said he was “very, very pleased.”CNN had reached out to representatives for McDonald and Sandler for comment.Sandler co-wrote “Happy Gilmore” and it became one of his most popular films. It follows Happy Gilmore (Sandler), a not-so-mild-mannered wannabe hockey player who discovers that he’s an exceptionally talented golfer with a slapshot-style swing.He joins a golf tournament to try to win some money in an attempt to help save his grandmother’s house that she’s on the verge of losing. Gilmore goes on to become a golf legend, but his outrageous temperament and untraditional style catches the ire of golf pro Shooter McGavin (McDonald).The 1996 slapstick comedy stars Julie Bowen, Frances Bay, Kevin Nealon and Carl Weathers – who died last month at age 76 – alongside Sandler and McDonald.”Happy Gilmore” was released during a prophetic era for Sandler, who starred in a number of other beloved comedy classics throughout the ’90s, including “Billy Madison,” “Big Daddy” and “The Waterboy.”

    CNN —

    It sounds like Adam Sandler might be teeing up a sequel to his famed 1996 golf comedy “Happy Gilmore,” at least according to actor Christopher McDonald.

    Video above: Adam Sandler has been named Hollywood’s best-paid star

    McDonald, who played Shooter McGavin – the notorious arch nemesis of Sandler’s character Happy Gilmore – teased the possibility of a “Happy Gilmore 2” during an interview on Friday’s episode of “Audacy’s 92.3 The Fan” radio show.

    “I saw Adam about two weeks ago… And he shows me the first draft of ‘Happy Gilmore 2,’” McDonald said, referring to a script he said that Sandler showed him.

    He joked that the hosts he was speaking with may want to “cut that out” of the radio show because, he said, “I don’t wanna be a liar, but he did show me that, and I thought, ‘Well, that would be awesome.’”

    “So, it’s in the works. Fans demand it, dammit!” McDonald said. He later added that when he saw the script, he said he was “very, very pleased.”

    CNN had reached out to representatives for McDonald and Sandler for comment.

    Sandler co-wrote “Happy Gilmore” and it became one of his most popular films. It follows Happy Gilmore (Sandler), a not-so-mild-mannered wannabe hockey player who discovers that he’s an exceptionally talented golfer with a slapshot-style swing.

    He joins a golf tournament to try to win some money in an attempt to help save his grandmother’s house that she’s on the verge of losing. Gilmore goes on to become a golf legend, but his outrageous temperament and untraditional style catches the ire of golf pro Shooter McGavin (McDonald).

    The 1996 slapstick comedy stars Julie Bowen, Frances Bay, Kevin Nealon and Carl Weathers – who died last month at age 76 – alongside Sandler and McDonald.

    “Happy Gilmore” was released during a prophetic era for Sandler, who starred in a number of other beloved comedy classics throughout the ’90s, including “Billy Madison,” “Big Daddy” and “The Waterboy.”

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  • Sentencing concludes for 6 former Mississippi officers who tortured 2 Black men

    Sentencing concludes for 6 former Mississippi officers who tortured 2 Black men

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    Sentencing has concluded for the six white former officers in Mississippi who pleaded guilty to breaking into a home without a warrant and torturing two Black men.High-ranking Former deputy Brett McAlpin, 53, was the fifth former law enforcement officer sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge Tom Lee after pleading guilty to the attack, which involved beatings, repeated uses of stun guns and assaults with a sex toy before one of the victims was shot in the mouth. The final member of the group, 32-year-old former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield, was given a sentence of about 10 years on Thursday afternoon.McAlpin on Thursday wore a jumpsuit turned inside out to conceal the name of the jail where he is detained, and he nodded to his family in the courtroom. He offered an apology before the judge sentenced him.”This was all wrong, very wrong. It’s not how people should treat each other and even more so, it’s not how law enforcement should treat people,” said McAlpin, who did not look at the victims as he spoke. “I’m really sorry for being a part of something that made law enforcement look so bad.”Lee sentenced Christian Dedmon, 29, to 40 years and Daniel Opdyke, 28, to 17.5 years on Wednesday. He gave about 20 years to Hunter Elward, 31, and 17.5 years to Jeffrey Middleton, 46, on Tuesday. All but Hartfield served with the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office outside Mississippi’s capital city, where some called themselves “The Goon Squad.”McAlpin was the fourth highest-ranking officer at the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, a probation officer said in court. Arguing for a lengthy sentence, federal prosecutor Christopher Perras said McAlpin was not technically a member of the Goon Squad but “molded the men into the goons they became.”Parker told investigators that McAlpin, who was off duty and not in uniform during the attack, functioned like a “mafia don” as he instructed the officers throughout the evening. Prosecutors said other deputies often tried to impress McAlpin, and Opdyke’s attorney said Wednesday that his client saw McAlpin as a father figure.The younger deputies who were already sentenced tried to wrap their heads around how they had started off “wanting to be good law enforcement officers and turned into monsters,” Perras said Thursday.”How did these deputies learn to treat another human being this way? Your honor, the answer is sitting right there,” Perras said as he turned and pointed at McAlpin.In March 2023, months before federal prosecutors announced charges in August, an investigation by The Associated Press linked some of the deputies to at least four violent encounters with Black men since 2019 that left two dead and another with lasting injuries.The officers invented false charges against the victims, planting a gun and drugs at the scene of their crime, and stuck to their cover story for months until finally admitting that they tortured Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker. Elward admitted to shoving a gun into Jenkins’ mouth and firing it in what federal prosecutors said was meant to be a “mock execution.”In a statement read by his attorney Thursday, Jenkins said he “felt like a slave” and was “left to die like a dog.””If those who are in charge of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office can participate in these kinds of torture, God help us all. And God help Rankin County,” Jenkins said.Lee handed down prison terms near the top of the sentencing guidelines for all of the culprits, except for Hartfield.The terror began Jan. 24, 2023, with a racist call for extrajudicial violence when a white person complained to McAlpin that two Black men were staying with a white woman at a house in Braxton. McAlpin told Dedmon, who texted a group of white deputies asking if they were “available for a mission.””No bad mugshots,” Dedmon texted — a green light, according to prosecutors, to use excessive force on parts of the body that wouldn’t appear in a booking photo.Dedmon also brought Hartfield, who was instructed to cover the back door of the property during their illegal entry.Once inside, the officers mocked the victims with racial slurs and shocked them with stun guns. They handcuffed them and poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup over their faces. Dedmon and Opdyke assaulted them with a sex toy. They forced them to strip naked and shower together to conceal the mess.After Elward shot Jenkins in the mouth, lacerating his tongue and breaking his jaw, they devised a coverup. The deputies agreed to plant drugs, and false charges stood against Jenkins and Parker for months.McAlpin and Middleton, the oldest men of the group, threatened to kill the other officers if they spoke up, prosecutors said. In court Thursday, McAlpin’s attorney Aafram Sellers said only Middleton threatened to kill the other officers.Sellers also questioned probation officer Allie Whitten on the stand about details submitted to the judge. When federal investigators interviewed the neighbor who called McAlpin, that person reported seeing “trashy” people at the house who were both white and Black, Sellers said. That called into question whether the episode started on the basis of race, he argued.Federal prosecutors said the neighbor referred to people at the home as “those people” and “thugs.” The information included in the charging documents, which the officers did not dispute when they pleaded guilty, revealed some of them used racial taunts and epithets throughout the episode.The majority-white Rankin County is just east of Jackson, home to one of the highest percentages of Black residents of any major U.S. city. The officers shouted at Jenkins and Parker to “stay out of Rankin County and go back to Jackson or ‘their side’ of the Pearl River,” court documents say.Attorneys for several of the deputies said their clients became ensnared in a culture of corruption that was not only permitted, but encouraged by leaders within the sheriff’s office.Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, who took office in 2012, revealed no details about his deputies’ actions when he announced they had been fired last June. After they pleaded guilty in August, Bailey said the officers had gone rogue and promised changes. Jenkins and Parker called for his resignation and filed a $400 million civil lawsuit against the department. Last November, Bailey was reelected without opposition to another four-year term.

    A fifth former sheriff’s deputy in Mississippi was sentenced Thursday to more than 27 years in prison for breaking into a home with a group of law enforcement officers as they tortured two Black men, an act the judge called “egregious and despicable.”

    Former deputy Brett McAlpin, 53, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Tom Lee after pleading guilty to the attack, which involved beatings, repeated uses of stun guns and assaults with a sex toy before one of the victims was shot in the mouth. The sixth and final member of the group, 32-year-old former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield is set to be sentenced Thursday afternoon.

    The judge sentenced Christian Dedmon, 29, to 40 years and Daniel Opdyke, 28, to 17.5 years on Wednesday. He gave nearly 20 years to Hunter Elward, 31, and 17.5 years to Jeffrey Middleton, 46, on Tuesday. All but Hartfield served with the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department outside Mississippi’s capital city, where some called themselves “The Goon Squad.”

    In March 2023, months before federal prosecutors announced charges in August, an investigation by The Associated Press linked some of the deputies to at least four violent encounters with Black men since 2019 that left two dead and another with lasting injuries.

    The officers invented false charges against the victims, planting a gun and illegal drugs at the scene of their crime, and stuck to their cover story for months until finally admitting that they tortured Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker. Elward admitted to shoving a gun into Jenkins’ mouth and firing it in what federal prosecutors said was meant to be a “mock execution.”

    For each of the deputies sentenced so far, Lee has handed down prison terms near the top of the sentencing guidelines.

    The terror began Jan. 24, 2023, with a racist call for extrajudicial violence when a white person in Rankin County complained to McAlpin that two Black men were staying with a white woman at a house in Braxton. McAlpin told Dedmon, who texted a group of white deputies asking if they were “available for a mission.”

    “No bad mugshots,” Dedmon texted — a green light, according to prosecutors, to use excessive force on parts of the body that wouldn’t appear in a booking photo.

    Dedmon also brought Hartfield, who was instructed to cover the back door of the property during their illegal entry.

    Once inside, the officers mocked the victims with racial slurs and shocked them with stun guns. They handcuffed them and poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup over their faces. Dedmon and Opdyke assaulted them with a sex toy. They forced them to strip naked and shower together to conceal the mess, and Hartfield guarded the bathroom door to make sure the men didn’t escape.

    After Elward shot Jenkins in the mouth, lacerating his tongue and breaking his jaw, they devised a coverup. McAlpin pressured Parker to go along with it, asking him to keep quiet in exchange for his freedom. The deputies agreed to plant drugs, and false charges stood against Jenkins and Parker for months.

    McAlpin and Middleton, the oldest men of the group, threatened to kill the other officers if they spoke up, prosecutors said in charging documents. In court Thursday, McAlpin’s attorney Aafram Sellers said only Middleton threatened to kill the other officers.

    Sellers also questioned probation officer Allie Whitten on the stand about details in a pre-sentence report submitted to the judge. When federal investigators interviewed the neighbor who called McAlpin, that person reported seeing “trashy” people at the house who were both white and Black, Sellers said. That called into question whether the episode started on the basis of race, he argued.

    Federal prosecutors said the neighbor referred to people at the home as “those people” and “thugs.” The information included in the charging documents, which the officers did not dispute when they pleaded guilty, revealed some of them used racial taunts and epithets throughout the episode.

    The majority-white Rankin County is just east of Jackson, home to one of the highest percentages of Black residents of any major U.S. city. The officers shouted at Jenkins and Parker to “stay out of Rankin County and go back to Jackson or ‘their side’ of the Pearl River,” court documents say.

    Opdyke was the first to admit what they did, his attorney Jeff Reynolds said Wednesday. On April 12, Opdyke showed investigators a WhatsApp text thread where the officers discussed their plan and what happened. Had he thrown his phone in a river, as some of the other officers did, investigators might not have discovered the encrypted messages.

    Attorneys for several of the deputies said their clients became ensnared in a culture of corruption that was not only permitted, but encouraged by leaders within the sheriff’s office.

    Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, who took office in 2012, revealed no details about his deputies’ actions when he announced they had been fired last June. After they pleaded guilty in August, Bailey said the officers had gone rogue and promised changes. Jenkins and Parker called for his resignation and filed a $400 million civil lawsuit against the department. Last November, Bailey was reelected without opposition, to another four-year term.

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  • 3rd ex-deputy in Mississippi is sentenced to 17.5 years for racist torture of 2 Black men

    3rd ex-deputy in Mississippi is sentenced to 17.5 years for racist torture of 2 Black men

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    A third former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy has each been sentenced for his part in the racist torture of two Black men by a group of white officers who called themselves the “Goon Squad.” Daniel Opdyke was sentenced Wednesday to 17.5 years in federal prison.Opdyke, 28, cried profusely as he spoke in court before the judge announced his sentence. Turning to look at the two victims, he said his isolation behind bars has given him time to reflect on “how I transformed into the monster I became that night.””The weight of my actions and the harm I’ve caused will haunt me every day,” Opdyke told them. “I wish I could take away your suffering.”All six of the former officers pleaded guilty last year to breaking into a home without a warrant and torturing the Black men with a stun gun, a sex toy and other objects. Christian Dedmon, 29, also faced a lengthy prison term at his sentencing, set for Wednesday afternoon before U.S. District Judge Tom Lee. The last two will be sentenced on Thursday.On Tuesday, Lee gave a nearly 20-year prison sentence to 31-year-old Hunter Elward and a 17.5-year sentence to 46-year-old Jeffrey Middleton. They, like Opdyke and Dedmon, worked as Rankin County sheriff’s deputies during the attack.Another former deputy, Brett McAlpin, 53, and a former Richland police officer, Joshua Hartfield, 32, are set for sentencing Thursday.Last March, months before federal prosecutors announced charges in August, an investigation by The Associated Press linked some of the deputies to at least four violent encounters with Black men since 2019 that left two dead and another with lasting injuries.The former officers stuck to their cover story for months until finally admitting that they tortured Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker. Elward admitted to shoving a gun into Jenkins’ mouth and firing it in a “mock execution” that went awry.In a statement Tuesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned the “heinous attack on citizens they had sworn an oath to protect.”Before Lee sentenced Elward and Middleton, he called their actions “egregious and despicable.”The terror began on Jan. 24, 2023, with a racist call for extrajudicial violence when a white person in Rankin County complained to McAlpin that two Black men were staying with a white woman at a house in Braxton. McAlpin told Dedmon, who texted a group of white deputies who were so willing to use excessive force they called themselves “The Goon Squad.”Once inside, they handcuffed Jenkins and his friend Parker and poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup over their faces. They forced them to strip naked and shower together to conceal the mess. They mocked the victims with racial slurs and shocked them with stun guns. Dedmon and Opdyke assaulted them with a sex toy.After Elward shot Jenkins in the mouth, lacerating his tongue and breaking his jaw, they devised a coverup that included planting drugs and a gun. False charges stood against Jenkins and Parker for months.The majority-white Rankin County is just east of the state capital, Jackson, home to one of the highest percentages of Black residents of any major U.S. city. The officers repeatedly shouted racial slurs at Jenkins and Parker, telling them to “stay out of Rankin County and go back to Jackson or ‘their side’ of the Pearl River,” court documents say.Opdyke was the officer who first went to the government and told them what happened, his attorney Jeff Reynolds said Wednesday. Opdyke came forward on April 12, showing investigators the WhatsApp text thread where the officers discussed their plan and what happened. He was able to do so because he didn’t throw his phone in a river, as some of the other officers did. Had he done so, investigators might not have discovered the encrypted messages.Dedmon and Opdyke, like Elward, also are being sentenced after pleading guilty to their roles in an assault on a white man on Dec. 4, 2022 — weeks before Jenkins and Parker were tortured. Prosecutors revealed the victim’s identity Tuesday as Alan Schmidt. Reynolds said Opdyke held Schmidt down until Dedmon arrived, but didn’t beat him or sexually assault him.According to a statement from Schmidt that prosecutors read in court, Dedmon accused him of possessing stolen property during a traffic stop that night. Schmidt said he was handcuffed, pulled from his vehicle and beaten until he “started to see spots.”Prosecutors said Elward and Opdyke failed to intervene as Dedmon punched and kicked him, used a Taser on him, and fired his gun into the air to threaten him, and then sexually assaulted him.Schmidt said Dedmon forced him to his knees, pulled out his “private part” and hit him in the face with it, trying to insert it into his mouth. Dedmon then grabbed Schmidt’s genitals and rubbed against his body as he screamed for them to stop, Schmidt said.”What sick individual does this? He has so much power over us already, so to act this way, he must be truly sick in this head,” Schmidt wrote in his statement.Elward and Middlelton were emotional as they apologized in court on Tuesday. Elward’s attorney, Joe Hollomon, said his client first witnessed Rankin County deputies turn a blind eye to misconduct in 2017.”Hunter (Elward) was initiated into a culture of corruption at the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office,” Hollomon said.Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, who took office in 2012, revealed no details about his deputies’ actions when he announced they had been fired last June. After they pleaded guilty in August, Bailey said the officers had gone rogue and promised to change the department. Jenkins and Parker have called for his resignation, and they have filed a $400 million civil lawsuit against the department.

    A third former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy has each been sentenced for his part in the racist torture of two Black men by a group of white officers who called themselves the “Goon Squad.” Daniel Opdyke was sentenced Wednesday to 17.5 years in federal prison.

    Opdyke, 28, cried profusely as he spoke in court before the judge announced his sentence. Turning to look at the two victims, he said his isolation behind bars has given him time to reflect on “how I transformed into the monster I became that night.”

    “The weight of my actions and the harm I’ve caused will haunt me every day,” Opdyke told them. “I wish I could take away your suffering.”

    All six of the former officers pleaded guilty last year to breaking into a home without a warrant and torturing the Black men with a stun gun, a sex toy and other objects. Christian Dedmon, 29, also faced a lengthy prison term at his sentencing, set for Wednesday afternoon before U.S. District Judge Tom Lee. The last two will be sentenced on Thursday.

    On Tuesday, Lee gave a nearly 20-year prison sentence to 31-year-old Hunter Elward and a 17.5-year sentence to 46-year-old Jeffrey Middleton. They, like Opdyke and Dedmon, worked as Rankin County sheriff’s deputies during the attack.

    Another former deputy, Brett McAlpin, 53, and a former Richland police officer, Joshua Hartfield, 32, are set for sentencing Thursday.

    Last March, months before federal prosecutors announced charges in August, an investigation by The Associated Press linked some of the deputies to at least four violent encounters with Black men since 2019 that left two dead and another with lasting injuries.

    The former officers stuck to their cover story for months until finally admitting that they tortured Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker. Elward admitted to shoving a gun into Jenkins’ mouth and firing it in a “mock execution” that went awry.

    In a statement Tuesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned the “heinous attack on citizens they had sworn an oath to protect.”

    Before Lee sentenced Elward and Middleton, he called their actions “egregious and despicable.”

    The terror began on Jan. 24, 2023, with a racist call for extrajudicial violence when a white person in Rankin County complained to McAlpin that two Black men were staying with a white woman at a house in Braxton. McAlpin told Dedmon, who texted a group of white deputies who were so willing to use excessive force they called themselves “The Goon Squad.”

    Once inside, they handcuffed Jenkins and his friend Parker and poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup over their faces. They forced them to strip naked and shower together to conceal the mess. They mocked the victims with racial slurs and shocked them with stun guns. Dedmon and Opdyke assaulted them with a sex toy.

    After Elward shot Jenkins in the mouth, lacerating his tongue and breaking his jaw, they devised a coverup that included planting drugs and a gun. False charges stood against Jenkins and Parker for months.

    The majority-white Rankin County is just east of the state capital, Jackson, home to one of the highest percentages of Black residents of any major U.S. city. The officers repeatedly shouted racial slurs at Jenkins and Parker, telling them to “stay out of Rankin County and go back to Jackson or ‘their side’ of the Pearl River,” court documents say.

    Opdyke was the officer who first went to the government and told them what happened, his attorney Jeff Reynolds said Wednesday. Opdyke came forward on April 12, showing investigators the WhatsApp text thread where the officers discussed their plan and what happened. He was able to do so because he didn’t throw his phone in a river, as some of the other officers did. Had he done so, investigators might not have discovered the encrypted messages.

    Dedmon and Opdyke, like Elward, also are being sentenced after pleading guilty to their roles in an assault on a white man on Dec. 4, 2022 — weeks before Jenkins and Parker were tortured. Prosecutors revealed the victim’s identity Tuesday as Alan Schmidt. Reynolds said Opdyke held Schmidt down until Dedmon arrived, but didn’t beat him or sexually assault him.

    According to a statement from Schmidt that prosecutors read in court, Dedmon accused him of possessing stolen property during a traffic stop that night. Schmidt said he was handcuffed, pulled from his vehicle and beaten until he “started to see spots.”

    Prosecutors said Elward and Opdyke failed to intervene as Dedmon punched and kicked him, used a Taser on him, and fired his gun into the air to threaten him, and then sexually assaulted him.

    Schmidt said Dedmon forced him to his knees, pulled out his “private part” and hit him in the face with it, trying to insert it into his mouth. Dedmon then grabbed Schmidt’s genitals and rubbed against his body as he screamed for them to stop, Schmidt said.

    “What sick individual does this? He has so much power over us already, so to act this way, he must be truly sick in this head,” Schmidt wrote in his statement.

    Elward and Middlelton were emotional as they apologized in court on Tuesday. Elward’s attorney, Joe Hollomon, said his client first witnessed Rankin County deputies turn a blind eye to misconduct in 2017.

    “Hunter (Elward) was initiated into a culture of corruption at the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office,” Hollomon said.

    Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, who took office in 2012, revealed no details about his deputies’ actions when he announced they had been fired last June. After they pleaded guilty in August, Bailey said the officers had gone rogue and promised to change the department. Jenkins and Parker have called for his resignation, and they have filed a $400 million civil lawsuit against the department.

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  • Marriage rates are up, and divorce rates are down, new data shows

    Marriage rates are up, and divorce rates are down, new data shows

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    Marriage rates are up, and divorce rates are down, new data shows

    After COVID-19 lockdowns, 2022 was a year of marriages, according to new data.The number of marriages took a dive around the start of the pandemic, numbers show. For the past two decades, the number of marriages stayed around 7 to 8 per 1,000 people a year, according to new data released xxxx by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.But in 2020, the marriage rate was down to 5.1 per 1,000 people, the data showed. The rate started to climb the next year, and by 2022, the number of marriages had reached 6.2 per capita and over 2 million in a year, according to the report.Growth in marriage rates may be due to more than just rescheduling, said Marissa Nelson, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Washington, D.C.Being in lockdown together gave many couples a unique hurdle to overcome, one that made them get intentional about how they approached important things like finances, compromise and autonomy. Many people walked out of that experience with a better sense of what they need in a life partner, Nelson said.Divorce rates are going downIntentionality may also be behind declining divorce rates, she added.In 2022, the divorce rate was 2.4 per 1,000 people. Although that isn’t the lowest it has ever been – in 2021, it was 2.3 – it continues a downward trend, according to the data.By comparison, the rate of divorces in 2000 was 4 per 1,000, which means the current rate is a big decline from two decades earlier.Being stuck in a home together during lockdown forced a lot of couples to face problems in their relationship head-on, Nelson said. That might have caused additional strife, or it could have helped them lay better groundwork for a stable future, she added.Changes over the past two decades may also have helped. Therapy has become more normalized, roles in marriages have become more flexible, and people are more used to talking openly about how they want their marriages to work, Nelson said.Changing how we pick our partnersAnother big change recently has been the way people enter marriages, said Ian Kerner, a licensed marriage and family therapist and CNN contributor.”In my practice over the last decade, I’ve noticed a gradual shift from the ‘romantic marriage’ to the ‘companionate marriage,’ meaning that people are increasingly choosing spouses at the outset who are more like best friends than passion-partners,” Kerner said via email.Doing so may lead to problems with attraction, but it also means those people are choosing partners based on qualities likely to promote long-term stability and satisfaction, he said in a previous CNN article.”At its bare minimum, the concept of commitment implies the experience of being bonded with another. At its very best, it means being bonded with someone who is a consistent safe and secure home base that will be there for you in the face of any adversities,” said Dr. Monica O’Neal, a Boston psychologist, in a recent CNN article.

    CNN —

    After COVID-19 lockdowns, 2022 was a year of marriages, according to new data.

    The number of marriages took a dive around the start of the pandemic, numbers show. For the past two decades, the number of marriages stayed around 7 to 8 per 1,000 people a year, according to new data released xxxx by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‘s National Center for Health Statistics.

    But in 2020, the marriage rate was down to 5.1 per 1,000 people, the data showed. The rate started to climb the next year, and by 2022, the number of marriages had reached 6.2 per capita and over 2 million in a year, according to the report.

    Growth in marriage rates may be due to more than just rescheduling, said Marissa Nelson, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Washington, D.C.

    Being in lockdown together gave many couples a unique hurdle to overcome, one that made them get intentional about how they approached important things like finances, compromise and autonomy. Many people walked out of that experience with a better sense of what they need in a life partner, Nelson said.

    Divorce rates are going down

    Intentionality may also be behind declining divorce rates, she added.

    In 2022, the divorce rate was 2.4 per 1,000 people. Although that isn’t the lowest it has ever been – in 2021, it was 2.3 – it continues a downward trend, according to the data.

    By comparison, the rate of divorces in 2000 was 4 per 1,000, which means the current rate is a big decline from two decades earlier.

    Being stuck in a home together during lockdown forced a lot of couples to face problems in their relationship head-on, Nelson said. That might have caused additional strife, or it could have helped them lay better groundwork for a stable future, she added.

    Changes over the past two decades may also have helped. Therapy has become more normalized, roles in marriages have become more flexible, and people are more used to talking openly about how they want their marriages to work, Nelson said.

    Changing how we pick our partners

    Another big change recently has been the way people enter marriages, said Ian Kerner, a licensed marriage and family therapist and CNN contributor.

    “In my practice over the last decade, I’ve noticed a gradual shift from the ‘romantic marriage’ to the ‘companionate marriage,’ meaning that people are increasingly choosing spouses at the outset who are more like best friends than passion-partners,” Kerner said via email.

    Doing so may lead to problems with attraction, but it also means those people are choosing partners based on qualities likely to promote long-term stability and satisfaction, he said in a previous CNN article.

    “At its bare minimum, the concept of commitment implies the experience of being bonded with another. At its very best, it means being bonded with someone who is a consistent safe and secure home base that will be there for you in the face of any adversities,” said Dr. Monica O’Neal, a Boston psychologist, in a recent CNN article.

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  • Jeremy Renner says Robert Downey Jr played a big role in his accident recovery

    Jeremy Renner says Robert Downey Jr played a big role in his accident recovery

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    Jeremy Renner says Robert Downey Jr played a big role in his accident recovery

    Marvel star Jeremy Renner has revealed that co-star Robert Downey Jr. aided him in his recovery from his accident.Renner, who plays Clint Barton/Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was hospitalized in January 2023 following an incident with a snowplow, with the star requiring surgery after suffering 30 broken bones. The actor has spoken candidly about his recovery in the ensuing months and has now revealed that Downey Jr, his Marvel co-star who played Iron Man, regularly checked in with him during the aftermath of the accident.”We ended up having really great chats on FaceTime like we were dating or something,” Renner recalled to PEOPLE. “He’s like, ‘Dude, the most important thing is you look good. I don’t care how you feel, as long as you look good that’s all that matters.’”He’s like, ‘You’ve got to get back to do ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ because we need to see what happens.’ His ways are very heartwarming,” added Renner. Renner recently returned to work following the accident, and offered an update on his character from the MCU, revealing that he is always willing to dip his toe back into the superhero genre. “I’m always game,” he said. “I’m going to be strong enough, that’s for sure. I’ll be ready. All those guys come to my bedside and they’ve been with me all along through this recovery, so… if they want me, they could have me. It would be something.”The star also used his accident as inspiration for a new venture, with the actor turning to music to detail his experiences, explaining: “A collection of music we wrote about different milestones in my journey of recovery since Jan 1st this year.”‘Love and Titanium’ has been painful, deeply healing, and ultimately cathartic for me to create. I hope I get the courage to share with you all.”

    Marvel star Jeremy Renner has revealed that co-star Robert Downey Jr. aided him in his recovery from his accident.

    Renner, who plays Clint Barton/Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was hospitalized in January 2023 following an incident with a snowplow, with the star requiring surgery after suffering 30 broken bones.

    The actor has spoken candidly about his recovery in the ensuing months and has now revealed that Downey Jr, his Marvel co-star who played Iron Man, regularly checked in with him during the aftermath of the accident.

    “We ended up having really great chats on FaceTime like we were dating or something,” Renner recalled to PEOPLE. “He’s like, ‘Dude, the most important thing is you look good. I don’t care how you feel, as long as you look good that’s all that matters.’

    “He’s like, ‘You’ve got to get back to do ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ because we need to see what happens.’ His ways are very heartwarming,” added Renner.

    Renner recently returned to work following the accident, and offered an update on his character from the MCU, revealing that he is always willing to dip his toe back into the superhero genre.

    “I’m always game,” he said. “I’m going to be strong enough, that’s for sure. I’ll be ready. All those guys come to my bedside and they’ve been with me all along through this recovery, so… if they want me, they could have me. It would be something.”

    The star also used his accident as inspiration for a new venture, with the actor turning to music to detail his experiences, explaining: “A collection of music we wrote about different milestones in my journey of recovery since Jan 1st this year.

    “‘Love and Titanium’ has been painful, deeply healing, and ultimately cathartic for me to create. I hope I get the courage to share with you all.”

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  • Olivia Munn reveals she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy

    Olivia Munn reveals she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy

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    Olivia Munn reveals she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy

    Olivia Munn has revealed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy, thanking her doctors and urging fans to calculate their own risk assessment. “I’m lucky. We caught it with enough time that I had options. I want the same for any woman who might have to face this one day,” the 43-year-old actor posted on Instagram on Wednesday with photos and a video of her being treated at a hospital.Munn said she took a genetic test in February 2023 that checks for 90 different cancer genes and was negative for all. Even so, her doctor decided to calculate her Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score and that “saved my life,” Munn wrote.Recording a high score, Munn got a biopsy, which found she had an aggressive form of cancer in both breasts. She had a double mastectomy 30 days after the biopsy and has had four surgeries in the past 10 months. She said she kept it private because “I needed to catch my breath and get through some of the hardest parts before sharing.”Munn thaked family and friends, especially her partner, comedian John Mulaney, “for being there before I went into each surgery and being there when I woke up, always placing framed photos of our little boy Malcolm so it would be the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.”Munn was a correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and her movie credits include “Magic Mike,” “The Predator,” “Office Christmas Party” and “X-Men: Apocalypse.”

    Olivia Munn has revealed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy, thanking her doctors and urging fans to calculate their own risk assessment.

    “I’m lucky. We caught it with enough time that I had options. I want the same for any woman who might have to face this one day,” the 43-year-old actor posted on Instagram on Wednesday with photos and a video of her being treated at a hospital.

    Munn said she took a genetic test in February 2023 that checks for 90 different cancer genes and was negative for all. Even so, her doctor decided to calculate her Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score and that “saved my life,” Munn wrote.

    Recording a high score, Munn got a biopsy, which found she had an aggressive form of cancer in both breasts. She had a double mastectomy 30 days after the biopsy and has had four surgeries in the past 10 months. She said she kept it private because “I needed to catch my breath and get through some of the hardest parts before sharing.”

    Munn thaked family and friends, especially her partner, comedian John Mulaney, “for being there before I went into each surgery and being there when I woke up, always placing framed photos of our little boy Malcolm so it would be the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.”

    Munn was a correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and her movie credits include “Magic Mike,” “The Predator,” “Office Christmas Party” and “X-Men: Apocalypse.”

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  • ‘Barbie’ ballad ‘What Was I Made For?’ makes Billie Eilish the youngest person to win 2 Oscars

    ‘Barbie’ ballad ‘What Was I Made For?’ makes Billie Eilish the youngest person to win 2 Oscars

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    What were Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell made for? Winning awards, apparently. The sibling duo’s “Barbie” blockbuster ballad “What Was I Made For?” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song on Sunday night.In doing so, Eilish, 22, has become the youngest person by far to have won two career Oscars.That beats a very old record set by Luise Rainer, who won her second Best Actress Oscar at 28 in 1938.The second youngest is now Eilish’s 26-year-old brother and co-writer Finneas. The pair won their first Oscar for “No Time to Die” in 2021.Hilary Swank and Jodie Foster — a Best Supporting Actress nominee this year — are the only others to win two before 30.”Thank you so much to the Academy. I feel like, I just didn’t think this would happen,” Eilish started her speech. “I’m so grateful for this song and for this movie and the way that it made me feel. And this goes out to everyone who was affected by the movie and how incredible it is. And I want to thank my team and my parents. I love you guys so much.”She continued, “I want to thank my best friend Zoe for playing Barbies with me growing up, and being by my side forever,” and was met with laughs from the audience. “I want to thank my, like, dance teachers growing up. I want to thank my choir teachers. Miss Brigham, thanks for believing in me. Mrs. T, you didn’t like me, but you were good at your job.”Eilish and Finneas beat out another “Barbie” cut, “I’m Just Ken,” as performed by Ryan Gosling and written by “Barbie the Album” executive producer Mark Ronson and his creative partner Andrew Wyatt. Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson’s “It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony,” Diane Warren’s “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot” and Scott George’s “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from “Killers of the Flower Moon” rounded out the category.Eilish and O’Connell are no strangers to the Oscar stage. In fact, they’re now two for two. Previously, they took home the trophy for their James Bond theme, “No Time to Die,” in 2021. That year, they beat out some impressive names, including Beyoncé, Van Morrison, Lin-Manuel Miranda and once again, Warren.In the months leading up to the Academy Awards, “What Was I Made For?” has raked in numerous trophies: In 2024 alone, they’ve won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song and two Grammys. Not bad for a song written about an 11.5-inch-tall plastic doll.”What Was I Made For?” debuted at No. 34 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, eventually peaking at No. 14.In the “Barbie” film, “What Was I Made For?” plays a key role — an instrumental version of the song pops up like a leitmotif, soundtracking introspective, existential moments for its protagonist. Eilish’s voice isn’t heard until the final scene, but at that point, the audience is well-prepared for its emotional impact.Clearly, the duo excels at making music for movies. Before “Barbie” and Bond, three songs they wrote made it on Disney’s “Turning Red” soundtrack, pulling heavily from the likes of (asterisk)NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.In another music category, Ludwig Göransson won the Academy Award for original score for his work on “Oppenheimer.” It is his second Oscar and third nomination, having previously won in the category in 2019 for “Black Panther.”In doing so, Göransson beat John Williams (“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”) and three first-time nominees, Jerskin Fendrix (“Poor Things”), Laura Karpman (“American Fiction”) and the late Robbie Robertson (“Killers of the Flower Moon”).”Oppenheimer” is director Christopher Nolan’s own adaptation of Martin J. Sherwin and Kai Bird’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2005 book “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer,” chronicling the Manhattan Project and its fallout.”Christopher Nolan, it was your idea to use violin in the score, and it allowed me to work and collaborate with my wonderful wife and acclaimed violinist Serena Göransson. We (were) recording at night and we were rushing to go home to put our kids, Apollo, Romeo, to bed. But the result of that was amazing,” he said in his speech.”And to my parents up there, thank you for giving me guitars and drum machines instead of video games. Thank you,” he concluded.The film starring Cillian Murphy “is poised between the shock and aftershock of the terrible revelation, as one character calls it, of a divine power,” AP film writer Jake Coyle assessed in his review. Naturally, the score accomplishes something similar: Göransson composing from a first-person perspective for the first time, using his characteristic plays with rhythm and tempo to make one man’s history-altering endeavors feel larger than life.”To be recognized on this score especially, it was a very personal score,” Göransson told The Associated Press when the nominations were announced in January. “It was also obviously extremely challenging to achieve these emotions and to tell the story of this complicated man’s feelings, his ambition and what he’s going through in his journey and from his perspective because the only way to do that is, I’ve had to go to some to some uncomfortable places.”He added that “the way that Chris Nolan uses music in his storytelling is so unique and special and inspiring.””So, give all the music awards to Nolan and his collaborators,” he said. “I’m just very grateful to be working with him, and this is our second film together.”Their first film together was the 2020 time-bending thriller “Tenet.”

    What were Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell made for? Winning awards, apparently. The sibling duo’s “Barbie” blockbuster ballad “What Was I Made For?” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song on Sunday night.

    In doing so, Eilish, 22, has become the youngest person by far to have won two career Oscars.

    That beats a very old record set by Luise Rainer, who won her second Best Actress Oscar at 28 in 1938.

    The second youngest is now Eilish’s 26-year-old brother and co-writer Finneas. The pair won their first Oscar for “No Time to Die” in 2021.

    Hilary Swank and Jodie Foster — a Best Supporting Actress nominee this year — are the only others to win two before 30.

    “Thank you so much to the Academy. I feel like, I just didn’t think this would happen,” Eilish started her speech. “I’m so grateful for this song and for this movie and the way that it made me feel. And this goes out to everyone who was affected by the movie and how incredible it is. And I want to thank my team and my parents. I love you guys so much.”

    She continued, “I want to thank my best friend Zoe for playing Barbies with me growing up, and being by my side forever,” and was met with laughs from the audience. “I want to thank my, like, dance teachers growing up. I want to thank my choir teachers. Miss Brigham, thanks for believing in me. Mrs. T, you didn’t like me, but you were good at your job.”

    Eilish and Finneas beat out another “Barbie” cut, “I’m Just Ken,” as performed by Ryan Gosling and written by “Barbie the Album” executive producer Mark Ronson and his creative partner Andrew Wyatt. Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson’s “It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony,” Diane Warren’s “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot” and Scott George’s “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from “Killers of the Flower Moon” rounded out the category.

    Eilish and O’Connell are no strangers to the Oscar stage. In fact, they’re now two for two. Previously, they took home the trophy for their James Bond theme, “No Time to Die,” in 2021. That year, they beat out some impressive names, including Beyoncé, Van Morrison, Lin-Manuel Miranda and once again, Warren.

    In the months leading up to the Academy Awards, “What Was I Made For?” has raked in numerous trophies: In 2024 alone, they’ve won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song and two Grammys. Not bad for a song written about an 11.5-inch-tall plastic doll.

    “What Was I Made For?” debuted at No. 34 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, eventually peaking at No. 14.

    In the “Barbie” film, “What Was I Made For?” plays a key role — an instrumental version of the song pops up like a leitmotif, soundtracking introspective, existential moments for its protagonist. Eilish’s voice isn’t heard until the final scene, but at that point, the audience is well-prepared for its emotional impact.

    Clearly, the duo excels at making music for movies. Before “Barbie” and Bond, three songs they wrote made it on Disney’s “Turning Red” soundtrack, pulling heavily from the likes of (asterisk)NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.

    In another music category, Ludwig Göransson won the Academy Award for original score for his work on “Oppenheimer.” It is his second Oscar and third nomination, having previously won in the category in 2019 for “Black Panther.”

    In doing so, Göransson beat John Williams (“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”) and three first-time nominees, Jerskin Fendrix (“Poor Things”), Laura Karpman (“American Fiction”) and the late Robbie Robertson (“Killers of the Flower Moon”).

    “Oppenheimer” is director Christopher Nolan’s own adaptation of Martin J. Sherwin and Kai Bird’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2005 book “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer,” chronicling the Manhattan Project and its fallout.

    “Christopher Nolan, it was your idea to use violin in the score, and it allowed me to work and collaborate with my wonderful wife and acclaimed violinist Serena Göransson. We (were) recording at night and we were rushing to go home to put our kids, Apollo, Romeo, to bed. But the result of that was amazing,” he said in his speech.

    “And to my parents up there, thank you for giving me guitars and drum machines instead of video games. Thank you,” he concluded.

    The film starring Cillian Murphy “is poised between the shock and aftershock of the terrible revelation, as one character calls it, of a divine power,” AP film writer Jake Coyle assessed in his review. Naturally, the score accomplishes something similar: Göransson composing from a first-person perspective for the first time, using his characteristic plays with rhythm and tempo to make one man’s history-altering endeavors feel larger than life.

    “To be recognized on this score especially, it was a very personal score,” Göransson told The Associated Press when the nominations were announced in January. “It was also obviously extremely challenging to achieve these emotions and to tell the story of this complicated man’s feelings, his ambition and what he’s going through in his journey and from his perspective because the only way to do that is, I’ve had to go to some to some uncomfortable places.”

    He added that “the way that Chris Nolan uses music in his storytelling is so unique and special and inspiring.”

    “So, give all the music awards to Nolan and his collaborators,” he said. “I’m just very grateful to be working with him, and this is our second film together.”

    Their first film together was the 2020 time-bending thriller “Tenet.”

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  • Cillian Murphy wins Best Actor for role in ‘Oppenheimer’ marking his first Oscar win

    Cillian Murphy wins Best Actor for role in ‘Oppenheimer’ marking his first Oscar win

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    Cillian Murphy wins Best Actor for role in ‘Oppenheimer’ marking his first Oscar win

    Cillian Murphy has won Best Actor for his role in “Oppenheimer” at the 96th Oscars.Murphy played the titular role of Robert J. Oppenheimer, the creator of the atomic bomb. The film followed Oppenheimer’s life prior to, the creation of and after the detonation of the atomic bomb. This was one of Murphy’s best performances to date and secured him his first Oscar win.Murphy also won best actor at the Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards and SAG Awards for his performance, earning him a clean sweep throughout the 2023 awards season.

    Cillian Murphy has won Best Actor for his role in “Oppenheimer” at the 96th Oscars.

    Murphy played the titular role of Robert J. Oppenheimer, the creator of the atomic bomb. The film followed Oppenheimer’s life prior to, the creation of and after the detonation of the atomic bomb.

    This was one of Murphy’s best performances to date and secured him his first Oscar win.

    Murphy also won best actor at the Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards and SAG Awards for his performance, earning him a clean sweep throughout the 2023 awards season.

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  • ‘Barbie’ is nominated for 8 Oscars. Here are its best shots to win an award

    ‘Barbie’ is nominated for 8 Oscars. Here are its best shots to win an award

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    ‘Barbie’ is nominated for 8 Oscars. Here are its best shots to win an award

    While “Barbie” was nominated for eight awards at the 96th Oscars, there are some that are far out of its reach. However, there are three awards that “Barbie” has a shot to win.Video above: The biggest snubs of the 2024 Oscar nominationsDespite being nominated for Best Picture, it is unlikely that “Barbie” will be able to win over “Oppenheimer” which has been dominating the awards season, earning Best Picture at the Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards and SAG Awards. Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera both secured nominations in the Best Supporting Actor and Actress categories for the movie, however, it is also unlikely for them to take home the awards.Gosling is up against Robert Downey Jr.’s performance in “Oppenheimer,” for which he has won Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and SAG Awards. The same can be said for Ferrera, who is up against Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who had a breakout performance in “The Holdovers” that has also won all her nominations. “Barbie” will also probably fall short of “Oppenheimer” for Best Production Design. However, all hope is not lost as there are still three chances for “Barbie” to take home an Academy Award.While “Barbie” has a shot for Best Costume Design and Best Adapted Screenplay, its best chance to take home an award is in the category for Best Original Song, where it has received two nominations.While “I’m Just Ken,” which will be performed by Gosling at the Oscars, was a cultural phenomenon when the movie came out, it is more likely that “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas will win.In fact, “What Was I Made For?” won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, giving it another leg up for the Oscar.If “Barbie” were to win for Best Adapted Screenplay, it would go to director Greta Gerwig who was snubbed from the Best Director category. In an attempt to honor Gerwig’s work, there is a chance she could take home the award there, however, she would be up against “American Fiction” and “Zone of Interest.”

    While “Barbie” was nominated for eight awards at the 96th Oscars, there are some that are far out of its reach. However, there are three awards that “Barbie” has a shot to win.

    Video above: The biggest snubs of the 2024 Oscar nominations

    Despite being nominated for Best Picture, it is unlikely that “Barbie” will be able to win over “Oppenheimer” which has been dominating the awards season, earning Best Picture at the Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards and SAG Awards.

    Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera both secured nominations in the Best Supporting Actor and Actress categories for the movie, however, it is also unlikely for them to take home the awards.

    Gosling is up against Robert Downey Jr.’s performance in “Oppenheimer,” for which he has won Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and SAG Awards. The same can be said for Ferrera, who is up against Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who had a breakout performance in “The Holdovers” that has also won all her nominations.

    “Barbie” will also probably fall short of “Oppenheimer” for Best Production Design.

    However, all hope is not lost as there are still three chances for “Barbie” to take home an Academy Award.

    While “Barbie” has a shot for Best Costume Design and Best Adapted Screenplay, its best chance to take home an award is in the category for Best Original Song, where it has received two nominations.

    While “I’m Just Ken,” which will be performed by Gosling at the Oscars, was a cultural phenomenon when the movie came out, it is more likely that “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas will win.

    In fact, “What Was I Made For?” won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, giving it another leg up for the Oscar.

    If “Barbie” were to win for Best Adapted Screenplay, it would go to director Greta Gerwig who was snubbed from the Best Director category. In an attempt to honor Gerwig’s work, there is a chance she could take home the award there, however, she would be up against “American Fiction” and “Zone of Interest.”

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  • Jon Stewart pays tribute to dog crew member Dipper

    Jon Stewart pays tribute to dog crew member Dipper

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    Jon Stewart gave an emotional tribute to his dog Dipper on Monday night during his “moment of zen” segment on “The Daily Show.”Stewart announced that his dog, and fellow “Daily Show” crew member, Dipper, had passed away on Sunday night.”Dipper passed away yesterday,” Stewart said. “He was ready. He was tired, but I wasn’t.”Stewart then shared how his family got Dipper after his kids wanted to raise money for Animal Haven in New York City. When selling cupcakes outside, the shelter brought out a brindle pitbull who lost his leg after being hit by a car. Stewart’s family decided to adopt Dipper that day and was a member of the family for the past 12 years. Stewart also shared that Dipper would come to “The Daily Show” every day and was a member of “The Daily Show” dog crew. “We’d come to tape this show, and Dipper would wait for me to be done,” Stewart said. “He met actors and authors and presidents and kings. And he did what the Taliban could not do, which is, put a scare into Malala Yousafzai.”Stewart then showed a video of Malala Yousafzai running away when she saw Dipper in the hallway when she appeared on the show. “My wish for you is one day you find that dog, that one dog… It’s just… It’s the best,” Stewart said before dedicating his “moment of zen” to a video of Dipper.

    Jon Stewart gave an emotional tribute to his dog Dipper on Monday night during his “moment of zen” segment on “The Daily Show.”

    Stewart announced that his dog, and fellow “Daily Show” crew member, Dipper, had passed away on Sunday night.

    “Dipper passed away yesterday,” Stewart said. “He was ready. He was tired, but I wasn’t.”

    Stewart then shared how his family got Dipper after his kids wanted to raise money for Animal Haven in New York City. When selling cupcakes outside, the shelter brought out a brindle pitbull who lost his leg after being hit by a car.

    Stewart’s family decided to adopt Dipper that day and was a member of the family for the past 12 years.

    Stewart also shared that Dipper would come to “The Daily Show” every day and was a member of “The Daily Show” dog crew.

    “We’d come to tape this show, and Dipper would wait for me to be done,” Stewart said. “He met actors and authors and presidents and kings. And he did what the Taliban could not do, which is, put a scare into Malala Yousafzai.”

    Stewart then showed a video of Malala Yousafzai running away when she saw Dipper in the hallway when she appeared on the show.

    “My wish for you is one day you find that dog, that one dog… It’s just… It’s the best,” Stewart said before dedicating his “moment of zen” to a video of Dipper.

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  • Chris Gauthier, ‘Once Upon a Time’ and Hallmark movies actor, dead at 48

    Chris Gauthier, ‘Once Upon a Time’ and Hallmark movies actor, dead at 48

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    Chris Gauthier, ‘Once Upon a Time’ and Hallmark movies actor, dead at 48

    Chris Gauthier, an actor whose credits included roles in “Once Upon a Time,” “Eureka” and several popular Hallmark Channel projects, died on Feb. 23, according to a statement posted by his agent.He was 48.Video above: Remembering those we’ve lost in 2024His agent, Chad Colvin, shared the news in a statement on Facebook, writing, “This still doesn’t feel real. How can it? A world without you in it is a much darker place.”His representatives also confirmed the news to CNN.”So much so that when his wife reached out to me yesterday with the news, I wept tears of disbelief for hours. It’s taken me til now to fully mentally and emotionally steel myself to write this,” Colvin wrote on Sunday. “When I first entered the talent repping business almost nine years ago this month, it was at the behest of one certain actor. But I knew I needed more clients to start with if any event was going to take my entry into the business seriously. And the second actor to jump on board, due to remembering my pedigree being on the Eureka set as press, was Chris Gauthier.””He felt my excitement for this new endeavor, he trusted me and he had faith in what I wanted to do to get him out there with the public and fans more,” Colvin added. “Without Chris and his enthusiasm and dedication, I wouldn’t be where I am now, able to book almost the entire Eureka cast. His word of mouth, his trust and his never-ending joy of life inspired me daily.”Colvin noted Gauthier’s work on shows like “Smallville” and “Supernatural,” as well as his performance as William Smee on “Once Upon a Time.””Brother…I am going to miss you so much more than you’ll ever imagine,” Colvin wrote. “I wish we could have had a bit more time together and that you understood the difference you made, not just in my life, but all those you touched. This world is a bit smaller and colder now without you in it.”The English-born Canadian-based actor was also mourned by his “Once Upon a Time” costar, Raphael Sbarge.”A sweeter, happier soul would be hard to find,” Sbarge wrote in the caption of a group photo he posted on his verified Instagram account. “A man of consummate character, generosity and great talent, he was someone who cared deeply, loved his art, and was always kind to everyone he met.”Some of Gauthier’s other credits include TV shows “A Series of Unfortunate Events” and “Joe Pickett” as well as several Hallmark TV movies including “Ms. Christmas Comes to Town.”

    Chris Gauthier, an actor whose credits included roles in “Once Upon a Time,” “Eureka” and several popular Hallmark Channel projects, died on Feb. 23, according to a statement posted by his agent.

    He was 48.

    Video above: Remembering those we’ve lost in 2024

    His agent, Chad Colvin, shared the news in a statement on Facebook, writing, “This still doesn’t feel real. How can it? A world without you in it is a much darker place.”

    His representatives also confirmed the news to CNN.

    “So much so that when his wife reached out to me yesterday with the news, I wept tears of disbelief for hours. It’s taken me til now to fully mentally and emotionally steel myself to write this,” Colvin wrote on Sunday. “When I first entered the talent repping business almost nine years ago this month, it was at the behest of one certain actor. But I knew I needed more clients to start with if any event was going to take my entry into the business seriously. And the second actor to jump on board, due to remembering my pedigree being on the Eureka set as press, was Chris Gauthier.”

    “He felt my excitement for this new endeavor, he trusted me and he had faith in what I wanted to do to get him out there with the public and fans more,” Colvin added. “Without Chris and his enthusiasm and dedication, I wouldn’t be where I am now, able to book almost the entire Eureka cast. His word of mouth, his trust and his never-ending joy of life inspired me daily.”

    Colvin noted Gauthier’s work on shows like “Smallville” and “Supernatural,” as well as his performance as William Smee on “Once Upon a Time.”

    “Brother…I am going to miss you so much more than you’ll ever imagine,” Colvin wrote. “I wish we could have had a bit more time together and that you understood the difference you made, not just in my life, but all those you touched. This world is a bit smaller and colder now without you in it.”

    The English-born Canadian-based actor was also mourned by his “Once Upon a Time” costar, Raphael Sbarge.

    “A sweeter, happier soul would be hard to find,” Sbarge wrote in the caption of a group photo he posted on his verified Instagram account. “A man of consummate character, generosity and great talent, he was someone who cared deeply, loved his art, and was always kind to everyone he met.”

    Some of Gauthier’s other credits include TV shows “A Series of Unfortunate Events” and “Joe Pickett” as well as several Hallmark TV movies including “Ms. Christmas Comes to Town.”

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  • ‘Succession’ stars Kieran Culkin, Nicholas Braun and Matthew Macfadyen share sweet reunion

    ‘Succession’ stars Kieran Culkin, Nicholas Braun and Matthew Macfadyen share sweet reunion

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    ‘Succession’ stars Kieran Culkin, Nicholas Braun and Matthew Macfadyen share sweet reunion

    “Succession” stars Kieran Culkin, Nicholas Braun and Matthew Macfadyen shared a sweet reunion at the SAG Awards Saturday night. The trio were seen sharing a loving hug at the awards ceremony, before reuniting on stage to pick up the award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.Co-stars Alan Ruck, Alexander Skarsgård, J. Smith Cameron, Justine Lupe, Fisher Stevens, Dagmara Dominczyk and David Rasche also appeared on stage to celebrate their win.”One last hurrah, I think,” began Ruck, who accepted the award on behalf of the cast. “I think right now you’re looking at some of the luckiest people on the planet and some of the most grateful because not only did we get to all work on one of the best television shows, you know, maybe ever, we made friends for life.”And I think the magic of “Succession” was that the writing was so fabulous. It inspired all of us to bring our A-game from the very beginning.”He concluded: “And we got off on watching each other work, and we caught lightning in a bottle. Lucky, you know? So, now we’re thrilled to be recognized by our peers.”It was the end of an era for the show’s cast as they rounded out their final award ceremony of the season. Despite losing out on Lead Actor and Lead Actress SAG awards to The Crown’s Elizabeth Debicki and The Last of Us’s Pedro Pascal, Succession’s fourth and final season scooped multiple gongs at the Emmys and Golden Globes last month.Culkin beat his co-stars Jeremy Strong and Brian Cox to the Best Actor prize at both ceremonies, while Sarah Snook and Macfadyen triumphed in the Best Actress and Supporting Actor categories.

    “Succession” stars Kieran Culkin, Nicholas Braun and Matthew Macfadyen shared a sweet reunion at the SAG Awards Saturday night.

    The trio were seen sharing a loving hug at the awards ceremony, before reuniting on stage to pick up the award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

    succession's kieran culkin, nicholas braun and matthew macfadyen sag awards

    Co-stars Alan Ruck, Alexander Skarsgård, J. Smith Cameron, Justine Lupe, Fisher Stevens, Dagmara Dominczyk and David Rasche also appeared on stage to celebrate their win.

    “One last hurrah, I think,” began Ruck, who accepted the award on behalf of the cast.

    “I think right now you’re looking at some of the luckiest people on the planet and some of the most grateful because not only did we get to all work on one of the best television shows, you know, maybe ever, we made friends for life.

    succession cast at the sag awards 2024

    “And I think the magic of “Succession” was that the writing was so fabulous. It inspired all of us to bring our A-game from the very beginning.”

    He concluded: “And we got off on watching each other work, and we caught lightning in a bottle. Lucky, you know? So, now we’re thrilled to be recognized by our peers.”

    It was the end of an era for the show’s cast as they rounded out their final award ceremony of the season.

    Despite losing out on Lead Actor and Lead Actress SAG awards to The Crown‘s Elizabeth Debicki and The Last of Us‘s Pedro Pascal, Succession‘s fourth and final season scooped multiple gongs at the Emmys and Golden Globes last month.

    Culkin beat his co-stars Jeremy Strong and Brian Cox to the Best Actor prize at both ceremonies, while Sarah Snook and Macfadyen triumphed in the Best Actress and Supporting Actor categories.

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  • AT&T to reimburse customers after massive network outage

    AT&T to reimburse customers after massive network outage

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    AT&T is reimbursing customers for the nearly 12-hour network outage on Thursday, the company announced in a news release.The mobile network will issue a $5 credit to “potentially impacted” AT&T Wireless customers, which it says is the “average cost of a full day of service.””We recognize the frustration this outage has caused and know we let many of our customers down,” the company said late Saturday. “We understand this may have impacted their ability to connect with family, friends, and others. Small business owners may have been impacted, potentially disrupting an essential way they connect with customers.”The credit will not apply to customers under AT&T’s Business or Prepaid plans or those who have Cricket Wireless accounts. AT&T acquired Cricket in 2014 for about $1.2 billion.The network outage, which was first reported on Thursday at 3:30 a.m. ET, prevented tens of thousands of subscribers across the United States from fully accessing calls, texts, internet and emergency services. AT&T had encountered sporadic service interruptions in the days leading up to the outage, including a temporary 911 outage in some parts of the southeast.While regional disruptions to wireless service happen occasionally, prolonged nationwide outages are rare. The Federal Communications Commission confirmed Thursday it was investigating the incident.The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency also told CNN on Thursday it was “working closely with AT&T to understand the cause of the outage and its impacts, and stand ready to offer any assistance needed.”Several hours after service was restored, AT&T released an update stating the outage seemed to be the result of an internal issue, not a cybersecurity threat.”Based on our initial review, we believe that today’s outage was caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network,” the company said.On Saturday, AT&T reiterated it was taking steps “to prevent this from happening again in the future,” but did not elaborate.

    CNN —

    AT&T is reimbursing customers for the nearly 12-hour network outage on Thursday, the company announced in a news release.

    The mobile network will issue a $5 credit to “potentially impacted” AT&T Wireless customers, which it says is the “average cost of a full day of service.”

    “We recognize the frustration this outage has caused and know we let many of our customers down,” the company said late Saturday. “We understand this may have impacted their ability to connect with family, friends, and others. Small business owners may have been impacted, potentially disrupting an essential way they connect with customers.”

    The credit will not apply to customers under AT&T’s Business or Prepaid plans or those who have Cricket Wireless accounts. AT&T acquired Cricket in 2014 for about $1.2 billion.

    The network outage, which was first reported on Thursday at 3:30 a.m. ET, prevented tens of thousands of subscribers across the United States from fully accessing calls, texts, internet and emergency services. AT&T had encountered sporadic service interruptions in the days leading up to the outage, including a temporary 911 outage in some parts of the southeast.

    While regional disruptions to wireless service happen occasionally, prolonged nationwide outages are rare. The Federal Communications Commission confirmed Thursday it was investigating the incident.

    The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency also told CNN on Thursday it was “working closely with AT&T to understand the cause of the outage and its impacts, and stand ready to offer any assistance needed.”

    Several hours after service was restored, AT&T released an update stating the outage seemed to be the result of an internal issue, not a cybersecurity threat.

    “Based on our initial review, we believe that today’s outage was caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network,” the company said.

    On Saturday, AT&T reiterated it was taking steps “to prevent this from happening again in the future,” but did not elaborate.

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  • 2 officers, 1 first responder killed at the scene of a domestic call in Minnesota; suspect dead

    2 officers, 1 first responder killed at the scene of a domestic call in Minnesota; suspect dead

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    Two police officers and a first responder were shot and killed early Sunday and a third officer was injured at a suburban Minneapolis home in an exchange of gunfire while responding to a call involving an armed man who had barricaded himself inside with family, including seven children. The suspect in the shooting also died, officials said.The shootings took place in a suburban neighborhood in Burnsville, Minnesota, which was ringed with police cars that kept the press and public away from the scene where the shootings took place.City officials said in a news release that it started as a report of a domestic situation. “After arriving, the situation escalated into gunfire with responders,” the statement said, adding that the officers and first responder “were killed by the gunman during the response.”The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association said negotiations with the suspect went on for four hours before a SWAT team entered the home. Seven children were inside the house, but the city said the family was able to leave the home safely.Details on how the suspect died were not immediately released.City officials identified the slain officers as Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27. Adam Finseth, 40, a firefighter and paramedic, also was killed. Another police officer, Sgt. Adam Medlicott, was injured and being treated at a hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries, the city said.The shooting happened in a tree-lined neighborhood with two-story homes. A police armored vehicle parked nearby had bullet damage to its windshield, but there was no confirmation on whether that was the result of the incident. The street was lined with police cars, firefighters and ambulances.Police scanner recordings on Broadcastify.com capture a rattled man saying, “I need any ambulance,” as he struggled to catch his breath. Someone later could be heard talking about three being loaded into ambulances, uttering the word “critical.””We must never take for granted the bravery and sacrifices our police officers and first responders make every day,” said Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. “My heart is with their families today and the entire State of Minnesota stands with Burnsville.”Other law enforcement agencies immediately began posting messages of condolence on social media, including images of badges with blue bars through them. It is a mark of solidarity in mourning.As the bodies of the dead left a hospital, officers saluted, before they were taken in a convoy to the medical examiner’s office. Medical staff watched in scrubs.The Law Enforcement Labor Services represents rank-and-file officers and the supervisors of the Burnsville Police Department. The organization’s executive director, Jim Mortenson, said in a statement that “thoughts and prayers are with the family of the officers and first responder” who responded.The State’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said in a news release that it was asked to investigate the shooting. It said it would provide more information later. The statewide agency provides investigative and other services to help solve crimes, often to back up smaller law enforcement agencies that lack sufficient resources.In neighboring Goodhue County, Sheriff Marty Kelly wrote that it was closely monitoring the situation as it unfolds.”In times like these,” Kelly said, “it is essential to come together as a community and support one another through the uncertainty and grief.”Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota said in a statement that she had been in touch with the mayor, police chief and state officials to offer any federal resources needed.”Today,” she said, “serves as another solemn reminder that those who protect our communities do so at great personal risk.”Burnsville, a city of around 64,000, is located about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of downtown Minneapolis.

    BURNSVILLE, Minn. —

    Two police officers and a first responder were shot and killed early Sunday and a third officer was injured at a suburban Minneapolis home in an exchange of gunfire while responding to a call involving an armed man who had barricaded himself inside with family, including seven children. The suspect in the shooting also died, officials said.

    The shootings took place in a suburban neighborhood in Burnsville, Minnesota, which was ringed with police cars that kept the press and public away from the scene where the shootings took place.

    City officials said in a news release that it started as a report of a domestic situation. “After arriving, the situation escalated into gunfire with responders,” the statement said, adding that the officers and first responder “were killed by the gunman during the response.”

    The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association said negotiations with the suspect went on for four hours before a SWAT team entered the home. Seven children were inside the house, but the city said the family was able to leave the home safely.

    Details on how the suspect died were not immediately released.

    City officials identified the slain officers as Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27. Adam Finseth, 40, a firefighter and paramedic, also was killed. Another police officer, Sgt. Adam Medlicott, was injured and being treated at a hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries, the city said.

    The shooting happened in a tree-lined neighborhood with two-story homes. A police armored vehicle parked nearby had bullet damage to its windshield, but there was no confirmation on whether that was the result of the incident. The street was lined with police cars, firefighters and ambulances.

    Police scanner recordings on Broadcastify.com capture a rattled man saying, “I need any ambulance,” as he struggled to catch his breath. Someone later could be heard talking about three being loaded into ambulances, uttering the word “critical.”

    “We must never take for granted the bravery and sacrifices our police officers and first responders make every day,” said Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. “My heart is with their families today and the entire State of Minnesota stands with Burnsville.”

    Other law enforcement agencies immediately began posting messages of condolence on social media, including images of badges with blue bars through them. It is a mark of solidarity in mourning.

    As the bodies of the dead left a hospital, officers saluted, before they were taken in a convoy to the medical examiner’s office. Medical staff watched in scrubs.

    The Law Enforcement Labor Services represents rank-and-file officers and the supervisors of the Burnsville Police Department. The organization’s executive director, Jim Mortenson, said in a statement that “thoughts and prayers are with the family of the officers and first responder” who responded.

    The State’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said in a news release that it was asked to investigate the shooting. It said it would provide more information later. The statewide agency provides investigative and other services to help solve crimes, often to back up smaller law enforcement agencies that lack sufficient resources.

    In neighboring Goodhue County, Sheriff Marty Kelly wrote that it was closely monitoring the situation as it unfolds.

    “In times like these,” Kelly said, “it is essential to come together as a community and support one another through the uncertainty and grief.”

    Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota said in a statement that she had been in touch with the mayor, police chief and state officials to offer any federal resources needed.

    “Today,” she said, “serves as another solemn reminder that those who protect our communities do so at great personal risk.”

    Burnsville, a city of around 64,000, is located about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of downtown Minneapolis.

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  • ‘Oppenheimer’ wins Christopher Nolan a best director prize and more at British Academy Film Awards

    ‘Oppenheimer’ wins Christopher Nolan a best director prize and more at British Academy Film Awards

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    Stars from both sides of the Atlantic and beyond converged in London Sunday for the 77th British Academy Film Awards, where atom-bomb epic “Oppenheimer” could smash a 53-year-old record if it makes good on its field-leading 13 nominations.Christopher Nolan ‘s biopic of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer was up for trophies including best film, best director and best actor for star Cillian Murphy. A good night could see it surpass the record nine awards won by “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” at the BAFTAs in 1971.It was guaranteed at least five prizes when Nolan won his first best-director BAFTA, having also won trophies for editing, cinematography and musical score, as well as the best supporting actor prize for Robert Downey Jr.”Oppenheimer” faced stiff competition in what’s widely considered a vintage year for cinema, and an awards season energized by the end of actors’ and writers’ strikes that shut down Hollywood for months.Holocaust drama ” The Zone of Interest” — a British-produced film shot in Poland with a largely German cast — was named both best British film and best film not in English, a first.Jonathan Glazer’s unsettling drama takes place in a family home just outside the walls of Auschwitz.”Walls aren’t new from before or since the Holocaust and it seems stark right now that we should care about innocent people being killed in Gaza or Yemen or Mariupol or Israel,” producer James Wilson said. “Thank you for recognizing a film that asks us to think in those spaces.”Gothic fantasia “Poor Things” had 11 nominations, including best film, director for Yorgos Lanthimos and actress for Emma Stone. Historical epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” had nine for the awards, officially called the EE BAFTA Film Awards.The ceremony, hosted by “Doctor Who” star David Tennant — who entered wearing a kilt and sequined top while carrying a dog named Bark Ruffalo — is a glitzy, British-accented appetizer for Hollywood’s Academy Awards, closely watched for hints about who might win at the Oscars on March 10.The prize for original screenplay, went to French courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall.” The film about a woman on trial over the death of her husband was written by director Justine Triet and her partner, Arthur Harari.”It’s a fiction, and we are reasonably fine,” Triet joked.Da’Vine Joy Randolph was named best supporting actress for playing a boarding school cook in “The Holdovers” and said she felt a “responsibility I don’t take lightly” to tell the stories of underrepresented people like her character Mary.Cord Jefferson won the adapted screenplay prize for the satirical “American Fiction,” about the struggles of an African-American novelistJefferson said he hoped the success of the movie “maybe changes the minds of the people who are in charge of greenlighting films and TV shows, allows them to be less risk-averse.”Ukraine war documentary “20 Days in Mariupol,” produced by The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline,” won the prize for best documentary.”This is not about us,” said filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov, who captured the harrowing reality of life in the besieged city with an AP team. “This is about Ukraine, about the people of Mariupol.”Chernov said the story of the city and its fall into Russian occupation “is a symbol of struggle and a symbol of faith. Thank you for empowering our voice and let’s just keep fighting.”Other leading award contenders included “The Holdovers” and Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro” — each with seven nominations — and grief-flecked love story “All of Us Strangers” with six. Barbed class-war dramedy “Saltburn ” has five nominations.” Barbie,” one half of 2023’s “Barbenheimer” box office juggernaut and the year’s top-grossing film, also had five nominations but missed out on nods for best picture and best director. Many saw the omission of “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig — for both the BAFTAs and the Oscars — as a major snub.The best film race pits “Oppenheimer” against “Poor Things,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Holdovers.”Britain’s film academy introduced changes to increase the awards’ diversity in 2020, when no women were nominated as best director for the seventh year running and all 20 nominees in the lead and supporting performer categories were white. However, Triet was the only woman among this year’s six best-director nominees.A woman of color could take the best actress BAFTA for the first time, with Fantasia Barrino for “The Color Purple” and Vivian Oparah for “Rye Lane” nominated alongside Sandra Hüller for “Anatomy of a Fall,” Mulligan for “Maestro,” Margot Robbie for “Barbie” and Stone for “Poor Things.”No British performers are nominated in the best-actor category, but Ireland is represented by Murphy for “Oppenheimer” and Barry Keoghan for “Saltburn.” They’re up against Cooper for “Maestro,” Colman Domingo for civil rights biopic “Rustin,” Paul Giamatti for “The Holdovers” and Teo Yoo for “Past Lives.”Before the ceremony, nominees including Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Rosamund Pike, Ryan Gosling and Ayo Edebiri all walked the red carpet at London’s Royal Festival Hall, along with presenters Andrew Scott, Cate Blanchett and David Beckham.Guest of honor was Prince William, in his role as president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He arrived without his wife, Kate, who is recovering from abdominal surgery last month.The ceremony included musical performances by “Ted Lasso” star Hannah Waddingham, singing “Time After Time,” and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, singing her 2001 hit “Murder on the Dancefloor,” which shot back up the charts after featuring in “Saltburn.”Actress Samantha Morton received the academy’s highest honor, the BAFTA Fellowship, and film curator June Givanni, founder of the June Givanni PanAfrican Cinema Archive, was honored for outstanding British contribution to cinema.Sunday’s ceremony was being broadcast on BBC One in the U.K. from 1900GMT, and on streaming service BritBox in the U.S., Canada, Australia and South Africa.___Hilary Fox contributed to this story.

    Stars from both sides of the Atlantic and beyond converged in London Sunday for the 77th British Academy Film Awards, where atom-bomb epic “Oppenheimer” could smash a 53-year-old record if it makes good on its field-leading 13 nominations.

    Christopher Nolan ‘s biopic of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer was up for trophies including best film, best director and best actor for star Cillian Murphy. A good night could see it surpass the record nine awards won by “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” at the BAFTAs in 1971.

    It was guaranteed at least five prizes when Nolan won his first best-director BAFTA, having also won trophies for editing, cinematography and musical score, as well as the best supporting actor prize for Robert Downey Jr.

    “Oppenheimer” faced stiff competition in what’s widely considered a vintage year for cinema, and an awards season energized by the end of actors’ and writers’ strikes that shut down Hollywood for months.

    Holocaust drama ” The Zone of Interest” — a British-produced film shot in Poland with a largely German cast — was named both best British film and best film not in English, a first.

    Jonathan Glazer’s unsettling drama takes place in a family home just outside the walls of Auschwitz.

    “Walls aren’t new from before or since the Holocaust and it seems stark right now that we should care about innocent people being killed in Gaza or Yemen or Mariupol or Israel,” producer James Wilson said. “Thank you for recognizing a film that asks us to think in those spaces.”

    Gothic fantasia “Poor Things” had 11 nominations, including best film, director for Yorgos Lanthimos and actress for Emma Stone. Historical epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” had nine for the awards, officially called the EE BAFTA Film Awards.

    The ceremony, hosted by “Doctor Who” star David Tennant — who entered wearing a kilt and sequined top while carrying a dog named Bark Ruffalo — is a glitzy, British-accented appetizer for Hollywood’s Academy Awards, closely watched for hints about who might win at the Oscars on March 10.

    The prize for original screenplay, went to French courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall.” The film about a woman on trial over the death of her husband was written by director Justine Triet and her partner, Arthur Harari.

    “It’s a fiction, and we are reasonably fine,” Triet joked.

    Da’Vine Joy Randolph was named best supporting actress for playing a boarding school cook in “The Holdovers” and said she felt a “responsibility I don’t take lightly” to tell the stories of underrepresented people like her character Mary.

    Cord Jefferson won the adapted screenplay prize for the satirical “American Fiction,” about the struggles of an African-American novelist

    Jefferson said he hoped the success of the movie “maybe changes the minds of the people who are in charge of greenlighting films and TV shows, allows them to be less risk-averse.”

    Ukraine war documentary “20 Days in Mariupol,” produced by The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline,” won the prize for best documentary.

    “This is not about us,” said filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov, who captured the harrowing reality of life in the besieged city with an AP team. “This is about Ukraine, about the people of Mariupol.”

    Chernov said the story of the city and its fall into Russian occupation “is a symbol of struggle and a symbol of faith. Thank you for empowering our voice and let’s just keep fighting.”

    Other leading award contenders included “The Holdovers” and Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro” — each with seven nominations — and grief-flecked love story “All of Us Strangers” with six. Barbed class-war dramedy “Saltburn ” has five nominations.

    ” Barbie,” one half of 2023’s “Barbenheimer” box office juggernaut and the year’s top-grossing film, also had five nominations but missed out on nods for best picture and best director. Many saw the omission of “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig — for both the BAFTAs and the Oscars — as a major snub.

    The best film race pits “Oppenheimer” against “Poor Things,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Holdovers.”

    Britain’s film academy introduced changes to increase the awards’ diversity in 2020, when no women were nominated as best director for the seventh year running and all 20 nominees in the lead and supporting performer categories were white. However, Triet was the only woman among this year’s six best-director nominees.

    A woman of color could take the best actress BAFTA for the first time, with Fantasia Barrino for “The Color Purple” and Vivian Oparah for “Rye Lane” nominated alongside Sandra Hüller for “Anatomy of a Fall,” Mulligan for “Maestro,” Margot Robbie for “Barbie” and Stone for “Poor Things.”

    No British performers are nominated in the best-actor category, but Ireland is represented by Murphy for “Oppenheimer” and Barry Keoghan for “Saltburn.” They’re up against Cooper for “Maestro,” Colman Domingo for civil rights biopic “Rustin,” Paul Giamatti for “The Holdovers” and Teo Yoo for “Past Lives.”

    Before the ceremony, nominees including Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Rosamund Pike, Ryan Gosling and Ayo Edebiri all walked the red carpet at London’s Royal Festival Hall, along with presenters Andrew Scott, Cate Blanchett and David Beckham.

    Guest of honor was Prince William, in his role as president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He arrived without his wife, Kate, who is recovering from abdominal surgery last month.

    The ceremony included musical performances by “Ted Lasso” star Hannah Waddingham, singing “Time After Time,” and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, singing her 2001 hit “Murder on the Dancefloor,” which shot back up the charts after featuring in “Saltburn.”

    Actress Samantha Morton received the academy’s highest honor, the BAFTA Fellowship, and film curator June Givanni, founder of the June Givanni PanAfrican Cinema Archive, was honored for outstanding British contribution to cinema.

    Sunday’s ceremony was being broadcast on BBC One in the U.K. from 1900GMT, and on streaming service BritBox in the U.S., Canada, Australia and South Africa.

    ___

    Hilary Fox contributed to this story.

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