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Paul St-Pierre Plamondon to become Quebec’s next premier after leading pro-separatism Parti Québécois to victory
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon will become the next premier of Quebec, completing the dramatic resurgence for the pro-independence Parti Québécois after more than a decade of decline and long years in the political shadows at the National Assembly. The PQ's election night victory in Quebec on Monday capped off what some believed was inevitable after three […]
30-year-old arrested in Washington state in connection with Tumbler Ridge mass shooting: U.S. Attorney’s Office
A 30-year-old man has been arrested in Western Washington and charged with conspiracy to murder in a foreign country in connection with the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Tuesday morning. Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd shared further details at a press conference in Seattle Tuesday afternoon. Law enforcement leaders from the […]
Jim Bakker, famed televangelist brought down by scandal, dies at 86
Jim Bakker, who along with his first wife Tammy Faye built an evangelical empire around the hugely successful "The PTL Club" TV show, only to lose it all over a sex scandal and financial crimes, has died. He was 86.Bakker died Monday, his second wife, Lori Bakker, said in a statement. His cause of death was not immediately clear.The pair lived near the Missouri entertainment town of Branson and filmed their TV show "The Jim Bakker Show" there since it launched in 2003. Bakker suffered a stroke in 2020."He was a pioneer of Christian television, but to me, he was my husband, my best friend, and the man I was honored to walk beside through so many seasons of life and ministry," Lori Bakker said in a statement.But it was another evangelical program that made Jim and and his first wife Tammy Faye Bakker cultural icons — so much so that they were often skewered in the 1980s and 1990s by late-night comedians and parodied on "Saturday Night Live." A theatrical movie on their lives, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," was released in September 2021.At its peak in the mid-1980s, the Bakkers' ministry included not only the TV show drawing up to 13 million nightly viewers but also the Christian-based Heritage USA theme park and hotel in Fort Mill, South Carolina.Bakker was born in Muskegon Michigan, and attended North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, where he met Tammy Faye. They married in 1961 and dropped out of college to start their own traveling ministry — he preached, she sang and played the accordion as they crossed the country visiting churches and tent revivals.They caught the attention of televangelist Pat Robertson, and in 1965 launched a children's show on Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network. By 1966, he was hosting "The 700 Club," a Christian talk show. Sep 17, 2021 How Televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker Became an Unlikely Ally in the AIDS Crisis coronavirus Mar 9, 2020 FDA Warns Televangelist Jim Bakker and Others to Stop Selling Fraudulent Coronavirus Products Bakker left CBN in 1972 and two years later formed the PTL Satellite Network. "The PTL Club" — PTL stands for "Praise the Lord" — became its signature show.It hit its heyday in the 1980s, "The PTL Club" was drawing millions of viewers — and bringing in millions of dollars annually from followers.Sort of a Christian version of "The Tonight Show," it featured chats with guests and Christian entertainers. Bakker offered upbeat sermons and Tammy Faye — charismatic and always wearing her trademark heavy mascara — sang. Most episodes were taped at their sprawling complex just south of Charlotte, North Carolina.The couple was so famous that they were often parodied by TV comedians for their lavish lifestyle and Tammy Faye's abundant makeup.In March 1987, their empire began to crack when Bakker admitted to a sexual encounter with church clerk Jessica Hahn. Bakker was forced to resign from his own empire, turning over operations to pastor and broadcaster Jerry Falwell.Tammy Faye stuck by Bakker, often with tears running down her mascara, even as many saw his downfall as a fitting symbol of the greed and hypocrisy of the 1980s.Things only got worse.In 1988, Bakker was indicted for mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy after an investigation of PTL's finances. He was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in federal prison, though the sentence was later reduced to eight years.At a news conference after Bakker was found guilty, Tammy Faye stood in front of the microphones and sang the hymn, "On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand."Their marriage crumbled and Tammy Faye divorced Bakker in 1992, just short of their 31st anniversary, while he was still in prison. She later married Roe Messner, a building contractor whose projects included the Heritage USA theme park. Messner was convicted of bankruptcy fraud in 1995 and spent about two years in prison.Tammy Faye died of colon cancer in 2007.Bakker was released on parole in 1994. He married his second wife, Lori, in 1998. The couple launched "The Jim Bakker Show" on the PTL Satellite Network five years later.In June 2021, Bakker and his Morningside Church Productions Inc. settled a lawsuit accusing him of falsely claiming the health supplement Silver Solution could cure COVID-19. The settlement called for $156,000 in refunds to people who paid money or gave contributions to obtain the product in the early days of the pandemic.The lawsuit said Bakker and a guest made the cure claim during 11 episodes in February and March of 2020.Bakker and Tammy Faye had two children. He and his second wife adopted five children in 2002.
Campaign ad portraying lazy welfare recipient as white sparks conservative backlash
A new video from Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was standard issue Republican messaging for promoting her state’s stricter rules for people on Medicaid. No more could able-bodied people lounge around while receiving taxpayer-funded healthcare, she said — they needed to work.But the decision to portray an unemployed moocher as a young, white, cheeseball-chomping gamer named Brad upset some conservative commentators last week. Five decades after Ronald Reagan popularized the "welfare queen" trope about people living luxuriously while not working, they wanted to know why the video wasn’t featuring a Black woman instead. "Republicans don't have the balls to do this ad with 'Shaniqua' as the villain," posted Matt Walsh, a conservative writer. "Even though that would actually be an accurate portrayal of the problem at hand."Sean Davis, co-founder of the Federalist website, wrote that "our government has systematically discriminated against white men for decades now, and yet now has the audacity to dishonestly mock young white men as welfare queens."Never mind that the video was about Medicaid and not welfare, or that most Medicaid recipients in Arkansas are white. The outrage was a reminder of how old tropes are "chronically accessible" images in some voters' minds, said Ange-Marie Hancock, author of "The Politics of Disgust and the Public Identity of the 'Welfare Queen.'"She thinks the Arkansas video was supposed to appeal to older voters living with unemployed adult children. But conservatives could only focus on race, Hancock said, because the idea of a Black welfare abuser has worked for them for decades."The longer race and gendered history really points to ideas that African Americans are lazy, they don't do the right thing," she said.The debate that streaked across social media was the latest example of how conservatives have recently wrestled with racist views. Last month, a Texas political candidate named Bo French posted a picture of nonwhite students cheering at a University of Texas football game, saying "the problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined." Some Republicans denounced French’s post, while it was embraced by those who fear the country’s changing demographics. Sanders, who is running for reelection this year, "stands by the ad," said Jordan Powell, her campaign manager. "We should never confiscate money from hard-working Arkansans to give it away to those who simply choose not to work at all," Powell told The Associated Press in an emailed statement.Origins of the 'welfare queen' trope in American politicsThe "welfare queen" trope is often used to advance restrictions on public assistance programs.While unsuccessfully running for president in 1976, Reagan complained about a woman in Chicago who was using "80 names, 30 addresses, 12 Social Security cards" to game the system. The story was embellished, but Reagan worked to reshape public assistance programs after winning the White House in 1980.Allison Butler, author of "The Judgment of Gender: How Women are Centered and Silenced in Pop Culture,” said the debate perpetuated a powerful myth that women of color were siphoning government assistance."When you deconstructed that narrative and actually tried to find the source of it … there was no woman of color who wouldn't get a job and had multiple televisions and a Mercedes-Benz," Butler said.Barry Jefferson, president of the NAACP Arkansas State Conference, has condemned the Sanders ad for reducing low-income people to a stereotype where poverty is seen as a flaw. It ignores the complexities that make it harder for low-income people, regardless of race, to support themselves, he said."We shouldn't betray anyone because they are asking for help and they don't meet your standards," Jefferson said.Breaking down the demographics of MedicaidCreated in 1965 as a joint federal and state health insurance program, Medicaid offers free or low-cost medical coverage to people with limited income including the elderly, children or adults with disabilities who cannot work. Nearly 66 million people were enrolled in Medicaid as of June, according to the Medicaid.gov website. Over 38% of beneficiaries between the ages of 0-64 are white, according to 2024 data from research organization KFF. Nearly 19% are Black. More work requirements for some Medicaid beneficiaries kicked in across the U.S. this year under President Donald Trump’s big 2025 tax cut and policy law. A handful of Republican-led states, including Arkansas, are going beyond what the law calls for to prevent fraud including demanding more documentation if someone is too medically frail to work.In July, Sanders soft-launched mandating that healthy people ages 19 to 64 find work, volunteer or attend school at least 80 hours per month to stay in the Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me Medicaid program, or ARHOME.Robert Coon, managing partner at Impact Management Group, a political consulting and public-opinion firm with an Arkansas office, said that welfare work requirement policy is generally favored in Arkansas.But suggestions the person in the ad should be Black are "overtly racist" and "inaccurate," Coon said.About 60% of ARHOME recipients are white and around 18% are Black, according to recent data from the state Department of Human Services.Why Black people often experience need at a higher rateRight-wing rhetoric about Black Americans and public assistance often ignores how generations of structural racism have produced economic disparities that contribute to their disproportionate participation in these programs.Fewer Black people than white people overall use social service programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps. But at roughly 13% of the U.S. population, Black people make up the largest overrepresentation of any racial group. They are 18.5% and 25%, respectively, of Medicaid and SNAP recipients.Those statistics reflect an extremely difficult road for poor Black communities looking to rise out of poverty and build generational wealth.Arkansas Democratic congressional candidate Chris Jones, who is Black, grew up in a family relying on food stamps. A welfare recipient is not "looking for a way out of work," but "for a way forward," he told AP in a statement.The bigger question, Jones said, is not race but "why so many people who are working hard still struggle to afford groceries, housing, health care and the basic necessities of life.”___Tang reported from Phoenix.
Investigation underway at Lineage Logistics warehouse in Boyle Heights
An investigation led by a state agency that specializes in violations of California’s hazardous waste control laws was underway Tuesday morning at a cold food storage warehouse that burned for several days in Boyle Heights. The investigation was being led by the Department of Toxic Substances Control’s Office of Criminal Investigations. The agency is charged with protecting California communities from toxic substances and can establish enforcement actions when necessary. The Office of Criminal Investigations includes sworn peace officers with powers of arrest, search and seizure. California Sep 27 Gov. Newsom signs bills prompted by warehouse fire in Boyle Heights Boyle Heights Sep 25 New report looks at metals in LA River after warehouse fire started in Boyle Heights Authorities, including members of the Los Angeles Police Department and county prosecutor’s office, were seen Tuesday morning at the warehouse.Councilmember Ysabel Jurado said her office is aware of reports of law enforcement activity at the warehouse. “We are aware of reports of law enforcement activity at the Lineage warehouse site in Boyle Heights,” Jurado said. “We understand the concern these reports are causing, particularly for workers and their families. We are working to verify which agencies are involved, the purpose of the activity, and whether there are any immediate impacts on workers or nearby residents. We will share confirmed information as it becomes available. Boyle Heights deserves clear answers and a recovery that puts community health and safety first.”Details about the investigation were not immediately available. Lineage released a statement Tuesday.“Our industry is regulated by dozens of agencies, and we regularly work with them collaboratively and transparently,” the company said. “To be clear, we do not store hazardous chemicals or products in this facility. We store food. Further, the facility's ammonia refrigeration system was safely pumped out shortly after the fire began and before the fire reached the refrigeration system. “The ammonia was subsequently removed from the site. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported no ammonia was detected during its response, and subsequent environmental monitoring has consistently shown results within normal levels for the neighborhood and no ammonia concentrations above health-based action levels. We have shared relevant testing and monitoring information on our website and with regulatory agencies and will continue to do so.”The fire broke out June 17 on the rooftop of the 500,000-square-foot Lineage Logistics building, which was covered in a solar array. Flareups continued for days that sent thick smoke over the community east of downtown Los Angeles. Neighbors were plagued by a lengthy cleanup process that included an unbearable stench, rodents and pests.The warehouse was the subject of an order approved by the South Coast Air Quality Management District during the summer. The air regulatory board’s approval came after two days of meetings involving residents, many of whom expressed odor and health concerns, and representatives from Lineage Logistics.The order required Lineage to follow some 90 legally enforceable conditions to eliminate the foul odors coming from millions of pounds of food waste inside the facility. The company was also ordered to expedite the removal of rotting food.The South Coast AQMD said that between July 12 and Aug. 5, it had received more than 4,200 odor complaints about the warehouse, and the agency issued 25 notices of violations to Lineage. Lineage, the buildings’ tenant-operator, leases the rooftop to a third-party solar panel company that installed a solar array on top of the structure. The company has said it believes the fire started when the subcontractors were working on the solar panels.In an after-action report , the LAFD said it was unable to determine the cause of the fire.
Alberta separatists see an ally in Quebec premier-designate St-Pierre Plamondon
Leading figures in the push for Alberta separation are celebrating the election of Quebec premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. Jeff Rath said Tuesday that St-Pierre Plamondon’s election victory could change the political dynamic of Canada, especially since the premier-designate has already shown his willingness to support Alberta’s separatist movement. “For the first time in Canadian history, […]
Phillies need a new identity, and Japan offers a path forward
Look around the MLB postseason. Philadelphia fans may not want to at this point.The Phillies' season ended short of a championship for the fifth consecutive October, but watching the rest of the playoffs offers another reminder of where their organization continues to lag behind other successful teams around the game. It is not necessarily a domestic shortcoming. It is the Phillies' lack of a presence internationally, specifically in Japan.A record eight Japanese-born players made active postseason rosters this year.Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki are attempting to help the Dodgers win a third consecutive World Series. The Cubs were eliminated, but Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki will both reach free agency this winter. Munetaka Murakami and Tatsuya Imai helped the White Sox and Astros reach the postseason during their first years in the United States. Padres reliever Yuki Matsui rounded out the record-setting group.Meanwhile, the Phillies have never signed a player directly from NPB to a major-league contract.They have employed Japanese-born players before. Tadahito Iguchi arrived in a trade during the 2007 season, and So Taguchi signed with the Phillies after spending six years with the Cardinals. Neither represented the Phillies successfully recruiting an established player out of Japan and bringing him directly into their organization.They have tried to change that more recently.The Phillies aggressively pursued Yamamoto before the 2024 season and were willing to make a significant financial commitment to the star right-hander. Yamamoto chose the Dodgers. The following winter, the Phillies expressed interest in Sasaki, but they were not among the teams granted an in-person meeting before he also chose Los Angeles.Those pursuits showed the Phillies understood the value of entering the Japanese market. They also illustrated how difficult it is to break into it without any history there.Los Angeles has become a destination for Japanese players because of its sizable Japanese community, its location and travel access to their home country, and the growing alumni network the Dodgers have created. Ohtani helped make Los Angeles more attractive to Yamamoto, and the presence of both players offered Sasaki something no other interested organization could replicate.Philadelphia does not have those built-in advantages. There are no direct flights between Philadelphia International Airport and Japan. The Phillies cannot point to a Japanese star who succeeded here and can explain the organization and city to the next player considering the move.Their most recent attempt to establish a connection was Koyo Aoyagi, whom the Phillies signed to a minor-league contract before the 2025 season. Aoyagi posted a 7.22 ERA between Double A and Triple A and never reached Philadelphia.That does not mean the Phillies should sign a Japanese player simply to say they have done it. It does mean they need to recognize how one successful signing could make the next pursuit considerably easier.The Phillies had an opportunity last offseason to begin changing their history in this market while addressing a clear need in their lineup.Japanese corner infielders Kazuma Okamoto and Murakami were both available. The Phillies did not seriously pursue either player, even though their aggressive pursuit of Bo Bichette later in the winter showed they were willing to change the look of their infield and potentially move on from Alec Bohm at third base.Hindsight is always easier, especially with players making the transition from NPB. There were legitimate questions about how Murakami's swing-and-miss tendencies would translate against major-league pitching and how Okamoto's offensive production would hold up outside Japan.Both answered enough of those questions in their first seasons.Okamoto hit 33 home runs and drove in 92 runs for Toronto. Murakami hit 35 home runs in 127 games for the White Sox despite missing time with a hamstring injury. Those became the two highest single-season home run totals by Japanese-born players during their first years in the majors.The Phillies did not need to know with certainty that either player would immediately produce at that level. They needed to recognize the opportunity to add a talented player who could help them on the field while also giving them credibility in a market that continues to shape the championship picture.That opportunity exists again this offseason.The Phillies' core is not exactly finished, but it is becoming older, more expensive and increasingly familiar to the teams trying to beat it. After five consecutive postseason appearances without a championship, there needs to be a different feel around the club entering 2027.That does not require the Phillies to dismantle everything. It requires them to find a new source of talent that could extend their window and prevent the organization from falling into another prolonged transition once its current stars decline.The uncertainty surrounding the next collective bargaining agreement could complicate an already expensive offseason. It also gives the Phillies another chance to establish themselves in Japan before the competition for Japanese players becomes even greater.It might only take one successful signing. One player could lead to the next.This winter, there are two Japanese players who fit the Phillies' roster beyond the significance of where they were born.Suzuki, who turned 32 in August, is one of them.The Phillies have struggled to find any sustained success in right field since Bryce Harper became their full-time first baseman. Suzuki would give them a steady right fielder and the type of right-handed hitter their lineup could lose if Bohm departs in free agency.After 2022, the year he debuted for the Cubs, Suzuki has averaged 28 home runs and 97 RBIs per 162 games, posting an OPS above .800 in four consecutive seasons.Suzuki hit .270 with a .368 on-base percentage, 26 home runs and 86 RBIs this season. His 81 walks and 5.1 wins above replacement were both career highs.His patience would carry particular value for a Phillies lineup that has repeatedly allowed its chase problems to become magnified during the postseason. Suzuki is capable of driving the baseball without expanding the strike zone as frequently as many of the hitters who have surrounded Harper and Kyle Schwarber.He also showed considerable improvement defensively this season. His range numbers took a significant step forward, and he combined those improvements with the strong throwing arm he has carried throughout his career.Suzuki is not likely to command the type of contract that would prevent the Phillies from making other additions. A deal of approximately four years would give them an established middle-of-the-order hitter without creating another commitment that stretches deep into a player's late 30s.He would address right field, replace the right-handed run production the Phillies could lose with Bohm and bring a stronger approach into a lineup that needs one.Signing Suzuki could also help the Phillies pursue the most talented Japanese player expected to be posted this winter.Teruaki Sato has been on their radar for some time. In May, Preston Mattingly and several other members of the organization traveled to Japan to scout the left-handed-hitting third baseman.It is easy to understand their interest.Sato, a member of the Hanshin Tigers, has been the most dangerous power hitter in NPB over the last two seasons. He hit 40 home runs and drove in 102 runs in 2025, then followed that performance by hitting .311 with 39 home runs, 105 RBIs and a 1.009 OPS this season.There is swing and miss in his game, which will create questions about how quickly he can adjust to major-league velocity. His increased willingness to walk, however, has made him a more complete hitter. Sato carries exceptional bat speed and generates considerable power from a relatively quiet setup at the plate.He also grew up admiring Harper, according to a report from Sports Nippon. That might not carry much weight once negotiations begin, but it is at least one connection to an organization still searching for every advantage it can find in Japan.Citizens Bank Park would offer an inviting environment for Sato's left-handed power. Harper and Schwarber have already demonstrated how much damage elite left-handed hitters can produce there, particularly when they are willing to use the opposite field instead of trying to pull every pitch.Suzuki and Sato also have familiarity with one another through Samurai Japan. Signing Suzuki would not guarantee that Sato follows him to Philadelphia, but it would allow the Phillies to present something they have never been able to offer a Japanese free agent: an established player from his home country who already understands the organization, the clubhouse and the adjustment to living in Philadelphia.This cannot become a marketing exercise. The Phillies, who have money coming off the books, should pursue both players because they fit the baseball team they are trying to build.Suzuki would stabilize right field and provide a disciplined right-handed presence. Sato could become their long-term answer at third base if Bohm leaves, while giving the Phillies another hitter capable of changing a game with one swing.Adding both could also create opportunities for the Phillies to move the rest of their roster around the diamond.If top prospect Aidan Miller proves he is ready for the major leagues, the Phillies could consider moving Trea Turner to the outfield and installing Miller at shortstop. That could make Brandon Marsh available in a trade for bullpen help or another area of need.One aggressive version of the lineup could look like this: C: J.T. Realmuto (R)1B: Bryce Harper (L)2B: Bryson Stott (L)SS: Aidan Miller (R)3B: Teruaki Sato (L)LF: Trea Turner (R)CF: Justin Crawford (L) & Derek Hill (R)RF: Seiya Suzuki (R)DH: Kyle Schwarber (L)That alignment is speculative and would require several significant decisions to fall into place. The point is not that those exact nine players need to be standing together on Opening Day.The point is that pursuing Suzuki and Sato would address real weaknesses while beginning the identity change the Phillies need. It could make the lineup more patient, improve right field, add another source of power and build infrastructure in a market the organization has struggled to enter for decades.There is no guarantee that signing one Japanese player will convince another to follow him. The Dodgers' success was not built through one transaction, either. They established relationships, demonstrated commitment and allowed each successful addition to make the next one easier.The Phillies have spent the last five years reaching October without finding the final combination necessary to win a championship. As the current core ages, the front office will need to give ownership another reason to believe that an expensive push can still end differently.Japanese-born players have been at the center of the postseason for several years. The Phillies have continued to fall short without them.If they are serious about changing the identity of the organization and keeping their championship window open, Japan is where that change should begin.
Paramount and Warner Bros are now one Hollywood giant: Skydance. How we got here.
 It's official: Skydance-owned Paramount completed its blockbuster $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday.The companies completed the deal on Tuesday, ushering in a new Hollywood giant with the now shorter "Skydance" nametag. The merger brings two of America's oldest moviemaking studios together — along with HBO Max, titles ranging from "Harry Potter" to "Sinners" and even networks like CNN will soon find themselves under the same roof as Paramount+, CBS and the likes of "Top Gun" and "The Godfather.”All of them will come under the helm of billionaire David Ellison and his new co-CEO Ynon Kreiz. That further concentrates power in an industry already run by just a handful of major players. Ellison's Skydance bought out Paramount for $8 billion just last year, and set its sights on Warner — an even bigger fish — very soon after.What followed erupted into a tumultuous, yearlong fight over Warner's fate. Including billions of dollars in debt, Paramount's buyout of Warner amounts to nearly $111 billion today."Today is a historic day, not just for Skydance but for our entire industry,” Ellison said in a statement Tuesday. “We couldn't be more excited to get to work."Here’s a look at some of the key moments that got us here.Netflix v. ParamountThe early days of Paramount’s quest for Warner turned into a messy bidding war.Months after disclosing it was open to selling parts or even all of its business, Warner initially struck a studio and streaming deal with Netflix back in December. But Skydance-owned Paramount, which claimed Warner management "never engaged meaningfully" with its previous proposals, soon launched a hostile counterbid aimed at taking over the entire company — including networks like CNN and Discovery.The Hollywood giants spent much of early 2026 in a heated back-and-forth over who had a stronger offer on the table, with Warner leadership repeatedly backing Netflix as its preferred suitor. But Paramount eventually upped its offer to buy all of Warner for $31 per share, and Netflix opted to bow out of the race. Warner and Paramount inked a mutual merger agreement by late February.The response from HollywoodHollywood was closely watching the fight over Warner’s future. And from awards shows to online petitions, A-list celebrities and other creatives made their voices known.In April, thousands of movie stars, writers, directors and other professionals announced their "unequivocal opposition" to the Paramount-Warner merger. The open letter — which was signed by long-outspoken critics of the deal like Jane Fonda and Mark Ruffalo, as well as Hollywood heavyweights from Denis Villeneuve to J.J. Abrams — warned of fewer jobs and "less choice for audiences in the United States and around the world."Meanwhile, some other stars lined up to back Paramount as Ellison reiterated his commitments to the movies. At CinemaCon this past spring, the company debuted a glossy mini movie about the studio directed by Jon M. Chu and narrated by Tom Cruise — who ended the spot atop the iconic Paramount water tower, with the words "the future is paramount and the future looks pretty great from here.” Director James Cameron also doubled down on his support of Ellison.The prospect of a new Warner owner also loomed over awards season this year, from #BlockTheMerger pins to more subtle nods in acceptance speeches. When accepting her Emmy last month, "Remarkably Bright Creatures" actor Sally Field — who also signed the open letter in opposition to the Paramount-Warner deal — stressed that "unique storytelling matters" and "we can't let those voices be silenced, or compromised or merged."Many industry critics were also outspoken when Netflix’s studio and streaming deal was on the table, with particular focus on the future of movies staying in theaters.Trump and CNNTrump has regularly attacked reporting he deems unfavorable at CNN (most recently attempting to bar the outlet from the White House altogether). And over the course of the Warner buyout, his administration wasn’t afraid to chime in about hopes for a new owner.In December — days after Paramount launched its hostile bid for Warner — the president said that CNN spread "poison and lies," adding that "I think the people who have run CNN for the last long period of time are a disgrace” and “it's imperative that CNN be sold."The White House took aim again at CNN in March, over the network’s coverage of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. At the time, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters that "the sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better."Ellison has said editorial independence will be maintained at CNN, and under a since-finalized settlement with the states, the company also agreed to form a "News Editorial Independence Board.” But critics point to turmoil already seen at CBS under Skydance ownership — and aren't convinced this new body will move the needle much, because Ellison is set to have ample oversight over appointments. Outside this board, however, the combined company is retaining Mark Thompson as CNN's editor-in-chief.Trump has separately continued to criticize CBS coverage under Skydance ownership. Still, the president has held a long relationship with the billionaire Ellison family. Paramount’s chief reportedly hosted a dinner in Washington in Trump's honor back in April, on the same day Warner shareholders gave their greenlight for the merger. And in June, just two days after the U.S. Justice Department said it wouldn’t intervene in the deal, Ellison attended an Ultimate Fighting Championship match on the White House lawn for Trump's 80th birthday (streamed by Paramount+).Gulf moneyTo help fund its Warner buyout, Paramount racked up billions of dollars in financial backing from three Gulf countries: Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The Federal Communications Commission approved the company's request for sizeable indirect ownership from those foreign investors.Paramount previously disclosed it expected those funds to indirectly own nearly 50% of equity interests — but no voting rights — of what is now the larger Skydance. But the company asked for clearance of up to 100% to account for potential future investments, which the FCC granted, citing in part that access to more capital would strengthen the broadcast industry and was therefore "in the public interest."Critics — including FCC's sole Democratic Commissioner, Anna Gomez — have called the move alarming and unprecedented. They argue that amount of money opens the door to behind-the-scenes influence.The final antitrust fightParamount cleared antitrust hurdles for its Warner acquisition from regulators worldwide over the summer, including the Trump administration’s Justice Department. But in July, Democratic attorneys general from 12 states — led by California’s Rob Bonta — sued to block the merger, alleging the combined company would "extinguish competition" and lead to fewer choices for consumers, particularly movie theatergoers and cable customers across the U.S.The Writers Guild of America followed suit. And Paramount agreed to put its Warner buyout on ice well into next year so the challenges could head toward a larger antitrust trial.Settlement agreements emerged in September. The states’ terms, eventually approved by a judge, include pledges from the company to increase film production in the U.S. over the next five years, commit millions of dollars to a fund aimed at supporting workers displaced by the merger and again establish new editorial monitoring of CNN and CBS.Settling these challenges marked a key hurdle ahead of closing the deal. Critics decried the deal as capitulating to corporate pressure and said the remedies were too weak.
5 takeaways from Quebec election as Parti Québécois forms minority government
Quebec voters elected a Parti Québécois minority government Monday, completing a dramatic political comeback and paving the way for an eventual third sovereignty referendum.

Paramount and Warner Bros merge to become one Hollywood giant, Skydance
The merger brings two of America's oldest moviemaking studios together under the helm of billionaire David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz, in a move that is projected to concentrate power in an industry already run by just a handful of major players
On TV

Nothing airing worth remote control today. The screen can rest.

New Music

No new drops today. Go rediscover something in your old playlists.

In theaters

No new releases hitting theaters today. Your popcorn can wait.

Launching today

Nothing launching today. Every rocket is staying grounded and behaving.

Useless Fact

The state of Florida is bigger than England.

The loonie
CAD → USD
0.7029
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CAD → EUR
0.6243
▼ 0.0017
Today In History
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2000 — Powerful 7.3 Magnitude Earthquake near Sakaiminato, Japan
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1993 — Michael Jordan's Retirement and Return to Basketball
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1981 — Assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
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The English poet widely regarded as the chief representative of the Victorian Age in poetry, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, died at age 83
1849 — Execution of 13 Hungarian Generals in Arad
Thirteen Hungarian generals, known as "the martyrs of Arad," were executed in 1849 for their role in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49 against the Austrian Empire.
-105 — Roman Defeat at Battle of Arausio
The Roman army was defeated by Germanic tribes in the Battle of Arausio in 105 BCE.

This is today, boiled down to the essentials. The full stash lives at logicalchaos.ca. Go get lost in it.