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Column: Why the Hollywood writers strike matters to audiences

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:24 GMT

Nina Metz | Chicago TribuneWhat is Hollywood without screenwriters? No characters to play. No scripts to shoot. That’s as fundamental as it gets.TV and film writers are represented by the Writers Guild of America. With the exception of a few highly paid names, many have seen their careers become untenable in recent years as streaming radically upended the financial model. The people who dream up the shows and movies that we so compulsively watch are struggling to earn a living doing it. As a result, the WGA went on strike last week after the studios rejected many of its contract proposals.That means no writing is being done for the foreseeable future. It’s unclear how long the strike will last. It could be days. It could be months. Late-night talk shows were the first to go dark, but other shows have also paused production or preproduction on their new seasons, including Netflix’s “Cobra Kai” and Showtime’s “Yellowjackets.”A new “Game of Thrones” spinoff for HBO has paused its write...

Migrants watch the clock in asylum-seeking limbo

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:24 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The clock is running out for Title 42, a pandemic-era health order limiting foreign entry into the U.S. Now looming: a surge of migrants at the southern border who have their sights set on seeking asylum.FOX 5 peered through the sturdy pillars of the border wall on Wednesday, about 4 miles west of the San Ysidro Port of Entry, to get a closer look at the conditions these migrants are facing. DHS releases plan to manage migrants after Title 42 The consensus heard from families at border: fear and uncertainty as what comes next remains undetermined. One family -- a husband, wife and their one-year-old son -- traveled all the way from West Africa's Republic of Guinea. As they sat at the edge of the U.S., the father told FOX's Elizabeth Alvarez that their long journey has led to illness. "My child is really sick," Mamadou Yaya said. "I'm on the border to the United States. I came here to seek help. I don't want to lose him here."The worried parent told FOX 5 that his son...

Customer satisfaction with Air Canada, WestJet below average: Survey

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:24 GMT

MONTREAL — Canada’s two biggest airlines scored below average for customer satisfaction among major North American carriers, according to a new survey, part of a trend of growing passenger frustration across the industry.Conducted by J.D. Power, the poll found Air Canada and WestJet fell below the average customer satisfaction figure of 782 on a 1,000-point scale for economy class service. WestJet notched 777 to edge out Air Canada, which scored 765.Pricier fares, crowded planes and fewer flight options are behind the frustration — but demand remains strong nonetheless — said Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at the Michigan-based consumer analytics company.As a result, carriers yielded higher revenues this year after a prolonged industry slump prompted by the pandemic. Taylor said many are running at “peak efficiency,” though higher labour and fuel costs compared with 2019 have hampered profit margins, and capacity has not yet reached p...

S&P/TSX composite posts loss driven by energy and metals, U.S. markets mixed

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:24 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index moved lower Wednesday, weighed down by losses in energy and metals, while U.S. markets were mixed on the heels of the latest data on inflation. Consumer prices in the U.S. rose in April, up 0.4 per cent on a monthly basis and 4.9 per cent year-over-year. The data showed some cooling in inflation in key areas including grocery prices and services, helping bolster market confidence that the Federal Reserve will hold its interest rate steady instead of hiking at its next meeting. But markets were mixed Wednesday despite the relatively positive reading. The S&P/TSX composite index was down 86.42 points at 20,499.31.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 30.48 points at 33,531.33.The S&P 500 index was up 18.47 points at 4,137.64,while the Nasdaq composite was up 126.89 points at 12,306.44.“There’s (these) opposing forces,” said Ashish Utarid, assistant vice-president of investment strategy at IG Wealth Management. “We’ve g...

Momentum on Texas gun bill stalls in GOP-led legislature

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:24 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Rare momentum in the Texas Capitol for a tougher gun law flickered out Wednesday after Republicans stalled a bill that would raise the purchase age for AR-style rifles, virtually assuring the GOP-controlled Legislature will in no major way restrict gun access after more mass shootings. The legislation — always a longshot at best — now has little chance of coming back after unexpectedly coming within reach of a full vote in the state House with the help of two Republicans, sending Texas’ powerful gun lobby rushing into action. The unusual forward progress in Texas of a proposal to restrict guns happened two days after a gunman near Dallas opened fire at an outdoor shopping mall with an AR-style rifle, killing eight people. But late Tuesday night, House Republicans let a deadline lapse that stops the bill from going any further. “Uvalde families didn’t fail. Texas politicians did,” tweeted Kimberly Mata Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter Lexi was among the 19...

Nevada advances proposal to enshrine abortion rights into state constitution

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:24 GMT

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada lawmakers on Wednesday passed a joint resolution that would codify reproductive rights — including already-existing abortion access up to 24 weeks — into the state constitution.The state Assembly approved of the measure 28 to 14 along party lines, about three weeks after the state Senate passed it 13 to 8 along party lines. State lawmakers must pass the resolution again in 2025 before it would go before voters as a ballot question in 2026. If passed, the resolution would provide the highest level of state protection for not only abortion rights, but also other reproductive access, including postpartum and prenatal care, as well as birth control. “Our state, among many other states, are being tested whether we stand up for reproductive and medical freedom for Nevadans,” said Democratic Assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch before voting for the resolution. “Decisions about our health care, especially our reproductive health care, should be between a doctor...

National Archives leader confirmed amid turmoil over Trump probe

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the National Archives was confirmed Wednesday by the Senate after a months-long partisan battle over the agency’s role in the investigation into sensitive documents seized at Donald Trump’s Florida home.Colleen Shogan, a political scientist, was confirmed as archivist of the United States in a 52-45 vote, gaining some bipartisan support after a nearly yearlong delay. With a long career spanning work at institutions such as the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress and the White House Historical Association, Shogan has sought to assure senators she will not bring a partisan mindset to the job.Shogan also stressed to Congress that she has not been briefed on the details or directly involved in the ongoing criminal investigations into Trump’s handling of presidential records and more recently that of President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence. But her nomination faced hostility from Sena...

‘Bad football’: Megaphone thrown, brawl between CF Montreal, TFC fans in stands

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:24 GMT

Ugly scenes in the stands at BMO Field during Toronto FC’s 2-1 loss to rival CF Montreal in Canadian Championship play Tuesday prompted an investigation by TFC officials and condemnation from Montreal.Toronto, which has hoisted the Voyageurs Cup eight times and finished runner-up five times, exited at the first hurdle this year after getting a bye to the preliminary round as 2022 runner-up.The game was married by several episodes in the stands, captured in video posted on social media.There were fights involving some travelling Montreal fans, in their perch in the north corner of the east stand. One video showed some eight people brawling at the top of the stand.“Hey @TorontoFC, you knew we were coming to the game, you told us there would be security. They came directly at us. You let this happen. Fire the whole security department,” tweeted a fan, who goes by the handle Ethan, above the video.Hey @TorontoFC, you knew we were coming to the game, you told us there w...

Stock market today: Wall Street edges higher after inflation report

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A mixed day of trading left Wall Street slightly higher on Wednesday after a report showed inflation is making strides toward easing, even if it remains too high. The S&P 500 rose 18.47, or 0.4%, to 4,137.64 after swinging between gains and losses through the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 30.48, or 0.1%, to 33,531.33, while the Nasdaq composite rallied 126.89, or 1%, to 12,306.44. Bond prices climbed after the highly anticipated report said inflation at the consumer level edged down to 4.9% last month, its lowest level in two years. That was slightly better than economists expected, and other underlying measures of inflation also came in very close to forecasts. Because of that, Wall Street still sees the door open for the Federal Reserve to leave interest rates alone at its next meeting in June. That would be the first time it hasn’t raised rates at a meeting in more than a year, and a pause would offer some breathing room for the economy and fin...

Western Canada braces for early heat wave, raising wildfire risk in Alberta and B.C.

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:24 GMT

Western Canada is bracing for an unseasonable heat wave and dry spell that will raise the risk of wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia over the coming days.Environment Canada meteorologist John Cragg says there’s little to no precipitation on the horizon, save for some potential for thunderstorms in parts of Alberta before temperatures heat up heading into the weekend.Cragg says the heat is coming from a “blocking pattern,” when the normal fluctuation of low and high pressures stops, and warm air flows into an area without the relief that usually comes from an influx of cooler northern air.While the heat is expected to peak on Sunday or Monday, Clagg says there’s potential for the temperature-raising blocking pattern to return later next week.The weather office is forecasting temperatures will hit 30 C and higher in parts of Alberta that are already grappling with early season wildfires. The Alberta government declared a provincial state of emergency in ...