Skydance Tells Senators It Wasn’t Involved in Colbert ‘Late Show’ Cancellation, ‘Fully Complied’ With Anti-Bribery Laws in Paramount Deal

Skydance Tells Senators It Wasn't Involved in Colbert 'Late Show' Cancellation, 'Fully Complied' With Anti-Bribery Laws in Paramount Deal

Skydance Media has responded to an inquiry from three left-wing U.S. senators who expressed concerns about "bribery" with respect to the Trump administration's approval of its deal to acquire Paramount Global — and had questioned whether Skydance had any part in the cancellation of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert." In a July 21letterto Skydance CEO David Ellison, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Ron Wyden asked a series of pointed questions about Skydance's Paramount deal. Among those: "Is there currently any arrangement under which you or Skydance will provide compensation, advertising, or promotional activities that in any way assist President Trump, his family, his presidential library, or other Administration officials?" The letter also asked, "Were you or other Skydance executives involved in discussions about canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert?" More from Variety Kamala Harris Explains Why She's Not Running for Election on Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show': 'I Don't Want to Go Back in the System. I Think It's Broken' Shari Redstone Invokes Father Sumner Redstone's 'Steadfast Belief That Content Is King' in Final Quarterly Earnings Call as Paramount Global Owner Paramount Captures Small Q2 Profit Ahead of Sale to Skydance In a reply sent Thursday (July 31) to the senators obtained byVariety, Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon, Skydance's general counsel and co-president of business operations, said in part, "Throughout its history and during the review of the proposed acquisition of Paramount, Skydance has fully complied with all applicable laws, including our nation's anti-bribery laws." Skydance was "not involved" in CBS's decision to cancel "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," according to McKinnon. "Paramount did provide notice of its decision to Skydance [about Colbert's show being canceled], but only after Paramount reached its own independent decision, and shortly before Paramount publicly acknowledged the cancellation." CBS said the cancellation of Colbert's show was "purely a financial decision." The senators' letter also noted that Trump has claimed he had aside deal with Skydance under which the new owners of the merged company are expected to contribute $20 millionin advertising, public service announcements and "similar programming" that promote causes he favors. That purportedly would be in addition to Paramount's $16 million payment to settle his lawsuit accusing "60 Minutes" of deceptively editing a pre-election interview with Kamala Harris. In the letter, McKinnon didn't directly address the question of whether Skdyance has a "side deal" with the president for free advertising or other airtime. She wrote, "Skydance was neither a party to the lawsuit nor to Paramount's settlement of its litigation with the President." Paramount has said that its settlement with Trump — under which most of the$16 million will go to his future presidential library— "does not include PSAs or anything related to PSAs. Paramount has no knowledge of any promises or commitments made to President Trump other than those set forth in the settlement proposed by the mediator and accepted by the parties." Under the transaction agreement, according to McKinnon, "Paramount had full discretion to settle any outstanding litigation unrelated to the transaction for up to $50 million without Skydance's consent." On July 1, Paramount requested Skydance's consent "to only one particular term relating to the publication of transcripts of interviews of Presidential candidates. Skydance did not believe its consent was required, but acceded to Paramount's request and provided it," McKinnon wrote. Two days beforethe FCC approved the Skydance-Paramount deal, which is nowset to close Aug. 7, Skydance's McKinnon senttwo letters to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. In one, she said Skydance would install an ombudsman at CBS to review "complaints of bias or other concerns" as part of ensuring "viewpoint diversity." In the other, she said Skydance confirmed that Paramount eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, that Skydance doesn't have DEI initiatives and that the company committed to not implement any in the future. In her July 31 letter to the senators, McKinnon reiterated that "Skydance is committed to promoting non-discrimination and equal employment opportunity and fully complying with applicable laws." She also wrote, "Skydance believes in unbiased journalism and embraces a broad range of viewpoints. Upon closing of the acquisition, these guiding principles will ensure that editorial decision-making at CBS News reflects the varied ideological perspectives of American viewers. Skydance likewise believes all content should reflect independent editorial judgment and be free from government intrusion and politicization." "As with any transaction that requires regulatory approval, Skydance executives and its representatives have had routine and customary interactions with government officials, including with the Administration, Congress, and federal regulators," McKinnon concluded in the letter to Warren, Sanders and Wyden. "We value productive relationships across all levels of government and look forward to strengthening those, including with you and your colleagues, in the months and years ahead." Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in August 2025 What's Coming to Netflix in August 2025 Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

byMario Satorik

in

August 01, 2025

Skydance Tells Senators It Wasn’t Involved in Colbert ‘Late Show’ Cancellation, ‘Fully Complied’ With Anti-Bribery Laws in Paramount Deal

Skydance Tells Senators It Wasn't Involved in Colbert 'Late Show' Cancellation, 'Fully Complied' With Anti-Bribery Laws ...

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Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Pull the Plug on Hulk Hogan Film—Here’s What We Know

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Pull the Plug on Hulk Hogan Film—Here's What We Know

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Pull the Plug on Hulk Hogan Film—Here's What We Knoworiginally appeared onParade. Ben AffleckandMatt Damon'sproduction company, Artists Equity, has shelved its plans toproduce a filmaboutHulk Hogan's leaked sex tape scandal and the legal battle that ultimately bankrupted Gawker Media. Paradeverified with a source close to the development process that the project is no longer in the works at Artists Equity, and the decision was made well before Hogan's passinglast weekat the age of 71. No public statement has been issued by Affleck or Damon as of yet. The film, which never entered active production, was intended to explore the 2016 scandal that began when a video surfaced of Hogan engaging in sex with the wife of radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge. The tape also captured Hogan making racist remarks, which led to a swift fallout that included a$140 million jury awardand a reckoning over celebrity privacy in the digital age. It's been reported that Hogan was never involved in the film andmade clear he had no interest in contributing. While the Hogan and Gawker saga remains one of the most headline-grabbing media stories of the past decade, it looks like its Hollywood dramatization will have to wait for now. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Pull the Plug on Hulk Hogan Film—Here's What We Knowfirst appeared on Parade on Jul 31, 2025 This story was originally reported byParadeon Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.

byMario Satorik

in

August 01, 2025

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Pull the Plug on Hulk Hogan Film—Here’s What We Know

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Pull the Plug on Hulk Hogan Film—Here's What We Know Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Pull the Plug on Hulk Hogan F...

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Hearing on deadly Texas floods reveals local officials missed emergency planning briefing

Hearing on deadly Texas floods reveals local officials missed emergency planning briefing

All key leading officials from the Texas county hardest hit by the July 4 flash flooding thatkilled at least 136 peoplewere absent from an emergency briefing call held before the tragedy unfolded, questioning from state lawmakers on Thursday revealed. Kerr County officials were sharply confronted during the committee hearing in Kerrville, Texas, about their disaster preparedness and response following the deadly storm that swept away homes, children's camps, and RVs primarily in their county, killing 37 children and 71 adults. Two people are still missing. The officials faced strong criticism as lawmakers pressed for accountability in the aftermath of the catastrophe, intensifying their scrutiny since last week's 12-hour special hearing over whether more should have been doneprior to the stormorhow efficientlylife-saving efforts were carried out. Over 100 people signed up to speak during the public comment portions of Thursday's hearing. Emails from the Texas Division of Emergency Management — two asking local leaders to be on briefing calls about the weather and one showing predicted danger areas — are part of a series of opportunities local officials had to prepare. "I didn't see those emails," Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. told CNN on Thursday. "I wish I had seen it. I didn't see it." The Kerr County emergency management coordinator, who had beenaccused of being asleepin the critical morning hours of the deadly flood, said he also missed the emergency briefings because he was home sick. "In my absence, my supervisors and sheriff's office leadership were aware that I was off duty," William B. "Dub" Thomas told a hearing in Kerrville of the state Select Committees on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding. The emergency management coordinator said he stayed in bed throughout July 3 and did not participate in the regularly scheduled 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Texas Emergency Management coordination center coordination calls. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called out Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly specifically following his testimony, highlighting the judge's absence on July 4, while also mentioning several officials who were there. "I don't know where you were on day one on July 4, but you should have been here. You should have been here directing that response. That's your responsibility," Patrick said. "Everyone was here that day, working their a** off, and you were nowhere to be found." The lieutenant governor's comments were met with applause from the audience. In Texas, county judges are elected and act asthe head of county governments. Texas Rep. Ann Johnson pointed out that "the three guys in Kerr County, who were responsible for sounding the alarm, were effectively unavailable" in the midst of the emergency, she said in the hearing. The Kerr County judge was away, the sheriff didn't wake up until 4:20 a.m. and the emergency management coordinator was sick, she said. "We cannot go back in time and save these children," Johnson said, "but knowing now, what you know, is there a protocol that needs to be put in place that if the three folks who are responsible are not available at this moment for whatever reason, what should we do?" Another local official in Travis County, Texas, also noted the important absence of a National Weather Service employee who was crucial in conveying to local officials how serious a weather event was going to be. The employee left three to four months ago and hasn't been replaced. His absence was felt during this major weather event, Travis County Judge Andy Brown told officials. "He was the person who would say, 'Hey Travis County, I know you get flash flood alerts, thunderstorm alerts all the time, but this is a big one. You need to pay attention,'" Brown said, adding that his number one request would be to fill that position. At Thursday's hearing, lawmakers heard emotional public testimony from grieving residents who called for a more reliable system to warn the public about potential life-threatening floods. Alicia Jeffrey Baker, whose parents and 11-year-old daughter Madelyn "Emmy" Jeffrey were killed in the flood, testified that officials should put in place a more effective audible alert system for flash flooding, particularly since some residents in the area lack cell and Wi-Fi service. "My suggestion would be that instead of just sirens, we actually have sensors in the water that would then alert sirens to go off," Baker said. "If we have gauges in water already, put a sensor on them. If it gets to a certain point, that's when the siren goes off." "That's my suggestion as someone living through a nightmare," she added. "We need to do better for the people in this community, for the people that are suffering." Sobbing, Baker described the agonizing hours after the flood, when there was little communication about the whereabouts of her family. Her parents were identified that Sunday, and her daughter on Thursday, July 10, over a week after she went missing. "The only thing that identified her at all was her charm bracelet," Baker said. Bud Bolton, a resident of Hunt, Texas, joined Baker in calling for a better alert system, highlighting the area's lack of cell service as a major concern – he said he didn't get an alert, instead he witnessed the chaos outside. He recalled watching over 100 RVs float past him, while hearing the screams of children trapped inside, he said. "(I heard them) screaming and hearing crashes and crashes, then tiny homes crashing and more crashing, gets dead silent and more crashes and more screams, and that went on for 15, 20 minutes," Bolton said. "We got an alert to evacuate, after all the homes were gone. That's when our alert came in." Rosa Toller, a resident of the Bumble Bee Hills neighborhood in Ingram, Texas, echoed a similar experience the night of the floods. "Our warning was screaming down the road. That was our warning, our screaming neighbors," she said. Williamson County Judge Steven Snell told legislators about a heroic 911 call from Sherry Richardson, a resident who was trapped in her home by rising floodwaters but begged first responders to help a home for disabled children farther up the road first. "Few minutes later, the house was swept away by the flood waters, and she perished in the flood, but not before we were able to mobilize teams," Snell said. "We were able to evacuate and rescue all 13 children that were residents and three nighttime workers from the home, thanks to the pleading in the 911 call of Sherry Richardson." Nancy Zdunkewicz and her family consider themselves lucky to have survived, she added, as many of their lifelong friends and relatives did not survive the night of the flooding. She and her 66-year-old mother clung to a tree for hours in Hunt. "Had there been early detection of the rising water and sirens, we may have been able to leave in time to get to higher ground safely," Zdunkewicz said. "I've heard someone else say, they didn't think that was necessary or would save lives in Hunt, and they are dead wrong." Mike Richards, a Bandera resident whose daughter lives in Kerr County and discovered a deceased body near her home the morning after the flood, said during the hearing he recovered 10 bodies on his own, without any government assistance. "I think the state involvement, as far as I'm concerned, is pathetic," Richards said, also criticizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency for turning people away. FEMA had said it was inundated with a high volume of calls and not able to answer them at the peak of the flooding. Richards recounted his attempt to secure an excavator to help recover the bodies more efficiently, but he said he was told the state would not allow him access to one. "I ain't worried about no laws, man, I'll break them if you bring your equipment over just just to go out and look for these people," he added. "I'm talking about finding bodies." "It was two days before I got some help. It was not from the state, not from the government. It was some good-hearted people." Keli Rabon, whose two sons, ages 7 and 9, survived the floods that tore apart Camp La Junta, said her younger son, Brock, lives in a constant state of anxiety and is in need of mental heath care. "Today, my sons are physically safe, but for our family, the storm is not over," Rabon said. "Brock scans every room for higher ground. He checks the weather constantly. He battles nightmares of water dripping from the ceiling or his mattress being wet. His fear is so profound that he's now anxious about the tsunami in Hawaii. He lives with the terror that no child or any person should have to carry but so many of us now do." Rabon said she requested help to find mental health resources for her children from FEMA but was told they cannot help. "I shouldn't have to rely on a Facebook group of volunteers to find trauma care for my children," she added. "I pray that these hearings are more than just for show, because every day that we just focus on political posturing instead of people is another day that families like mine are falling through the cracks. Rabon made three "simple, urgent requests": immediately release emergency funds for recovery, make mental health care a core part of the state's official disaster response and ensure all camps have publicly accessible emergency plans. CNN's Matthew J. Friedman, Zenebou Sylla, Amanda Jackson, Bonney Kapp and Taylor Romine contributed to this reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byMario Satorik

in

August 01, 2025

Hearing on deadly Texas floods reveals local officials missed emergency planning briefing

Hearing on deadly Texas floods reveals local officials missed emergency planning briefing All key leading officials from the Texas county ha...

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Trump unveils higher tariffs on dozens of countries

Trump unveils higher tariffs on dozens of countries

President Trump on Thursday formally announced higher tariffs against more than 60 U.S. trading partners starting next week — just hours before the administration's self-imposed midnight deadline. The president signed an executive order listing out tariff rates for imports from dozens of countries, including a handful that have cut trade deals with the administration and dozens that haven't reached a deal yet. The duties range as high as 41% for Syria and 40% for Laos and Myanmar, while almost no country's imports will face tariffs below 10%. The new tariffs apply to imports that are "entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption," in seven days, the order said. Mr. Trump had vowed to impose higher tariffs starting just after midnight on Friday, Aug. 1. A White House official told CBS News the extra seven days were intended to give Customs and Border Protection enough time to implement the new tariff rates. "[F]or most economies and most of our trading partners, the cost of doing trade tomorrow will be higher than it is today," Greg Daco, chief economist at management consulting firm EY-Parthenon, said prior to the release of Thursday's list. Mr. Trump set the latest deadline for trade agreements in April after announcing —and later suspendingfor 90 days — what he described as "Liberation Day" tariffs on more than 90 countries. A July 9 deadline for deals came and went, with the White House again stalling for time. But Mr. Trump had since vowed not to extend the deadline beyond Aug. 1 for most nations. Almost 70 trading partners are included on Thursday's list, and goods from countries that weren't listed will face 10% tariffs — the same baseline that Mr. Trump imposed in April. For some countries, Thursday's tariff list features lower rates than the ones that were threatened on Liberation Day. But other countries' tariffs were adjusted up slightly. For example, Madagascar was threatened with 47% tariffs in April and just 15% tariffs on Thursday, but Switzerland's rate jumped from 31% to 39%. For the handful of trading partners that have reached agreements with Mr. Trump in recent weeks — includingJapan,South Koreaand theEuropean Union— the new tariff list reflects the terms of those trade deals. A senior administration official told reporters Thursday the new tariff list separates U.S. trading partners into three buckets. If the United States has a trade surplus with a country — meaning the U.S. exports more goods to the country than it imports — that nation's goods will face a 10% tariff rate. If the U.S. has a small trade deficit, imports from that country will generally face 15% tariffs. And countries that the U.S. has larger deficits with face higher tariffs, typically based on either the "Liberation Day" rate, a rate hashed out in a trade deal with the U.S. or a rate floated by Mr. Trump in a letter. Stiff tariffs on Canada Tariffs on the United States' three largest trading partners — Mexico, Canada and China — are treated separately. Duties on Canadian goods will jump from 25% to 35% starting Friday, the White House announced Thursday, following through on a threat from earlier this month. Mr. Trump is also threatening tariff hikes for Mexico and China, but the U.S.' southern neighborgot a 90-day extensionon Thursday, and an Aug. 12 deadline to strike a deal with China isexpected to be extendedfor three months, as well. In announcing the hike in Canadian tariffs, White House said Canada hadn't done enough to "arrest, seize, detain or otherwise intercept ... traffickers, criminals at large, and illicit drugs." In a statement released early Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was "disappointed" by Mr. Trump's actions. "Canada accounts for only 1% of U.S. fentanyl imports and has been working intensively to further reduce these volumes," he said.Carney added that some industries - including lumber, steel, aluminum and automobiles - are "heavily impacted by U.S. duties and tariffs. For such sectors, the Canadian government will act to protect Canadian jobs, invest in our industrial competitiveness, buy Canadian, and diversity our export markets." Amid concerns that the White House's trade agenda was fueling economic uncertainty for businesses and consumers, Trump administration officials this springpledgedto nail down "90 deals in 90 days." By that measure, his administration has come up far short of its goals. The White House has announced broad bilateral agreements with a handful of nations as well as the 27-member European Union, but those deals have lacked the extensively documented details typical of most trade deals, experts note. "It's important to note that we don't even have any deals as deals are commonly understood, except maybe the U.K. agreement, which is still being discussed," Alex Jacquez, chief of policy and advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, a left-leaning advocacy group, told CBS MoneyWatch. The countries that have yet to strike deals with the U.S., including major trading partners such as Canada and Mexico, account for 56% of American imports, according to Goldman Sachs. Shortly after the new tariff list was released, Mr. Trumptold NBC Newsin an interview it's "too late" for countries that still haven't struck a trade agreement to avoid the new import duties — but he's still willing to negotiate after the higher tariffs take effect. He said he believes his trade strategy was going "very well, very smooth," pointing to the revenue brought in by tariffs and the fact that inflation has not spiked. "President Trump's trade deals have unlocked unprecedented market access for American exports to economies that in total are worth over $32 trillion with 1.2 billion people," White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement. "As these historic trade deals and the Administration's pro-growth domestic agenda of deregulation and The One Big Beautiful Bill's tax cuts take effect, American businesses and families alike have the certainty that the best is yet to come." Tearing up the rules Mr. Trump re-entered office in January promising to rewrite the rules of international commerce, which he has long maintained disadvantage the U.S. and hurt American workers. In that effort, he has embraced tariffs as a way to reduce trade deficits with other nations, energize domestic manufacturers, generate federal revenue and gain leverage in foreign policy. In practice, the White House has struggled to deliver on that ambitious agenda, Daniel Altman, an economist and founder of investment newsletter High Yield Economics, told CBS MoneyWatch. "There were never enough trade negotiators in all of Washington to conclude all of these details by August 1," he said. "We have some framework agreements that have made the headlines, but as we're finding out a lot of those deals include tariff rates that are pretty much the same as the base rate of 15% that the White House has mooted for the rest of the world." Yet despite the appearance of chaos that has attended some of the rollout of his new tariff regime, Mr. Trump has clearly succeeded in changing the terms of trade with several key economic partners in ways that could favor the U.S. In some cases, that includes winning the elimination or significant reductions in tariffs on American exports going the other way. Under its deal with the EU, for instance, the U.S. will impose a 15% tax on most of the trading bloc's imports, but the EU has agreed not to charge any levy on imports from the U.S.Deals with JapanandSouth Koreaimpose the same tariff rate on those countries' exports to the U.S. Other countries that struck trade deals with the U.S. have acceded to higher tariffs in hopes of ensuring good relations with Mr. Trump and avoiding even higher levies. Those includeIndonesia and the Philippines, which will each face a 19% tariff on their exports. The U.S. will subject imports fromVietnamto a 20% duty, plus a 40% tariff on goods that are transshipped via other countries. "In any other time frame, one would have said that having the EU, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia and the United Kingdom covers an awful lot of world trade and U.S. trade," Alan Wolff, senior fellow at the nonpartisan Peterson Institute for International Economics and former deputy director-general of the World Trade Organization, told CBS MoneyWatch. President Trump's tariff agenda is also generating significant revenue. According to the U.S. Treasury, the U.S. in June brought in $27 billion in tariff revenue — more than three times what it collected in the same period a year ago. The White House has repeatedly insisted that tariff costs will be borne by foreign countries and that the levies will help spur investment in U.S. manufacturing. Trade experts note that tariffs aretypically paid by importers, which often pass on those costs to consumers in the form of higher prices. Arkansas officials reveal new details about Devil's Den murders of husband and wife Tennessee manhunt underway for suspect in killings of abandoned baby's relatives Reporter's Notebook: Trump's White House ballroom and Martin Van Buren

byMario Satorik

in

August 01, 2025

Trump unveils higher tariffs on dozens of countries

Trump unveils higher tariffs on dozens of countries President Trump on Thursday formally announced higher tariffs against more than 60 U.S. ...

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A Two-Episode Premiere! Who Went Home on 'Project Runway' Season 21 Tonight?

A Two-Episode Premiere! Who Went Home on 'Project Runway' Season 21 Tonight?

A Two-Episode Premiere! Who Went Home on 'Project Runway' Season 21 Tonight?originally appeared onParade. Project RunwaySeason 21's first two episodes saw the contestants in every designer's worst nightmare for the iconic design competition — two team challenges. The episodes, titled "New House/New Rules" and "Feel the Burn" saw hostHeidi Klumdivide the workroom into two teams, which caused some designers jostle to take a leadership role. MentorChristian Sirianowas back in the workroom to offer the designers guidance and constructive feedback, whileLaw RoachandNina Garciareturned to theProject Runwayjudges panel. No episode ofProject Runwayis complete without glam, and the hair and makeup team from Ulta was on hand to provide the extra sparkle to the designers' looks. Here's our spoiler-filled recap of who went home in the two-episodeProject Runwaypremiere tonight. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 In the first episode, from the losing team, Belania, Madeline and Joan were safe. Caycee, Joseph and Antonio were in the bottom three. Antonio's response to being in the bottom three was, "Am I being Punk'd?" Heidi's response was a simple, "No." Law's critique of Antonio's design was especially pointed. "If you had asked ChatGPT to create a Giambattista Valli dress for $100, then that's what that look was." "Do we send home the bad dress or the bad attitude?" Roach asked. The harsh critique saw Antonio doubt himself, with the designer telling his fellow contestants, "I want to go home.' Ultimately, however, Caycee was out - the second time she has been eliminated in the firstProject Runwaychallenge. During the second episode, Alex, Angelo, Madeline, Yuchan, Veejay and Ethan of House of Burn were the losing team. All of the designers loved Ethan's look, but Roach had pointed out criticism for the designer. "I think you knew that you had a great look," Roach told Ethan. "And you didn't give a f—k about the other people on the team." Alex, Angela, and Veejay were at the bottom. Yuchen, Ethan and Madeline were safe. The judges were confused by Veejay's cocktail dress look, with Nina Garcia calling it "unwearable" as athleisure. The eliminated designer will be revealed in Episode 3. In the first episode, designers were divided into "House of Princesses" and "House of Villains." Instructions were to create a cohesive collection fitting their namesakes. The second episode ofProject RunwaySeason 21 saw designers creating a cohesive athletic collection that could be worn from workout to cocktails. Related:Everything to Know AboutProject RunwaySeason 21 "House of Villains" took home the prize in the first episode. "Your clothes really spoke to the challenge," judge Law Roach told the team. "But also did it in a way that felt really modern that separated you from the other team." Ethan, Yuchen and Jesus were the top designs. Roach, however, had a strong opinion about Jesus' design. "I hated it. She doesn't look young. She looks like a Nigerian auntie." Ethan was ultimately named the winner. Alex, Angelo and Veejay were safe. In the second episode, Antonio, Joan, Joseph, Jesus and Belania from House of Lotus were the top team. Joseph, Belania and Jesus were in the top three, with Jesus named the winner.Alycia Scott,vice president and head designer of activewear company Calia announced the brand would produce and sell the winning design. MentorChristian Sirianowas a judge for the first episode. AndSara Foster, actress and co-owner of Favorite Daughter, was a guest judge for the second episode. Related: Christian Siriano Reveals Why More Drag Queens Haven't Been on 'Project Runway' (Exclusive) A Two-Episode Premiere! Who Went Home on 'Project Runway' Season 21 Tonight?first appeared on Parade on Aug 1, 2025 This story was originally reported byParadeon Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.

byMario Satorik

in

August 01, 2025

A Two-Episode Premiere! Who Went Home on 'Project Runway' Season 21 Tonight?

A Two-Episode Premiere! Who Went Home on 'Project Runway' Season 21 Tonight? A Two-Episode Premiere! Who Went Home on 'Project R...

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Rarely-Seen Soap Opera Star, 77, Is Nearly Unrecognizable With Arm Sling

Rarely-Seen Soap Opera Star, 77, Is Nearly Unrecognizable With Arm Sling

Rarely-Seen Soap Opera Star, 77, Is Nearly Unrecognizable With Arm Slingoriginally appeared onParade. Soap opera legendDeidre Hall, best known for her iconic role as Dr. Marlena Evans onDays of Our Lives, was recently spotted during a rare public outing in Los Angeles — and the 77-year-old's appearance sparked concern. Photographed on Wednesday, July 30, Hall appeared as radiant and ageless as ever, but the noticeable arm sling raised questions about a possible injury. In the photos obtained byMEGA, Hall is seen strolling through Los Angeles with friends, dressed casually in a blue button-up shirt, black pants and oversized shades. The actress appeared in good spirits despite wearing the sling, though the cause of her injury remains unclear. This marks her first public sighting since March, when she was last seen running errands in Santa Monica — notably without an arm sling, suggesting the injury occurred more recently. The outing took an unexpected turn when a parking enforcement officer was photographed seemingly leaving a citation on Hall's Mercedes-Benz. The car was parked alongside several others on a busy street, though it's unknown whether other vehicles were also ticketed. Hall's appearances have become increasingly rare in recent years, with her last red carpet event being the 92nd Hollywood Christmas Parade supporting Toys for Tots in December 2024. Since then, the veteran actress has maintained a low profile while continuing her work on the long-running NBC daytime drama. Hall remains active in her iconic role and recently opened up about her early days onDays of Our Lives. While on the "Soapy" podcast, hosted byThe Bold and the Beautiful'sRebecca BudigandDayscostarGreg Rikaart, she revealed how she nearly passed on the role that would define her career. "I was screen testing, and they usually try and have people not in the same room," Hall recalled. "... And I happened to see a couple women and I thought, 'My word, look who's testing for this.' " Convinced she wouldn't be chosen over those well-known actresses, she declined the role after learning she'd been cast. "There must be something wrong with this part, so I'm turning it down too. And I did." Three weeks later, her agent stepped in and changed her mind. "You said you wanted to do a soap," she remembered him saying. "I said, 'But there's something wrong with it.' He said, 'No.' I said, 'I wasn't their first choice.' Her agent's reassurance proved to be the turning point, telling her, "Yes, you were." Hall called it a "You like me, you really like me" moment, and, with her doubts gone, she remembered "I love that part." That decision kicked off one of daytime TV's most iconic partnerships, with Hall's portrayal of Marlena becoming inseparable fromDays of Our Livesitself. The rest, as they say, is soap opera history — and Hall's decades-long commitment to the character has made her one of the longest-tenured actors of the show. Rarely-Seen Soap Opera Star, 77, Is Nearly Unrecognizable With Arm Slingfirst appeared on Parade on Aug 1, 2025 This story was originally reported byParadeon Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.

byMario Satorik

in

August 01, 2025

Rarely-Seen Soap Opera Star, 77, Is Nearly Unrecognizable With Arm Sling

Rarely-Seen Soap Opera Star, 77, Is Nearly Unrecognizable With Arm Sling Rarely-Seen Soap Opera Star, 77, Is Nearly Unrecognizable With Arm ...

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Europe is breaking its reliance on American science

Europe is breaking its reliance on American science

By Kate Abnett, Valerie Volcovici and Sarah Marsh BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON/BERLIN, August 1 (Reuters) -European governments are taking steps to break their dependence on critical scientific data the United States historically made freely available to the world, and are ramping up their own data collection systems to monitor climate change and weather extremes, according to Reuters interviews. The effort - which has not been previously reported - marks the most concrete response from the European Union and other European governments so far to the U.S. government's retreat from scientific research under President Donald Trump's administration. Since his return to the White House, Trump has initiated sweeping budget cuts to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and other agencies, dismantling programs conducting climate, weather, geospatial and health research, and taking some public databases offline. As those cuts take effect, European officials have expressed increasing alarm that - without continued access to U.S.-supported weather and climate data - governments and businesses will face challenges in planning for extreme weather events and long-term infrastructure investment, according to Reuters interviews. In March, more than a dozen European countries urged the EU Commission to move fast to recruit American scientists who lose their jobs to those cuts. Asked for comment on NOAA cuts and the EU's moves to expand its own collection of scientific data, the White House Office of Management and Budget said Trump's proposed cuts to the agency's 2026 budget were aimed at programs that spread "fake Green New Scam 'science,'" a reference to climate change research and policy. "Under President Trump's leadership, the U.S. is funding real science again," Rachel Cauley, an OMB spokesperson, said via email. European officials told Reuters that - beyond the risk of losing access to data that is bedrock to the world's understanding of climate change and marine systems - they were concerned by the general U.S. pullback from research. "The current situation is much worse than we could have expected," Sweden's State Secretary for Education and Research Maria Nilsson, told Reuters. "My reaction is, quite frankly, shock." The Danish Meteorological Institute described the U.S. government data as "absolutely vital" - and said it relied on several data sets to measure including sea ice in the Arctic and sea surface temperatures. "This isn't just a technical issue, reliable data underpins extreme weather warnings, climate projections, protecting communities and ultimately saves lives," said Adrian Lema, director of the DMI's National Center for Climate Research. Reuters interviewed officials from eight European countries who said their governments were undertaking reviews of their reliance on U.S. marine, climate and weather data. Officials from seven countries - Denmark, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden - described joint efforts now in the early stages to safeguard key health and climate data and research programs. LEANING ON THE U.S. As a priority, the EU is expanding its access to ocean observation data, a senior European Commission official told Reuters. Those data sets are seen as critical to the shipping and energy industries as well as early storm warning systems. Over the next two years, the senior official said, the EU plans to expand its own European Marine Observation and Data Network which collects and hosts data on shipping routes, seabed habitats, marine litter and other concerns. The initiative was aimed at  "mirroring and possibly replacing US-based services," the senior European Commission official told Reuters. Europe is particularly concerned about its vulnerability to U.S. funding cuts to NOAA's research arm that would affect the Global Ocean Observing System, a network of ocean observation programs that supports navigation services, shipping routes and storm forecasting, a second EU official told Reuters. The insurance industry relies on the Global Ocean Observing System's disaster records for risk modelling. Coastal planners use shoreline, sea-level, and hazard data to guide infrastructure investments. The energy industry uses oceanic and seismic datasets to assess offshore drilling or wind farm viability. In addition, the senior EU Commission official said, the EU is considering increasing its funding of the Argo program, a part of the Global Ocean Observing System which operates a global system of floats to monitor the world's oceans and track global warming, extreme weather events and sea-level rise. NOAA last year described the program, in operation for over 25 years, as the "crown jewel" of ocean science. It makes its data freely available to the oil and gas industry, marine tourism and other industries. The United States funds 57% of Argo's $40 million annual operating expenses, while the EU funds 23%. The White House and NOAA did not respond to questions about future support for that program. The European moves to establish independent data collection and play a bigger role in Argo represent a historic break with decades of U.S. leadership in ocean science, said Craig McLean, who retired in 2022 after four decades at the agency. He said U.S. leadership of weather, climate and marine data collection was unmatched, and that through NOAA the U.S. has paid for more than half of the world's ocean measurements. European scientists acknowledge the outsized role the U.S. government has played in global scientific research and data collection - and that European countries have grown overly dependent on that work. "It's a bit like defense: we rely heavily on the U.S. in that area, too. They're trailblazers and role models—but that also makes us dependent on them," Katrin Boehning-Gaese, scientific director of Germany's Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, told Reuters. 'GUERRILLA ARCHIVISTS' A number of European governments are now taking measures to reduce that dependence. Nordic countries met to coordinate data storage efforts in the Spring, Norwegian Minister of Research and Higher Education Sigrun Aasland told Reuters. European science ministers also discussed the U.S. science budget cuts at a meeting in Paris in May. Aasland said Norway was setting aside $2 million to back up and store U.S. data to ensure stable access. The Danish Meteorological Institute in February started downloading historical U.S. climate data in case it is deleted by the U.S. It is also preparing to switch from American observations to alternatives, Christina Egelund, Minister of Higher Education and Science of Denmark, said in an interview. "The potentially critical issue is when new observations data stop coming in," the Institute's Lema said. While weather models could continue to operate without U.S. data, he said the quality would suffer. Meanwhile, the German government has commissioned scientific organizations, including the center, to review its reliance on U.S. databases. Since Trump returned to the White House, scientists and citizens worldwide have been downloading U.S. databases related to climate, public health or the environment that are slated for decommissioning - calling it "guerrilla archiving." "We actually received requests—or let's say emergency calls—from our colleagues in the U.S., who said, 'We have a problem here... and we will have to abandon some datasets", said Frank Oliver Gloeckner, head of the digital archive PANGAEA, which is operated by publicly funded German research institutions. About 800 of NOAA's 12,000-strong workforce have been terminated or taken financial incentives to resign as part of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency cuts. The White House 2026 budget plan seeks to shrink NOAA even further, proposing a $1.8 billion cut, or 27% of the agency's budget, and a near-20% reduction in staffing, bringing down the NOAA workforce to 10,000. The budget proposal would eliminate the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, NOAA's main research arm, which is responsible for ocean observatory systems including Argo, coastal observing networks, satellite sensors and climate model labs. It is also reducing its data products. Between April and June, NOAA announced on its website the decommissioning of 20 datasets or products related to earthquakes and marine science. NOAA did not respond to requests for comment. Gloeckner said there were no legal hurdles to storing the U.S. government data as it was already in the public domain. But without significant funds and infrastructure, there are limits to what private scientists can save, said Denice Ross, a senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, a nonprofit science policy group and the U.S. government's chief data officer during Joe Biden's administration. Databases need regular updating - which requires the funding and infrastructure that only governments can provide, Ross said. Over the last few months, the Federation and EU officials have held a series of talks with European researchers, U.S. philanthropies and health and environment advocacy groups to discuss how to prioritize what data to save. "There is an opportunity for other nations and institutions and philanthropies to fill in the gaps if U.S. quality starts to falter," she said. (Reporting by Kate Abnett in Brussels, Valerie Volcovici in Washington, Sarah Marsh in Berlin and Alison Withers in Copenhagen. Additional Reporting by Andreas Rinke. Editing by Suzanne Goldenberg)

byMario Satorik

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July 31, 2025

Europe is breaking its reliance on American science

Europe is breaking its reliance on American science By Kate Abnett, Valerie Volcovici and Sarah Marsh BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON/BERLIN, August 1 (...

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