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On top of the GOP gubernatorial primary in Kentucky, there are other contests taking place on Tuesday that could provide some clues about 2024 — even though it’s hard to draw too many lessons from individual races. Voters are also heading to the polls in Pennsylvania, which is hosting a crowded Democratic primary for Philadelphia mayor. Two races will also provide some insight into voter attitudes in two key counties in two crucial battlegrounds. In other Pence news, he will attend Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst’s “Roast and Ride” event next month, per Fox News (former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is also attending). Jumping in: Former state Rep. Leslie Love jumped into the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan on Monday.

☆ Johnny Depp marks celebrity comeback with Cannes opening film
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Opening ceremony and screening of the film "Jeanne du Barry" Out of competition - Red Carpet arrivals - Cannes, France, May 16, 2023. Johnny Depp poses. REUTERS/Yara... Read moreCANNES, May 16 (Reuters) - Johnny Depp seemed back in full celebrity mode on Tuesday, signing autographs and taking pictures with fans before the premiere of the Cannes Film Festival's opening film "Jeanne du Barry," which marks the actor's first major role since his high-profile defamation trial. "There are hundreds of film festivals all around the world, but there's only one Cannes," Douglas told the crowd. "Even the casting - some would say stunt casting - of Johnny Depp as the king offers a few early thrills and then mostly yawns," wrote The Hollywood Reporter.

☆ Podcast: The next pandemic could be around the corner. The origin? Bats
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Humanity’s intrusion into bat habitats is ramping up the risk of global health disasters. A Reuters investigation identifies the places where disease outbreaks are most likely to occur. Not a wrinkle in sight -- the British skincare company embracing the four-day week. Plus, Johnny Depp, Ben Affleck and Natalie Portman set to hit the red carpet as Cannes kicks off. Further ReadingMaking the four-day week work for BritainCannes Film Festival 2023 kicks off with 'all killer, no filler' line-upOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bill Saluga, a Memorable Comedic Wiseguy, Is Dead at 85
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Richard Sandomir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Raymond J. Johnson Jr. was a wiseguy, dressed in a zoot suit and a wide-brimmed fedora and waving a cigar in his right hand. “Ohhhh, you doesn’t have to call me Johnson,” he would say. Jr.“But you doesn’t have to call me Johnson.”And you can call his creator Bill Saluga. Mr. Saluga also played Johnson on various television series; on a disco record (“Dancin’ Johnson”); and, most memorably, in commercials for Anheuser-Busch’s Natural Light beer. In 1979, at the peak of Mr. Saluga’s fame as a comedic one-hit wonder, Tom Shales of The Washington Post wrote that “now everybody and his brother are doing Saluga impressions throughout this very impressionable land of ours.”

Hong Kong CNN —The head of Japan’s biggest music agency has apologized over allegations of years-long sexual abuse committed by its founder, the late entertainment mogul Johnny Kitagawa. “We sincerely apologize for the great deal of trouble caused by our founder Johnny Kitagawa’s alleged sexual abuse of individuals,” said Julie Fujishima, the company’s president and CEO. “On the other hand, Johnny Kitagawa, who is the party concerned, cannot speak on the accusations.”Fujishima also warned of the risk of “slander, due to speculation,” suggesting skepticism over some claims. They spoke about alleged sexual assault committed by Johnny Kitagawa, who died in 2019. A Tokyo High Court partially overturned the earlier decision in 2003, ruling the published sexual abuse claims were not libelous.

☆ Cannes Film Festival 2023 kicks off with 'all killer, no filler' line-up
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We have 'Indiana Jones,' we've got Martin Scorsese's new film with Leonardo DiCaprio. Festival director Thierry Fremaux pushed back against criticism that Depp was a controversial choice for an opening-night film, telling Variety magazine the actor had not been banned from working. Other jury members include Brie Larson of "Captain Marvel" and Julia Ducournau, one of two women to win the Palme d'Or. Out of competition, Harrison Ford will return as adventurous archaeologist Indiana Jones, 15 years since the last film in the franchise, in the world premiere of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" on Thursday. Festival organizers are concerned the unrest seen during the pension reform protests could also make its way to the festival, said Roxborough.

☆ After Decades of Drinks and Laughs, Is It Last Call at the Friars Club?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Julia Jacobs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

(It’s always been mostly men; the first woman admitted was Liza Minnelli in 1988.) Its headquarters since the 1950s, the Monastery is a shrine to the club’s heyday, with framed black-and-white photos of smiling comedy legends. The club, a nonprofit corporation, lost its tax-exempt status in 2010. He was kept on for several months after his sentencing, before the club’s board fired him in 2020, an event for which he has brought legal action against the club. The lender said in court papers that the club also owes money to the restaurant and bartenders employee union, the city’s Environmental Control Board, and the New York State Department of Labor.

Some Chinatown residents benefited from the development boom, selling properties to developers or drawing more customers from increased foot traffic. Some residents have shown tentative support for the luxury buildings, saying they might make the neighborhood safer or bring in wealthier Asian residents who could boost Chinatown's economy. Manhattan Chinatown's housing stock is "really aged," which has led to costly fires, according to Thomas Yu, executive director of Asian Americans for Equality. Chinatowns and the pandemicMany debates surrounding luxury development and affordable housing were accelerated by the pandemic, which shuttered hundreds of businesses across Chinatowns. However, business owners who spoke with CNBC said Chinatown's businesses, though still recovering, are keeping the city's culture alive.

☆ Swedish singer Loreen wins Eurovision Song Contest for 2nd time at event feting Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Swedish singer Loreen won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night with her power ballad "Tattoo," at a colorful, eclectic music competition clouded for a second year running by the war in Ukraine. Loreen, 39, previously won Eurovision in 2012 and is only the second performer to take the prize twice, after Ireland's Johnny Logan in the 1980s. Under the slogan "united by music," Eurovision final fused the soul of the English port city that birthed The Beatles with the spirit of war-battered Ukraine. Now in its 67th year, Eurovision bills itself as the world's biggest music contest — an Olympiad of party-friendly pop. "Now, the music industry, the world, knows that if you appear at Eurovision, you could be in for a great thing," said Steve Holden, host of the official Eurovision Song Contest podcast.

☆ Sweden’s Loreen wins historic second Eurovision, after emotional show in Britain that celebrated Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Liverpool, United Kingdom CNN —Sweden’s Loreen has won the Eurovision Song Contest for a second time, earning a historic triumph at an extravagant and crowd-pleasing show held in Liverpool, United Kingdom, on behalf of Ukraine. Loreen of Sweden celebrates with the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Ukraine entrant TVORCHI performing in the grand final for the Eurovision Song Contest final. Eurovision fans enjoy the party atmosphere as they gather in Liverpool to watch the Eurovision Song Contest final. Cameron Smith/Getty ImagesAround the host city of Liverpool, Eurovision fans without tickets rammed into venues to watch the show on big screens, many of them waving Ukrainian flags.

☆ When is Cannes Film Festival 2023 and what can we expect?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] The 75th Cannes Film Festival - The Palme d'Or Award - Cannes, France, May 17, 2022. Below are some facts about the Cannes Film Festival and this year's contenders. WHAT IS THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL AND WHY IS IT CELEBRATED? Cannes is the world's biggest film festival, first conceived in 1939 as an alternative to the then-fascist-influenced Venice Film Festival. Other awards include the Grand Prix, jury prize, best director, best actor, best actress, best screenplay and best short film.

☆ No harmful chemical levels in air after Shell Texas chemical plant fire, company says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] An olefins unit burns in fire at Shell Deer Park, Texas chemical plant in this screengrab obtained from social media on May 5, 2023, in Deer Park, Texas, U.S. Johnny Walea via TMX/via REUTERSMay 6 (Reuters) - Air monitoring around an extinguished fire at the Shell Plc's (SHEL.L) chemical plant in Deer Park, Texas, showed no harmful levels of chemicals in the air, the company said on Saturday, added that there was no threat to the surrounding community. The fire broke out shortly before 3 p.m. CDT (2000 GMT) on Friday after in an olefins unit at the plant in the Houston suburb. Five people were taken for evaluation of possible injuries due to exposure to burned chemicals, the county sheriff said on Friday. The company on Saturday said in a series of tweets that the fire was extinguished and air monitoring has detected no harmful levels of chemicals. Operations at the refinery continued despite the fire in the chemical plant, sources familiar with the refinery's operations said.

☆ UK Conservatives suffering 'terrible' night with local election losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Peter CziborraLONDON, May 5 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives were facing a bleak set of local election results with voters punishing his party over political scandals, sluggish economic growth and high inflation, early results showed on Friday. The Conservative Party suffered a net loss of 144 seats on local councils that were up for re-election, the early results showed. Johnny Mercer, a member of parliament for the area, said it had been a "terrible" night for the Conservatives. The Labour leader Keir Starmer visited Plymouth and Stoke-on-Trent during local election campaigning as the party threw resources into winning back control of the councils. The last time most of these local election seats were contested was in 2019 when the Conservatives lost more 1,300 seats, shortly before the then prime minister Theresa May was forced to resign, which had been expected to help limit the losses in these elections.

☆ Country legend Willie Nelson among 2023 Rock Hall inductees
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A first-time nominee for the rock honor, Nelson joins country legends Dolly Parton, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. They were chosen from 14 nominees by more than 1,000 artists and members of the industry as well as fans votes. and hit fame with "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" before going solo. With numerous collaborations, she has bridged rock, pop, country, folk and blues. They became an R&B hit machine with songs "I'll Be Around," "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" and "Then Came You."

☆ Country legend Willie Nelson, at 90, among 2023 Rock Hall inductees
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

☆ One Dead and 4 Injured in Shooting at Atlanta Medical Building, Police Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Johnny Diaz | Remy Tumin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The address belongs to Northside Family Medicine and Urgent Care. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that officers had responded to the facility. Northside Hospital said on Twitter that it was cooperating with the authorities “following the shooting at our midtown #Atlanta location.”The hospital added, “This tragedy is affecting all of us, and we ask for patience and prayers at this time.”The police issued a public safety alert for people in the area. Atlanta Public Schools said “several” schools were in lockdown as a precaution. The police shared initial images from security cameras inside the building that showed a man wearing a mask, a gray hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and a cross-body bag.

☆ Bebe Buell, Rock ’n’ Roll Muse, Sings Her Own Song
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( George Gurley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Bebe Buell was back in town. The neighborhood was familiar to Ms. Buell. Soon after she arrived in New York from Camp Lejeune, N.C., in 1972, she became a regular at Max’s Kansas City, the famed night spot just a few blocks away. At the time she was an 18-year-old model signed to the Eileen Ford Agency who lived at the St. Mary’s Residence on the Upper East Side. She went from It Girl of Manhattan to Miss November in Playboy magazine.

☆ Boston Reconnects With the Art of the Choke
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

From right to left, David Pastrnak, Garnet Hathaway and Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins react after losing in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesThe city of Boston’s sports teams had spent more than two decades performing a mass exorcism before Sunday night. Heroics from the likes of Tom Brady, Johnny Damon, and Kevin Garnett had laid a reputation for choking to rest. After 12 Boston championships across four major sports in the 21st century, who could argue with them? Then the Bruins brought all that painful history rushing back to the ice.

☆ Opinion | Read This Before Shopping for Your Bud Light Replacement Beer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Matthew Walther | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

In the words of a television spot from 1979: “It’s not city beer. Rather than acknowledge Bud Light’s place in a faceless globalized chain of ownership, advertisements for the beer attempt to underscore its supposedly distinctive American and working-class character. Some years ago a series of advertisements featured the Bud Knight, a character who figured in faux-medieval settings alongside a royal personage known as the Dilly Dilly King. In one spot, the king enters a tavern and orders “Bud Lights for everyone,” eliciting cries of approval from the assembled crowd. The implication is that Bud Light is for ordinary decent people who just want to have a good time with their friends, not smug effete connoisseurs.

☆ Social Media Influencer Convicted of Lying About Children’s Kidnapping
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Johnny Diaz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A California woman and Instagram influencer who reported and posted online about an attempted kidnapping of her young children in 2020 has been convicted of making a false report of a crime, prosecutors said. A jury convicted the woman, Katie Sorensen, 31, formerly of Sonoma, Calif., on one count of making a false report of a crime, a misdemeanor. She was taken into custody, the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement on Thursday. The district attorney, Carla Rodriguez, said that the verdict would “enable us to hold Ms. Sorensen accountable for her crime, while at the same time helping to exonerate the couple that was falsely accused of having attempted to kidnap two young children.”On Dec. 7, 2020, Ms. Sorensen went to a Michaels craft store in Petaluma, Calif., with her two young children, prosecutors said. Petaluma is about 40 miles north of San Francisco.

☆ 3 Teens Charged With Murder in Rock-Throwing Spree That Killed Colorado Driver
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Johnny Diaz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Three teenagers have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with a rock-throwing spree on Colorado roads last week that led to the death of one driver, the authorities said. The three suspects, all 18 and identified as Joseph Koenig, Nicholas Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak, were arrested on Tuesday evening at their homes in Arvada, Colo., for taking part in a series of rock-throwing episodes on April 19 that fatally wounded Alexa Bartell, 20, who was killed when one of the rocks smashed through her windshield and struck her, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced on Wednesday. In addition to murder, the three men are charged with extreme indifference; other charges to be determined by the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office are expected. It was not immediately clear if the three, who are seniors from different high schools, had lawyers on Wednesday.

☆ Explainer: Why are Ecuador lawmakers trying to impeach President Lasso?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso participates in an interview at Carondelet Palace, in Quito, Ecuador April 26, 2022. REUTERS/Santiago Arcos/File PhotoQUITO, April 24 (Reuters) - Ecuadorean opposition lawmakers and President Guillermo Lasso - or his lawyer - are scheduled to testify this week in impeachment hearings that could see the conservative former banker censured and removed from office. Lasso has denied the charges, pointing out the contract was signed in 2018, three years before he took office. Estupinan is a key witness for opposition lawmakers, who say the former manager claims to have warned Lasso about contract irregularities allegedly committed by Luque, but got no response. Lawmakers from the Revolucion Ciudadana party of former President Rafael Correa, fierce opponents of Lasso, have pledged to cast their 47 votes for removal.

☆ Movie stars who draw audiences to theaters are getting older, raising questions about young Hollywood's star power
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A new study found the actors who are most likely to draw audiences to theaters are getting older. Most of the top 100 actors — with 13 exceptions — were age 40 or older, according to the study. 10 among Gen Z), Zendaya (No. 14 among Gen Z), Michael B. Jordan (No. But older actors also ranked highly with younger cohorts, including Hart and Sandler, who were the third and fifth biggest box-office draws respectively for Gen Z.

☆ Video shows passengers in driverless car reacting to police officer gesturing to pull over: 'We're sorry, this car won't let us move!'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A video of a driverless car reacting to a police officer generated nearly 14 million views on TikTok. A video of a driverless car reacting to a police officer is going viral on TikTok. In the TikTok video, which has generated nearly 14 million views, a police officer can be seen attempting to guide a driverless Waymo car to the side of the road. "It knew how to respond and essentially try to avoid the parade," Romano said. Romano said the police officer was not upset with him as it was very obvious the car was driverless.

☆ A man bought $250,000 of plane tickets for $17,000 after a Japanese airline made a mistake with currency conversions, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A passenger told Bloomberg he'd bought 25 tickets, including one with an almost 95% discount. A man bought airline tickets worth $250,000 for just $17,000 after Japanese airline All Nippon Airways made a mistake with currency conversions, Bloomberg reported. Herman Yip, who runs a travel website and lives in Hong Kong, told Bloomberg that he bought 25 tickets at heavy discounts. Yip said that he bought tickets for family and friends as well as for himself. "If you see something that's probably a 10th of the original price, just book," he told Bloomberg.

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