DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Jan. 6 rioter who pinned DC Metropolitan Police officer calls his actions 'monumentally stupid' as he's sentenced to over 7 years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A man who pinned a DC Police officer to a Capitol door on January 6 was sentenced to over 7 years in prison. "Your actions are some of the most egregious crimes that were committed on that dark day," said the judge. "Your actions are some of the most egregious crimes that were committed on that dark day," the judge told McCaughey. Federal prosecutors had sought a sentence of 15 years and eight months, which would have been the longest sentence given to any Capitol riot defendant. "I do not foresee that changing anytime soon," he told the judge, calling McCaughey a "foot solider" in the push to overturn the election.

☆ Studio A24 captures Oscar spotlight with big wins for best picture, acting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

LOS ANGELES, March 13 (Reuters) - Independent studio A24 was the big winner at Sunday's Academy Awards, taking nine awards out of its 18 nominations, including best picture and all four acting prizes. The studio's "Everything Everywhere All at Once" won seven Oscars, the most of the evening, including best picture. However, Brendan Fraser took the best actor prize for A24's "The Whale," which also won for best makeup and hairstyling. Not since the heyday of Miramax in the 1990s has an independent studio garnered such attention, talent and box office success, entertainment industry insiders say. EVERYTHING EVERYWHEREThe first film A24 produced and financed, together with Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, was “Moonlight,” which won the Oscar for best picture in 2017.

☆ ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ studio A24 captures Oscar spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

LOS ANGELES, March 10 (Reuters) - A24, the independent studio behind such films as “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and "The Whale," is poised to dominate this year’s Academy Awards, eclipsing Hollywood’s established studios and awards-hungry streamers that are spending millions on Oscar campaigns. Not since the heyday of Miramax in the 1990s has an independent studio garnered such attention, talent and box office success, entertainment industry insiders say. EVERYTHING EVERYWHEREThe first film A24 produced and financed, together with Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, was “Moonlight,” which won the Oscar for best picture in 2017. The studio has garnered 53 Oscar nominations in less than a decade, including best picture nods for “Lady Bird, “Minari” and “Room.”A24's film slate has grown at the pace of its cash flow - starting with three movies in 2016 to 15 in 2022. This year, it’s on track to produce about 15 films for theatrical release, eight documentaries and 10 television shows.

☆ Russian defence chief keeps job despite Ukraine routs thanks to Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The Russian Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on Shoigu or its own performance in Ukraine. Appointed defence minister in 2012, he is part of Putin's inner circle and has enjoyed hunting and fishing holidays with him in his native Siberia. The Russian army has been learning from its mistakes and successfully adapting, the source said. There's no escaping the poor performance of the Russian military". It was "inconceivable", said Jones, that a Western defence minister could have kept his job in such circumstances.

☆ Woods apologizes for tampon prank, poised to make cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

After out-driving Thomas on the ninth hole, Woods was caught on camera handing his friend a tampon. Thomas quickly threw the tampon onto the ground as the two golfers had a good laugh. Many did not find it so funny - social media exploded, accusing the 47-year-old of being sexist, taking the prank to mean Thomas hit like a girl. "It was supposed to be all fun and games and obviously it hasn't turned out that way," said Woods when asked about the incident after his second round. "It was just we play pranks on one another all the time and virally I think this did not come across that way."

☆ Ukraine is getting new US weapons that can hit Russian forces almost 100 miles away, but it's still a no on missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US' latest $2.2 billion aid package to Ukraine includes a new long-range weapon system. The Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) has a 94-mile range that'll prove crucial for Ukraine's efforts in Crimea. The ground launch version, which is included in the Ukraine aid package, will take months to develop, according to Politico. The US aid package notably does not include US-made Army Tactical Missiles Systems (ATACMS), which Ukraine asked for in May 2022. As of November 2022, the US has sent Ukraine $19 billion in aid since the war's outbreak.

☆ CIA chief says Ukraine needs to puncture 'Putin's hubris' in the next 6 months
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

CIA chief William Burns said the Ukraine war is entering a "critical" phase in the next six months. Burns said it will be crucial for Ukraine to puncture "Putin's hubris" on the battlefield. Burns' assessment echoed comments from NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg in mid-January, when he said the war was entering a "decisive phase." Russia invaded Ukraine and illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, prompting outcry across the world. "The next few months will see Ukraine setting the conditions for the eventual liberation of Crimea," he added.

☆ FedEx to cut senior jobs as part of larger staff reduction
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Lisa Baertlein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FedEx did not say how many positions would be affected by the new layoffs. In mid-September, FedEx pulled its profit forecast and shares swooned more than 20% - the largest single-day drop in the company's 50-year history. But those numbers only tell part of the story because they exclude roughly FedEx 6,000 contractors and their workers, who handle most of the FedEx Ground's home delivery business. FedEx already has temporarily furloughed workers at its trucking division FedEx Freight as the pandemic-fueled e-commerce delivery bubble deflates and recession threatens, joining transportation-focused companies ranging from delivery upstart Amazon.com (AMZN.O) and trucking company C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW.O) to freight broker Uber Freight and freight forwarding startup Flexport in announcing layoffs.

☆ The US's powerful Abrams tanks are heading to Ukraine, but generals disagree over how hard it'll be to use them on the battlefield
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

The US has pledged to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine, joining a bevy of Western-made tanks. Here comes the M1 Abrams for UkraineA M1A2 Abrams tank fires at a target during an exercise. The same day, word spread that US President Joe Biden would announce he was sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. But Hertling disagreed that withholding the M1 Abrams was a "political decision" and didn't find the examples of non-US Abrams operators persuasive. M1 Abrams: training and sustainmentAn M1A2 Abrams drives into the woods during an exercise in Hohenfels, Germany.

☆ Crimea is shaping up to be the battleground that will decide the Russia-Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Crimea is poised to be the next big battlefield, and one that could decide the Ukraine war. "The decisive terrain for this war is Crimea," Ben Hodges, a former commander of US Army Europe, told Insider. Ukraine will "never be safe or secure" if Russia retains control of Crimea, Hodges siad. The fight to retake Crimea could be extremely bloody, in a war that's already led to massive casualties for both sides. President of UkraineUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pledged to expel Russian forces out of all occupied territory, including Crimea.

☆ Wall St ends up as data suggests inflation may be on downward trend
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Caroline Valetkevitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Friday brings results from a number of big U.S. banks, kicking off the start of the fourth-quarter earnings season for S&P 500 companies. Microsoft (MSFT.O) shares rose 1.2%, providing the biggest boost to the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, while energy shares also were higher along with oil prices. The S&P 500 is now up 3.7% for the year so far. Also, overall S&P 500 earnings are expected to have declined year-over-year in the fourth quarter, according to IBES data from Refinitiv, which would be the first quarterly U.S. earnings decline since 2020. The S&P 500 posted 14 new 52-week highs and one new low; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 96 new highs and 16 new lows.

☆ Biden awards Presidential Citizens Medals on two-year anniversary of Jan. 6 Capitol riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

US President Joe Biden speaks during a ceremony at the White House marking the two-year anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. The award ceremony at the White House was Biden's first time bestowing the Presidential Citizens Medal, which is given to Americans "who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens." Three of the medals were awarded posthumously to officers who had defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and died afterward by injuries or by suicide. "All of it was fueled by lies about the 2020 election," Biden said Friday, without mentioning Trump by name. The somber event at the White House was punctuated by a few moments of levity.

President Joe Biden on Friday will mark the second anniversary of the attack on the Capitol by awarding the Presidential Citizens Medal to a dozen election workers, officials and law-enforcement officers for "contributions to our democracy" before and during the riot, a White House official said. "These 12 heroes demonstrated courage and selflessness during a moment of peril for our nation," the official said. Other elected officials receiving the medal are Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Al Schmidt, the former vice chair of Philadelphia’s Board of Elections. Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, left, is comforted by her mother, Ruby Freeman, during a House select committee hearing on June 21, 2022. Biden is also posthumously awarding the medal to Brian Sicknick, the Capitol Police officer who died the day after the riot after suffering two strokes.

"Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts made a surprise announcement on the ABC morning show Monday, saying she's ready to tie the knot with her girlfriend of nearly 18 years, Amber Laign. OK, I’m saying ‘yes’ to marriage,” Roberts told motivational speaker and author Gabby Bernstein during a conversation about setting intentions for the new year. The pair's decision to wed comes amid a nationwide uptick in same-sex couple households. For the first time, the number of same-sex couple households in the U.S. has surpassed 1 million, data from the Census Bureau's annual American Community Survey revealed in November. In 2021, there were more than 1.2 million same-sex couple households across the country, up from 540,000 in 2008, an increase of more than 120%, the data found.

☆ Here are 22 of the top LGBTQ news stories of 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

Here are 22 of our top LGBTQ news stories of the year. Ron DeSantis signed the controversial Parental Rights in Education law — or what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — on March 28. 'It’s already having an impact': LGBTQ people fear abortion rights reversalA supporter of gay marriage waves a flag in front of the Supreme Court on June 25, 2015. Nicola Goode / Prime VideoAmazon’s “A League of Their Own” series, which debuted Aug. 12 and was inspired by the 1992 cult classic by director Penny Marshall, brought much-needed representation to the screen for lesbians and other queer women, who celebrated how “gay, gay, gay” it was. Biden signs same-sex marriage bill at White House ceremonyPresident Joe Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act on the South Lawn of the White House on Dec. 13.

Authorities have identified a 19-year-old man fatally shot Friday inside a department store in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, as Johntae Raymon Hudson. Hudson also told KARE 11 that when she learned her brother was shot, she held out hope he would survive. Several members of the New York Giants, who faced off against the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, were in the Mall of America when the shooting occurred. The mall told the station then that it was testing options “that may allow us to further enhance” security systems. Earlier this year, a man fired three shots in front of a store in the mall, KARE 11 reported.

☆ Shooting at Mall of America Leaves Teenager Dead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A police officer seals off the Mall of America’s Nordstrom location after a fatal shooting. BLOOMINGTON, Minn.—A teenager was killed during a shooting at the Mall of America on Friday that sent frightened customers at the nation’s largest shopping center racing into a lockdown just before the holiday weekend, police said. Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said the victim was a 19-year-old man. A bystander’s jacket was also grazed by a bullet during the shooting at the mall’s Nordstrom location.

☆ 19-year-old killed in shooting at Nordstrom in Mall of America, police say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Claire Cardona | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A 19-year-old man was killed Friday night in a shooting at a store in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, police said. "They’re in pain, and rightfully so, and for something that should not have happened," Hodges said. The shooting happened shortly before 8 p.m., and the mall was placed on lockdown. A bystander's coat was grazed by a bullet but no other injuries were reported, Hodges said. The mall told the station then that it was testing options "that may allow us to further enhance" security systems.

☆ 19-year-old killed in shooting at Nordstrom in Minneapolis' Mall of America
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Claire Cardona | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A 19-year-old man was killed Friday night in a shooting at a store in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minneapolis, police said. "They’re in pain, and rightfully so, and for something that should not have happened," Hodges said. The shooting happened shortly before 8 p.m., and the mall was placed on lockdown. A bystander's coat was grazed by a bullet but no other injuries were reported, Hodges said. The mall told the station then that it was testing options "that may allow us to further enhance" security systems.

Mike Hodges, the British filmmaker who directed the hard-boiled gangster saga "Get Carter" and the campy space opera "Flash Gordon," died Saturday, according to his friend Mike Kaplan. "My middle-class eyes were forced to witness horrendous poverty and deprivation that I was previously unaware of," Hodges wrote in a letter published in The Guardian in May. "Get Carter" quickly entered the pantheon of British film classics. He replaced the acclaimed British director Nicolas Roeg ("Walkabout") on "Flash Gordon," a goofy project that has since attracted a cult following. I think that as a young man I probably did."

☆ Jan. 6 committee highlights: Panel votes on criminal referrals for Trump and others
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Rebecca Shabad | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan-Allen-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +48 min

“By the time President Trump was preparing to give his speech, he and his advisors knew enough to cancel the rally. “Some have suggested that President Trump gave an order to have 10,000 troops ready for January 6th. On far-right groups drawing inspiration from Trump: Trump has not denied that he helped inspire far-right groups, including the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, to violently attempt to obstruct the official certification proceedings on Jan. 6. "There is no question from all the evidence assembled that President Trump did have that intent." Share this -Link copiedInside the final Jan. 6 committee meeting The Jan. 6 committee met for what’s likely its final public meeting, with many of the usual faces present.

☆ Jan. 6 committee live updates: Panel votes on criminal referrals for Trump and others
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Summer Concepcion | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Summer-Concepcion-Byline-Jm.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +42 min

Committee details Trump allies' efforts to obstruct its investigation In its report summary, the committee detailed some of the efforts to obstruct its investigation. On far-right groups drawing inspiration from Trump: Trump has not denied that he helped inspire far-right groups, including the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, to violently attempt to obstruct the official certification proceedings on Jan. 6. "There is no question from all the evidence assembled that President Trump did have that intent." Share this -Link copiedInside the final Jan. 6 committee meeting The Jan. 6 committee met for what’s likely its final public meeting, with many of the usual faces present. The committee will likely reveal Eastman’s referrals during Monday’s meeting, in addition to expected criminal referrals for Trump.

☆ Traditional Marriage Gets Some Respect
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Daniel Frost | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

In the oral argument for Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), one exchange set off alarm bells among social conservatives. Justice Samuel Alito asked Solicitor General Donald Verrilli if the legalization of same-sex marriage could cause universities and colleges to lose their tax-exempt status if they didn’t recognize same-sex marriage—as Bob Jones University had for prohibiting interracial dating in the 1970s. Mr. Verrilli’s answer was ominous for institutions with traditional views on sex and marriage. “It is—it is going to be an issue.”Mr. Verrilli stumbled, but a simple one-word answer would’ve been enough: No. The hypothetical, which put opposition to interracial marriage on the same plane as opposition to same-sex marriage, was spurious.

President Joe Biden signed legislation Tuesday to codify federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages in a ceremony at the White House. Biden also quoted directly from a 2012 interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press" in which he came out in public support of same-sex marriage ahead of then-President Barack Obama. The legislation Biden signed was drafted by a bipartisan group led by Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., the first openly gay person elected to the Senate. President Joe Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday. The amendment included language saying that religious organizations would not be required to perform same-sex marriages and that the federal government would not be required to protect polygamous marriages.

☆ Biden signs bill protecting same-sex and interracial marriage months after Supreme Court raised doubts about marriage and contraception decisions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law on Tuesday. It repeals the Defense of Marriage Act and requires states to recognize marriages performed in other states. The bill emerged after the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade threw precedents into doubt. The new law, designed to protect same-sex and interracial marriage, formally repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defined marriage at the federal level as being solely between a man and a woman. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a previously outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage, notably never spoke out against the bill.

Search resuls for: "Hodges"

25 mentions found