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Many of the actors’ demands mirror those of the writers, whose own strike had already brought many productions to a halt. Actors and screenwriters have not been on strike at the same time since 1960, when Marilyn Monroe was still near her peak. The first distress signal for the studios came in early June when roughly 65,000 members of the actors’ union — nearly 98 percent of voters — backed authorizing a strike. The actors’ walkout would provide additional support to the striking writers, who have been walking picket lines for more than 70 days. Read more about the writers’ strike.

Persons: Brooks Barnes, John Koblin, ’, Marilyn Monroe, Meryl Streep, John Leguizamo, Jennifer Lawrence, Constance Wu, Ben Stiller, ”, Fran Drescher, ” Ms, Drescher, “ Organizations: SAG, Disney, Universal, Sony, Paramount, Netflix, Apple, —, Alliance, Television Producers, Writers Guild of America Locations: California

Members of the Writers Guild of America walk a picket line outside of Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif., in May. Like the striking writers, leaders of SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, have described their labor dispute in stark terms, calling the present moment “existential” for their members. But the core issues have been about compensation, as well as the use of artificial intelligence. The actors also have grave concerns about artificial intelligence, and how the technology could be used to replicate their performances using their previous work without their being compensated or consulted. Tara Kole, a lawyer with the entertainment law firm Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole, which represents actors like Emma Watson and Ashley Judd, said in an interview that the potential use of artificial intelligence was “terrifying” to actors.

Persons: “, ” Duncan Crabtree, —, We’re, Mr, Tara Kole, Johnson Shapiro, Emma Watson, Ashley Judd, that’s, ” Ms, Kole, ” Mr, A.I, we’re, ” “, AFTRA Organizations: Writers Guild of America, Warner Bros ., SAG, Alliance, Television Producers Locations: Burbank , Calif, Ireland, Crabtree

☆ Hollywood Is Shutting Down
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The union representing more than 160,000 television and movie actors announced today that its members were going on strike after negotiations with the major Hollywood studios over a new contract collapsed. It is the first time in 63 years that both actors and screenwriters, who went on strike in May, have taken part in a walkout at the same time. “I don’t think Hollywood is ready for this,” my colleague Nicole Sperling, who covers entertainment, told me, noting that studio executives were caught off guard by the resolve of the actors. The actors’ union says it is trying to ensure living wages for its members and to protect them from having their likenesses used in productions they took no part in. The studios argue that this is a difficult time for an industry upended by streaming services.

Persons: Nicole Sperling Organizations: Hollywood

☆ Larry Nassar, the ex-USA Gymnastics doctor who sexually abused girls for decades, was stabbed 10 times in prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Shawn Nottingham Hannah Rabinowitz Holly Yan | Shawn Nottingham | Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing young athletes under the guise of medical treatment, was assaulted inside a federal prison in Florida, according to two sources familiar with the incident. Joe Rojas, president of the local correction officers’ union, told CNN Nassar was stabbed a total of 10 times – twice in the neck, twice in the back, and six times in the chest. Rojas says Nassar is in stable condition. In 2021, victims of Nassar reached a $380 million settlement with USA Gymnastics, the US Olympic Committee and their insurers. The settlement was part of the USA Gymnastics plan to exit bankruptcy as the organization has struggled to recover from the Nassar scandal.

Persons: Larry Nassar, Joe Rojas, CNN Nassar, –, Rojas, Nassar, “, Coleman Organizations: CNN, USA, of Prisons, United States, Staff, Medical Services, Michigan State University, US Olympic, US Olympic Committee, Associated Press Locations: Florida, Sumterville , Florida, Michigan, Ingham County

☆ Nassar, disgraced doctor who abused US gymnasts, is stabbed in prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

July 10 (Reuters) - Larry Nassar, the disgraced doctor of USA Gymnastics who was convicted of sexually abusing young female gymnasts, has been stabbed multiple times by another inmate in prison and was in stable condition on Monday, U.S. media reported. Since the Nassar scandal, USA Gymnastics has overhauled its leadership and filed for bankruptcy, saying at the time it was staggering under the weight of lawsuits filed by hundreds of women who were sexually abused by the former team doctor. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee reached a $380 million settlement. In September 2021, Biles and Maroney were among the high profile Olympic gymnasts who gave heart-wrenching testimony before a U.S. Senate panel about the sexual abuse they endured for years under Nassar's care. At that hearing, the gymnasts blasted the FBI for its mishandling of the investigation, with Biles accusing the bureau of turning a blind eye to all of Nassar's victims.

Persons: Larry Nassar, Penitentiary Coleman, Benjamin O'Cone, O'Cone, Nassar, Joe Rojas, Rebecca Cook, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, unflinchingly, General Michael Horowitz, Biles, Maroney, Rami Ayyub, Frank Pingue, Doina Chiacu, Alistair Bell Organizations: USA Gymnastics, Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S, Penitentiary, FBI, CNN, Associated Press, USA, REUTERS, Michigan State University, Olympic, Paralympic, Senate, Biles, Thomson Locations: Florida, Eaton, Charlotte , Michigan, U.S

☆ Hollywood Actors Extend Contract Talks at Deadline
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The union representing some 160,000 television and movie actors said on Friday night that it would continue contract negotiations with the major Hollywood studios and streaming services, extending the current deal — which had been set to expire at midnight — through July 12. The decision is a welcome reprieve, at least for the moment, for a beleaguered Hollywood, where a writers’ strike has entered its ninth week with no end in sight. A second strike by the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, the industry’s largest labor organization, would essentially shut Hollywood down. Should the actors go on strike, they and writers would be together on the picket lines for the first time since 1960. The actors last went on strike for a significant period in 1980, when they were out for three months.

Persons: Fran Drescher, ABC’s, ” Organizations: Hollywood, SAG Locations: Hollywood

☆ California is about to give Hollywood studios a lucrative tax deal during the writers’ strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The state of California is about to give movie and TV studios a new lucrative tax perk. The new, refundable tax credits come as competition for film and TV production from other states and countries is on the rise. In a 2020 SEC filing, Netflix said it had $250 million in California R&D tax credits — far more than it could use. In addition to refundable tax credits and stricter safety standards, the bill establishes specific diversity requirements. The bill also adds a new member to the state’s film commission with diversity, equity, and inclusion expertise.

Persons: Gavin Newsom’s, Newsom, Alec Baldwin’s, Wendy Carrillo, ‘ Rust, Dave Cortese, Baldwin, Halyna Hutchins, ” Cortese, Carrillo, ”, Chris Hoene, that’s, Hoene, ” Carrillo, “ Organizations: CNN, Netflix, SEC, Disney, Comcast’s Universal Studios, Democratic, Warner Bros, Warner Bros ., Hollywood, Guild of America, SAG, WGA, California Budget, Policy Center Locations: California, States, New York, Georgia, Angeles County, Los Angeles

☆ Richard Ravitch and the Matzo Summit That Saved New York
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Ginia Bellafante | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Oct. 17, 1975, New Yorkers learned from the morning papers that the city was more or less finished. The big bill — $453 million that City Hall owed its creditors after years of borrowing — was due at 4 o’clock that afternoon. It depended on the teachers’ union tapping its pension funds to buy bonds from the Municipal Assistance Corporation. Mr. Ravitch had a well-earned reputation as a top-drawer fixer, and the governor was essentially asking him to save New York City. Mr. Ravitch and Mr. Shanker talked all night, but they parted without a resolution.

Persons: New Yorkers, —, Richard Ravitch, Ravitch, Hugh L, Carey, Al Shanker, Shanker Organizations: City, Municipal Assistance Corporation, Federation of Jewish, New Locations: New, New York City

☆ Thompson Twins Are Ready for the N.B.A., but Not to Split Up
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( David Gardner | Maansi Srivastava | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Even then, they were apprehensive about climbing the ladder to an observation deck that isn’t open to the public. Then they went to a court to shoot a segment with the “Today” show, went to two brand photo shoots and finished the day working out with the popular N.B.A. On Wednesday, they did a series of interviews arranged by the N.B.A. After Ausar hit a deep 3-pointer over the fence, they returned to their hotel to try on their suits. They also teased the idea of trading places with each other when they were selected, to see if anyone noticed.

Persons: Chris Brickley, curt, Ausar, Waraire Boswell, Amen Organizations: Empire, Barclays Center, The New York Times Locations: Brooklyn

☆ Hollywood Directors Ratify Their Contract as Writers Continue to Strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Unionized movie and television directors approved a new three-year contract with Hollywood studios on Friday, with 87 percent voting in support. No talks are scheduled between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which bargains on behalf of studios. The writers and studios left the bargaining table on May 1 very far apart on the major issues. The contract between studios and SAG-AFTRA, the guild that represents about 160,000 actors, expires next Friday. (About 65,000 members cast ballots, or 48 percent of eligible voters, with 98 percent supporting a strike.)

Organizations: Hollywood, of America, Writers Guild of America, Alliance, Television Producers, SAG

☆ World Cup: Software using AI finds almost 20,000 abusive social media posts were sent during Qatar 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Monitoring software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) found almost 20,000 abusive social media posts were aimed at players, officials and coaches during the Qatar World Cup, according to a new report released by FIFA. In total, 20 million posts and comments were analyzed across all major social media platforms, successfully verifying the identity of 306 account owners that sent abusive messages. In total, 434,000 posts were flagged by AI and reviewed by humans, the report said, with the abusive messages coming from 12,600 different accounts. It hurts our families.”Of the abusive messages, 38% came from Europe, 36% from South America, 10% from Asia, 8% from Africa and 8% from North and Central America. When grouped together by country – all players, teams and official member association social media handles – France received the most abuse, with England in second and Brazil third.

Persons: –, FIFPro –, “, Mark, Anthony Kaye, It’s, Harry Kane, Kellyn Acosta Organizations: CNN, Monitoring, Qatar, FIFA, Canada Men’s National Team, England, France, Men’s National Locations: Canada, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, North, Central America, France, Brazil, England

☆ Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh: India's wrestling chief charged in sexual harassment case
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Delhi police on Thursday formally pressed charges against Indian wrestling chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, following weeks of protests by female athletes over claims of sexual harassment. Singh has been accused of assault, stalking, and sexual harassment, senior Delhi police official Suman Nalwa told CNN. Singh, who denies all allegations of sexual harassment, has not been arrested. CNN has reached out to Singh and some wrestlers who have participated in the protests for comment. The allegations against Singh came to light in January, when several leading wrestlers demanded an inquiry into claims of sexual harassment by younger athletes against him.

Persons: Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Singh, Suman Nalwa, “, ”, Nalwa, Singh –, Narendra Modi, Brij Bhushan Singh, Arun Thakur, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Malik, Sangeeta Phogat, Vinesh Organizations: CNN, Delhi, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Supreme, Getty, Police, Indian Olympic Association, Twitter Locations: Singh, Delhi, New Delhi, AFP, New, Phogat

☆ Even People With Good Jobs Get Exploited - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Simone Stolzoff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Indeed, creative, mission-driven and prestigious jobs often take advantage of employees’ love for what they do. This stems from bosses’ tacit assumptions that their employees would do the work even if they weren’t paid. The idea that employees work for something other than money is also pervasive in industries that are geared toward helping people, such as education. “Teaching is a calling,” tweeted Mayor Eric Adams of New York City a few weeks ago. When a workplace is seen as virtuous, she claimed, it’s easier for workers to be exploited.

Persons: ”, Charles Rogers, Eric Adams, Adams, Ettarh Organizations: ” Employers, New, New York Locations: Los Angeles, New York City

☆ Broadway Musicians Object to David Byrne’s ‘Here Lies Love’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Michael Paulson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians says its contract with the Broadway League requires the use of 19 musicians for musicals at the Broadway Theater. (The number of musicians required under the contract varies based on theater size.) The union says it is seeking to preserve jobs for musicians and quality for theater lovers. “We’re not going to stand by and let this happen,” said Tino Gagliardi, the local’s president and executive director. The request is to be assessed by a panel that includes neutral observers as well as representatives of the Broadway League and the musicians’ union; it is not clear how long that process will take, and the ruling can be appealed to arbitration.

☆ Special Report: Dozens of babies die in orphanage as Sudan war takes grim toll on Khartoum
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Maggie Michael | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +13 min

[1/7] A view from inside an orphanage in Khartoum, Sudan, in this handout image released April 20, 2023. There was no one there,” said Abdullah, speaking by phone from the orphanage, the cries of wailing babies audible in the background. Frini and the director of the orphanage, Zeinab Jouda, referred questions about the total death toll to Abdullah, Mygoma’s medical chief. ABANDONED CHILDRENOfficially called The Orphan's Care Centre, Mygoma, the orphanage is housed in a three-storey building in central Khartoum. She said that a day earlier, two babies who died were instead buried in a city square close to the orphanage.

☆ Sudan: Nearly 1.4 million people displaced since civil war erupted, UN report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Sahar Akbarzai | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Even before the fighting intensified, years of political instability meant Sudan had several million people internally displaced. The country also hosted 1.13 million refugees from other conflict-ridden countries, including South Sudan, Eritrea and Syria, according to UNHCR data. Tens of thousands of South Sudanese are flocking home from neighboring Sudan, which erupted in violence last month. Sam Mednick/APAmid the vast displacement, there have been increasing reports of gender-based violence and domestic violence, especially among internally displaced Sudanese populations, the UN Population Fund said. This includes 22 attacks on health facilities, six attacks which impacted warehouses, and nine attacks which affected supplies, among others.

CNN —Vice President Kamala Harris was among those celebrating the return of Brittney Griner to the WNBA on Friday, five months after the Phoenix Mercury star was released from a Russian penal colony. Harris met with players from both teams before the game and thanked them for their support while Griner was in Russian custody for almost 300 days last year. “A team is a team, that’s family.”Harris addressed the players in their locker room before the game. Mario Tama/Getty ImagesIn return, Los Angeles star and players’ union president Nneka Ogwumike thanked Harris and the Biden administration for securing Griner’s release. “Just appreciating everything because tomorrow is not guaranteed.”Griner scored 18 points on her WNBA return.

An officer who broke his baton hitting a prisoner 35 times, even after the man was handcuffed, was not fired. In dozens of documented cases involving severe injuries of prisoners, including three deaths, the agency did not even try to discipline officers, state records show. The records probably reflect only a fraction of the violence guards have inflicted in New York’s corrections system, experts said. These records do not detail prisoner attacks on officers, which the department and the guards’ union said have increased in recent years. A key reason the prison system finds it so hard to get rid of guards is the contract the state signed in 1972 with the union.

☆ He makes the best baguette in Paris, but he’s not French
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Oliver Briscoe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Paris CNN —The humble baguette is the epitome of French baking. The perfect loaf, delicately crusty outside, soft and airy inside, is worth the airfare to Paris all on its own. For the contest, bakers are judged specifically on their “baguette de tradition,” a designation that differentiates good-quality loaves from industrially made rivals. Polski is a veteran of the Paris contest, having presided over it for almost a decade. There is not one neighborhood today without fresh bread, Polski says.

☆ First strippers’ union in a decade is expected to form this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Natasha Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The negotiation is expected following a settlement hearing with union attorneys. When ballots are officially opened later this week, the strippers are expected to overwhelmingly win the union election, forming the first known union of strippers in the United States since the nation’s only unionized strip club, the Lusty Lady, closed in San Francisco in 2013. But with stipulation from the National Labor Relations Board and involved parties, the Star Garden owners will seek to dismiss its bankruptcy case, so that it can reopen in 30 to 60 days. Velveeta, a stripper, addresses the crowd attending a rally in support of strippers from the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar on August 19, 2022 in North Hollywood. “Every worker who wants a union deserves a union.

☆ What Chicago’s New Mayor Says About the City’s Biggest Challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Julie Bosman | Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It wasn’t long ago that Brandon Johnson, 47, was a county commissioner and teachers’ union organizer, unknown to many Chicagoans. On Monday he was sworn in as the city’s 57th mayor. He knocked out the incumbent mayor, Lori Lightfoot, in the first round of balloting in February, then beat Paul Vallas, a far more conservative and well-funded Democrat, in the runoff last month. Chicago’s downtown is emptier, its public schools have fewer students, and crime rates remain far higher than before the pandemic. In an interview last week at his transition office along the Chicago River, Mr. Johnson said he was cleareyed about the scope of the challenges awaiting him but confident about the city’s trajectory.

☆ Tony Awards Broadcast Can Proceed After Striking Writers’ Union Agrees
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Michael Paulson | John Koblin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This year’s Tony Awards ceremony, which had been in doubt ever since Hollywood’s screenwriters went on strike earlier this month, will proceed as scheduled in an altered form after the writers’ union said Monday night that it would not picket the show. “As they have stood by us, we stand with our fellow workers on Broadway who are impacted by our strike,” the Writers Guild of America, which represents screenwriters, said in a statement late Monday. Several nominated shows have been operating at a loss, holding on in the hopes that a Tony win — or even exposure on the broadcast — could boost sales. The union made it clear that the broadcast, which is scheduled to air on CBS on June 11, would be different from past ceremonies. But the union did not detail what those differences would be, and the Tony Awards administrators did not have any immediate comment.

☆ Striking Writers’ Union Denies Waiver, Imperiling Tony Awards Telecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Michael Paulson | John Koblin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The denial by the union, the Writers Guild of America, described by people who were granted anonymity to disclose confidential discussions, is imperiling one of Broadway’s biggest nights — a key marketing opportunity that is even more crucial in the fragile post-shutdown theater economy. Industry leaders say that without the ability to reach the broad audience that tunes into a Tony Awards broadcast, several of the newest musicals are likely to close. Broadway boosters are still hoping that over the weekend the writers’ guild might be persuaded to change its mind. Without a waiver from the writers’ guild, a live broadcast ceremony is essentially impossible because much of Broadway, including nominees and presenters, would refuse to cross a picket line. The management committee of the Tony Awards, which is the group charged with overseeing the broadcast, has scheduled an emergency meeting on Monday at which it will discuss how to proceed.

☆ Labor Deal at West Coast Ports Comes Into View
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The dockworkers’ union and port employers have been negotiating for almost a year on a contract covering more than 22,000 dockworkers at West Coast ports. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg NewsContract talks between unionized longshore workers and employers at West Coast ports appear to be headed into their final stretch following agreements on several major issues, potentially clearing the uncertainty that has been hanging over U.S. importers heading into their crucial fall selling season. Some shipping officials familiar with the talks hope a tentative agreement could be reached by June, ending a contentious period in port labor relations that prompted some of the country’s biggest retailers and manufacturers to shift goods away from the region to avoid possible disruptions.

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