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REUTERS/Alyssa PointerLOS ANGELES, May 1 (Reuters) - Negotiators for Hollywood writers and film and television studios engaged in 11th-hour contract talks on Monday to try and avert a strike that would disrupt TV production across an industry grappling with seismic changes. The Writers Guild of America could call a work stoppage as early as Tuesday if it cannot reach a deal with companies such as Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) and Netflix Inc (NFLX.O). Writers say they have suffered financially during the streaming TV boom, in part due to shorter seasons and smaller residual payments. Half of TV series writers now work at minimum salary levels, compared with one-third in the 2013-14 season, according to Guild statistics. The WGA wants safeguards to prevent studios from using AI to generate new scripts from writers' previous work.

LOS ANGELES, May 1 (Reuters) - Negotiators for Hollywood writers and film and television studios engaged in 11th-hour contract talks on Monday to try and avert a strike that would disrupt TV production across an industry grappling with seismic changes. Writers say they have suffered financially during the streaming TV boom, in part due to shorter seasons and smaller residual payments. Half of TV series writers now work at minimum salary levels, compared with one-third in the 2013-14 season, according to Guild statistics. The WGA wants safeguards to prevent studios from using AI to generate new scripts from writers' previous work. The last WGA strike in 2007 and 2008 lasted 100 days.

☆ Wrexham: An intoxicating tale of Hollywood glamour and sporting romance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

In an often brutal and bleak world, the recent resurgence of Wrexham, the city as well as the soccer club, lifts the soul. The Turf pub is a must-see for Wrexham fans. But now, there’s Wrexham with a story that, in hindsight, feels as if it was just waiting for Hollywood. One of Wrexham city center's shopping areas, pictured on April 22. Wrexham fans celebrate on the pitch after their team beat Boreham Wood at the Racecourse Ground.

CNN —A once powerful member of the former Sudanese government wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity has been freed from prison in the capital Khartoum. Prisoners of Kober prison were released by authorities after inmates protested the lack of food and water by burning two cars inside the prison grounds, two Sudanese police sources told CNN. Unconfirmed reports claimed the former President al-Bashir was among the prisoners released from Kober prison. Sudan’s then-President, Omar al-Bashir, was charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity by the ICC, including genocide, related to the Darfur conflict in 2009. He was ousted in a military coup in April 2019 following a lengthy popular uprising and jailed in Khartoum.

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump departs from Trump Tower to give a deposition to New York Attorney General Letitia James who sued Trump and his Trump Organization, in New York City, U.S., April 13, 2023. Former Manhattan prosecutor Mark Pomerantz will testify May 12, a spokesperson for the chairman of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee said. The committee subpoenaed him in connection with the probe that led to Trump becoming the first ex-president to be criminally charged. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, sued Jim Jordan, the Republican chair of the committee, to block the subpoena. Trump, the Republican front-runner in the 2024 presidential nominating campaign, pleaded not guilty on April 4 to 34 felony charges.

☆ Ex-prosecutor in New York Trump probe wins congressional deposition delay
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Mark Pomerantz, the former prosecutor who once led the Manhattan district attorney's criminal inquiry into former U.S. President Donald Trump, on Thursday won a delay to his deposition before a Republican-led congressional committee, court records showed. The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday granted a temporary delay to Pomerantz's deposition to allow a three-judge panel to consider the case. Pomerantz's closed-door deposition had been scheduled for 10 a.m. EST (1400 GMT) before the Judiciary Committee. Spokespeople for the Judiciary Committee did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; editing by Diane Craft and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ex-prosecutor in New York Trump probe to testify in congressional deposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Mark Pomerantz, the former prosecutor who once led the Manhattan district attorney's criminal inquiry into the business practices of ex-president Donald Trump, is set to appear for a deposition before a Republican-led congressional committee on Thursday. The subpoena came from the House Judiciary Committee, and the closed-door deposition is scheduled for 10 a.m. EST (1400 GMT) at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington. But Jordan's lawyer countered that the committee needed Pomerantz's testimony to weigh legislation restricting what he called "politically motivated prosecutions" of presidents. But in her written ruling, she said he would be free to object and decline to answer questions if appropriate. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; editing by Diane Craft and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks during a news conference at 1 Police Plaza in New York City, U.S., April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoNEW YORK, April 19 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday said she would rule "promptly" in a standoff between the Manhattan prosecutor who got Donald Trump indicted and one of the former president's staunchest Republican allies in Congress. U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil heard arguments from both sides on Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan. Bragg has called the subpoena an unconstitutional "incursion" into a state criminal case, and payback for charging Trump in the first indictment of a former U.S. president. Pomerantz urged Vyskocil to block the subpoena and said he played no role in Bragg's decision to charge Trump.

☆ Manhattan DA, Republican congressman to face off in court over subpoena in Trump case
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks during a news conference at 1 Police Plaza in New York City, U.S., April 18, 2023. A hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT) in federal court in Manhattan before U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil. Bragg has called the subpoena an unconstitutional "incursion" into a state criminal case, and payback for charging Trump in the first indictment of a former U.S. president. Jordan countered that lawmakers needed Pomerantz's testimony, now scheduled for Thursday, as they weigh legislation to let presidents move state criminal actions to federal court. Pomerantz urged Vyskocil to block the subpoena and said he played no role in Bragg's decision to charge Trump.

☆ Carnival cruise passengers said other cruisers cheered — and jeered —when their ship rescued 24 migrants adrift at sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Carnival cruise ship rescued 24 migrants lost at sea last week, two passengers told Insider. A spokesperson for the company said cruise ships often come to the aid of boats in distress. "It makes your heart sad when you know these people are so desperate," Senn told Insider. A Carnival spokesperson told Insider that the ship's medical team found all 24 people to be in good condition. Though primarily designed as vacation vessels, large cruise ships often come to the aid of those in peril on the sea.

☆ Republican US congressman asks judge to let probe into Trump case proceed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and an ally of fellow Republican Trump, made the request to U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil two days before she is due to hold a hearing in the case in federal court in Manhattan. In a separate filing, Pomerantz urged Vyskocil to block the subpoena and said he played no role in Bragg's decision to charge Trump. Trump, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the presidency in 2024, has denied the liaison took place. Bragg has accused Jordan of impeding New York's "sovereign authority" and interfering in an ongoing criminal case. "Such legislation could help protect current and former presidents from potentially politically motivated prosecutions," Jordan's lawyers wrote in court papers.

☆ Fox News settles lawsuit with Venezuelan businessman it accused of helping rig the 2020 US presidential election, as it readies for $1.6 billion Dominion trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Fox News has settled a defamation lawsuit filed by Venezuelan businessman Majed Khalil. Khalil was accused on air of rigging the 2020 presidential election by then Fox host Lou Dobbs. The former Fox host also accused Khalil and other Venezuelans of being involved in a scheme to oust former president Donald Trump. Khalil filed a $250 million lawsuit against Dobbs, Fox News, and former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell in December 2021. Dominion's mammoth $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox Corp, which it filed after Fox accused the company of using its voting machines to aid Joe Biden's victory, has garnered the most attention.

☆ Explainer: Who is Karen McDougal, the Playboy model in the Trump case?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 4 (Reuters) - The criminal case against former President Donald Trump, unveiled on Tuesday, rests not just on his high-profile alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels but also on a separate liaison with Playboy model Karen McDougal. A 52-year-old former model and actress from Indiana, McDougal was a Playboy magazine Playmate of the Year in the late 1990s. They said Trump, his lawyer Michael Cohen and AMI former chief executive David Pecker, a longtime friend of Trump, agreed that Trump would reimburse AMI. McDougal later sued AMI and reached an agreement that allowed her to discuss her relationship with Trump. ONE OF TWOThe transaction is one of two involving alleged affairs that are at the heart of the criminal case against Trump.

☆ Alvin Bragg: Who is the New York prosecutor who got Trump indicted?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Companies Trump Organization Inc FollowNEW YORK, March 31 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's indictment has thrust into the spotlight Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor whose office convinced a New York grand jury to bring the first criminal charges ever against a former U.S. president. Bragg, 49, took office in January 2022, the first Black person elected Manhattan District Attorney. In 2021, Bragg won a crowded primary for the Democratic nomination to succeed Cyrus Vance as Manhattan District Attorney. "I've done this type of work under this type of scrutiny," Bragg said during the campaign, referring to the case against the Trump Foundation. Bragg came under criticism last year for declining to bring charges against Trump over his family real estate company's business practices.

REUTERS/Eduardo MunozMarch 27 (Reuters) - A Manhattan grand jury hearing evidence about former President Donald Trump's role in a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels was expected to reconvene on Monday, a law enforcement source said. The grand jury, which has been meeting since January, could indict Trump over the handling of the payment, which would make him the first U.S. president to face a criminal charge in court. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been presenting evidence about the $130,000 payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of Trump's 2016 election campaign. Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen has said he made the payment at Trump's direction to buy her silence about a sexual liaison she says she had with Trump in 2006. Trump faces several other criminal investigations, including one tied to the Jan. 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol.

Trump, who has denied having an affair with Daniels, is seeking the Republican nomination for the presidency in 2024. "Stormy responded to questions and has agreed to make herself available as a witness, or for further inquiry if needed," Clark Brewster, Daniels' lawyer, wrote on Twitter. Susan Necheles, a lawyer for Trump, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Daniels' talks with prosecutors. Joseph Tacopina, another Trump lawyer, said earlier this week Trump did not plan to appear before the grand jury, but that a decision had not yet been made. The investigation centers on a $130,000 payment Daniels - whose real name is Stephanie Clifford - received in October 2016 from Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney and fixer.

☆ Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testifies before grand jury
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Karen Freifeld | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

He needs to be held accountable for his dirty deeds," Cohen said of Trump outside a Manhattan courthouse on his way to the grand jury. Grand jury proceedings are not public. Davis, his lawyer, would not comment on the details of Cohen's testimony before the grand jury on Monday. I never had an affair with Stormy Daniels," he said on his Truth Social platform last week. Joseph Tacopina, another Trump lawyer, said on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Monday there were no plans to participate in the grand jury, though a decision had not been made.

☆ Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen set to testify before grand jury
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Karen Freifeld | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Michael Cohen, former attorney for former U.S. President Donald Trump, arrives to the New York Courthouse in New York City, U.S., March 13, 2023. He needs to be held accountable for his dirty deeds," Cohen said of Trump outside a Manhattan courthouse on his way to the grand jury. Grand jury proceedings are not public. "I did absolutely nothing wrong, I never had an affair with Stormy Daniels," he said on Truth Social last week. Joseph Tacopina, another Trump lawyer, said on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Monday there were no plans to participate in the grand jury, though a decision had not been made.

☆ Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to testify before grand jury
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Karen Freifeld | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 13 (Reuters) - Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer, is expected to testify on Monday afternoon before a Manhattan grand jury investigating hush money payments he has said he orchestrated to porn star Stormy Daniels on behalf of the former president. He needs to be held accountable for his dirty deeds," Cohen said of Trump outside a Manhattan courthouse on his way to the grand jury. Grand jury proceedings are not public. [1/4] Michael Cohen, former attorney for former U.S. President Donald Trump, arrives to the New York Courthouse in New York City, U.S., March 13, 2023. Joseph Tacopina, another Trump lawyer, said on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Monday there were no plans to participate in the grand jury, though a decision had not been made.

☆ Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to testify to grand jury Monday: NBC News
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former Trump Attorney Michael Cohen gives a short statement to members of the press as he arrives to meet with the Manhattan District Attorney on February 08, 2023 in New York City. Cohen on Friday met for more than seven hours with officials from the DA's office with his attorney, Lanny Davis. Michael Cohen , the former personal lawyer for former President Donald Trump , is set to testify Monday to a grand jury in New York City, setting the stage for a potential indictment of Trump, NBC News reported. Cohen is scheduled to testify before the grand jury on Monday afternoon. The meeting came a day after The New York Times reported that Trump had been offered the chance to testify to the grand jury, an offer typically extended to the expected targets of criminal prosecutions.

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - Manhattan prosecutors have signaled to Donald Trump that he could face criminal charges relating to the former president's alleged role in hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing four unnamed sources. The former president was told he could appear before a Manhattan grand jury next week if he wished to testify, the newspaper said. A spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney declined to comment. Lawyers who have represented Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Karen Freifeld in New York; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The former president was told he could appear before a Manhattan grand jury next week if he wished to testify, the newspaper said. A lawyer for Trump confirmed to Reuters that Trump had been invited to testify. While being given the opportunity to testify indicates that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg could charge the president, the prosecutor could still decline to indict Trump. "If he (Trump) does appear, he will have to waive immunity and answer the prosecutor's questions," he said. "I did absolutely nothing wrong, I never had an affair with Stormy Daniels, nor would I have wanted to have an affair with Stormy Daniels.

REUTERS/Nick Carey/File PhotoWASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - Several federal agencies will work together on competition issues in the seed sector as part of a broader Biden administration push to enhance competition in agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Monday. The USDA, Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Justice, and Federal Trade Commission will start up a working group on intellectual property and competition in the seed and agricultural input sector, USDA said. USDA is also creating a "farmer seed liaison" role to deliver on recommendations in a report released by the agency today on how to promote competition in the seed industry. USDA issued a $73 million round of funding under the same program last fall. Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington and Karl Plume in Chicago Editing by Nick Zieminski and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Kim Tae-hyun, Chairman & CEO of South Korea's National Pension Service, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Seoul, South Korea, March 3, 2023. National Pension Service/Handout via REUTERSSEOUL, March 6 (Reuters) - South Korea's National Pension Service (NPS), manager of the world's third-largest public pension fund, will collaborate with foreign exchange authorities when needed to help stabilise the market, its chairman told Reuters. "Based on last year's experience, we have prepared measures aimed at easing dollar demand and volatility in the foreign exchange market," Kim said. "A predictable and stable foreign exchange rate is also advantageous to us," he said, adding that cooperation with foreign exchange authorities would be based on achieving good investment returns. With the fund expected to be depleted by 2055, his top priority is to provide support for the government's plan to reform the national pension system, he said.

☆ Apple's advertising business is expanding into new areas this year such as TV. Here are 14 behind-the-scenes Apple executives building its advertising empire.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Right now its roughly $5 billion-in-revenue ads business largely consists of search ads sold within the App Store. We asked more than a dozen advertising industry insiders and former Apple advertising staffers to identify the most important executives building Apple's advertising business. Teresi's ascent coincides with the explosive growth of Apple's ad business in recent years. A former Yahoo and Quantcast staffer, Crawford first joined Apple in 2011 to work on global operations for iAd. Lauren Fry - Apple TV+ ad salesApple hired Fry, a TV and video ad sales veteran, in February this year, The Information reported.

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