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fc188 logo The behind-the-scenes machinery of modern Hollywood burst into the open over the weekend as actor Blake Lively filed a legal complaint accusing her “It Ends With Us” director and co-star Justin Baldoni of harassment and creating a hostile on-set working environment. Also included in the complaint are allegations that Baldoni hired crisis PR operatives to wage a sophisticated online smear campaign against Lively as the movie was being released last summer . As detailed in exhibits accompanying the legal filing , crisis management expert Melissa Nathan responded to a request from Baldoni by saying, “You know we can bury anyone.” An adaptation of the popular novel by Colleen Hoover, the romantic drama “It Ends With Us,” details an abusive relationship. Released by Sony Pictures, the film has grossed more than $350 million worldwide. Below is a primer on the key figures involved in the scandal. Blake Lively Lively had her first breakout role in 2005’s “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and its 2008 sequel. She reached a new level of stardom thanks to her leading role in the hit television series “Gossip Girl,” running from 2007 to 2012. Since then she has appeared in films such as “The Age of Adeline,” “The Shallows” and “A Simple Favor.” In 2012, Lively married actor and producer Ryan Reynolds, which has increased her visibility and fame, as has her close friendship with superstar musician Taylor Swift. Lively made a cameo appearance in Reynolds’ 2024 hit “Deadpool & Wolverine” and said in an interview that her husband had rewritten a scene in “It Ends With Us.” Lively has more than 45 million followers on Instagram. In a statement, Lively said of the complaint, “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.” Justin Baldoni Baldoni is an actor, director and producer who first gained broader attention by appearing on the CW series “Jane the Virgin” from 2014 to 2019. He previously directed the 2019 romantic drama “Five Feet Apart” and the 2020 biographical drama “Clouds.” Baldoni married actress Emily Foxler in 2013. He is also the co-host of the podcast “Man Enough,” described as exploring “what it means to be a man today and how rigid gender roles have affected all people.” Baldoni has nearly 4 million followers on Instagram. Among the allegations against Baldoni are comments about Lively’s weight, including reaching out to her personal trainer, as well as physical touching and sexual remarks without consent. Lively requested that no more “sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing” be added outside of what was already in the script. In the filming of a scene in which her character gives birth, Lively alleges that she was pressured into being mostly nude from the chest down and that many non-essential crew members were on set as she was left exposed in a vulnerable position. Additionally, Baldoni cast a personal friend to play the OB-GYN in the scene, which Lively described as “invasive and humiliating.” In a statement, Bryan Freedman, an attorney who represents Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, called Lively’s allegations “another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film. ... These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.” Of the alleged smear campaign Freedman added, “What is pointedly missing from the cherry-picked correspondence is the evidence that there were no proactive measures taken with media or otherwise; just internal scenario planning and private correspondence to strategize which is standard operating procedure with public relations professionals.” On Saturday, after the allegations were made public, Baldoni was dropped by talent agency WME, which also represents Lively. Wayfarer Studios After his five-year stint on “Jane the Virgin,” Baldoni launched his own production company in 2019. He has cited his Baha’i faith as one of the inspirations behind launching the company, whose stated mission is to “champion inspirational stories that act as true agents of social change.” Its first project, Baldoni’s directorial debut “Five Feet Apart,” a romantic drama about two cystic fibrosis patients, was released that year. It was his work on the film that Baldoni said convinced Colleen Hoover, author of “It Ends With Us,” to grant his company the rights to her book. Wayfarer is also behind Baldoni’s weekly podcast, “Man Enough,” which aims to explore gender roles and avoid “polarizing and demonizing men and masculinity.” The studio also produced “Will & Harper,” the Netflix documentary about Will Ferrell’s road trip with his transgender best friend Harper Steele, which recently made the shortlist for a potential Academy Award nomination . Jamey Heath Heath, who is named as one of the defendants in Lively’s legal complaint, is Baldoni’s close friend and colleague. In addition to serving as the chief executive officer of Wayfarer Studios and as producer on “It Ends With Us,” he is a co-host of the “Man Enough” podcast. Like Baldoni, the father of four is also a member of the Baha’i faith. According to Lively’s complaint, on Jan. 4, 2024, Heath was part of a small meeting of “It Ends With Us” collaborators where Lively alleged that the producer and Baldoni had engaged in “inappropriate conduct” on set. Lively claimed that Heath pressured her to “simulate full nudity” in a birth scene and showed her a video of his wife in labor “fully nude ... with her legs spread apart.” When Lively expressed alarm, she said, Heath replied that his wife “isn’t weird about this stuff.” Heath insisted on taking a meeting with Lively while she was “topless and having body makeup removed,” according to the legal document. Though he agreed to keep his back turned to her, she said, he instead stared directly at her. Steve Sarowitz Sarowitz, the billionaire co-chairman of Wayfarer Studios, is one of the primary financiers of Baldoni’s production company, investing at least $125 million in the venture. He amassed his fortune after taking his payroll firm, Paylocity, public in 2014; he is now worth a reported $2.7 billion. Sarowitz is also a member of the Baha’i community. Lively’s complaint alleges that at the New York premiere of “It Ends With Us” in August, Sarowitz said he was “prepared to spend $100 million to ruin the lives of Ms. Lively and her family.” Further, the document says, Sarowitz “flew in for one of his few set visits” on the day that Lively was filming the birth scene where she only had a “small piece of fabric covering her genitalia.” Jennifer Abel Abel, founder and CEO of RWA Communications, is the publicist for Baldoni and Wayfarer. In July, she founded her own public relations company after serving as a partner at the communications firm Jonesworks. Her client roster is relatively small; Baldoni and actor Jameela Jamil are the most well known names she represents. Lively’s legal complaint includes dozens of private text messages and emails between Abel, Baldoni and other communications experts that the actor claims show intent to destroy her reputation. According to those messages, Baldoni first expressed concern to Abel in May that Lively’s on-set allegations could go public. That was when Baldoni noticed that Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, had blocked him on social media, the complaint says. “HE BLOCKED YOU?! Is he a 12 year old girl?!” Abel texted Baldoni, per the document. “We can put the plan down on paper ... to make sure we have all of the documentation needed of what happened on set, who witnessed what and who would be our Allies to go on background if needed to shut down her claims.” By then, the complaint alleges that Abel was already in touch with a crisis communications expert, Melissa Nathan, relaying that Baldoni “wants to feel like [Lively] can be buried.” Melissa Nathan Nathan, co-owner and CEO of the Agency Group, was officially brought in by Abel in July to work for Baldoni, according to Lively’s complaint. The document says Nathan quoted the actor a fee of up to $175,000 for three to four months of her work. The Agency Group then created a “scenario planning” document for Wayfarer to be implemented if Lively were to make her “grievances” public. According to this document, which was cited in Lively’s complaint , one idea was to float the narrative that Lively involved Reynolds in the filmmaking to “create an ilmalance [sic] of power between her” and Baldoni. The PR firm also suggested reminding reporters that Lively has a “less than favorable reputation in the industry” and has “issues” working with Leighton Meester, Anna Kendrick and Ben Affleck. A month before starting her work with Wayfarer, Nathan in June announced the launch of her own public relations firm after departing Hiltzik Strategies, the crisis PR firm where she was executive vice president. Nathan’s new company is partially owned by Ithaca Media Ventures, according to corporate registration records filed in California. Ithaca is owned by HYBE America, whose CEO is entrepreneur and former talent manager Scooter Braun. HYBE America is one of the Agency Group’s clients, along with Johnny Depp, Logan Paul and Drake. Jed Wallace According to Lively’s complaint, Wallace is a public relations contractor from Austin, Texas, whom the Agency Group hired to “seed and influence” negative social media discussion about the actor. In an Aug. 9 text message referenced in the complaint, Nathan relays to Abel that Wallace said “we are crushing it on Reddit.” A day later, the alleged messages show, Abel compliments Wallace “and his team’s efforts to shift the narrative” about Baldoni. Scooter Braun Braun, the former manager of Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, now runs the U.S. arm of the South Korean entertainment company HYBE. HYBE America is a co-founder of Nathan’s company, the Agency Group, and one of its clients. Braun has also been engaged in a years-long public dispute with Swift, who is one of Lively’s best friends. The battle between the singer and the executive began in 2019, when Braun acquired the record label Big Machine, which held the rights to the master recordings for Swift’s music from her 2006 self-titled debut to 2017’s “Reputation.” Swift responded by launching the “Taylor’s Version” series of rerecordings and rereleases of those albums. In Lively’s complaint, Nathan sends a June text message telling the Wayfarer team that she is aware the actor “does have some of the TS fanbase so we will be taking it extremely seriously.” Later, in the Agency Group’s “scenario planning” document, the company says its team could explore “planting stories about the weaponization of feminism and how people in BL’s circle like Taylor Swift, have been accused of utilizing these tactics to ‘bully’ into getting what they want.” Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.U.S. Air Force Says Drones Spotted Near Three Bases in EnglandUnlocking Innovation in Canada: Insights from Jess Sinclair of the Canadian Council of Innovators

The have triggered an international race for military dominance. Major powers are quietly integrating AI into their militaries to gain a strategic edge. However, this could change once AI becomes advanced enough to pose an existential threat to humanity, AI "godfather" and Nobel Prize winner says. "On risks like lethal autonomous weapons, countries will not collaborate," Hinton said in a seminar at the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences last week. "All of the major countries that supply arms, Russia, the United States, China, Britain, Israel, and possibly Sweden, are busy making autonomous lethal weapons, and they're not gonna be slowed down, they're not gonna regulate themselves, and they're not gonna collaborate." However, Hinton believes that will change when it becomes necessary for the human race to fight the potential threat posed by a super-intelligent form of AI. "When these things are smarter than us — which almost all the researchers I know believe they will be, we just differ on how soon, whether it's like in five years or in 30 years — will they take over and is there anything we can do to prevent that from happening since we make them? We'll get collaboration on that because all of the countries don't want that to happen." "The Chinese Communist Party does not want to lose power to AI," he added. They want to hold on to it." Hinton said this collaboration could resemble the Cold War, when Russia and the United States — despite being enemies — shared a common goal to avoid nuclear war. Citing similar concerns, has called on world leaders to establish an "international agency" that examines the most powerful AI models and ensures "reasonable safety testing." "I think there will come a time in the not-so-distant future, like we're not talking decades and decades from now, where frontier AI systems are capable of causing significant global harm," Altman said on the All-In podcast in May. According to a report by Goldman Sachs, global investment in AI is expected to hit $200 billion by 2025, with the United States and China leading the military arms race. The United States and China are already beginning to collaborate on existential threats related to AI. In November, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed that humans, not AI, should make decisions regarding the use of nuclear technology. Read the original article on

IF you're planning a tasty creamy mash for your Christmas dinner, look no further. A cooking expert has shared her tips for perfecting the festive side dish. Advertisement 3 Calling all mashed potato fans - if you want to know how to make the creamiest side dish, you'll need to listen up Credit: Tiktok / @177milkstreet 3 A food guru has shared her simple trick to making the best mash, and it turns out you need to stop boiling your potatoes in water and use milk instead Credit: Tiktok / @177milkstreet The chef revealed that you've probably been making your mash all wrong. According to the expert, we need to stop boiling our spuds in water if we want it to be extra creamy - yes, you heard that correctly. If you want to make the best mashed potatoes, you need to boil your potatoes in milk. Rosie Gill, director of Milk Street Cooking School, took to social media to share her mashed potatoes recipe - leaving many open-mouthed. Advertisement Read More On Food OH NO Foodie makes festive mashed potatoes using sour cream PRINGLES Mash made in heaven Top tips to reheat mashed potatoes She explained that it’s time to stop boiling your potatoes in water - as you’ll need to use milk instead. She revealed: “We simmer your mashed potatoes in milk, not water! And here’s why. “Potatoes are like pasta, they release starches into their cooking liquid. “That becomes liquid gold - allowing us to get lush, silky, creamy, mashed potatoes. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous FEELING FISHY I've been left with two black eyes after trying bizarre new beauty treatment JAB MANIA From sunken eyes to bulldog features - the scary things Ozempic does to your face Exclusive FACE THE TRUTH My fiance had the first face transplant, I'm accused of gold digging SON'S STRUGGLE Katie Price shares heartbreaking message from Harvey as he begs to come home “When you throw out water that you cook your potatoes in, you throw all that starch down the drain, so you’re wasting it. “The milk becomes our cooking liquid - and a replacement for heavy cream.” I tried the M&S Christmas cafe menu, the gravy dip is a festive revelation As she showed off her finished side dish, she added: “We just mash the potatoes directly in the pot - no mixer needed. “And that is how we get still creamy, but not too heavy, mashed potatoes.” Advertisement Rosie later confirmed: “In the case of pasta, you want to reserve some of that liquid to give the sauce a luscious shine and bind it to the noodles. “In mashed potatoes, cooking in milk, and preserving that starchy liquid, gives your potatoes a natural creaminess and allows you to skip the weighty heavy cream.” The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @177milkstreet, has clearly left many stunned, as it was shared just one day ago, but has quickly gone viral, and has racked up a staggering 3.3 million views. Fridge or cupboard? The essential food storage guide Foods must be stored correctly to keep them fresh and prevent the spread of bacteria. Nutrition expert Birgit Brendel said bread will last longer when stored in the fridge or freezer. However, this can compromise the flavour. Storing in ceramic or pottery containers is an alternative that allows for air to flow easily and slow the growth of mould. Robert Morris, managing director of food safety consultants, Complete Food Safety, revealed the best place to store fresh fruit and vegetables. He said salad foods should be stored in the fridge drawer, but away from anything grown in the soil such as carrots, parsnips and beetroot. Tomatoes are an exception to the rule as fridges can alter the natural ripening process and diminish their taste. He also advised against putting avocados and bananas in the fridge as this will cause them to blacken quicker. But social media users were divided at the cooking tip - while some were impressed, not everyone was as keen. Advertisement One person said: “Awesome tip! I’m married to this from now on!” Another added: “Brilliant.” A third commented: “Genius.” Whilst another food fan beamed: “Great idea.” Advertisement 3 This hack, according to this foodie, will ensure you get the best tasting mash Credit: Tiktok / @177milkstreet However, not everyone was impressed with the foodie’s hack and many revealed that they didn’t actually think her mash looked that great. One user claimed: “Tried it - weird mush. Prefer chicken broth or chicken stock with water.” A second penned: “Looks v lumpy.” Advertisement Someone else chimed in: “They don't look smooth though.” Read more on the Scottish Sun COMIC'S CASTLE Still Game star takes £150,000 hit to offload luxury £4m Scots castle HITTING THE HIGH NOTES Much-loved pub named best music bar in Scotland Whilst another wrote: “That mash looks way too wet.” Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Just email: fabulousdigital@the-sun.co.uk and pop EXCLUSIVE in the subject line .The London Fire Department was on scene of a house fire in the city on Sunday. The incident was in the 400 block of Alston Road. Crews arrived on scene just before 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. Crews said smoke was showing and they advanced an attack line. Fire was successfully extinguished and crews quickly transitioned to ventilation and overhaul operations. Two people have been displaced as a result and one cat died. The estimated damage is more than $200,000. The investigation is ongoing. London Top Stories Two displaced in $200,000 house fire Three people in hospital due to collision Assault at Santa Claus parade leads to charges Easton Cowan needs a point Sunday to tie 55-game OHL point streak record CPKC Holiday Train to stop in Southwestern Ontario Sunday night One community still undecided in nuclear waste willingness vote St. Thomas, Ont. and San Jose, Calif. celebrate hockey legend on night his jersey is retired Man charged in child abuse investigation: STPS CTVNews.ca Top Stories 'Still working full time on it:' One year later police continue to search for gunman in Caledon double murder linked to ex-Olympian One year after a couple was shot and killed in their Caledon home in what investigators have described as a case of mistaken identity, Ontario Provincial Police say they are still trying to figure out who pulled the trigger. A man called 911 for help during a home invasion. Las Vegas police fatally shot him A Las Vegas man called for police help during a home invasion before an officer fatally shot him, according to authorities and 911 calls. Scurvy resurgence highlights issues of food insecurity in Canada's rural and remote areas A disease often thought to only affect 18th century sailors is reemerging in Canada. Cat caught in hunting snare rescued by BC SPCA Donations are ramping up for a BC SPCA cat with a mangled paw after being caught in a hunting snare, one of a rising number of pets to fall prey to the hunting device. 'Very disturbing': Deepfake videos appear to target Canadian immigrants for thousands of dollars Artificially generated videos of a Toronto-based lawyer asking for money appear to be just one way some try to exploit newcomers to Canada during a time of confusion around new immigration rules. Lotto Max jackpot hits $80M for second time ever The Lotto Max jackpot has climbed to $80 million for just the second time in Canadian lottery history. Nova Scotia Tories appear safe with close battle for second between Liberals and NDP With two days left before Nova Scotians elect their next government, polls suggest Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston's decision to call an early vote will pay off and the real battle will be between the Liberals and NDP for second place. Montreal police chief expects additional arrests following anti-NATO protest Montreal's police chief says he expects more arrests stemming from a Friday anti-NATO protest that turned violent, with smashed windows and burned cars in downtown Montreal. 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator' make gravity-defying theatre debuts With a combined US$270 million in worldwide ticket sales, 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' breathed fresh life into a box office that has struggled lately. 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He was 83. Chuck Woolery hosts a special premiere of the "$250,000 Game Show Spectacular" at the Las Vegas Hilton on Oct. 13, 2007, in Las Vegas. Mark Young, Woolery's podcast co-host and friend, said in an email early Sunday that Woolery died at his home in Texas with his wife, Kristen, present. “Chuck was a dear friend and brother and a tremendous man of faith, life will not be the same without him,” Young wrote. Woolery, with his matinee idol looks, coiffed hair and ease with witty banter, was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007 and earned a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978. In 1983, Woolery began an 11-year run as host of TV’s “Love Connection,” for which he coined the phrase, “We’ll be back in two minutes and two seconds,” a two-fingered signature dubbed the “2 and 2.” In 1984, he hosted TV’s “Scrabble,” simultaneously hosting two game shows on TV until 1990. “Love Connection,” which aired long before the dawn of dating apps, had a premise that featured either a single man or single woman who would watch audition tapes of three potential mates and then pick one for a date. A couple of weeks after the date, the guest would sit with Woolery in front of a studio audience and tell everybody about the date. The audience would vote on the three contestants, and if the audience agreed with the guest’s choice, “Love Connection” would offer to pay for a second date. Woolery told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2003 that his favorite set of lovebirds was a man aged 91 and a woman aged 87. "She had so much eye makeup on, she looked like a stolen Corvette. He was so old he said, ‘I remember wagon trains.’ The poor guy. She took him on a balloon ride.” Other career highlights included hosting the shows “Lingo," “Greed” and “The Chuck Woolery Show,” as well as hosting the short-lived syndicated revival of “The Dating Game” from 1998 to 2000 and an ill-fated 1991 talk show. In 1992, he played himself in two episodes of TV’s “Melrose Place.” Woolery became the subject of the Game Show Network’s first attempt at a reality show, “Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned,” which premiered in 2003. It shared the title of the pop song in 1968 by Woolery and his rock group, the Avant-Garde. It lasted six episode and was panned by critics. Woolery began his TV career at a show that has become a mainstay. Although most associated with Pat Sajak and Vanna White, “Wheel of Fortune” debuted Jan. 6, 1975, on NBC with Woolery welcoming contestants and the audience. Woolery, then 33, was trying to make it in Nashville as a singer. “Wheel of Fortune” started life as “Shopper’s Bazaar,” incorporating Hangman-style puzzles and a roulette wheel. After Woolery appeared on “The Merv Griffin Show” singing “Delta Dawn,” Merv Griffin asked him to host the new show with Susan Stafford. “I had an interview that stretched to 15, 20 minutes,” Woolery told The New York Times in 2003. “After the show, when Merv asked if I wanted to do a game show, I thought, ‘Great, a guy with a bad jacket and an equally bad mustache who doesn’t care what you have to say — that’s the guy I want to be.’” NBC initially passed, but they retooled it as “Wheel of Fortune” and got the green light. After a few years, Woolery demanded a raise to $500,000 a year, or what host Peter Marshall was making on “Hollywood Squares.” Griffin balked and replaced Woolery with weather reporter Pat Sajak. “Both Chuck and Susie did a fine job, and ‘Wheel’ did well enough on NBC, although it never approached the kind of ratings success that ‘Jeopardy!’ achieved in its heyday,” Griffin said in “Merv: Making the Good Life Last,” an autobiography from the 2000s co-written by David Bender. Woolery earned an Emmy nod as host. Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Woolery served in the U.S. Navy before attending college. He played double bass in a folk trio, then formed the psychedelic rock duo The Avant-Garde in 1967 while working as a truck driver to support himself as a musician. The Avant-Garde, which toured in a refitted Cadillac hearse, had the Top 40 hit “Naturally Stoned,” with Woolery singing, “When I put my mind on you alone/I can get a good sensation/Feel like I’m naturally stoned.” After The Avant-Garde broke up, Woolery released his debut solo single “I’ve Been Wrong” in 1969 and several more singles with Columbia before transitioning to country music by the 1970s. He released two solo singles, “Forgive My Heart” and “Love Me, Love Me.” Woolery wrote or co-wrote songs for himself and everyone from Pat Boone to Tammy Wynette. On Wynette’s 1971 album “We Sure Can Love Each Other,” Woolery wrote “The Joys of Being a Woman” with lyrics including “See our baby on the swing/Hear her laugh, hear her scream.” After his TV career ended, Woolery went into podcasting. In an interview with The New York Times, he called himself a gun-rights activist and described himself as a conservative libertarian and constitutionalist. He said he hadn’t revealed his politics in liberal Hollywood for fear of retribution. He teamed up with Mark Young in 2014 for the podcast “Blunt Force Truth” and soon became a full supporter of Donald Trump while arguing minorities don’t need civil rights and causing a firestorm by tweeting an antisemitic comment linking Soviet Communists to Judaism. “President Obama’s popularity is a fantasy only held by him and his dwindling legion of juice-box-drinking, anxiety-dog-hugging, safe-space-hiding snowflakes,” he said. Woolery also was active online, retweeting articles from Conservative Brief, insisting Democrats were trying to install a system of Marxism and spreading headlines such as “Impeach him! Devastating photo of Joe Biden leaks.” During the early stages of the pandemic, Woolery initially accused medical professionals and Democrats of lying about the virus in an effort to hurt the economy and Trump’s chances for reelection to the presidency. “The most outrageous lies are the ones about COVID-19. Everyone is lying. The CDC, media, Democrats, our doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust. I think it’s all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, which is about the election. I’m sick of it,” Woolery wrote in July 2020. Trump retweeted that post to his 83 million followers. By the end of the month, nearly 4.5 million Americans had been infected with COVID-19 and more than 150,000 had died. Just days later, Woolery changed his stance, announcing his son had contracted COVID-19. “To further clarify and add perspective, COVID-19 is real and it is here. My son tested positive for the virus, and I feel for of those suffering and especially for those who have lost loved ones,” Woolery posted before his account was deleted. Woolery later explained on his podcast that he never called COVID-19 “a hoax” or said “it’s not real,” just that “we’ve been lied to.” Woolery also said it was “an honor to have your president retweet what your thoughts are and think it’s important enough to do that.” In addition to his wife, Woolery is survived by his sons Michael and Sean and his daughter Melissa, Young said. Glynis Johns, a Tony Award-winning stage and screen star who played the mother opposite Julie Andrews in the classic movie “Mary Poppins” and introduced the world to the bittersweet standard-to-be “Send in the Clowns” by Stephen Sondheim, died, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2023. She was 100. Adan Canto, the Mexican singer and actor best known for his roles in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and “Agent Game” as well as the TV series “The Cleaning Lady,” “Narcos,” and “Designated Survivor,” died Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, after a private battle with appendiceal cancer. He was 42. Bud Harrelson, the scrappy and sure-handed shortstop who fought Pete Rose on the field during a playoff game and helped the New York Mets win an astonishing championship, died Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. He was 79. The Mets said that Harrelson died at a hospice house in East Northport, New York after a long battle with Alzheimer's. Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević, a mentor to two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and a former star player in his native Serbia, died Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, after suffering a heart attack, the team announced. He was 46. Jack Burke Jr., the oldest living Masters champion who staged the greatest comeback ever at Augusta National for one of his two majors, died Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, in Houston. He was 100. Mary Weiss, the lead singer of the 1960s pop group the Shangri-Las, whose hits included “The Leader of the Pack,” died Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, in Palm Springs, Calif. She was 75. Norman Jewison, a three-time Oscar nominee who in 1999 received an Academy Award for lifetime achievement, died “peacefully” Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, according to publicist Jeff Sanderson. He was 97. Charles Osgood, who anchored “CBS Sunday Morning” for more than two decades, hosted the long-running radio program “The Osgood File” and was referred to as CBS News’ poet-in-residence, died Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. He was 91. Melanie, a singer-songwriter behind 1970s hits including “Brand New Key,” died Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. She was 76. Born Melanie Safka, the singer rose through the New York folk scene and was one of only three solo women to perform at Woodstock. Her hits included “Lay Down” and “Look What They've Done to My Song Ma.” Chita Rivera, the dynamic dancer, singer and actress who garnered 10 Tony nominations, winning twice, in a long Broadway career that forged a path for Latina artists, died Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. She was 91. Carl Weathers, a former NFL linebacker who became a Hollywood action movie and comedy star, playing nemesis-turned-ally Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies, facing-off against Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Predator” and teaching golf in “Happy Gilmore,” died Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. He was 76. Wayne Kramer, the co-founder of the protopunk Detroit band the MC5 that thrashed out such hardcore anthems as “Kick Out the Jams” and influenced everyone from the Clash to Rage Against the Machine, died Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, according to Jason Heath, a close friend and executive director of Kramer's charity, Jail Guitar Doors. Heath said the cause of death was pancreatic cancer. He was 75. Actor Ian Lavender, who played a hapless Home Guard soldier in the classic British sitcom “Dad’s Army,” died Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. He was 77. Country music singer-songwriter Toby Keith, whose pro-American anthems were both beloved and criticized, died Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. He was 62. Henry Fambrough, the last surviving original member of the iconic R&B group The Spinners, whose hits included “It’s a Shame,” “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love,” and “The Rubberband Man,” died Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, of natural causes, according to a statement from his spokeswoman. He was 85. Bob Edwards, right, the news anchor many Americans woke up to as founding host of National Public Radio's “Morning Edition” for nearly a quarter-century, died Saturday, Feb. 10, 20243. He was 76. He's shown here with sports announcer Red Barber. Don Gullett, a former major league pitcher and coach who played for four consecutive World Series champions in the 1970s, died Feb. 14. He was 73. He finished his playing career with a 109-50 record playing for the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees. Lefty Driesell, the coach whose folksy drawl belied a fiery on-court demeanor that put Maryland on the college basketball map and enabled him to rebuild several struggling programs, died Feb. 17, 2024, at age 92. Germany players celebrate after Andreas Brehme, left on ground, scores the winning goal in the World Cup soccer final match against Argentina, in the Olympic Stadium, in Rome, July 8, 1990. Andreas Brehme, who scored the only goal as West Germany beat Argentina to win the 1990 World Cup final, died Feb. 20, 2024. He was 63. Despite the effort of Denver Broncos defensive back Steve Foley (43), Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Golden Richards hauls in a touchdown pass during NFL football's Super Bowl 12 in New Orleans on Jan 15, 1978. Richards died Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, of congestive heart failure at his home in Murray, Utah. He was 73. Richards' nephew Lance Richards confirmed his death in a post on his Facebook page. Comedian Richard Lewis attends an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles on Dec. 25, 2012. Lewis, an acclaimed comedian known for exploring his neuroses in frantic, stream-of-consciousness diatribes while dressed in all-black, leading to his nickname “The Prince of Pain,” died Feb. 27, 2024. He was 76. He died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after suffering a heart attack, according to his publicist Jeff Abraham. Former Soviet Prime Minister Nikolai Ryzhkov attends a session of the Federation Council, Russian parliament's upper house, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, June 25, 2014. Ryzhkov, former Soviet prime minister who presided over failed efforts to shore up the crumbling economy in the final years before the collapse of the USSR, died Feb. 28, 2024, at age 94. Brian Mulroney, the former prime minister of Canada, listens during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the Canada-U.S.-Mexico relationship, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Mulroney died at the age of 84 on Feb. 29, 2024. Akira Toriyama is pictured in 1982. Toriyama, the creator of one of Japan's best-selling “Dragon Ball” and other popular anime who influenced Japanese comics, died March 1, 2024. He was 68. Iris Apfel, a textile expert, interior designer and fashion celebrity known for her eccentric style, died March 1, 2024, at 102. Andy Russell, the standout linebacker who was an integral part of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ evolution from perennial losers to champions, died Feb. 29, 2024. He was 82. Russell won two Super Bowls during a 12-year NFL career between 1963-76 that was briefly interrupted by a stint in the military. Russell played in 168 consecutive games and spent 10 years as a team captain. He was named to the Pro Bowl seven times. Russell remained active in the Pittsburgh community after retiring, writing several books and launching the Andy Russell Charitable Foundation. Pittsburgh Pirates' Ed Ott slides across home late out of reach of Orioles catcher Rick Dempsey to score the winning run in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the World Series at Baltimore, Oct. 11, 1979. Ott, a former major league catcher and coach who helped the Pittsburgh Pirates win the 1979 World Series, died March 3, 2024. He was 72. He batted .259 with 33 homers and 195 RBIs in 567 major league games. Ott and Steve Nicosia were the main catchers when the Pirates won it all in 1979. In a photo supplied by ESPN, Chris Mortensen appears on the set of Sunday NFL Countdown at ESPN's studios in Bristol, Conn., on Sept. 22, 2019. Mortensen, the award-winning journalist who covered the NFL for close to four decades, including 32 as a senior analyst at ESPN, died March 3, 2024. He was 72. Mortensen announced in 2016 that he he had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Even while undergoing treatment, he was the first to confirm the retirement of Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Mortensen announced his retirement after the NFL draft last year so that he could “focus on my health, family and faith.” Singer Steve Lawrence, left, and his wife Eydie Gorme arrive at a black-tie gala called honoring Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas on May 30, 1998. Lawrence, a singer and top stage act who as a solo performer and in tandem with his wife Gorme kept Tin Pan Alley alive during the rock era, died Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at age 88. Gorme died on Aug. 10, 2013. Martin Luther King III, right, the son of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., walks with his daughter Yolanda, and Naomi Barber King, left, the wife of Rev. King's brother, A.D., through an exhibition devoted to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to King at the Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Site, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014, in Atlanta. Civil rights activist Naomi Barber King died Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Atlanta, according to family members. She was 92. A Texas man who spent decades using an iron lung after contracting polio as a child died March 11, 2024, at the age of 78. Paul Alexander's longtime friend Daniel Spinks says Alexander died Monday at a Dallas hospital. Spinks called his friend one of the "bright stars of the world.” Friends of Alexander, who graduated from law school and had a career as an attorney, say he was a man who had a great joy for life. Alexander was a child when he began using an iron lung, a cylinder that encased his body as the air pressure in the chamber forced air in and out of his lungs. Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford stands near the NASA Motor Vessel Retriever during training Aug. 23, 1965, in the Gulf of Mexico. Stafford, who commanded a dress rehearsal flight for the 1969 moon landing and the first U.S.-Soviet space linkup, died March 18, 2024, at 93. New York Rangers' Chris Simon celebrates his second-period goal against the New York Islanders, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2004, at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. Former NHL enforcer Chris Simon has died. He was 52. Simon died March 18, 2024, according to a spokesperson for the NHL Players' Association. M. Emmet Walsh arrives at the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards, March 1, 2014, in Santa Monica, Calif. Walsh, the character actor who brought his unmistakable face and unsettling presence to films including “Blood Simple” and “Blade Runner,” died March 19, 2024, at age 88, his manager said Wednesday. "Babar" author Laurent de Brunhoff, who revived his father's popular picture book series about an elephant-king, has died at 98 after being in hospice care for two weeks. De Brunhoff was a Paris native who moved to the U.S. in the 1980s. He died March 22, 2024, at his home in Key West, Florida. Just 12 years old when his father, Jean de Brunhoff, died of tuberculosis, Laurent drew upon his own gifts as a painter and storyteller and as an adult released dozens of books about the elephant who reigns over Celesteville, among them "Babar at the Circus" and "Babar's Yoga for Elephants." Longtime Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos has died at the age of 94. His family announced in a statement that Angelos, who had been ill for several years, died March 23, 2024. Angelos was owner of an Orioles team that endured long losing stretches and shrewd proprietor of a law firm that won high-profile cases against industry titans such as tobacco giant Philip Morris. Angelos’ death came as his son, John, was in the process of selling the Orioles to a group headed by Carlyle Group Inc. co-founder David Rubenstein. Peter Angelos purchased the team for $173 million in 1993, at the time the highest for a sports franchise. His public role diminished significantly in his final years. Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore, left, and his running mate, vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, wave to supporters Oct. 25, 2000, at a campaign rally in Jackson, Tenn. Lieberman died March 27, 2024. He was 82 and died Wednesday of complications from a fall. Lieberman nearly won the vice presidency on Democrat Al Gore's ticket in the disputed 2000 White House race. Eight years later, he came close to joining the GOP ticket as John McCain’s running mate. The Democrat-turned-independent stepped down from the Senate in January 2013 after 24 years. His independent streak often irked Senate Democrats he aligned with. Yet his support for gay rights, civil rights, abortion rights and environmental causes at times won him the praise of many liberals over the years. Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries “Roots,” died March 28, 2024. He was 87. Gossett always thought of his early career as a reverse Cinderella story, with success finding him from an early age and propelling him forward, toward his Academy Award for “An Officer and a Gentleman.” He also was a star on Broadway, replacing Billy Daniels in “Golden Boy” with Sammy Davis Jr. in 1964 and recently played an obstinate patriarch in the 2023 remake of “The Color Purple.” Former cast members of SCTV, from left, Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty, Catherine O'Hara, Andrea Martin, foreground, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy and Martin Short, pose at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival on March 6, 1999, in Aspen, Colo. Flaherty, a founding member of the Canadian sketch series “SCTV,” died Monday, April 1, 2024 at age 82. Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, right, tips his cap to fans as majority owner John Henry holds the 2013 World Series championship trophy during a parade in celebration of the baseball team's win, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013, in Boston. Larry Lucchino, the force behind baseball’s retro ballpark revolution and the transformation of the Boston Red Sox from cursed losers to World Series champions, has died. He was 78. Lucchino had suffered from cancer. The Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, his last project in a career that also included three major league baseball franchises and one in the NFL, confirmed his death on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Playwright Christopher Durang appears on stage with producers to accept the award for best play for "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" at the 67th Annual Tony Awards, on June 9, 2013 in New York. Also on stage are actors, background from left, Shalita Grant, Kristine Nielsen and Billy Magnussen. Durang died Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at his home in Pipersville, Pennsylvania, of complications from logopenic primary progressive aphasia. He was 75. In this Oct. 16, 1969 file photo, New York Mets catcher Jerry Grote, right, embraces pitcher Jerry Koosman as Ed Charles, left, joins the celebration after the Mets defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the Game 5 to win the baseball World Series at New York's Shea Stadium. Grote, the catcher who helped transform the New York Mets from a perennial loser into the 1969 World Series champion, died Sunday, April 7, 2024. He was 81. In this July 8, 2003 photo, Lori, left, and George Schappell, conjoined twins, are photographed in their Reading, Pa., apartment. Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died April 7, 2024, at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. They were 62. The University of Edinburgh says Nobel prize-winning physicist Peter Higgs, who proposed the existence of a sub-atomic particle that came to be known as the Higgs boson, died April 8, 2024, at 94. Higgs predicted the existence of the particle in 1964. But it would be almost 50 years before the its existence could be confirmed at a particle collider in Switzerland called the Large Hadron Collider. Higgs’ work helps scientists understand of the most fundamental riddles of the universe: how the Big Bang created something out of nothing 13.7 billion years ago. Higgs won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work, alongside Francois Englert of Belgium. A retired U.S. Army colonel who was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Korean War died April 8, 2024, at age 97. A funeral home says that Ralph Puckett Jr. died Monday at his home in Columbus, Georgia. President Joe Biden presented Puckett with the Medal of Honor in 2021, more than seven decades after Puckett was seriously wounded leading an outnumbered company of Army Rangers in battle. Puckett refused a medical discharge and served as an Army officer for another 20 years before retiring in 1971. Puckett received the U.S. military's highest honor from President Joe Biden on May 21, 2021, following a policy change that lifted a requirement for medals to be given within five years of a valorous act. O.J. Simpson, left, grimaces June 15, 1995, in a Los Angeles courtroom as he famously tries on one of the leather gloves prosecutors say he wore the night his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were murdered. Simpson, t he decorated football star who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but wound up in prison years later in an unrelated case, died April 10, 2024. He was 76. His family made an announcement Thursday in a statement on Simpson's X account. Simpson said last year that he was battling prostate cancer. Simpson’s gridiron legacy was forever overshadowed by the 1994 knife slayings of Brown Simpson and Goldman. A criminal court jury found him not guilty of murder, but a separate civil trial jury found him liable. Simpson's nine-year prison stint in Nevada was for the armed robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers. Francis Coppola and wife, Eleanor, pose July 16, 1991, in Los Angeles. Eleanor Coppola, who documented the making of some of her husband Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic films, including the infamously tortured production of “Apocalypse Now,” and who raised a family of filmmakers, has died. She was 87. Coppola died April 12, 2024, at home in Rutherford, California, her family announced in a statement. Eleanor, who grew in Orange County, California, met Francis while working as an assistant art director on his directorial debut, the Roger Corman-produced 1963 horror film “Dementia 13.” Their first-born, Gian-Carlo, quickly became a regular presence in his father’s films, as did their subsequent children, Roman, and Sofia. After acting in their father’s films and growing up on sets, all would go into the movies. Robert MacNeil, seen in February 1978, who created the even-handed, no-frills PBS newscast “The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour” in the 1970s and co-anchored the show for with his late partner, Jim Lehrer, for two decades, died April 12, 2024, at age 93. Artist Faith Ringgold poses for a portrait in front of a painted self-portrait during a press preview of her exhibition, "American People, Black Light: Faith Ringgold's Paintings of the 1960s" at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, June 19, 2013. Ringgold, an award-winning author and artist who broke down barriers for Black female artists and became famous for her richly colored and detailed quilts combining painting, textiles and storytelling, died Friday, April 12, 2024, at her home in Englewood, N.J. She was 93. Alabama coach Bear Bryant, left, talks with his former star quarterback Steve Sloan, right, after practice in Miami for the Orange Bowl game New Years' night against Nebraska, Dec. 29, 1968. Former college coach and administrator Sloan, who played quarterback and served as athletic director at Alabama. has passed away. He was 79. Sloan died Sunday, April 14, 2024, after three months of memory care at Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, according to an obituary from former Alabama sports information director Wayne Atcheson. Oakland A's pitcher Ken Holtzman poses for a photo in March 1975. Holtzman, who pitched two no-hitters for the Chicago Cubs and helped the Oakland Athletics win three straight World Series championships in the 1970s, died April 14, 2024. He finished with a career record of 174-150 over 15 season with four teams and was the winningest Jewish pitcher in baseball history. Carl Erskine, center, pictured with teammate Duke Snider, left, and manager Charley Dressen in 1952, after beating the Yankees 6-5 in Game 5 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium in New York, Oct. 5, 1952. Erskine, who pitched two no-hitters for the Brooklyn Dodgers and was a 20-game winner in 1953 when he struck out a then-record 14 in the World Series, has died. Among the last survivors from the celebrated Brooklyn teams of the 1950s, Erskine spent his entire major league career with the Dodgers. He helped them win five National League pennants from 1948-59. Erskine won Game 3 of the 1953 World Series, beating the Yankees 3-2. He appeared in five World Series, with the Dodgers beating the Yankees in 1955 for their only championship in Brooklyn. Erksine died April 16 in his hometown of Anderson, Indiana, according to a hospital official. He was 97. St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog lets umpire John Shulock, right, know how he feels about Shulock's call on the tag attempt on Kansas City Royals Jim Sundberg by Cardinals catcher Tom Nieto, second from left, in the second inning of Game 5 of the 1985 World Series in St. Louis. Herzog, the gruff and ingenious Hall of Fame manager who guided the St. Louis Cardinals to three pennants and a World Series title and perfected an intricate, nail-biting strategy known as “Whiteyball,” has died. Herzog, affectionately nicknamed “The White Rat,” was a manager for 18 seasons, compiling an overall record of 1,281 wins and 1,125 losses. He was named Manager of the Year in 1985. Under Herzog, the Cardinals won pennants in 1982, 1985 and 1987 and won the World Series in 1982, when they edged the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games. He died April 15, 2024, and was 92. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., gestures as he answers questions regarding the ongoing security hearing on Capitol Hill, June 18, 2002, in Washington. Graham, who chaired the Intelligence Committee following the 2001 terrorist attacks and opposed the Iraq invasion, died April 16, 2024. He was 87. His family announced the death Tuesday in a statement posted on X by his daughter Gwen Graham. Graham served three terms in the Senate and two terms as Florida's governor. He made an unsuccessful bid for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, emphasizing his opposition to the Iraq invasion. But that bid was delayed by heart surgery in January 2003, and he was never able to gain enough traction with voters to catch up. He didn’t seek re-election in 2004 and was replaced by Republican Mel Martinez. Guitar legend and Allman Brothers Band co-founder Dickey Betts died April 18, 2024, at age 80. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer wrote the band's biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man.” Manager David Spero told The Associated Press that Betts died early Thursday at his home in Osprey, Florida. He says Betts had been battling cancer for more than a year and had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Betts shared lead guitar duties with Duane Allman in the original Allman Brothers Band to help give the group its distinctive sound and create a new genre: Southern rock. Acts ranging from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Kid Rock were influenced by the Allmans’ music, which combined blues, country, R&B and jazz with ’60s rock. Contemporary Christian singer Mandisa, who appeared on “American Idol” and won a Grammy for her 2013 album “Overcomer,” died April 18, 2024. She was 47. Mandisa gained stardom after finishing ninth on “American Idol” in 2006. In 2014, she won a Grammy for best contemporary Christian music album for “Overcomer,” her fifth album. She spoke openly about her struggles with depression, releasing a memoir that detailed her experiences with severe depression, weight-related challenges, the coronavirus pandemic and her faith. David Pryor, a former Arkansas governor and U.S. senator who was one of the state’s most beloved and active political figures, died April 20, 2024, at the age of 89. His son, former two-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, says the Democrat died Saturday of natural causes in Little Rock surrounded by family. David Pryor was considered one of the Democratic party’s giants in Arkansas and remained active in public life after he left office, including serving on the University of Arkansas’s Board of Trustees. Roman Gabriel was known for his big size and big arm. He was the first Filipino-American quarterback in the NFL. And he still holds the Los Angeles Rams record for touchdown passes. Gabriel died April 20, 2024, at age 83. His son posted the news on social media. He says Gabriel died at home of natural causes. Gabriel starred at North Carolina State and was the No. 2 pick by the Rams in the 1962 draft. The Oakland Raider of the rival AFL made him the No. 1 pick. Gabriel signed with the Rams and later played with the Philadelphia Eagles. Andrew Davis, an acclaimed British conductor who was music director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and orchestras on three continents, died April 20, 2024. He was 80. Davis died Saturday at Rusk Institute in Chicago from leukemia. That is according to his manager, Jonathan Brill of Opus 3 Artists. Davis had been managing the disease for 1 1/2 to 2 years but it became acute shortly after his 80th birthday on Feb. 2. Davis was music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra from 1975-88, Britain’s Glyndebourne Festival from 1988-2000, chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra from 1989-2000, then was music director of the Lyric Opera from 2000-21. Former hostage Terry Anderson waves to the crowd as he rides in a parade in Lorain, Ohio, June 22, 1992. Anderson, the globe-trotting Associated Press correspondent who became one of America’s longest-held hostages, died April 21, 2024. Anderson was snatched from a street in war-torn Lebanon in 1985 and held for nearly seven years. Anderson, who was tortured and chained to a wall, wrote about his experiences in the best-selling memoir, “Den of Lions.” After returning to the United States in 1991, Anderson gave public speeches, taught journalism and, at various times, operated a blues bar, Cajun restaurant, horse ranch and gourmet restaurant. He also struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder. British army veteran Bill Gladden, who survived a glider landing on D-Day and a bullet that tore through his ankle a few days later, wanted to return to France for the 80th anniversary of the invasion so he could honor the men who didn’t come home. It was not to be. Gladden, one of the dwindling number of veterans who took part in the landings that kicked off the campaign to liberate Western Europe from the Nazis during World War II, died April 24, his family said. He was 100. With fewer and fewer veterans taking part each year, the ceremony may be one of the last big events marking the assault that began on June 6, 1944. Duane Eddy, a pioneering guitar hero whose reverberating electric sound on instrumentals such as “Rebel Rouser,” “Forty Miles of Bad Road" and “Cannonball” helped put the twang in early rock ‘n’ roll and influenced George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen and countless other musicians, died April 30 at age 86. With his raucous rhythms, and backing hollers and hand claps, Eddy sold more than 100 million records worldwide, and mastered a distinctive sound based on the premise that a guitar’s bass strings sounded better on tape than the high ones. Author Paul Auster has died at age 77. Auster was a prolific, prize-winning man of letters and filmmaker known for such inventive narratives and meta-narratives as “The New York Trilogy” and “4 3 2 1." Auster’s death on April 30 was confirmed by his literary representatives. Auster completed more than 30 books, translated into dozens of languages. He never achieved major commercial success in the U.S., but he was widely admired overseas for his cosmopolitan worldview and erudite and introspective style. Auster’s novels were a mix of history, politics, genre experiments, existential quests and self-conscious references to writers and writing. Co-pilots Dick Rutan, right, and Jeana Yeager, no relationship to test pilot Chuck Yeager, pose for a photo after a test flight over the Mojave Desert, Dec. 19, 1985. Rutan, a decorated Vietnam War pilot, who along with copilot Yeager completed one of the greatest milestones in aviation history: the first round-the-world flight with no stops or refueling, died late Friday, May 3, 2024. He was 85. Music producer Steve Albini, seen in his Chicago studio in 2014, produced albums by Nirvana, the Pixies and PJ Harvey. Albini died at 61. Brian Fox, an engineer at Albini’s studio, Electrical Audio, says Albini died after a heart attack May 7. In addition to his work on canonized rock albums such as Nirvana‘s “In Utero,” the Pixies’ breakthrough “Surfer Rosa,” and PJ Harvey’s “Rid of Me,” Albini was the frontman of the underground bands Big Black and Shellac. He dismissed the term “producer” and requested he be credited with “Recorded by Steve Albini." San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame football player Jimmy Johnson, left, is honored by owner Jed York before a 2011 game between against the St. Louis Rams in San Francisco. Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Jimmy Johnson, a three-time All-Pro and member of the All-Decade Team of the 1970s, has died. He was 86. Johnson's family told the Pro Football Hall of Fame that he died May 8. Johnson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994. He played his entire 16-year pro career with San Francisco. He played in 213 games, more than any other 49ers player at the time of his retirement. San Diego Padres third baseman Sean Burroughs fires a throw to first from his knees but is unable to get Los Angeles Dodgers' D. J. Houlton at first during the third inning of a baseball game June 22, 2005, in San Diego. Burroughs, a two-time Little League World Series champion who won an Olympic gold medal and went on to a major league career that was interrupted by substance abuse, has died. He was 43. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s online records said Burroughs died Thursday, May 9, 2024, with the cause of death deferred. Producer Roger Corman poses in his Los Angeles office, May 8, 2013. Corman, the Oscar-winning “King of the Bs” who helped turn out such low-budget classics as “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Attack of the Crab Monsters” and gave many of Hollywood's most famous actors and directors an early break, died Thursday, May 9, 2024. He was 98. A.J. Smith, a longtime NFL executive who was the winningest general manager in Chargers history, has died. He was 75. His son, Atlanta assistant general manager Kyle Smith, announced in a statement released by the Falcons that his father died May 12. Kyle Smith said his father had been battling prostate cancer for seven years. The Chargers won five division titles during Smith’s 10 seasons as GM. The franchise’s 98 wins, including the playoffs, were the sixth most in the league from 2003-12. Saxophone player David Sanborn performs during his concert at the Stravinski hall at the "Colours of Music night" during the 34th Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland on July 10, 2000. Sanborn, the Grammy-winning saxophonist who played lively solos on such hits as David Bowie's “Young Americans” and James Taylor's “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” and enjoyed his own highly successful recording career as a leading performer of contemporary jazz, died Sunday, May 12, 2024, at age 78. Nobel laureate Alice Munro has died. The Canadian literary giant who became one of the world’s most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history’s most honored short story writers was 92. Munro achieved stature rare for an art form traditionally placed beneath the novel. She was the first lifelong Canadian to win the Nobel and the first recipient cited exclusively for short fiction. Munro was little known beyond Canada until her late 30s but became one of the few short story writers to enjoy ongoing commercial success. A spokesperson for publisher Penguin Random House Canada said Munro died May 13 at home in Port Hope, Ontario. Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in “9 to 5” and the nasty TV director in “Tootsie,” died May 16. He was 92. For two decades Coleman labored in movies and TV shows as a talented but largely unnoticed performer. That changed abruptly in 1976 when he was cast as the incorrigibly corrupt mayor of the hamlet of Fernwood in “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” a satirical soap opera. He won a Golden Globe for “The Slap Maxwell Story” and an Emmy Award for best supporting actor in Peter Levin’s 1987 small screen legal drama “Sworn to Silence.” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi listens to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, not in photo, during a joint news conference following their meeting at the Presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Jan. 24, 2024. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and others were found dead at the site of a helicopter crash site, state media reported Monday, May 20, 2024. Jim Otto, the Hall of Fame center known as Mr. Raider for his durability through a litany of injuries, died May 19. He was 86. The cause of death was not immediately known. Otto joined the Raiders for their inaugural season in the American Football League in 1960 and was a fixture on the team for the next 15 years. He never missed a game because of injuries and competed in 210 consecutive regular-season games and 308 straight total contests despite undergoing nine operations on his knees during his playing career. His right leg was amputated in 2007. Ivan F. Boesky, the flamboyant stock trader whose cooperation with the government cracked open one of the largest insider trading scandals on Wall Street, has died at the age of 87. A representative at the Marianne Boesky Gallery, owned by his daughter, confirmed his death. The son of a Detroit delicatessen owner, Boesky was once considered one of the richest and most influential risk-takers on Wall Street. He had parlayed $700,000 from his late mother-in-law’s estate into a fortune estimated at more than $200 million. Once implicated in insider trading, Boesky cooperated with a brash young U.S. attorney named Rudolph Giuliani, uncovering a scandal that blemished some of the most respected U.S. investment brokerages. Boesky died May 20. Jan. A.P. Kaczmarek poses with the Oscar for best original score for his work on "Finding Neverland" during the 77th Academy Awards, Feb. 27, 2005, in Los Angeles. Polish composer Kaczmarek, who won a 2005 Oscar for the movie “Finding Neverland,” has died on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at age 71. Kaczmarek’s death was announced by Poland’s Music Foundation. Train bassist and founding member Charlie Colin has died at 58. Colin’s sister confirmed the musician's death Wednesday to The Associated Press. Variety reported Colin slipped and fell in the shower while house-sitting for a friend in Brussels. Train formed in San Francisco in the early ’90s. Colin played on Train's first three records, 1998’s self-titled album, 2001’s “Drops of Jupiter” and 2003’s “My Private Nation.” The track “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned two Grammys. Colin left the band in 2003. He also worked with the Newport Beach Film Festival. Colin died May 22. Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar nominee whose most famous works skewered America’s food industry and who notably ate only at McDonald’s for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died of cancer. He was 53. Spurlock made a splash in 2004 with his groundbreaking film “Super Size Me,” and returned in 2019 with “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!” — a sober look at an industry that processes 9 billion animals a year in America. Spurlock was a gonzo-like filmmaker who leaned into the bizarre and ridiculous. His stylistic touches included zippy graphics and amusing music. Spurlock died May 23. Richard M. Sherman, one half of the prolific, award-winning pair of brothers who helped form millions of childhoods by penning classic Disney tunes, has died. He was 95. Sherman, along with his late brother Robert, wrote hundreds of songs together, including songs for “Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” — as well as the most-played tune on Earth, “It’s a Small World (After All).” The Walt Disney Co. announced that Sherman died Saturday due to age-related illness. The brothers won two Academy Awards for Walt Disney’s 1964 smash “Mary Poppins.” Robert Sherman died May 25 in London in 2012. Basketball Hall of Fame legend Bill Walton laughs during a practice session for the NBA All-Star basketball game in Cleveland, Feb. 19, 2022. Walton, who starred for John Wooden's UCLA Bruins before becoming a Basketball Hall of Famer and one of the biggest stars of basketball broadcasting, died Monday, May 27, 2024, the league announced on behalf of his family. He was 71. “The Godfather” producer Albert S. Ruddy died May 25 at 94. The Canadian-born producer and writer won Oscars for “The Godfather” and “Million Dollar Baby,” developed the raucous prison-sports comedy “The Longest Yard” and helped create the hit sitcom “Hogan’s Heroes." A spokesperson says Ruddy died Saturday at the UCLA Medical Center. Ruddy produced more than 30 movies and was on hand for the very top and the very bottom. “The Godfather” and “Million Dollar Baby” were box office hits and winners of best picture Oscars. But Ruddy also helped give us “Cannonball Run II” and “Megaforce,” nominees for Golden Raspberry awards for worst movie of the year. Larry Allen, one of the most dominant offensive linemen in the NFL during a 12-year career spent mostly with the Dallas Cowboys, died June 2. He was 52. The Cowboys say Allen died suddenly on Sunday while on vacation with his family in Mexico. Allen was named an All-Pro six consecutive years from 1996-2001 and was inducted into the Pro Football of Hall of Fame in 2013. He said few words but let his blocking do the talking. Allen once bench-pressed 700 pounds and had the speed to chase down opposing running backs. Bob Hope and Janis Paige hug during the annual Christmas show in Saigon, Vietnam, Dec. 25, 1964. Paige, a popular actor in Hollywood and in Broadway musicals and comedies who danced with Fred Astaire, toured with Bob Hope and continued to perform into her 80s, died Sunday, June 2, 2024, of natural causes at her Los Angeles home, longtime friend Stuart Lampert said Monday, June 3. Parnelli Jones, the 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner, died June 4 at Torrance Memorial Medical Center after a battle with Parkinson’s disease, his son said. Jones was 90. At the time of his death, Jones was the oldest living winner of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Rufus Parnell Jones was born in Texarkana, Arkansas, in 1933 but moved to Torrance as a young child and never left. It was there that he became “Parnelli” because his given name of Rufus was too well known for him to compete without locals knowing that he wasn’t old enough to race. Boston Celtics' John Havlicek (17) is defended by Philadelphia 76ers' Chet Walker (25) during the first half of an NBA basketball playoff game April 14, 1968, in Boston. Walker, a seven-time All-Star forward who helped Wilt Chamberlain and the 76ers win the 1967 NBA title, died June 8. He was 84. The National Basketball Players Association confirmed Walker's death, according to NBA.com . The 76ers, Chicago Bulls and National Basketball Retired Players Association also extended their condolences on social media on Saturday, June 8, 2024. The Rev. James Lawson Jr. speaks Sept. 17, 2015, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Lawson Jr., an apostle of nonviolent protest who schooled activists to withstand brutal reactions from white authorities as the Civil Rights Movement gained traction, has died, his family said Monday. He was 95. His family said Lawson died on Sunday after a short illness in Los Angeles, where he spent decades working as a pastor, labor movement organizer and university professor. Lawson was a close adviser to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who called him “the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world.” Lawson met King in 1957, after spending three years in India soaking up knowledge about Mohandas K. Gandhi’s independence movement. King would travel to India himself two years later, but at the time, he had only read about Gandhi in books. Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Jerry West, representing the 1960 USA Olympic Team, is seen Aug. 13, 2010, during the enshrinement news conference at the Hall of Fame Museum in Springfield, Mass. Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive, and whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, died June 12, the Los Angeles Clippers announced. He was 86. West, nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his late-game exploits as a player, was an NBA champion who went into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and again as a member of the gold medal-winning 1960 U.S. Olympic Team in 2010. He will be enshrined for a third time later this year as a contributor, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called West “one of the greatest executives in sports history.” Actor and director Ron Simons, seen Jan. 23, 2011, during the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, died June 12. Simons turned into a formidable screen and stage producer, winning four Tony Awards and having several films selected at the Sundance Film Festival. He won Tonys for producing “Porgy and Bess,” “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” and “Jitney.” He also co-produced “Hughie,” with Forest Whitaker, “The Gin Game,” starring Cicely Tyson and James Earl Jones, “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations,” an all-Black production of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” the revival of "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf" and the original work “Thoughts of a Colored Man.” He was in the films “27 Dresses” and “Mystery Team,” as well as on the small screen in “The Resident,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “Law & Order: SVU.” Bob Schul of West Milton, Ohio, hits the tape Oct. 18, 1964, to win the 5,000 meter run at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Schul, the only American distance runner to win the 5,000 meters at the Olympics, died June 16. He was 86. His death was announced by Miami University in Ohio , where Schul shined on the track and was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in 1973. Schul predicted gold leading into the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and followed through with his promise. On a rainy day in Japan, he finished the final lap in a blistering 54.8 seconds to sprint to the win. His white shorts were covered in mud at the finish. He was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1991. He also helped write a book called “In the Long Run.” San Francisco Giants superstar Willie Mays poses for a photo during baseball spring training in 1972. Mays, the electrifying “Say Hey Kid” whose singular combination of talent, drive and exuberance made him one of baseball’s greatest and most beloved players, died June 18. He was 93. The center fielder, who began his professional career in the Negro Leagues in 1948, had been baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer. He was voted into the Hall in 1979, his first year of eligibility, and in 1999 followed only Babe Ruth on The Sporting News’ list of the game’s top stars. The Giants retired his uniform number, 24, and set their AT&T Park in San Francisco on Willie Mays Plaza. Mays died two days before a game between the Giants and St. Louis Cardinals to honor the Negro Leagues at Rickwood Field in Birmingham , Alabama. Over 23 major league seasons, virtually all with the New York/San Francisco Giants but also including one in the Negro Leagues, Mays batted .301, hit 660 home runs, totaled 3,293 hits, scored more than 2,000 runs and won 12 Gold Gloves. He was Rookie of the Year in 1951, twice was named the Most Valuable Player and finished in the top 10 for the MVP 10 other times. His lightning sprint and over-the-shoulder grab of an apparent extra base hit in the 1954 World Series remains the most celebrated defensive play in baseball history. For millions in the 1950s and ’60s and after, the smiling ballplayer with the friendly, high-pitched voice was a signature athlete and showman during an era when baseball was still the signature pastime. Awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015, Mays left his fans with countless memories. But a single feat served to capture his magic — one so untoppable it was simply called “The Catch.” Actor Donald Sutherland appears Oct. 13, 2017, at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, Calif. Sutherland, the Canadian actor whose wry, arrestingly off-kilter screen presence spanned more than half a century of films from “M.A.S.H.” to “The Hunger Games,” died June 20. He was 88. Kiefer Sutherland said on X he believed his father was one of the most important actors in the history of film: “Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that.” The tall and gaunt Sutherland, who flashed a grin that could be sweet or diabolical, was known for offbeat characters like Hawkeye Pierce in Robert Altman's "M.A.S.H.," the hippie tank commander in "Kelly's Heroes" and the stoned professor in "Animal House." Before transitioning into a long career as a respected character actor, Sutherland epitomized the unpredictable, antiestablishment cinema of the 1970s. He never stopped working, appearing in nearly 200 films and series. Over the decades, Sutherland showed his range in more buttoned-down — but still eccentric — roles in Robert Redford's "Ordinary People" and Oliver Stone's "JFK." More, recently, he starred in the “Hunger Games” films. A memoir, “Made Up, But Still True,” is due out in November. Actor Bill Cobbs, a cast member in "Get Low," arrives July 27, 2010, at the premiere of the film in Beverly Hills, Calif. Cobbs, the veteran character actor who became a ubiquitous and sage screen presence as an older man, died June 25. He was 90. A Cleveland native, Cobbs acted in such films as “The Hudsucker Proxy,” “The Bodyguard” and “Night at the Museum.” He made his first big-screen appearance in a fleeting role in 1974's “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three." He became a lifelong actor with some 200 film and TV credits. The lion share of those came in his 50s, 60s, and 70s, as filmmakers and TV producers turned to him again and again to imbue small but pivotal parts with a wizened and worn soulfulness. Cobbs appeared on television shows including “The Sopranos," “The West Wing,” “Sesame Street” and “Good Times.” He was Whitney Houston's manager in “The Bodyguard” (1992), the mystical clock man of the Coen brothers' “The Hudsucker Proxy” (1994) and the doctor of John Sayles' “Sunshine State” (2002). He played the coach in “Air Bud” (1997), the security guard in “Night at the Museum” (2006) and the father on “The Gregory Hines Show." Cobbs rarely got the kinds of major parts that stand out and win awards. Instead, Cobbs was a familiar and memorable everyman who left an impression on audiences, regardless of screen time. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding limited performance in a daytime program for the series “Dino Dana” in 2020. Independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman speaks with the media Nov. 7, 2009, at his campaign headquarters in Austin, Texas. The singer, songwriter, satirist and novelist, who led the alt-country band Texas Jewboys, toured with Bob Dylan, sang with Willie Nelson, and dabbled in politics with campaigns for Texas governor and other statewide offices, died June 27. He was 79 and had suffered from Parkinson's disease. Often called “The Kinkster" and sporting sideburns, a thick mustache and cowboy hat, Friedman earned a cult following and reputation as a provocateur throughout his career across musical and literary genres. In the 1970s, his satirical country band Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys wrote songs with titles such as “They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore” and “Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in Bed.” Friedman joined part of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour in 1976. By the 1980s, Friedman was writing crime novels that often included a version of himself, and he wrote a column for Texas Monthly magazine in the 2000s. Friedman's run at politics brought his brand of irreverence to the serious world of public policy. In 2006, Friedman ran for governor as an independent in a five-way race that included incumbent Republican Rick Perry. Friedman launched his campaign against the backdrop of the Alamo. Martin Mull participates in "The Cool Kids" panel during the Fox Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour on Aug. 2, 2018, at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Mull, whose droll, esoteric comedy and acting made him a hip sensation in the 1970s and later a beloved guest star on sitcoms including “Roseanne” and “Arrested Development,” died June 28. He was 80. Mull, who was also a guitarist and painter, came to national fame with a recurring role on the Norman Lear-created satirical soap opera “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” and the starring role in its spinoff, “Fernwood Tonight." His first foray into show business was as a songwriter, penning the 1970 semi-hit “A Girl Named Johnny Cash” for singer Jane Morgan. He would combine music and comedy in an act that he brought to hip Hollywood clubs in the 1970s. Mull often played slightly sleazy, somewhat slimy and often smarmy characters as he did as Teri Garr's boss and Michael Keaton's foe in 1983's “Mr. Mom.” He played Colonel Mustard in the 1985 movie adaptation of the board game “Clue,” which, like many things Mull appeared in, has become a cult classic. The 1980s also brought what many thought was his best work, “A History of White People in America,” a mockumentary that first aired on Cinemax. Mull co-created the show and starred as a “60 Minutes” style investigative reporter investigating all things milquetoast and mundane. Willard was again a co-star. In the 1990s he was best known for his recurring role on several seasons on “Roseanne,” in which he played a warmer, less sleazy boss to the title character, an openly gay man whose partner was played by Willard, who died in 2020 . Mull would later play private eye Gene Parmesan on “Arrested Development,” a cult-classic character on a cult-classic show, and would be nominated for an Emmy, his first, in 2016 for a guest run on “Veep.” Screenwriter Robert Towne poses at The Regency Hotel, March 7, 2006, in New York. Towne, the Oscar-winning screenplay writer of "Shampoo," "The Last Detail" and other acclaimed films whose work on "Chinatown" became a model of the art form and helped define the jaded allure of his native Los Angeles, died Monday, July 1, 2024, surrounded by family at his home in Los Angeles, said publicist Carri McClure. She declined to comment on any cause of death. Vic Seixas of the United States backhands a volley from Denmark's Jurgen Ulrich in the first round of men's singles match at Wimbledon, England, June 27, 1967. Vic Seixas, a Wimbledon winner and tennis Hall of Famer who was the oldest living Grand Slam champion, has died July 5 at the age of 100. The International Tennis Hall of Fame announced Seixas’ death on Saturday July 6, 2024, based on confirmation from his daughter Tori. In this June 30, 2020, file photo, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., speaks to reporters following a GOP policy meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington. Former Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma died July 9. He was 89. The family says in a statement that the Republican had a stroke during the July Fourth holiday and died Tuesday morning. Inhofe was a powerful fixture in state politics for decades. He doubted that climate change was caused by human activity, calling the theory “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.” As Oklahoma’s senior U.S. senator, he was a staunch supporter of the state’s military installations. He was elected to a fifth Senate term in 2020 and stepped down in early 2023. The Oak Ridge Boys, from left, Joe Bonsall, Richard Sterban, Duane Allen and William Lee Golden hold their awards for Top Vocal Group and Best Album of the Year for "Ya'll Come Back Saloon", during the 14th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Los Angeles, Calif., May 3, 1979. Bonsall died on July 9, 2024, from complications of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Hendersonville, Tenn. He was 76. A Philadelphia native and resident of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Bonsall joined the Oak Ridge Boys in 1973, which originally formed in the 1940s. He saw the band through its golden period in the '80s and beyond, which included their signature 1981 song “Elvira.” The hit marked a massive crossover moment for the group, reaching No. 1 on the country chart and No. 5 on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100. The group is also known for such hits as 1982’s “Bobbie Sue." Shelley Duvall poses for photographers at the 30th Cannes Film Festival in France, May 27, 1977. Duvall, whose wide-eyed, winsome presence was a mainstay in the films of Robert Altman and who co-starred in Stanley Kubrick's “The Shining,” died July 11. She was 75. Dr. Ruth Westheimer holds a copy of her book "Sex for Dummies" at the International Frankfurt Book Fair 'Frankfurter Buchmesse' in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2007. Westheimer, the sex therapist who became a pop icon, media star and best-selling author through her frank talk about once-taboo bedroom topics, died on July 12, 2024. She was 96. Richard Simmons sits for a portrait in Los Angeles, June 23, 1982. Simmons, a fitness guru who urged the overweight to exercise and eat better, died July 13 at the age of 76. Simmons was a court jester of physical fitness who built a mini-empire in his trademark tank tops and short shorts by urging the overweight to exercise and eat better. Simmons was a former 268-pound teen who shared his hard-won weight loss tips as the host of the Emmy-winning daytime “Richard Simmons Show" and the “Sweatin' to the Oldies” line of exercise videos, which became a cultural phenomenon. Former NFL receiver Jacoby Jones died July 14 at age 40. Jones' 108-yard kickoff return in 2013 remains the longest touchdown in Super Bowl history. The Houston Texans were Jones’ team for the first five seasons of his career. They announced his death on Sunday. In a statement released by the NFL Players Association, his family said he died at his home in New Orleans. A cause of death was not given. Jones played from 2007-15 for the Texans, Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers. He made several huge plays for the Ravens during their most recent Super Bowl title season, including that kick return. The "Beverly Hills, 90210" star whose life and career were roiled by tabloid stories, Shannen Doherty died July 13 at 53. Doherty's publicist said the actor died Saturday following years with breast cancer. Catapulted to fame as Brenda in “Beverly Hills, 90210,” she worked in big-screen films including "Mallrats" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and in TV movies including "A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story," in which she played the "Gone with the Wind" author. Doherty co-starred with Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano in the series “Charmed” from 1998-2001; appeared in the “90210” sequel series seven years later and competed on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2010. Actor James Sikking poses for a photograph at the Los Angeles gala celebrating the 20th anniversary of the National Organization for Women, Dec. 1, 1986. Sikking, who starred as a hardened police lieutenant on “Hill Street Blues” and as the titular character's kindhearted dad on “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” died July 13 of complications from dementia, his publicist Cynthia Snyder said in a statement. He was 90. Pat Williams chats with media before the 2004 NBA draft in Orlando, Fla. Williams, a co-founder of the Orlando Magic and someone who spent more than a half-century working within the NBA, died July 17 from complications related to viral pneumonia. The team announced the death Wednesday. Williams was 84. He started his NBA career as business manager of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1968, then had stints as general manager of the Chicago Bulls, the Atlanta Hawks and the 76ers — helping that franchise win a title in 1983. Williams was later involved in starting the process of bringing an NBA team to Orlando. The league’s board of governors granted an expansion franchise in 1987, and the team began play in 1989. Lou Dobbs speaks Feb. 24, 2017, at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md. Dobbs, the conservative political pundit and veteran cable TV host who was a founding anchor for CNN and later was a nightly presence on Fox Business Network for more than a decade, died July 18. He was 78. His death was announced in a post on his official X account, which called him a “fighter till the very end – fighting for what mattered to him the most, God, his family and the country.” He hosted “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on Fox from 2011 to 2021, following two separate stints at CNN. No cause of death was given. Bob Newhart, center, poses with members of the cast and crew of the "Bob Newhart Show," from top left, Marcia Wallace, Bill Daily, Jack Riley, and, Suzanne Pleshette, foreground left, and Dick Martin at TV Land's 35th anniversary tribute to "The Bob Newhart Show" on Sept. 5, 2007, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Newhart has died at age 94. Jerry Digney, Newhart’s publicist, says the actor died July 18 in Los Angeles after a series of short illnesses. The accountant-turned-comedian gained fame with a smash album and became one of the most popular TV stars of his time. Newhart was a Chicago psychologist in “The Bob Newhart Show” in the 1970s and a Vermont innkeeper on “Newhart” in the 1980s. Both shows featured a low-key Newhart surrounded by eccentric characters. The second had a twist ending in its final show — the whole series was revealed to have been a dream by the psychologist he played in the other show. Cheng Pei-pei, a Chinese-born martial arts film actor who starred in Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” died July 17 at age 78. Her family says Cheng, who had been diagnosed with a rare illness with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease, passed away Wednesday at home surrounded by her loved ones. The Shanghai-born film star became a household name in Hong Kong, once dubbed the Hollywood of the Far East, for her performances in martial arts movies in the 1960s. She played Jade Fox, who uses poisoned needles, in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” which was released in 2000, grossed $128 million in North America and won four Oscars. Abdul “Duke” Fakir holds his life time achievement award backstage at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 8, 2009, in Los Angeles. The last surviving original member of the Four Tops died July 22. Abdul “Duke” Fakir was 88. He was a charter member of the Motown group along with lead singer Levi Stubbs, Renaldo “Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton. Between 1964 and 1967, the Tops had 11 top 20 hits and two No. 1′s: “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” and the operatic classic “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” Other songs, often stories of romantic pain and longing, included “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” “Bernadette” and “Just Ask the Lonely.” Sculptress Elizabeth Catlett, left, then-Washington D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt Dixon, center, and then-curator, division of community life, Smithsonian institution Bernice Johnson Reagon chat during the reception at the Candace awards on June 25, 1991 in New York. Reagon, a musician and scholar who used her rich, powerful contralto voice in the service of the American Civil Rights Movement and human rights struggles around the world, died on July 16, 2024, according to her daughter's social media post. She was 81. John Mayall, the British blues musician whose influential band the Bluesbreakers was a training ground for Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood and many other superstars, died July 22. He was 90. He is credited with helping develop the English take on urban, Chicago-style rhythm and blues that played an important role in the blues revival of the late 1960s. A statement on Mayall's official Instagram page says he died Monday at his home in California. Though Mayall never approached the fame of some of his illustrious alumni, he was still performing in his late 80s, pounding out his version of Chicago blues. Jack Russell, the lead singer of the bluesy '80s metal band Great White whose hits included “Once Bitten Twice Shy” and “Rock Me” and was fronting his band the night 100 people died in a 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island, died Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. He was 63. Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez, a Hall of Fame golfer whose antics on the greens and inspiring life story made him among the sport’s most popular players during a long professional career, died Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. Susan Wojcicki, the former YouTube chief executive officer and longtime Google executive, died Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, after suffering with non small cell lung cancer for the past two years. She was 56. Frank Selvy, an All-America guard at Furman who scored an NCAA Division I-record 100 points in a game and later played nine NBA seasons, died Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. He was 91. Wallace “Wally” Amos, the creator of the cookie empire that took his name and made it famous and who went on to become a children’s literacy advocate, died Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, from complications with dementia. He was 88. Gena Rowlands, hailed as one of the greatest actors to ever practice the craft and a guiding light in independent cinema as a star in groundbreaking movies by her director husband, John Cassavetes, and who later charmed audiences in her son's tear-jerker “The Notebook,” died Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. She was 94. Peter Marshall, the actor and singer turned game show host who played straight man to the stars for 16 years on “The Hollywood Squares,” died. Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 He was 98. Alain Delon, the internationally acclaimed French actor who embodied both the bad guy and the policeman and made hearts throb around the world, died Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. He was 88. Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre that brought success to Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others, died Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024, after a long illness. He was 88. Al Attles, a Hall of Famer who coached the 1975 NBA champion Warriors and spent more than six decades with the organization as a player, general manager and most recently team ambassador, died Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. He was 87. John Amos, who starred as the family patriarch on the hit 1970s sitcom “Good Times” and earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the seminal 1977 miniseries “Roots,” died Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. He was 84. James Darren, a teen idol who helped ignite the 1960s surfing craze as a charismatic beach boy paired off with Sandra Dee in the hit film “Gidget,” died Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. He was 88. James Earl Jones, who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen has died. He was 93. His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Sept. 9 at home. Jones was a pioneering actor who eventually lent his deep, commanding voice to CNN, “The Lion King” and Darth Vader. Working deep into his 80s, he won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors and was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a Broadway theater was renamed in his honor. Frankie Beverly, who with his band Maze inspired generations of fans with his smooth, soulful voice and lasting anthems including “Before I Let Go,” has died. He was 77. His family said in a post on the band’s website and social media accounts that Beverly died Sept. 10. In the post, which asked for privacy, the family said “he lived his life with a pure soul, as one would say, and for us, no one did it better.” The post did not say his cause of death or where he died. Beverly, whose songs include “Joy and Pain,” “Love is the Key,” and “Southern Girl,” finished his farewell “I Wanna Thank You Tour” in his hometown of Philadelphia in July. Joe Schmidt, the Hall of Fame linebacker who helped the Detroit Lions win NFL championships in 1953 and 1957 and later coached the team, has died. He was 92. The Lions said family informed the team Schmidt died Sept. 11. A cause of death was not provided. One of pro football’s first great middle linebackers, Schmidt played his entire NFL career with the Lions from 1953-65. An eight-time All-Pro, he was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973 and the college football version in 2000. Born in Pittsburgh, Schmidt played college football in his hometown at Pitt. Chad McQueen, an actor known for his performances in the “Karate Kid” movies and the son of the late actor and racer Steve McQueen, died Sep. 11. His lawyer confirmed his death at age 63. McQueen's family shared a statement on social media saying he lived a life “filled with love and dedication.” McQueen was a professional race car driver, like his father, and competed in the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona races. He is survived by his wife Jeanie and three children, Chase, Madison and Steven, who is an actor best known for “The Vampire Diaries.” Tito Jackson, one of the brothers who made up the beloved pop group the Jackson 5, died at age 70 on Sept. 15. Jackson was the third of nine children, including global superstars Michael and Janet. The Jackson 5 included brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. They signed with Berry Gordy’s Motown empire in the 1960s. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and produced several No. 1 hits in the 1970s, including “ABC,” “I Want You Back” and “I’ll Be There.” John David “JD” Souther has died. He was a prolific songwriter and musician whose collaborations with the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt helped shape the country-rock sound that took root in Southern California in the 1970s. Souther joined in on some of the Eagles’ biggest hits, such as “Best of My Love,” “New Kid in Town,” and “Heartache Tonight." The Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee also collaborated with James Taylor, Bob Seger, Bonnie Raitt and many more. His biggest hit as a solo artist was “You’re Only Lonely.” He was about to tour with Karla Bonoff. Souther died Sept. 17 at his home in New Mexico, at 78. In this photo, JD Souther and Alison Krauss attend the Songwriters Hall of Fame 44th annual induction and awards gala on Thursday, June 13, 2013 in New York. Sen. Dan Evans stands with his three sons, from left, Mark, Bruce and Dan Jr., after he won the election for Washington's senate seat in Seattle, Nov. 8, 1983. Evans, a former Washington state governor and a U.S. Senator, died Sept. 20. The popular Republican was 98. He served as governor from 1965 to 1977, and he was the keynote speaker at the 1968 National Republican Convention. In 1983, Evans was appointed to served out the term of Democratic Sen. Henry “Scoop” Jackson after he died in office. Evans opted not to stand for election in 1988, citing the “tediousness" of the Senate. He later served as a regent at the University of Washington, where the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance bears his name. Eugene “Mercury” Morris, who starred for the unbeaten 1972 Miami Dolphins as part of a star-studded backfield and helped the team win two Super Bowl titles, died Sept. 21. He was 77. The team on Sunday confirmed the death of Morris, a three-time Pro Bowl selection. In a statement, his family said his “talent and passion left an indelible mark on the sport.” Morris was the starting halfback and one of three go-to runners that Dolphins coach Don Shula utilized in Miami’s back-to-back title seasons of 1972 and 1973, alongside Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick. Morris led the Dolphins in rushing touchdowns in both of those seasons. John Ashton, the veteran character actor who memorably played the gruff but lovable police detective John Taggart in the “Beverly Hills Cop” films, died Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. He was 76. Maggie Smith, who won an Oscar for 1969 film “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and won new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in “Downton Abbey” and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, died Sept. 27 at 89. Smith's publicist announced the news Friday. She was frequently rated the preeminent British female performer of a generation that included Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench. “Jean Brodie” brought her the Academy Award for best actress in 1969. Smith added a supporting actress Oscar for “California Suite” in 1978. Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and an A-list Hollywood actor, died Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. He was 88. Drake Hogestyn, the “Days of Our Lives” star who appeared on the show for 38 years, died Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. He was 70. Ron Ely, the tall, musclebound actor who played the title character in the 1960s NBC series “Tarzan,” died Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, at age 86. Dikembe Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Famer who was one of the best defensive players in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador for the game, died Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, from brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58. Frank Fritz, left, part of a two-man team who drove around the U.S. looking for antiques and collectibles to buy and resell on the reality show “American Pickers,” died Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. He was 60. He's shown here with co-host Mike Wolfe at the A+E Networks 2015 Upfront in New York on April 30, 2015. Pete Rose, baseball’s career hits leader and fallen idol who undermined his historic achievements and Hall of Fame dreams by gambling on the game he loved and once embodied, died Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. He was 83. Cissy Houston, the mother of Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner who performed alongside superstar musicians like Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, died Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in her New Jersey home. She was 91. Ethel Kennedy, the wife of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, who raised their 11 children after he was assassinated and remained dedicated to social causes and the family’s legacy for decades thereafter, died on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, her family said. She was 96. Former One Direction singer Liam Payne, 31, whose chart-topping British boy band generated a global following of swooning fans, was found dead Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, local officials said. He was 31. Mitzi Gaynor, among the last survivors of the so-called golden age of the Hollywood musical, died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. She was 93. Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican-born phenom for the Los Angeles Dodgers who inspired “Fernandomania” while winning the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981, died Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. He was 63. Jack Jones, a Grammy-winning crooner known for “The Love Boat” television show theme song, died, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. He was 86. Phil Lesh, a founding member of the Grateful Dead, died Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, at age 84. Teri Garr, the quirky comedy actor who rose from background dancer in Elvis Presley movies to co-star of such favorites as "Young Frankenstein" and "Tootsie," died Tuesday, Oct 29, 2024. She was 79. Quincy Jones, the multitalented music titan whose vast legacy ranged from producing Michael Jackson’s historic “Thriller” album to writing prize-winning film and television scores and collaborating with Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and hundreds of other recording artists, died Sunday, Nov 3, 2024. He was 91 Bobby Allison, founder of racing’s “Alabama Gang” and a NASCAR Hall of Famer, died Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. He was 86. Song Jae-lim, a South Korean actor known for his roles in K-dramas “Moon Embracing the Sun” and “Queen Woo,” was found dead at his home in capital Seoul, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. He was 39. British actor Timothy West, who played the classic Shakespeare roles of King Lear and Macbeth and who in recent years along with his wife, Prunella Scales, enchanted millions of people with their boating exploits on Britain's waterways, died Tuesday, Nov 12, 2024. He was 90. Bela Karolyi, the charismatic if polarizing gymnastics coach who turned young women into champions and the United States into an international power in the sport, died Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. He was 82. Arthur Frommer, whose "Europe on 5 Dollars a Day" guidebooks revolutionized leisure travel by convincing average Americans to take budget vacations abroad, died Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. He was 95. Former Chicago Bulls forward Bob Love, a three-time All-Star who spent 11 years in the NBA, died Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. He was 81. Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!

A lot of speculation surrounds if and when Auston Matthews is going to return soon, but for David Pagnotta, he believes the best course of action is a lengthy one. It's not been a fun end to the year for the Toronto Maple Leafs, with them being 5-5-0 over their last 10 games and the fact that Auston Matthews is out yet again after his nagging injury keeps him away from the team. Knowing he's at least out against the Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals in the Leafs back-to-back, it's starting to get concerning. Though NHL insider David Pagnotta thinks the best case scenario for Matthews and the Leafs is a long-term stint on the shelf: Toronto Has Enough Firepower To Weather The Storm Though it hurts to have Matthews out again for a potentially extended period of time again, Toronto needs not to fret. Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares have all played exceptionally this season, and with a bigger role given their captain's injury, they'll carry the load. Not to mention the sudden emergence of Toronto's third line with Nick Robertson, Max Domi and Bobby McMann. Suddenly a viable scoring option for Craig Berube, if they can get on a hot streak and continue it throughout the beginning of 2025 it'll be a huge burden off their stars' shoulders. There's always the potential for Brad Treliving to make a trade in order to gather reinforcements , although he might need to do some extra homework and make sure he's not going to overpay for a short-term issue. Unless Toronto falters completely, he shouldn't act too rashly when it comes to making a deal. Toronto's schedule going forward isn't necessarily a reprieve from their grueling December slate. January offers no back-to-back games but they have several games where they are sitting on one day of rest; not conducive to helping their injured players heal properly. With a strong push without their captain, the Leafs can set themselves up for a wildly successful run and prove they can handle things when the tough times arise. It's going to be a tough stretch, but if anyone can handle it; it's this year's version of the blue and white. This article first appeared on Hockey Patrol and was syndicated with permission.Sandvine in court Dec. 4 trying to avoid bankruptcy

Tens of thousands protest in Barcelona against housing crunch and high rents

In the absence of clear answers from federal authorities about the reported drones that have mysteriously appeared in the skies over much of New Jersey and other parts of the Northeast in recent weeks, officials have begun banding together to pool resources and information in the hopes of preparing for what they described as “potential drone threats.” On Friday, almost 50 law enforcement professionals from 19 state, local and federal agencies gathered at Rutgers University for the inaugural meeting of a so-called “drone working group,” according to the New Jersey State Police, which co-hosted the event. Among the other groups represented were state police agencies in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Officials from two federal agencies — the Federal Aviation Administration and Naval Weapons Station Earle, a U.S. Navy base — also attended. A handful of non-law enforcement agencies, including the Network Contagion Research Institute, a nonprofit that assesses political threats and disinformation, were represented at the meeting. “The working group shared information, sifted fact from fiction, discussed drone and counter drone-technologies, addressed regulatory issues and the need for federal legislation, and explored online sentiment toward the sightings,” the state police reported in a news release. Officials also discussed the “potential drone threat to critical infrastructure and high-profile events,” including the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament’s final will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey that summer. The release suggested that the working group would continue to meet, with the goal of being able “to draft a collaborative action plan, develop an interagency communication protocol, and identify training needs and equipment priorities,” according to John Farmer, director of the Miller Center for Policing and Community Resilience. Since the first sightings were reported in Morris County on Nov. 18, authorities have repeatedly emphasized the lack of evidence that the drones pose any kind of national security or public safety threat. The White House has said that the majority of the 5,000 sightings so far reported to the FBI have actually been legal drones, manned aircraft, helicopters, and even distant stars. Approximately 100 of those reports were deemed worthy of further investigation, a joint statement from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, FAA and Department of Defense said earlier this month. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, neither of which was represented at the Rutgers meeting, continue to investigate the matter, as do state officials. Meanwhile, drone flights remain temporarily banned in 22 parts of New Jersey and 30 parts of New York through the middle of next month, an order imposed by the FAA at the request of federal security agencies. Authorities have also warned against pointing lasers at suspected drones, with accidental strikes on airplanes up 269% in New Jersey this month. Stories by AJ McDougall Body found in N.J. forest was in a refrigerator, police say N.J. community college professor charged with sexual contact, harassment of student N.J. educator scores ‘Superintendent of the Year’ honor after nearly 50 years in schools Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. AJ McDougall may be reached at amcdougall@njadvancemedia.com . Follow her on X at @oldmcdougall.

Nigel Farage said he is weighing up what action to take if the Conservatives do not apologise for accusing Reform UK of “fakery” over its membership numbers. The Reform UK leader pushed back against reports suggesting that legal action would be the next step, saying he would make a decision in the next couple of days about his response if there is no apology for the “crazy conspiracy theory”. Mr Farage also said the party has “opened up our systems” to media outlets, including The Daily Telegraph and The Financial Times, in the interests of “full transparency to verify that our numbers are correct”. His remarks came after Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused Mr Farage of “fakery” in response to Reform claiming they had surpassed the Tories in signed-up members. Mrs Badenoch said Reform’s counter was “coded to tick up automatically”. A digital counter on the Reform website showed a membership tally before lunchtime on Boxing Day ticking past the 131,680 figure declared by the Conservative Party during its leadership election earlier this year. Mr Farage, on whether he was threatening legal action or not, told the PA news agency: “I haven’t threatened anything. I’ve just said that unless I get an apology, I will take some action. “I haven’t said whether it’s legal or anything.” He added: “All I’ve said is I want an apology. If I don’t get an apology, I will take action. “I will decide in the next couple of days what that is. So I’ve not specified what it is.” Mr Farage, on the move to make membership data available to media organisations, said: “We feel our arguments are fully validated. “She (Mrs Badenoch) has put out this crazy conspiracy theory and she needs to apologise.” On why Mrs Badenoch had reacted as she did, Mr Farage said: “I would imagine she was at home without anybody advising her and was just angry.” Mr Farage, in a statement issued on social media site X, also said: “The accusations of fraud and dishonesty made against me yesterday were disgraceful. “Today we opened up our systems to The Telegraph, Spectator, Sky News and FT in the interests of full transparency to verify that our data is correct. “I am now demanding Kemi Badenoch apologises.” A Conservative Party source claimed Mr Farage was “rattled” that his Boxing Day “publicity stunt is facing serious questions”. They added: “Like most normal people around the UK, Kemi is enjoying Christmas with her family and looking forward to taking on the challenges of renewing the Conservative Party in the New Year.” Mrs Badenoch, in a series of messages posted on X on Thursday, said: “Farage doesn’t understand the digital age. This kind of fakery gets found out pretty quickly, although not before many are fooled.” There were 131,680 Conservative members eligible to vote during the party’s leadership election to replace Rishi Sunak in the autumn. Mrs Badenoch claimed in her thread that “the Conservative Party has gained thousands of new members since the leadership election”.

Stock market today: Wall Street mixed at the start of a holiday-shortened week“Gladiator II” asks the question: Are you not moderately entertained for roughly 60% of this sequel? Truly, this is a movie dependent on managed expectations and a forgiving attitude toward its tendency to overserve. More of a thrash-and-burn schlock epic than the comparatively restrained 2000 “Gladiator,” also directed by Ridley Scott, the new one recycles a fair bit of the old one’s narrative cries for freedom while tossing in some digital sharks for the flooded Colosseum and a bout of deadly sea-battle theatrics. They really did flood the Colosseum in those days, though no historical evidence suggests shark deployment, real or digital. On the other hand (checks notes), “Gladiator II” is fiction. Screenwriter David Scarpa picks things up 16 years after “Gladiator,” which gave us the noble death of the noble warrior Maximus, shortly after slaying the ignoble emperor and returning Rome to the control of the Senate. Our new hero, Lucius (Paul Mescal), has fled Rome for Numidia, on the North African coast. The time is 200 A.D., and for the corrupt, party-time twins running the empire (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger), that means invasion time. Pedro Pascal takes the role of Acacius, the deeply conflicted general, sick of war and tired of taking orders from a pair of depraved ferrets. The new film winds around the old one this way: Acacius is married to Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, in a welcome return), daughter of the now-deceased emperor Aurelius and the love of the late Maximus’s life. Enslaved and dragged to Rome to gladiate, the widower Lucius vows revenge on the general whose armies killed his wife. But there are things this angry young phenom must learn, about his ancestry and his destiny. It’s the movie’s worst-kept secret, but there’s a reason he keeps seeing footage of Russell Crowe from the first movie in his fever dreams. Battle follows battle, on the field, in the arena, in the nearest river, wherever, and usually with endless splurches of computer-generated blood. “Gladiator II” essentially bumper-cars its way through the mayhem, pausing for long periods of expository scheming about overthrowing the current regime. The prince of all fixers, a wily operative with interests in both managing gladiators and stocking munitions, goes by the name Macrinus. He’s played by Denzel Washington, who at one point makes a full meal out of pronouncing the word “politics” like it’s a poisoned fig. Also, if you want a masterclass in letting your robes do a lot of your acting for you, watch what Washington does here. He’s more fun than the movie but you can’t have everything. The movie tries everything, all right, and twice. Ridley Scott marshals the chaotic action sequences well enough, though he’s undercut by frenetic cutting rhythms, with that now-familiar, slightly sped-up visual acceleration in frequent use. (Claire Simpson and Sam Restivo are the editors.) Mescal acquits himself well in his first big-budget commercial walloper of an assignment, confined though he is to a narrower range of seething resentments than Crowe’s in the first film. I left thinking about two things: the word “politics” as savored/spit out by Washington, and the innate paradox of how Scott, whose best work over the decades has been wonderful, delivers spectacle. The director and his lavishly talented design team built all the rough-hewn sets with actual tangible materials the massive budget allowed. They took care to find the right locations in Morocco and Malta. Yet when combined in post-production with scads of medium-grade digital effects work in crowd scenes and the like, never mind the sharks, the movie’s a somewhat frustrating amalgam. With an uneven script on top of it, the visual texture of “Gladiator II” grows increasingly less enveloping and atmospherically persuasive, not more. But I hung there, for some of the acting, for some of the callbacks, and for the many individual moments, or single shots, that could only have come from Ridley Scott. And in the end, yes, you too may be moderately entertained. MPA rating: R (for strong bloody violence) Running time: 2:28 How to watch: Premieres in theaters Nov. 21.

ARIES Today is the day to enjoy and entertain with some loss Finance: Expect expenditure for entertainment/children/education/medical bill/commission Career: People in education/ sports/bank /govt / politics/medical will get success Domestic & love life: Dispute with mother/children or their ill-health is indicated Health: Some people may suffer from back pain/ eye problems/ BP Lucky no: 6 Lucky colour: pink TAURUS Today is the day to travel/study/ enjoy Finance: Expect expenditure for property /Vehicle/travel/education Career: People in fields like tourism/ hospital/politics/journalism/politics will be benefited Domestic & love life: Family party /picnic is indicated. Health: Some people may suffer from ear problems/back pain/heart problems Lucky no: 8 Lucky colour: blue GEMINI Today is the day to travel/communication /do house hold activities Finance: Expect expenditure for health /travel/ communication Career: Doctors/politicians/hotels/govt /bank related people will get benefited Domestic & love life: Ill health of/dispute with father /brother is indicated Health: Some people may suffer from eye problems/ heart problem Lucky no: 5 Lucky colour: Green CANCER Today is the day to enjoy /earn Finance: Expect expenditure for self/ children/ family needs. Career: People in fields like medical/share traders/politicians will be benefited Domestic & love life: You can have good family time today. Health: Some people may suffer from tooth ache / eye problems Lucky no: 6 Lucky colour: pink LEO Today is the day to study/ invest /travel / expenditure. Finance: Expect expenditure on travel / medical bills /education/vehicle Career: People in fields of tourism / medical/politics will be benefited Domestic & love life: You may go for long drive with your family. Health: Some people may suffer from blood pressure/ back pain/eye problem. Lucky no: 1 Lucky colour: Orange VIRGO Today is the day to travel / expenditure/ invest Finance: Expect expenditure on travel / medical bills /father Career: People in fields of tourism / medical/ politics will be benefited Domestic & love life: You may go for long drive with your family. Health: Some people may suffer from blood pressure/ back pain/eye problem. Lucky no: 5 Lucky colour: Green LIBRA Today, you may focus on your job/business/career Finance: Expect expenditure on business / job/ career Career: People in fields like banking / Hotel /medical /politics will be benefited. Domestic & love life: Good family time is indicated. Health: Some people may suffer from eye / Knee pain. Lucky no: 5 Lucky colour: green SCORPIO Today you will be successful in commercial and family life as well. Finance: Expect expenditure for study/travel/self/business growth. Career: People in fields like politics /govt./education/travel/medical will be benefited. Domestic & love life: You will take efforts to balance family time and office time. Health: Some people may suffer from knee pain /heart problems Lucky no: 2 Lucky colour: silver SAGITTARIUS Today is the day to face problems and finding their solutions. Finance: Expect expenditure for business/health/ education/ travel Career: People from occult/ insurance/research/ maintenance/ tourism/ medical will be benefited. Domestic & love life: ill health of / dispute with family members is indicated Health: Today some people may suffer from heart / BP /injury /fever Lucky no: 1 Lucky colour: Orange CAPRICORN Today is the day to face problems in career and family life Finance: Expect expenditure for spouse /medical / premiums Career: People in fields like insurance/ bank/finance/ medical/occult will be benefited. Domestic & love life: Married life may be disturbed. Health: Some people may suffer from lumber pain / heart/ eye problems Lucky no: 6 Lucky colour: pink AQUARIUS Today you will be busy on all fronts like job and family Finance: Expect expenditure for business/ spouse/health Career: People from Banks/ finance/ medical / politics will be benefited Domestic & love life: You may find it difficult to balance family life and career Health: Some people may suffer from stomach pain /eye/ Lumber pain. Lucky no: 6 Lucky colour: Pink PISCES Today is the day to enjoy/travel/study/earn Finance: Expect expenditure for children/study/job Career: Politicians/bankers/artists/ entertainers/ sportsmen/doctors will be benefited Domestic & love life: Day to solve problems in relationships. Health: Some people may suffer from back pain / eye /heart problems Lucky no: 9 Lucky colour: RedNoneThe move could usher in an end to a protracted political crisis in the European Union country following the annulment of a presidential election by a top court. Parliament approved the new administration in a 240-143 vote in Romania’s 466-seat legislature. The new coalition is made up of the leftist Social Democratic Party (PSD) the centre-right National Liberal Party (PNL), the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities. It caps a month-long period of turmoil in which far-right nationalists made significant gains in a parliamentary election on December 1 a week after a first-round presidential race saw the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu emerge as the front-runner. “It will not be an easy mandate for the future government,” Mr Ciolacu, whose PSD party topped the polls in the parliamentary election, said in a statement. “We are aware that we are in the midst of a deep political crisis,” he said. “It is also a crisis of trust, and this coalition aims to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people.” Romania’s 16 ministerial positions will be shared among the parties, which will hold a slim majority in the legislature. It is widely seen as a tactical partnership to shut out far-right nationalists whose voices found fertile ground amid high living costs and a sluggish economy. Mr Ciolacu, who came third in the first-round presidential ballot despite polls indicating he would win the most votes, has served as prime minister since June 2023. After parliament’s approval, President Klaus Iohannis swore in the new government and warned the new Cabinet that it is entering a “difficult new period” in which “for many Romanians, there are major concerns”. Romania was plunged into turmoil after Mr Georgescu’s surprise success in the presidential race, after allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged. Days before the December 8 run-off, the Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the presidential race. “We go through complicated times, but I think we all learned from mistakes of the past,” Mr Ciolacu said. “I hope that together with my colleagues in the coalition, we’ll find the best solutions to get past the challenges we have in front of us.” Mr Ciolacu said that the new government would aim to quickly organise the rerun of the presidential election in which the new coalition has agreed to put forward an agreed common pro-European candidate. Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, said that the new government made up of the same political parties will likely embrace “soft populist” rhetoric such as economic patriotism, anti-austerity, and a peace solution in neighbouring Ukraine to counter the rise of far-right populism. “This will be a way to answer the concerns of many Romanians who voted for populists... but will not solve the fundamental problem of trust,” he said. “The only decisive factor now will be who and how convincing the pro-European candidates will be against this popular revolt.” George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, which came second in the parliamentary election, said that all politicians from his party on Monday would vote against the Ciolacu government. In 2021, the PSD and the PNL also formed an unlikely but increasingly strained coalition together with UDMR, which exited the Cabinet last year after a power-sharing dispute.TORONTO (AP) — Mark Scheifele scored a hat trick and an assist while Kyle Connor collected two goals and an assist to spark the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets to a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday. The Jets enter the Christmas break with back-to-back wins, while the Maple Leafs dropped their second in a row at Scotiabank Arena without wounded captain Auston Matthews, out with an upper-body injury. Gabriel Vilardi added three assists. Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves. Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey had two assists to reach 30 for the season. John Tavares scored twice for the Maple Leafs, and Joseph Woll stopped 22 shots. Maple Leafs forward William Nylander extended his point streak to seven games with assists on both of Tavares' goals. Toronto: Defender Chris Tanev missed his first game this year with a lower-body ailment after skating in the pre-game warmup. Winnipeg: As impressive as the Jets (25-10-1) have played before the break, they are only one point ahead of the 36-game pace of 23-9-4 set a year ago. After Jets defenseman Neal Pionk had his shot blocked, the puck bounded to Mitch Marner for a breakaway. Pionk hustled back to lift Marner’s stick to foil his shot attempt early in the second period to preserve Winnipeg’s 2-0 lead. The Maple Leafs have gone 7-4-0 with Matthews on the sidelines this season and 42-23-2 in his career. Toronto returns to action after the holiday break on Friday, visiting the Detroit Red Wings. On Saturday, the Jets host the Ottawa Senators. AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Kobe Sanders scores 27 points, Nevada never trails in 90-78 win over Oklahoma StateTopline President-elect Donald Trump defended nominating people with ties to right-wing policy agenda Project 2025 to his administration in an interview with TIME published Thursday—even as he continued to criticize the controversial plan—as Project 2025 contributors are slated to serve in top roles overseeing the federal budget, trade, State Department and more. Key Facts News Peg Trump was named as TIME’s Person of the Year on Thursday. His comments on Project 2025 were part of a broader interview about his election and impending presidency. Trump told the publication he believed it was “totally inappropriate” and “foolish” for Project 2025’s policy agenda to be released ahead of the election, saying, “They complicated my election by doing it because people tried to tie me and I didn't agree with everything in there, and some things I vehemently disagreed with.” When asked if he had expressed his frustrations to the team behind Project 2025, Trump responded, “Oh I did.” What About Jd Vance? Trump’s incoming Vice President JD Vance, while not credited as an author on Project 2025, has numerous ties to the Heritage Foundation that have raised scrutiny since he became Trump’s running mate. Heritage Foundation founder Kevin Roberts told reporters the organization was “rooting” for the Ohio senator to be named as Trump’s VP pick, after telling Politico in March that Vance “is absolutely going to be one of the leaders—if not the leader—of our movement.” Vance also authored the introduction to a 2017 report by the Heritage Foundation and the introduction to Roberts’ book, in which he praised the Heritage Foundation as “the most influential engine of ideas for Republicans from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump.” The incoming vice president has not endorsed Project 2025 and has disavowed it having any connection to Trump himself, saying before he was named as Trump’s running mate that he believed the agenda had “some good ideas” but there were others he “disagrees” with. Surprising Fact Trump is appointing people linked to Project 2025 despite transition team co-chair Howard Lutnick vowing ahead of the election to “blacklist” anyone involved with the project from serving in the administration. “Heritage, because of Project 2025, is radioactive,” Lutnick told The New York Post before the vice presidential debate in October. “As in, none, zero, radioactive. So that’s a clear position.” The Trump transition team has not yet commented on its appointees’ ties to Project 2025. What To Watch For The Trump transition team could name even more people to the administration that have Project 2025 ties. Gene Hamilton, who authored Project 2025’s chapter on the Justice Department, is reportedly being considered for a legal role within the agency, ABC News reported in November. His chapter calls for a “top-to-bottom overhaul” of the DOJ and decries the agency’s “radical Left ideologues who have embedded themselves throughout its offices and components,” with proposals that include ending FBI efforts to combat misinformation, eliminating FBI offices, enforcing the death penalty and ensuring the DOJ acts more in line with Trump’s policies and conservative agenda. Trump officials are also reportedly considering appointing Reed Rubinstein as general counsel for the Treasury Department, who is affiliated with Trump adviser Miller’s America First Legal organization and formerly served as deputy associate attorney general, general counsel for the Education Department, and as senior adviser to the treasury secretary. Rubinstein is listed as a contributor to Project 2025 and is credited as helping with the agenda’s chapter on the State Department. What Does Project 2025 Say? Project 2025 proposes a sweeping overhaul of the executive branch, including eliminating some agencies entirely—like the Departments of Education and Homeland Security—and broadly replacing career civil servants with political appointees. The agenda makes a number of recommendations that are broadly in line with policies Trump has already proposed, such as eliminating climate change and transgender rights efforts, barring the teaching of “critical race theory” and pulling out of international organizations that don’t serve the administration’s interests. It also goes beyond Trump’s proposals, with calls to outlaw pornography, abolish all student loan forgiveness, impose baseline tax rates and overhaul the Federal Reserve through methods like taking away the government’s control over the nation’s money or returning to the gold standard. It also proposes banning TikTok and restricting abortion nationally by stripping federal approval for abortion drug mifepristone and using the Comstock Act to ban the mailing of abortion pills, which conflicts with Trump expressing support for TikTok and claiming he would leave abortion to the states. Will Trump Follow Project 2025? Trump disavowed Project 2025 and denied having any connection to it during the election, though he has a number of ties to the Heritage Foundation beyond the people he’s hiring for his next administration. Trump has praised the Heritage Foundation’s work in the past, and the organization has boasted that Trump followed many of its policy recommendations during his first presidential term. It remains to be seen if he will adopt any of Project 2025’s proposals that are different from the ones he’s already proposed himself , and he declined to specify that in his interview with TIME, noting only that the agenda “had some pretty ridiculous things in there” but “also had some very good things in there.” The Trump transition team and Heritage Foundation have also not yet commented on whether Trump intends to follow Project 2025’s playbook for his first 180 days in office. Unlike the organization’s broader policy agenda, this playbook has not been publicly released, with Vought saying in the Centre for Climate Reporting’s secret footage that the information in it is “closely held” and he believed it would be possible to get it to Trump should he win the election. Tangent While Project 2025 has garnered more publicity, multiple outlets report a different right-wing organization, America First Policy Institute , is actually driving Trump’s policy agenda. That organization is chaired by Linda McMahon, also the co-chair of Trump’s formal transition team, and includes numerous former Trump officials, including Ratcliffe, former adviser Kellyanne Conway and former acting Homeland Security director Chad Wolf. The policy organization, which has reportedly been crafting executive orders for Trump, pushes a conservative policy agenda but is less extreme than Project 2025, and does not call for banning abortion entirely or eliminating federal agencies. Key Background Project 2025’s policy agenda initially came out last year, part of what the Heritage Foundation has said is a long tradition of crafting policy recommendations for incoming Republican presidents that dates back to Ronald Reagan. Project 2025 gained attention earlier this year as Democrats repeatedly highlighted it during the election as a key reason to oppose Trump, emphasizing its extreme policies and tying Trump to the agenda. Trump publicly opposed the agenda as it gained notoriety, claiming in July he has “nothing to do with them,” has “no idea” who’s behind the plan and finds some of its ideas “absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.” His campaign adviser Chris LaCivita also denounced it, calling the effort a “pain in the ass,” before Lutnick claimed he would blacklist its members from the next administration. Further Reading

Greece's former royal family expresses 'deep emotion' after reclaiming citizenship - 50 years on from being forced into exile when the monarchy was abolished Members of Greece 's former royal family have applied for Greek citizenship READ MORE: Greek royal family hold a private thanksgiving service for the life of King Constantine a day after Windsor service led by Queen Camilla By ELEANOR DYE and GINA KALSI Published: 20:15, 23 December 2024 | Updated: 20:16, 23 December 2024 e-mail 3 View comments Members of Greece 's former royal family expressed 'deep emotion' on Monday following the decision to reinstate their citizenship. The late King Constantine II and his family members were stripped of Greek citizenship in 1994 in a dispute with the government over formerly royal property and over claims that he refused to renounce any right to the Greek throne for his descendants. The Greek monarchy was abolished by referendum in December 1974, when voters overwhelmingly backed a republican constitution, months after the fall of a seven-year military dictatorship. The exiled royals then lived in England for many years. In a decision published in the government gazette, dated Friday, citizenship was granted to 10 members of the former royal family. They include the five children of the late king and former Queen Anne-Marie as well as to five of their grandchildren. The royal family's statement was shared by Crown Prince Pavlos - Constantine's eldest son - to his Instagram account and was posted in both Greek and English. The official statement read: 'It is with deep emotion that, after 30 years, we hold the Greek citizenship again. The law of 1994 deprived us of our citizenship, rendering us stateless with all that this entails in terms of individual rights and great emotional distress. 'Our father and our family fully respected the result of the 1974 referendum. Members of Greece 's former royal family expressed 'deep emotion' on Monday following the decision to reinstate their citizenship. Pictured: Crown Princess Marie-Chantal, Crown Prince Pavlos and Maria Olympia in 2018 Citizenship was granted to the five children of the late king and former Queen Anne-Marie (pictured in September) as well as to five of their grandchildren 'However, the provision of the 1994 law on citizenship, a result of the political status at the time, was not befitting of a former head of the Greek state and an institution that served the country faithfully. The passing of our father marked the end of an era.' Constantine's five children are Alexia, 58; Pavlos, 56; Nikolaos, 54; Theodora, 40; and Philippos, 37. Pavlos' five children were also granted citizenship: Maria-Olympia, 27; Constantine-Alexios, 25; Achileas-Andreas, 23; Odysseas-Kimon, 19; and Aristidis-Stavros, 15. 'After 50 years since democracy's restoration, we have a strong democracy and protected constitution that can defend itself, with laws that apply without any footnotes or exceptions,' government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said Friday before the decision was published. Interior Ministry official Athanasios Balerpas said that relatives of the late king, who died last year at the age of 82, signed a declaration on Thursday acknowledging the republican government. They are also adopting a new surname, 'De Grece' - which is French for 'of Greece'. Members of the royal family lived in exile for decades before Constantine returned as a private citizen in his seventies. They were stripped of their Greek citizenship in 1994 during a legal battle over the former royal estate, which is now state-owned. They had previously refused to adopt a surname, distancing themselves from the name Glucksburg, assigned in a 1994 law, which they saw as linking them too closely to their German ancestry and making them seem less legitimately Greek. Princess Theodora - who recently got married in July - has reportedly requested Greek citizenship The full statement was posted on the Greek Royal Family's website on Monday Prince Philippos is pictured with his wife Nina Flohr celebrating the wedding of Theodora of Greece and Matthew Now that the decision has been published in the official government gazette, they can apply for state identity cards and Greek passports. Some politicians from centre-left and left-wing opposition parties objected to the surname chosen by the former royal family members, arguing it sounds like a title rather than a standard surname, but did not oppose their right to citizenship. Mr Balerpas said on the state-run radio station: 'A historically pending matter is being resolved. 'Let's look to the future now. I think it's a good moment because it closes an account from the past and we can now look forward as a people.' The family got together at the end of September to celebrate Princess Theodora's wedding to LA-based lawyer, Matthew Kumar. The couple had a four-year delay in tying the knot, but finally had a lavish ceremony at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. Theodora is the goddaughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II and has close ties to both the Danish and Spanish royal families. The Prince of Wales was King Constantine's godson. Several members of the latter households, including the bride's paternal aunt Queen Sofia of Spain and her maternal aunt Princess Benedikte of Denmark, as well as the Greek Royal Family, attended the glittering occasion a couple of months ago. The royals were stripped of their Greek citizenship in 1994 during a legal battle over the former royal estate, which is now state-owned. Pictured: Marie-Chantal and Pavlos Former Queen Anne-Marie, former King Constantine II, Prince Pavlos, Princess Marie-Chantal, Princess Alexia, her husband Carlos Morales Quintana, Princess Theodora and Prince Philippos of Greece attend a dinner in 2014 However, many British royals missed the occasion, with Prince William likely staying at home to support his wife Kate after she completed her cancer treatment. King Charles and Queen Camilla missed the nuptials as they were in Scotland for the 25th anniversary of Parliament at the time. However, in October 2021, when Theodora's brother Prince Philippos of Greece married Nina Flohr, the daughter of a billionaire, both Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were in attendance, as well as Beatrice's husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. The Greek royals suffered heartache earlier this year when Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, who was Prince Philip 's first cousin, died at the age of 85 in July. Prince Michael was the last remaining grandson of George I with a lineage to the House of Bourbon through his mother's side of the family. Prince Constantine Alexios (pictured with Princess Maria-Olympia) may be one of the late former King's grandchildren who applied for citizenship Prince Achileas-Andreas of Greece (pictured with Isabella Massenet) could be one of the grandchildren who applied for Greek citizenship Prince Michael of Greece died at the age of 85 in July this year. Pictured in November 2023 He was well known for his devotion to his wife Marina Karella and his turbulent personal life which saw him tragically lose his father at the age of just one. Prince Michael had to give up his rights to the Greek throne to marry Marina in 1965 as despite being an acclaimed painter and sculptor, she was not a member of the royal family . Their marriage took two years to negotiate, with Michael forced to give up his rights to the Greek throne in order to marry a commoner. But when they did tie the knot on February 7, 1965, at the Royal Palace in Athens it was an event to be remembered, with the guest list including Queen Frederica, King Constantine, Queen Anna-Maria and, the Count and Countess of Paris. He later said he 'didn't hesitate' to give away his birthright for love, adding that by doing so it 'gave me a sense of freedom' and meant he was no longer beholden to the Royal Family, allowing him to choose his own profession. 'It was love at first sight – it has never, ever changed,' he said, adding: 'Now we are married 58 years ... Marina and my country Greece are the same.' 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Chuck Woolery, smooth-talking game show host of 'Love Connection' and 'Scrabble,' dies at 83Black Friday is inching closer, but shoppers may want to lower their expectations for the biggest shopping day of the year. Personal finance website WalletHub said that 41% of products offer no greater savings on Black Friday compared to prices in the days and weeks before. That isn't to say you won't find great deals on Black Friday, but it can vary depending on where you look. WalletHub said jewelry had the best savings at 37% off, followed by apparel and accessories at 31%. Discounts on toys are generally about 23%. Consumer electronics generally have discounts of less than 20%. “WalletHub found that around 41% of Black Friday items offer no real savings for consumers compared to their usual prices, but the items that are on sale are an average of 24% off, with the highest markdown at 89%," Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst said in the report. RELATED STORY | Forget about Black Friday; plumbers are getting ready for Brown Friday Last year, a record 200.4 million consumers shopped over the five-day holiday weekend from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, according to the National Retail Federation. On Black Friday itself, over 76 million Americans shopped in person while more than 90 million people shopped online. Of those who shopped during Thanksgiving weekend last year, 49% purchased clothing and accessories. The National Retail Federation expects Black Friday to be quite busy again this year with 131.7 million people to shop online, in-person or both the day after Thanksgiving. RELATED STORY | Thanksgiving meals expected to be cheaper in 2024 as turkey prices drop Retailers say it's not just deals that attracts customers. There is a social aspect involved with shopping on days like Black Friday. “Younger shoppers are most likely to take advantage of Thanksgiving weekend deals this year, with 89% of young adults between 18-24 planning to shop over the weekend,” Prosper Insights & Analytics Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said. “The social aspect of holiday shopping is also enticing to this age group, and they are most likely to shop because it’s a group activity that can be enjoyed with friends and family (20%).”In recent years, the concept of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has gained significant attention from the international community, including the UN and the G20, as a new policy paradigm for development. But understanding the risks of DPI is crucial to ensuring that its potential benefits materialise. The risks stem from the fact that “digital public infrastructure” lacks a clear definition. The term encompasses the many digital technologies that serve as economic and social infrastructure, from digital identification and payment systems to data exchanges and health services. As a policy initiative, though, DPI refers to a vague vision of using these technologies to serve the public interest. This could result in the Internet and technological innovation working for everyone – or just as easily turn them into tools for political control. In discussions about DPI, policymakers often point to cases that highlight how technology and connectivity can spur development. They frequently cite India’s Unified Payments Interface, which has expanded financial inclusion and reduced the costs of digital transactions for its hundreds of millions of users. It is also understood that such infrastructure is to be built with Digital Public Goods (DPGs), a concept that encompasses open-source software, open standards, and other non-proprietary components. This definition is partly intended to position DPIs as being “for the public” but also to enhance competition and mitigate concentrations of power in the global digital economy. Lastly, proponents point out that DPI could bolster international co-operation, particularly as the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) approaches. This important UN initiative has provided the framework for countries to collaborate on digital development. Although authoritarian states have previously sought to assert greater control over the Internet’s governance during these negotiations, a focus on promoting DPI could avoid this politicised debate and instead foster a constructive agenda to bridge digital divides. But basing policy on such an ill-defined concept poses significant risks. Ideally, governments would convene other stakeholders to create an enabling environment for DPI and safeguard users’ rights and interests. It is easy to imagine, however, that some governments will place their own interests above civil liberties and fundamental rights, using this infrastructure for surveillance and targeting in the name of law enforcement or national security. An especially pernicious example could involve the monitoring and regulation of individual behaviour through dystopian social-credit systems. Moreover, while many proponents hope that DPI could chip away at Big Tech’s outsize power, it has also been associated with narratives of digital sovereignty that could contribute to the Internet’s fragmentation – a systemic threat to global communications. For example, one can imagine scenarios in which some governments challenge the multi-stakeholder model for governing global Internet resources like IP addresses and domain names on the grounds that they constitute DPIs. The policy vision of DPI will continue to evolve, and ongoing discussions, it is hoped, will help identify and clarify further opportunities and risks. Initiatives such as the UN’s Universal DPI Safeguards Framework, which seeks to establish guardrails for DPI, are a promising start. But much more must be done. For example, the UN’s framework has recognised the need for continuous learning to ensure that the right safeguards are in place. As the concept of DPI gains traction in the UN system and other multilateral organisations, vigorous and informed debate regarding its potential advantages – and pitfalls – will be essential. With clear-cut policy guidelines and protections, we can help prevent these technologies from becoming tools for surveillance and repression, ensure that everyone benefits from the burgeoning digital economy, and keep the Internet open, globally connected, and secure. – Project Syndicate Related Story QNB recognised as 'Best Digital Experience' in Qatar Qatar establishes WEF's Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution