Sondra Williams announced on Instagram on Sunday that she gave birth to Trenton O’Brien Williams Jr. on Nov. 24. Williams also wrote that she was initially pregnant with twins and lost the other child earlier in the pregnancy. “I can’t even begin to describe how I felt leaving the hospital without you,” she wrote. “Nor how it feels being home celebrating Thanksgiving without my baby in my arms. My heart is broken and my arms are empty. But I know you’ll always be near watching over me and your sisters. And for that, my heart smiles with gratitude. Thank God for allowing us to bond for 35 weeks and for me to birth you so I could hold you in my arms. I’m at peace knowing you will never have to suffer.” Williams wrote that her son was diagnosed with Trisomy 13, a genetic condition also known as Patau syndrome that affects how the face, brain and heart develop, along with several other internal organs. Trent Williams spent time last week at the hospital and grieving with his family, including the couple's three young daughters. “He was there at the hospital with her and got to meet him and say bye,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday. "Then he had to cremate him on Friday. So he’s been dealing with that and he’s working through it. But we’re all just trying to be here for him through it all.” This is the second tragedy to hit the Niners in recent weeks. Cornerback Charvarius Ward's 1-year-old daughter , Amani Joy, died on Oct. 28. She had born prematurely with Down syndrome and had open-heart surgery in April 2023. Ward spent a few weeks away from the team and returned to the field for the first time on Sunday. Williams has missed the last two games with an ankle injury but Shanahan said he is hoping to be able to the return as soon as he's healthy. “It’s hard as a coach. It’s hard as a friend. It’s hard as a family member. It’s hard for everybody," Shanahan said. ”But we spend a lot of time with each other. That’s what’s cool about a football team. Whatever you go through, the good or the bad, we go through it together. I do like that they have a group of guys they can go to, a group of guys that can see them every day. You can never escape that full grief and stuff. But I do think it’s nice for those guys to have another avenue to get out on the football field, to get around teammates and things like that." AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflJulian Alvarez and second-half substitute Angel Correa scored twice as Atletico Madrid cruised to an easy 6-0 win at struggling Sparta Prague in the Champions League on Tuesday. The win leaves Diego Simeone’s Rojiblancos on nine points from five games in the competition, while Sparta have four. “Each win makes you happy, especially when the team plays like this throughout the game and scores like today,” Atletico coach Simeone told reporters in the Czech capital. “We really did well today,” he added, hailing his team for playing “with high intensity and speed”. Alvarez opened the scoring 15 minutes into the game as he was brought down just outside the box and then curled a free-kick into the top corner of Peter Vindahl’s goal. Marcos Llorente made it 2-0 two minutes from half-time as he chipped the ball towards the goal and Vindahl let it in, visibly fooled by striker Alexander Sorloth’s attempt at a glancing header. Alvarez fired in his second from close range on 59 minutes after a give-and-go with Giuliano Simeone, the coach’s son. Second-half substitute Antoine Griezmann made it 4-0 on 70 minutes with a low shot inside the box following a one-two with Llorente. Correa rounded off the score with two goals in the final five minutes, first poking in a pass from fellow substitute Samuel Lino and then finishing neatly after a mazy run through the static Sparta defence. – ‘All goals count’ – “The team understood what I want from them from the beginning to the end including the substitutes who played really well as soon as they entered the pitch,” said Diego Simeone. “All goals count. We tried to score as many as possible because it helps with this new format of the Champions League. “We are always aware the game has 90 minutes and we have to play as best we can,” he added. The 54-year-old Argentinian made six changes following Atletico’s 2-1 win over Alaves in La Liga on Saturday, his 700th game across all competitions in charge of the team. But there was little doubt about the outcome as Sparta only managed a single weak shot on goal through Kaan Kairinen in the opening minute. Atletico controlled the game, tirelessly testing the wobbly defence of the reigning Czech champions who have now only won two of their last 12 games in all competitions. Vindahl spared Sparta blushes on several occasions as he stopped close-range efforts from Rodrigo De Paul and Sorloth in the first half and Giuliano Simeone after the break. Atletico took a second straight away win in the Champions League at Sparta after stunning Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 earlier this month. With three games to play in the new-format league phase, they next face underdogs Slovan Bratislava at home on December 10. AFPThe National Basketball Association (NBA) is taking a first step back into the huge Chinese market with two preseason games set to take place in Macao next October, five years after the league was effectively blocked from China. The Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns will play the preseason games on October 10 and 12 at the Venetian Arena next year, while an NBA Flagship Store will also open in Macao. "Bringing preseason games to Macao will showcase the excitement of the NBA to fans in one of the world's emerging hubs for sports," NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum said in a press release. "The Nets and the Suns feature an exciting mix of established and rising stars, and we look forward to engaging fans, aspiring players and the local community in Macao through these games and a variety of interactive events, youth development programs and social impact initiatives." NBA teams command a huge following in China, where basketball is wildly popular. The league has not staged a game in the country since 2019, when a tweet in support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong from the Houston Rockets' then general manager Daryl Morey sparked a political firestorm. At the time, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver refused to punish or censor Morey – who is currently the Philadelphia 76ers' president of basketball operations – prompting ire from Beijing and leading the sports station of China's central broadcaster to stop showing the league's games for a year. Hong Kong was roiled by pro-democracy protests in 2019, which at times brought several hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets to push for democracy in the city. Like Macao, Hong Kong is considered a special administrative region of China, partly distinct from the mainland. Beijing repeatedly accused Western democratic forces of working to fuel the popular Hong Kong protests and lashed out at any support for the movement, which died out in 2020 when the capital imposed a sweeping national security law on the city. Silver said two years ago that the NBA had lost "hundreds of millions of dollars" in revenue following the fallout with China, with whom the league had shared a long-standing relationship. According to Reuters, 17 NBA teams played 28 games in China between 2004 and 2019. However, tensions between the league and the country now appear to have thawed, with a legends game featuring six former NBA stars set be held in Macao on Saturday. "We always love the opportunity to compete on the global stage and we are grateful to participate in the NBA China Games 2025," said Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks. "The Brooklyn Nets have an incredible fanbase around the globe and we can't wait to bring our love of the game directly to our fans while giving our players and coaches the opportunity to immerse themselves in a different culture." Phoenix Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein, meanwhile, added that playing in Macao is part of the team's vision to "bring the Suns to a global audience and impact fans across the world."
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Formula 1’s statement on Monday that it is moving forward with plans to allow a General Motors entry could be viewed as a complete turnaround in attitude from series bosses. It was only back in January that FOM declared an application by Andretti-Cadillac to enter F1 was rejected because it did not feel that what was proposed added value to the championship . In a press release issued at the time that was primarily related to 2025, F1 said: “Our assessment process has established that the presence of an 11th team would not, on its own, provide value to the championship. “The most significant way in which a new entrant would bring value is by being competitive. We do not believe that the applicant would be a competitive participant.” The rejection at the time triggered controversy and left Andretti hitting back – and taking its complaints to American politicians – in its bid to force a rethink. It also kept pushing on with its car preparations for 2026 at its new Silverstone base, even though there seemed to be no route for it to get an entry. Fast forward to now, and F1’s attitude is very different. Where once the door was firmly shut in Andretti’s face despite General Motors’ involvement, now there are open arms. So what has changed? General Motors announcement Photo by: General Motors Part of it is down to the personalities involved, but more of it involves the shifts in the concept of the project that makes it a very different prospect in F1's eyes. It was not lost on anyone that in the three-page statement that FOM put out on Monday regarding the entry, there was not a single reference to the Andretti name. Instead, the only hint about the involvement of any of the previous parties was a line about ‘partners at TWG Global’ – which is the company run by Dan Towriss, who took over operations at Andretti Global when Michael Andretti recently took a step back . Michael Andretti and F1 had never particularly seen eye-to-eye on matters, but it was his decision to move away from day-to-day involvement in the squad that set in motion the chain of events that has led to today. For Andretti's exit opened the door for Towriss to take a pragmatic approach and realise that, if he was going to find a way to convince F1 to get an entry approved, things would have to be done in a different way with a much greater involvement from General Motors. Autosport understands that key to getting F1 interested was in Towriss working with General Motors to change the nature of the deal. So where originally it was an Andretti car that would eventually hope to run a General Motors engine, but would have customer Renaults to begin with, the project being put on the table now is nothing like that. This is now for a General Motors car, that would likely become a full works team from 2028 – even if initially it means customer Ferrari or Honda engines in the interim. George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, Pierre Gasly, Alpine A524, at the race start Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images The same parties involved yes, but from F1’s perspective two totally different prospects when it comes to adding value to the series. Let us not forget that this was exactly what FOM was saying all the way back in January though – that there was a way that it felt the GM involvement could be positioned to get the application over the line. “We would look differently on an application for the entry of a team into the 2028 championship with a GM power unit, either as a GM works team or as a GM customer team designing all allowable components in-house,” said F1 at the time. “In this case there would be additional factors to consider in respect of the value that the applicant would bring to the championship, in particular in respect of bringing a prestigious new OEM to the sport as a PU supplier.” This then proved key, with even previous Andretti sceptic and Liberty CEO Greg Maffei helping getting it moving before his recent departure. Suggestions that his exit was a factor in the project getting F1 approval are understood to be wide of the mark. The role that FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem played in changing the scope of the deal should not be underestimated too - as he is understood to have been key in pushing GM down the works engine route. He also maintained the pressure in keeping things moving forward with the manufacturer despite the original rejection of Andretti. And having been the original instigator in opening up new team entries, the move by F1 to approve in principle the GM/Cadillac plan is a victory for his vision. GM has certainly made a big push itself to get it over the line, and promised the kind of investment and groundbreaking levels of involvement that F1 would love to see. The manufacturer's president Mark Reuss said on Monday: “As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. Mark Reuss, GM President Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images “It’s an honour for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world. “This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.” Towriss added: “We're excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1. “Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world. We appreciate FIA and FOM’s support of our application and their recognition of the value we can bring to the championship.” And while the Andretti name will not form a part of the new GM plan, it will not be totally expunged from the project. The 1978 F1 world champion Mario Andretti is to serve as a director on the team’s board in a non-executive role and not involved in the day-to-day operations. Michael Andretti, Mario Andretti, Dan Towriss, Andretti Global Photo by: Andretti Speaking about it, the veteran said: “My first love was Formula 1 and now – 70 years later – the F1 paddock is still my happy place. I’m absolutely thrilled with Cadillac, Formula 1, Mark Walter, and Dan Towriss. To still be involved at this stage of my life — I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.” While Michael Andretti will not be seeing through his ambitions to become an F1 team boss, he vowed on Monday to give his full support to it. Posting on X, he said: “The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team. “I’m very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!” Formula 1 Andretti lands former Renault F1 engine tech chief Rob White Formula 1 Mario Andretti named as director on board of General Motors F1 teamFormula 1 expands grid to add General Motors' Cadillac brand and new American team for 2026 season
Jaylon Johnson isn't interested in bright spots with the Bears' skid at 5 games LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Jaylon Johnson wasn't all that interested in discussing any bright spots or reasons to have hope for the Chicago Bears. The star cornerback made his feelings clear. Andrew Seligman, The Associated Press Nov 25, 2024 2:46 PM Nov 25, 2024 3:05 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message CORRECTS TO CHICAGO BEARS COACH MATT EBERFLUS AND NOT QUARTERBACK CALEB WILLIAMS AS ORIGINALLY SENT - Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus speaks during a media conference, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Jaylon Johnson wasn't all that interested in discussing any bright spots or reasons to have hope for the Chicago Bears. The star cornerback made his feelings clear. “I’ve been in slumps four, five years in a row now,” Johnson said Monday. "So, I mean at the end of the day, I don’t look for, ‘OK, what is going to be better in the future?’ ... It will be better when it’s better. So, right now, it’s not better. That’s all I can go off of.” The Bears (4-7) are last in the NFC North and have five straight losses after falling 30-27 to Minnesota in overtime. They wiped out an 11-point deficit in the final 22 seconds of regulation, only to come up short again when the Vikings' Parker Romo kicked a 29-yard field goal. It was the third game during this skid that came down to the final play. The Bears also lost on a Hail Mary at Washington in Week 8 and had a game-ending field goal attempt by Cairo Santos blocked by Green Bay in Week 11. Players have openly questioned some of the coaching decisions in recent weeks. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron got fired before the game against Green Bay. And coach Matt Eberflus' game management came under more scrutiny against Minnesota. With the Bears trailing 17-10 in the third quarter, there was some confusion on a fourth-and-4 at the Vikings 27. Eberflus said he didn't do a good enough job communicating on the previous play that they would go for it on fourth down. That led to a chaotic sequence in which Santos and long snapper Scott Daly ran onto the field, only to get waved off by a lineman. Quarterback Caleb Williams had to rush to get everyone lined up properly in order to avoid a delay of game. He wound up barking out the wrong play because he misheard the call from offensive coordinator Thomas Brown and threw an incomplete pass. Receiver DJ Moore said Eberflus had not addressed that play with the team. The Bears were scheduled to meet later Monday. “That moment was just like, like a ‘what is going on’ moment that we could have avoided,” he said. What's working The passing game. Williams has clearly looked more comfortable in the two games since Brown replaced the fired Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator. The No. 1 draft pick followed up a solid performance against Green Bay by throwing for 340 yards and two touchdowns. It was his fourth straight turnover-free game and fifth in a row without an interception. What needs help Field goal protection. One week after his game-ending 46-yard field goal attempt against Green Bay got blocked, Santos had a 48-yarder rejected on his first try against Minnesota. It happened from the same area, in the middle of the line, when the Vikings' Jerry Tillery knocked down the kick. “I just think it’s technique," Eberflus said. "It’s getting your foot down, bracing up there, staying lower. ... We just have to do a better job there with that.” It was the third blocked field goal for Santos this year, the most for Chicago in a single season since it also had three blocked in 2012. He had a 43-yard try blocked in a win over Jacksonville on Oct. 13. Stock up Moore. The Bears have done a better job getting Moore involved under Brown. Moore caught seven passes for a season-high 106 yards and a touchdown against Minnesota. That gave him 14 receptions for 168 yards the past two games, compared to 13 for 104 yards over the previous four. Johnson's 27-yard catch down the middle set up Santos' tying field goal at the end of regulation. But it's not just deep shots. The Bears are finding ways to get the ball in his hands, allowing him to turn short passes into bigger gains. He also had a 13-yard run. Stock down RB D’Andre Swift. After a string of solid outings, Swift had just 30 yards on 13 carries. To be fair, he has been dealing with a groin issue, and he was going against the NFL's No. 1 run defense. Injuries The Bears reported no injuries during the game. Key number 5-18 — The Bears' record in one-possession games in nearly three seasons under Eberflus, including a 2-5 mark this year. They are 14-31 overall during Eberflus' tenure. Next steps The schedule doesn't get any easier, with a Thanksgiving matchup at NFC North leader Detroit. The Lions (10-1) have won nine straight since losing to Tampa Bay in Week 2. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL Andrew Seligman, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Football (NFL) Cardinals' feel-good month comes to a screeching halt after a head-scratching loss to Seahawks Nov 25, 2024 2:58 PM After rough start under coach Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks' defense has become a strength Nov 25, 2024 2:53 PM 49ers QB Brock Purdy resumes throwing but status for this week remains unknown Nov 25, 2024 2:37 PMWarren Buffett gives away another $1.1B and plans for distributing his $147B fortune after his death
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Animation Guild Reaches Tentative Deal With Studios After Bargaining Over AI Guardrails and More
Warren Buffett gives away another $1.1B and plans for distributing his $147B fortune after his deathNEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose Monday, with those benefiting the most from lower interest rates and a stronger economy leading the way. The S&P 500 climbed 0.3% to pull closer to its all-time high set two weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 440 points, or 1%, to its own record set on Friday, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3%. Treasury yields also eased in the bond market amid what some analysts called a “Bessent bounce” after President-elect Donald Trump said he wants Scott Bessent , a hedge fund manager, to be his Treasury Secretary. Bessent has argued for reducing the U.S. government’s deficit, which is how much more it spends than it takes in through taxes and other revenue. Such an approach could soothe worries on Wall Street that Trump’s policies may lead to a much bigger deficit, which in turn would put upward pressure on Treasury yields. After climbing above 4.44% immediately after Trump’s election, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell back to 4.26% Monday, down from 4.41% late Friday. That’s a notable move, and lower yields make it cheaper for all kinds of companies and households to borrow money. They also give a boost to prices for stocks and other investments. That helped stocks of smaller companies lead the way, and the Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks jumped 1.5%. It finished just shy of its all-time high, which was set three years ago. Smaller companies can feel bigger boosts from lower borrowing costs because of the need for many to borrow to grow. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks the market’s expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do with overnight interest rates, also eased sharply. The Fed began cutting its main interest rate just a couple months ago from a two-decade high, hoping to keep the job market humming after bringing inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. But immediately after Trump’s victory, traders had reduced bets for how many cuts the Fed may deliver next year. They were worried Trump’s preference for lower tax rates and higher spending on the border would balloon the national debt. A report coming on Wednesday could influence how much the Fed may cut rates. Economists expect it to show that an underlying inflation trend the Fed prefers to use accelerated to 2.8% last month from 2.7% in September. Higher inflation would make the Fed more reluctant to cut rates as deeply or as quickly as it would otherwise. Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle expects that to slow by the end of next year to 2.4%, but he said inflation would be even lower if not for expected tariff increases on imports from China and autos favored by Trump. In the stock market, Bath & Body Works jumped 16.5% after delivering stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The seller of personal care products and home fragrances also raised its financial forecasts for the full year, even though it still sees a “volatile retail environment” and a shorter holiday shopping season this year. Much focus has been on how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain, given high prices across the economy and still-high interest rates. Last week, two major retailers sent mixed messages. Target tumbled after giving a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season. It followed Walmart , which gave a much more encouraging outlook. Another big retailer, Macy’s, said Monday its sales for the latest quarter were in line with its expectations, but it will delay the release of its full financial results. It found a single employee had intentionally hid up to $154 million in delivery expenses, and it needs more time to complete its investigation. Macy’s stock fell 2.2%. Among the market’s leaders were several companies related to the housing industry. Monday’s drop in Treasury yields could translate into easier mortgage rates, which could spur activity for housing. Builders FirstSource, a supplier or building materials, rose 5.9%. Homebuilders, D.R. Horton, PulteGroup and Lennar all rose at least 5.6%. All told, the S&P 500 rose 18.03 points to 5,987.37. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 440.06 to 44,736.57, and the Nasdaq composite gained 51.18 to 19,054.84. In stock markets abroad, indexes moved modestly across much of Europe after finishing mixed in Asia. In the crypto market, bitcoin was trading below $95,000 after threatening to hit $100,000 late last week for the first time. AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.
Death row inmate's attorneys argue open meeting violations in request for stay of executionNoneOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investor Warren Buffett renewed his Thanksgiving tradition of giving by handing out more than $1.1 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock to four of his family's foundations Monday, and he offered new details about who will be handing out the rest of his fortune after his death. Buffett has said previously that his three kids will distribute his remaining $147.4 billion fortune in the 10 years after his death, but now he has also designated successors for them because it's possible that Buffett's children could die before giving it all away. He didn't identify the successors, but said his kids all know them and agree they would be good choices. “Father time always wins. But he can be fickle – indeed unfair and even cruel – sometimes ending life at birth or soon thereafter while, at other times, waiting a century or so before paying a visit,” the 94-year-old Buffett said in a letter to his fellow shareholders Monday. “To date, I’ve been very lucky, but, before long, he will get around to me. There is, however, a downside to my good fortune in avoiding his notice. The expected life span of my children has materially diminished since the 2006 pledge. They are now 71, 69 and 66.” Buffett said he still has no interest in creating dynastic wealth in his family — a view shared by his first and current wives. He acknowledged giving Howard, Peter and Susie millions over the years, but he has long said he believes “hugely wealthy parents should leave their children enough so they can do anything but not enough that they can do nothing.” The secret to building up such massive wealth over time has been the power of compounding interest and the steady growth of the Berkshire conglomerate Buffett leads through acquisitions and smart investments like buying billions of dollars of Apple shares as iPhone sales continued to drive growth in that company. Buffett never sold any of his Berkshire stock over the years and also resisted the trappings of wealth and never indulged in much — preferring instead to continue living in the same Omaha home he'd bought decades earlier and drive sensible luxury sedans about 20 blocks to work each day. “As a family, we have had everything we needed or simply liked, but we have not sought enjoyment from the fact that others craved what we had,” he said. If Buffett and his first wife had never given away any of their Berkshire shares, the family's fortune would be worth nearly $364 billion — easily making him the world's richest man — but Buffett said he had no regrets about his giving over the years. The family's giving began in earnest with the distribution of Susan Buffett's $3 billion estate after her death in 2004, but really took off when Warren Buffett announced plans in 2006 to make annual gifts to the foundations run by his kids along with the one he and his wife started, as well as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Warren Buffett's giving to date has favored the Gates Foundation with $55 billion in stock because his friend Bill Gates already had his foundation set up and could handle huge gifts when Buffett started giving away his fortune. But Buffett has said his kids now have enough experience in philanthropy to handle the task and he plans to cut off his Gates Foundation donations after his death. Buffett always makes his main annual gifts to all five foundations every summer, but for several years now he has been giving additional Berkshire shares to his family's foundations at Thanksgiving. Buffett reiterated Monday his advice to every parent to allow their families to read their will while they are still alive — like he has done — to make sure they have a chance to explain their decisions about how to distribute their belongings and answer their children's questions. Buffett said he and his longtime investing partner Charlie Munger, who died a year ago, “saw many families driven apart after the posthumous dictates of the will left beneficiaries confused and sometimes angry.” Today, Buffett continues to lead Berkshire Hathaway as chairman and CEO and has no plans to retire although he has handed over most of the day-to-day managing duties for the conglomerates dozens of companies to others. That allows him to focus on his favorite activity of deciding where to invest Berkshire's billions . One of Buffett's deputies who oversees all the noninsurance companies now, Greg Abel, is set to take over as CEO after Buffett's death. Even after converting 1,600 Class A shares into 2.4 million Class B Berkshire shares and giving them away, Buffett still owns 206,363 Class A shares and controls more than 30% of the vote.
After three months of bargaining over issues like artificial intelligence, wages, shrinking crews, and more, The Animation Guild has reached a tentative agreement for a new three-year contract with the group that represents Hollywood's studios, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Negotiations initially began on August 12 between TAG and the AMPTP, although the two organizations did not come to an agreement in the five days allotted for bargaining. Negotiations resumed on September 16, with the tentative agreement being reached on Saturday morning and announced on Monday, per a email from TAG sent to guild members. Among the issues that TAG touts gains in are stronger AI guardrails, including consultation and notification provisions; health and pension fund improvements; wage increases; protections for remote work; additional sick days; and the recognition of Juneteenth as a holiday. They also note "craft-specific gains," including staffing minimums for writers rooms. A tentative agreement between TAG and the AMPTP is a massive step forward, but it doesn't mean the new contract is set in stone quite yet. The next step will be a ratification vote by the members, which is currently being scheduled. While there were many issues at play, getting stricter protections for generative AI was a major one for this round of negotiations, something that also played a large role in and and the . IGN ran about how it's become a hot-button topic in the animation industry specifically, with some believing the technology could make their work more efficient and others arguing it's not worth risking jobs or artistic integrity. “After weeks of negotiations that covered months in the calendar, I am very proud of the agreement that we reached with the studios for our new contract,” said Steve Kaplan, TAG Business Representative, said in a statement. “Not only have we seen the inclusion of the advancements in the industry realized by the other Unions and Guilds, but we were able to address industry-specific issues in a meaningful way. The animation industry at large has been facing issues like crunch, layoffs, and low pay for years now, spawning an entire #StandWithAnimation movement. For more, check out our .