Jessie Schuster
Edited by Elissa D. Hecker
Entertainment
Michael Jackson Estate Lawyers Get ‘Stolen’ Studio Tapes Pulled From Auction
Michael Jackson’s Estate threatened to sue an auction website that hoped to sell 1994 “rare unreleased recordings” that Jackson’s lawyers claim were stolen.
https://www.billboard.com/business/legal/michael-jackson-estate-stolen-music-tapes-pulled-auction-1235557263/
Blast From the Past: In Search of Cash, Studios Send Old Shows Back to Netflix
After years of do-not-sell stances from studios in regards to lists of shows and movies that big studios hoped to withhold from streaming services, Disney, Warner Bros., and Discovery are all now sending some of their beloved content to Netflix. This move will lead to immediate cash inflow to both the studios and Netflix alike.
https://www.dtnext.in/edit/blast-from-the-past-in-search-of-cash-studios-send-old-shows-back-to-netflix-754721
Luke Combs Accidentally Sued a Fan for $250K. Now He’s Apologizing and Sending Her Thousands
Luke Combs is one of many artists that uses a company to find large corporations illegally using copyrighted material. The company used by Combs sued a fan who sold 18 Luke Combs themed tumblers on Amazon, but the suit was quickly dropped when Luke found out. For her troubles, the fan was sent $11K by the artist so that she wouldn’t have to deal with any fees or issues.
https://www.billboard.com/business/legal/luke-combs-apology-fan-sued-selling-merch-damages-1235555238/
Jonathan Majors Cries in Court as Domestic Violence Trial Comes to a Close
Disgraced actor Jonathan Majors cried in court as the jury in his domestic violence trial began deliberating. The verdict has still not been reached.
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/jonathan-majors-trial-closing-arguments-1234928174/
Zombie TV Has Come for Cable
“Zombie TV” is what people are now seeing on cable channels as USA and NBC, among others, have been replaying reruns of their old shows instead of creating and showing new content.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/business/media/zombie-tv-cable-networks.html
Arts
Dancers of All Sizes Hope Change Follows a Discrimination Ban
Dancers in NYC are hoping to see more inclusion with the passage of the law protecting against weight and height discrimination, so that dancers of all sizes have a chance in studios and on stage.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/arts/dance/height-weight-discrimination-dance.html?searchResultPosition=1
Metropolitan Museum of Art Returning Cambodian Antiquities Ties to “Illicit Trafficking”
The Met announced that it will be returning 13 antiquities to Cambodia that have ties to a dealer who was indicted in 2019 for smuggling, conspiracy, and wire fraud.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/metropolitan-museum-of-art-returning-cambodian-artifacts-sdny/
Fast Fashion Feud: Temu Accuses Rival Shein for ‘Mafia-Style Intimidation’ in Lawsuit
Two fast fashion brands, Temu and Shein, have found themselves in a legal battle as Temu has sued Shein for “mafia-style intimidation”, following Shein’s intimidation tactics against Temu’s employees and suppliers.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/12/15/temu-sues-shein-for-mafia-style-intimidation/71934994007/
He Made ‘Seven Brides’ Less Sexist. But Can He Stage It?
David Landay, author of ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers’ and the reworked 2021 production, added a prologue to the play and edited the plot to make an infamous kidnapping scene more palatable for modern audiences. However, the estates of his collaborators refused to allow any further productions of the play. Now, Landay is suing the heirs of his collaborators for breach of contract and is accusing them of unreasonably withholding their consent.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/14/theater/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers-lawsuit.html
She ‘Review Bombed’ Other Writers. Then Her Book Got Pulled.
Fantasy author Cait Corrain used fake Goodreads accounts to give herself high ratings and other authors bad ratings, leading to Corrain losing her agent, publisher, and book being pulled from the Amazon-owned website.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/12/books/cait-corrain-goodreads-reviews.html?searchResultPosition=1
British Museum Details Extent of Stolen and Damaged Items
British Museum administrators fear that missing items, including gems, jewelry, and stones have been “sold to scrap metal merchants” four months after the museum fired a curator that was accused of stealing them. The administrators also shared that 350 items have been damaged, with parts made of gold that are likely unrecoverable.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/12/arts/design/british-museum-missing-items.html?searchResultPosition=1
Sports
Federal Judge Highlights Name Image Likeness In Transfer-Related Order
A judge ruled in favor of OH, WV, CO, IL, NY, NC, and TN in the antitrust case against the NCAA. The opinion mentioned how institutions may now “lure” student athletes to their schools with the promise of NIL money.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/newsletter-image-likeness-vol-58-federal-judge-nil-order-heitner-yfhae/?midToken=AQHuMh_Z03ruTQ&midSig=3GiokmUjlX0r41&trk=eml-email_series_follow_newsletter_01-newsletter_content_preview-0-title_&trkEmail=eml-email_series_follow_newsletter_01-newsletter_content_preview-0-title_-null-o3dus~lq6op16i~s-null-null&eid=o3dus-lq6op16i-s&otpToken=MTYwNTFhZTYxYTI5YzljY2JlMmYwMmVhNDQxOGUzYmM4ZmM4ZDI0OTljYWY4NTZkNzNjZjA4NjY0ZTViNTlmM2ZjODY5Y2I4MTRkNmRiZTg1ZTYzOGRjYzVhMTY1NmEwZGY4NzZmYzMzY2M0N2I2YjMzLDEsMQ%3D%3D
Lawsuit Accuses NCAA of Antitrust Violation in College Athlete Transfer Rule
A group of states have filed a lawsuit in WV against the NCAA, challenging the association’s authority to have a one-year delay rule regarding the eligibility of transfer students.
https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-transfer-rule-lawsuit-west-virginia-945c1c2c365eeef9d0148915a7445f6c
Soule ex rel. Stanescu v. CT Assoc. of Schools, Inc.
The Second Circuit ruled that non-transgender female athletes are allowed to challenge a policy that was initially put in place to allow transgender females to compete in high school female sports.
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca2/21-1365/21-1365-2023-12-15.html
What Happens If the PGA Tour and LIV Golf Deal Falls Apart?
With only weeks to finalize the agreement between PGA Tour and LIV Golf that is set to be signed by Dec. 31, the question of what happens if the deal falls apart is looming. While the two golf mega-giant associations seem to be on good terms now with the pending deal, this comes after years of bad-mouthing each other and lawsuits.
https://www.sportico.com/law/analysis/2023/pga-tour-liv-deal-collapse-legal-implications-1234756223/
Orioles, Nationals Reach MASN Deal, This Time Without Legal Drama
The Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals reached a media rights deal in just weeks. This came as shocking news to many, as the last agreement between the teams lasted over a decade and included many legal woes.
https://frontofficesports.com/orioles-nationals-reach-another-masn-deal-this-time-without-legal-drama/
Media & Technology
Epic Win: Jury Decides Google Has Illegal Monopoly in App Store Fight
Three years after Epic Games initially sued Google, the video game company won with a jury verdict that found Google Play’s app store to be a monopoly.
https://www.theverge.com/23994174/epic-google-trial-jury-verdict-monopoly-google-play
The Epic Question: How Google Lost When Apple Won
The Epic Games lawsuits against Google and Apple ended with a loss for Google and a win for Apple, as it was found that Google Play Store was a monopoly, but the App Store was not.
https://www.theverge.com/24003500/epic-v-google-loss-apple-win-fortnite-trial-monopoly
Giuliani Ordered to Pay $148M for Defamation of Election Workers
Rudy Giuliani was ordered to pay $148M to two election workers in Georgia for defaming and causing extreme distress by spreading misinformation about them.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/giuliani-ordered-to-pay-148-million-for-defamation-of-election-workers
State Department is Fight Against Disinformation Comes Under Attack
The State Department’s Global Engagement Center is being accused by Republican lawmakers of helping social media platforms censor users and therefore violating First Amendment rights. GOP members are suing the agency, as they claim the work was “one of the most egregious government operations to censor the American press in the history of the nation.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/14/technology/state-department-disinformation-criticism.html
Elon Musk Reinstates Alex Jones on X
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who has been banned from Twitter for 5 years, now has a reinstated account on X after Elon Musk cited a poll that had over 70% of voters in favor of allowing Jones back on the platform.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/elon-musk-reinstates-alex-jones-x
New York Plans a $10B Chip Research Center with IBM, Micron, and Others
NY will soon be home to a multi-billion dollar EUV Lithography research and development center, in which the State will invest $1B. The creation should bring tech giants to New York and create hundreds of jobs for New Yorkers.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/12/tech/new-york-microchip-research-center/index.html
Ukraine’s Top Mobile Operator Hit by Biggest Cyberattack of War
Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile network that is home to over half the country’s mobile subscribers, was hacked by Russia amidst the ongoing war. As a result, millions of Ukrainians will not be able to receive alerts of air strikes.
https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/ukraines-biggest-mobile-operator-suffers-massive-hacker-attack-statement-2023-12-12/
Prince Harry’s Phone Hacking Victory is a Landmark in the Long Saga of British Tabloid Misconduct
Prince Harry has won the phone-hacking lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers in England, which shows the British tabloid’s extreme tactics of hiring PI’s to gather personal information from cellphones. This is likely the first of many victories against the modern British media.
https://apnews.com/article/britain-tabloid-phone-hacking-prince-harry-77f1d9b97f02e72d6a6bbc0a15129c4c
General News
Supreme Court Will Review Scope of Obstruction Law That Trump is Charged With Breaking
The obstruction law that Trump is charged with breaking with his involvement with Jan. 6th will be reviewed by the Supreme Court in the obstruction of an official proceeding case involving former officer Joseph Fisher, who was involved in the storming of the Capitol.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/13/supreme-court-will-review-scope-of-obstruction-law-that-trump-is-charging-with-breaking-00131514
The Abortion Pill Might Just Stand a Chance at the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court will hear FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine and Danco Laboratories v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the first abortion case since the monumental overturn of Roe v. Wade.
https://newrepublic.com/article/177580/supreme-court-narrow-mifepristone-standing
Senators Hold Up 43 Biden Diplomatic Nominees as Crises Roil World
43 diplomatic nominees wait for confirmation in the Senate while Congress takes a December break.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/us/politics/senate-state-nominees-diplomats-republicans.html
Biden Impeachment Inquiry Risks Backfiring on House GOP
If the House GOP impeachment inquiry does not move fast, it may end up hurting Republicans, as President Biden’s reelection campaign is successfully fundraising off impeachment efforts.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4362989-biden-impeachment-inquiry-backfiring-on-house-gop/
Homelessness Hits Record High After 12% Jump This Year, U.S. Officials Say
In the U.S., the amount of homeless people jumped by 12% this year, as a result of post-pandemic rent raising and the loss of housing aid.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/12/15/homelessness-hits-record-high-after-12-jump-this-year-us-officials-say/?sh=30f5fef6463a
Material From Russia Investigation Went Missing as Trump Left Office
A binder consisting of information related to an investigation into Russia’s protentional meddling with the 2016 election went missing just as former President Trump left the White House.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/us/politics/trump-binder-classified-material-russia.html?campaign_id=190&emc=edit_ufn_20231215&instance_id=110281&nl=from-the-times®i_id=67127294&segment_id=152728&te=1&user_id=0236c45b7ba3058bdd4cb83eb64a9d71
Appellate Judges Press Mark Meadows’ Attorney on Request to Move His Georgia Election Interference Case
Trump’s former Chief of Staff is seeking to move his Georgia election interference case to federal court, a move that appellate judges challenged for putting them in “an untenable situation.”
https://abcnews.go.com/US/mark-meadows-argue-federal-removal-georgia-election-interference/story?id=105676295
Judge Hits Pause on Trump Federal Election Case Over Presidential Immunity Appeal
Pending the decision of Trump’s appeal claiming that he has presidential immunity, the judge in his election interference case has paused the proceedings.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/judge-hits-pause-trump-federal-election-case-presidential-immunity-app-rcna129603
N.Y. Court of Appeals Sides with Democrats, Orders Redrawing of Congressional Maps
Democrats may end up having a leg up in the 2024 congressional races in NY, as it has been ruled that the Congressional Maps be redrawn. With this decision, the Republicans that won in the last election may now be running in districts that lean left.
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/n-y-court-of-appeals-sides-with-democrats-orders-redrawing-of-congressional-maps/
Uneaten and Trashed: How NY Wasted 5,000 Migrant Meals in One Day
Internal company records show that DocGo, a company that is meant to provide care to migrants in NYC, has thrown away tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of meals that were supposed to feed about 4,000 migrants three meals a day. This has left many hungry and wasted about $776K in taxpayer money for a 20-day period.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/13/nyregion/migrant-food-waste-docgo.html
Bronx Defenders Union Inexplicably Sides with Hamas
In response to the brutal terrorist attacks on October 7th, the Bronx Defenders Union put out a statement blaming Israel’s “apartheid laws” as the root cause of the ongoing war, language that the terrorist group themselves have used to defend their actions. Some prosecutors have refused to work with defenders from the group in individual cases and there has been a fierce backlash.
https://nypost.com/2023/11/01/opinion/why-is-bronx-defenders-union-siding-with-hamas/
Santos Reaps Notoriety’s Rewards as Prospect of Prison Still Looms
After being expelled from Congress, George Santos claims he has made more money in a week than he has during his time in D.C. from creating videos on Cameo.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/12/nyregion/santos-kimmel-crime.html?searchResultPosition=1
New Florida Law Blocks Chinese Students from Academic Labs
A new Florida law prohibits institutions from taking money from entities in China and six other Asian countries. The law makes it so that students from these countries can be hired in academic labs only if they are granted a waiver, but the process for getting such a waiver from the FL higher education body is unclear.
https://www.science.org/content/article/new-florida-law-blocks-chinese-students-from-academic-labs
Michael Cohen’s Former Attorney Ordered to Explain Citing Cases the Judge Believes Don’t Exist
Michael Cohen’s former attorney has been ordered by a federal judge to explain where he came up with cases cited in his motions that do not exist.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/13/politics/michael-cohen-former-attorney-cases/index.html
Countries Most at Risk Call Proposed Climate Agreement a ‘Death Warrant’
While scientists say cutting the use of fossil fuel within the next 10 years is a necessary factor to avoid unsafe extremes of global warming, the recent proposed climate agreement does not call for the immediate decrease in fossil fuels. Countries most affected by this decision are attempting to change this by sending their top negotiators to the United Nations.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/11/climate/cop28-climate-agreement-un.html?searchResultPosition=1
U.N. Seeks Repayment of $63.6M From Former Official
Vitaly Vanshelboim, the former U.N. official that is responsible for losing U.N. funds after irresponsibly putting them in the hands of a random man he met at a party, is being ordered to personally repay $63.3M.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/12/us/politics/un-funds-investment-scandal.html