By Giancarla Sambo
Edited by Elissa D. Hecker
Below, for your browsing convenience, the categories are divided into: Entertainment, Arts, Sports, Technology/Media, and General News:
Entertainment
To Keep TV Shows Afloat, Some Networks Are Cutting Actors’ Pay
In a shrinking business, actors on some shows are being guaranteed less money, an issue that’s helping to fuel the Hollywood strike.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/31/business/media/actors-strike-bob-hearts-abishola-pay.html
Lizzo Dancers Arianna Davis and Crystal Williams: 'No one speaks out, they are scared'
Two of Lizzo's former dancers, who are suing the pop star for misconduct, have claimed that others are scared to speak out. The legal action against the Grammy Award-winner includes accusations of sexual, religious, and racial harassment, discrimination, assault, and false imprisonment.
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-66384971
Hollywood Studios Signal New Strategy by Talking With Writers
The actors’ union has historically been more willing to negotiate, but when Fran Drescher took a hard line as its leader, executives shifted their focus to the other striking guild.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/business/media/writers-guild-hollywood-strike.html
Streep and Clooney Lead Donation Campaign for Striking Actors
The stars, joined by celebrities like Matt Damon and Oprah Winfrey, helped raise more than $15 million over the past three weeks.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/business/media/clooney-streep-actors-strike-donations.html
Digital Replicas, a Fear of Striking Actors, Already Fill Screens
The technology for morphing flesh-and-blood performers into virtual avatars has been improving for years. Now it has become an issue in the actors’ strike.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/arts/television/actors-strike-digital-replicas.html
Striking Actors Are Turning to Cameo for Extra Cash
Others are using the service, through which fans can pay for personalized videos, to engage with followers while not publicly promoting work.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/style/sag-aftra-strike-cameo.html
50 Rappers 50 Stories
Over five decades, hip-hop has grown from a new art form to a culture-defining superpower. In their own words, 50 influential voices chronicle its evolution.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/07/18/arts/music/hiphop50.html
Leah Remini Sues Scientology, Says She Is a Victim of ‘Psychological Torture’
“For 17 years, Scientology and David Miscavige have subjected me to what I believe to be psychological torture, defamation, surveillance, harassment, and intimidation, significantly impacting my life and career. I believe I am not the first person targeted by Scientology and its operations, but I intend to be the last,” stated Remini.
https://variety.com/2023/film/news/leah-remini-sues-church-of-scientology-1235686180/
Dua Lipa: Singer Sued Again Over Song Levitating
Bosko Kante, who has worked with artists such as Ye and J Cole, claims that the use of an ElectroSpit Talk Box - a device he says he created - was only approved for use on the original song, and by using the recording in remixes of the song, he is claiming that his copyright has been infringed upon.
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/dua-lipa-singer-sued-again-125334744.html?guccounter=1
Natalia Jiménez Denounces That She was Discriminated Against in a Restaurant for Speaking Spanish
“It is not the first time that I feel that I am being discriminated against for speaking Spanish in the United States, but today has been incredible! I was talking to my daughter on FaceTime in the restaurant and it turns out that the people in the restaurant were bothered to such a degree I was thrown out of the restaurant…”
https://euro.eseuro.com/celebrities/769044.html
Cardi B Won’t Face Criminal Charges Over Mic Throwing Incident in Las Vegas
A police report was filed alleging battery, but the Las Vegas police say that the star has now been cleared of any crimes.
https://www.billboard.com/business/legal/cardi-b-criminal-charges-mic-throw-las-vegas-show-1235384868/
Placebo’s Brian Molko Sued for Calling Italian Prime Minister a “Fascist”
Placebo’s lead singer, Brian Molko, is the target of a defamation lawsuit filed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after making inflammatory comments about the right-wing leader during the band’s set at the Sonic Park Stupinigi festival in Turin on July 11th.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/placebo-brian-molko-sued-calling-135206633.html?guccounter=1
Arts
Teenager Is Charged in Killing of Dancer at Brooklyn Gas Station
He faces a charge of second-degree murder, as a hate crime, in the fatal stabbing of O’Shae Sibley, a gay man who was dancing to Beyonce, last week.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/05/nyregion/oshae-sibley-stabbing-charges.html
Opera Star David Daniels Pleads Guilty to Sexual Assault
The countertenor and his husband, Scott Walters, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a young singer in Houston in 2010, in a deal that will spare them jail time.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/arts/opera-star-david-daniels-guilty-plea-sexual-assault.html#:~:text=Mr.%20Daniels%20pleaded%20guilty%20to,singer%20he%20assaulted%2C%20Samuel%20Schultz.
Art Vandalism: 5 Things You Should Know About This Crime
Why would someone destroy an artwork? Learn more about what motivates art vandalism, and more.
https://www.thecollector.com/art-vandalism/
$30: The Entrance Fee to America’s Museums Keeps Rising
Their buildings have expanded and expenses have surged, even as attendance slowed. Art lovers will bear the cost: The Guggenheim is the latest to increase its price of admission to $30 — the new normal.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/01/arts/design/museums-raise-admission-fees-guggenheim.html
Excavations Uncover Hints of Nero’s Theater in Rome
A dig at a palace set to become a hotel has unearthed traces of a theater that archaeologists hypothesize was built by Nero, the emperor with a disputed reputation for tyranny and debauchery.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/30/world/europe/rome-nero-theater.html
Australia Will Return Looted Sculptures to Cambodia
A centuries-old Buddhist sculpture was taken from a rural area in Cambodia nearly 30 years ago. It was later sold with two other statues to the National Gallery of Australia.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/03/world/asia/australia-cambodia-looted-sculptures.html
‘It’s Crazy’: The Scramble for Ancient Treasures After Ukraine’s Dam Disaster
After the Kakhovka dam was blown up in June, the reservoir above it quickly drained, revealing a bonanza of artifacts that has electrified Ukrainian archaeologists.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/world/europe/ukraine-kakhovka-dam-artifacts.html
Sports
N.F.L. Increases Penalties for Sexual Misconduct in Light of Deshaun Watson Case
The league can more strictly penalize players for sexual assault involving coercion or threats, and its discipline can consider patterns of conduct, after a judge who oversaw Watson’s hearing cited the policy’s limits.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/31/sports/football/nfl-conduct-policy-deshaun-watson.html
A New Era of Soccer Moms Navigates a Rapidly Changing Game
Women have long blended motherhood and elite sports, but as soccer expands its support systems, it is also demanding more of its players.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/31/sports/soccer/womens-world-cup-mothers-ertz.html
The N.B.A. and Its Owners Fight for Change, but Not Necessarily the Same Change
The league embraces progressive causes supported by players. However, some team owners pull in the opposite direction, as apparent in the Orlando Magic’s donation to Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/sports/basketball/adam-silver-nba-politics.html
Orlando Magic’s Political Donation Is ‘Alarming,’ Players’ Union Says
The team donated $50,000 to a super PAC supportive of Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. The union said that does not mean that Magic players support him.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/03/sports/orlando-magics-political-donation-is-alarming-players-union-says.html
Northwestern Hires Former Obama Attorney General Loretta Lynch Amid Hazing Lawsuits
"I never will forget the mistreatment," a former player said.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/new-lawsuits-allege-devastating-sexual-hazing-northwestern-university/story?id=101895767
Third-Party Influence May Soon Shake the Foundation of College Football
How does a new conference financed with a $1 billion investment sound to you, college football fan?
https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/third-party-influence-may-soon-shake-foundation-of-college-football-impacting-conferences-programs/
Paris Bookstalls Are Told to Relocate During Next Year’s Olympics
The “bouquinistes” along the River Seine have objected after being told that most of them will have to move temporarily for security reasons.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/world/europe/paris-olympics-booksellers.html
‘Matter of life and death’: Rugby League Brain Injuries Claim Heading to Court
A group of 125 former players launched an action against the RFL, IRL, and Barla.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/aug/02/matter-of-life-and-death-brain-injuries-claim-heading-for-court-rugby-league
Technology/Media
Judge Narrows Scope of Coming Trial Over Google Monopoly Claims
The ruling did not affect some central parts of the antitrust cases about Google search, which are scheduled to go to trial next month.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/technology/google-search-monopoly-judge.html
Twitter Sues Nonprofit That Tracks Hate Speech
The Center for Countering Digital Hate said it had received a letter from X, Twitter’s parent company, accusing it of trying to hurt the social platform with its research.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/31/technology/twitter-x-center-for-countering-digital-hate.html
Trade Association Challenges Arkansas Law Restricting Children On Social Media
The new law, Arkansas Senate Bill 396 (also referred to as the "Social Media Safety Act") is intended to go into effect on September 1st. It places restrictions on the use of certain social media platforms by minors.
https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/social-media/1339732/trade-association-challenges-arkansas-law-restricting-children-on-social-media
New AI Systems Collide With Copyright Law
Kelly McKernan says she "felt sick" when she discovered her artwork had been used to train an artificial intelligence system.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-66231268
The Synagogue Attack Stands Alone, but Experts Say Violent Rhetoric Is Spreading
At his trial, the man who killed 11 at a Pittsburgh synagogue was portrayed as a lonely man engulfed in online extremism. Experts say many people fit that description.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/us/pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting-antisemitism-bowers.html
YouTube Streamer Faces Riot Charge After Union Square Park Erupts in Chaos
Thousands of people descended on Union Square after Kai Cenat, a popular YouTube and Twitch streamer, promised to hand out free game consoles.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/nyregion/union-square-kai-cenat-twitch-giveaway.html
A.I.’s Inroads in Publishing Touch Off Fear, and Creativity
The technology has the potential to affect nearly every aspect of how books are produced — even the act of writing itself.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/books/ais-inroads-in-publishing-touch-off-fear-and-creativity.html
What Can You Do When A.I. Lies About You?
People have little protection or recourse when the technology creates and spreads falsehoods about them.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/03/business/media/ai-defamation-lies-accuracy.html
Virtual Restaurant Firm Sued by MrBeast Over ‘Inedible’ Burgers Responds: ‘Meritless’ Lawsuit Came After His ‘Bullying Tactics’ to Renegotiate Deal
Donaldson’s Beast Investments filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Virtual Dining Concepts and its parent company, seeking a declaratory judgment order that “Beast Investments has the immediate right” to terminate its deal with VDC and asking for unspecified monetary damages
https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/mrbeast-burger-lawsuit-inedible-response-1235685415/
Meta Begins Blocking News in Canada
The change came in response to a new law in Canada that requires tech companies to pay news outlets for using their content.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/business/media/meta-news-in-canada.html
General News
TRUMP INDICTMENT:
Trump Is Indicted in His Push to Overturn Election
The former president faces three conspiracy charges and a count of attempting to obstruct an official proceeding in his campaign to use the levers of government power to remain in office.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/01/us/politics/trump-indicted-election-jan-6.html
Trump, Arraigned on Election Charges, Pleads Not Guilty
The former president appeared in federal court in Washington after being indicted over his efforts to overturn his defeat in 2020. His first pretrial hearing was set for Aug. 28.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/03/us/politics/trump-arraignment-court.html
Trump Indictment Jan. 6 Riot Was ‘Fueled by Lies’ From Trump, Special Counsel Says
Former President Donald J. Trump was charged with four counts in connection with his efforts to subvert the will of voters in 2020. “Despite having lost, the defendant was determined to remain in power,” prosecutors wrote.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/08/01/us/trump-indictment-jan-6
Pence Says Trump Pushed Him ‘Essentially to Overturn the Election’
The remarks are some of the former vice president’s most pointed about what happened in the lead up to Jan. 6, 2021.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/03/us/politics/pence-trump-election-jan-6.html
Trump Indictment Leaves Alleged Co-Conspirators Facing Tough Choices
The special counsel’s decision not to charge six people is said to have played critical roles in the effort to keep Donald Trump in office seemed to give them a chance to cooperate with prosecutors.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/us/politics/trump-indictment-co-conspirators.html
Trump Election Charges Set Up Clash of Lies Versus Free Speech
The indictment of former President Donald J. Trump over his efforts to retain power accuses him of conspiracies built on knowing falsehoods. His supporters say he is protected by the First Amendment.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/us/politics/trump-indictment-lies-vs-free-speech.html
Trump’s Legal Team Is Enmeshed in a Tangle of Possible Conflicts
Former President Donald J. Trump’s growing cast of lawyers is marked by a web of overlapping interests encompassing witnesses, co-defendants, and potential targets.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/05/us/politics/trump-charges-lawyer-conflicts.html
Jan. 6 Prosecutors Ask for Protective Order, Citing Threatening Trump Post
In seeking a judge’s order, the government was drawing attention to the former president’s longstanding habit of attacking those involved in criminal cases against him.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/05/us/politics/jack-smith-trump-threat-social-media.html
More General News…
Judge Rejects Trump’s Effort to Short-Circuit Georgia Election Case
A Fulton County judge chided Donald Trump’s lawyers for “unnecessary and unfounded legal filings” ahead of indictments expected in mid-August.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/31/us/trump-georgia-prosecutor-election.html
Family of Henrietta Lacks Settles With Biotech Company That Used Her Cells
Ms. Lacks’s family had accused Thermo Fisher Scientific of profiting from her cells, which have contributed to revolutionary advances in medicine, without seeking their permission.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/01/science/henrietta-lacks-cells-lawsuit-settlement.html
Jury in Pittsburgh Synagogue Trial Condemns Gunman to Death
The verdict, after nearly 10 hours of deliberations, was met with a mix of solemnity, gratitude, and relief among the survivors and families of those killed in the 2018 attack.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/us/pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting-trial-robert-bowers.html
A Craigslist for Guns, With No Background Checks
A federal gun law passed last year gave the Biden administration a powerful new tool to increase background checks on “private” firearms sales. Will the administration use it?
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/01/us/gun-laws-private-sales-background-checks-armslist.html
A Republican 2024 Climate Strategy: More Drilling, Less Clean Energy
Project 2025, a conservative “battle plan” for the next Republican president, would stop attempts to cut the pollution that is heating the planet and encourage more emissions.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/climate/republicans-climate-project2025.html
Heat Is Costing the U.S. Economy Billions in Lost Productivity
From meatpackers to home health aides, workers are struggling in sweltering temperatures and productivity is taking a hit.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/31/climate/heat-labor-productivity-climate.html
What This Year's 'Astonishing' Ocean Heat Means for the Planet
The Earth's oceans are the hottest they have been in modern history, by an unusually wide margin.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/03/climate/ocean-temperatures-heat-earth.html
Antarctic Sea Ice Is at a ‘Very Concerning’ Record Low
It’s winter in Antarctica, when sea ice cover typically grows, but this year’s sea ice is way behind, reaching record lows with implications for the planet.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/climate/antarctic-sea-ice-record-low.html
Disney District, Now Under DeSantis’s Control, Ends Its D.E.I. Programs
The special district that governs the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida announced that it was ending its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, a decision that is firmly in line with Gov. Ron DeSantis’s efforts to limit such measures in areas like higher education.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/01/us/disney-world-dei-programs-desantis-florida.html
In a Reversal, A.P. Psychology May Be Allowed in Florida Schools After All
The College Board and the Florida Department of Education had been feuding over the inclusion of a section on gender and sexual orientation.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/us/florida-ap-psychology.html
For the First Time, There’s a Pill for Postpartum Depression
As the pill works faster than other antidepressants and is taken for only two weeks, it may encourage more treatment of the debilitating condition.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/health/postpartum-depression-pill-fda.html