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
New Analysis of “Rust” Gun Finds Alec Baldwin Must Have Pulled Trigger
The actor has repeatedly denied pulling the trigger of a revolver that went off on the film’s set, killing its cinematographer. The gun was not supposed to be loaded with live ammunition.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/arts/alec-baldwin-gun-trigger-rust.html
SiriusXM Sued by SoundExchange Over $150 Million Royalty Underpayment Claim
The new lawsuit, filed with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, maintains that SiriusXM improperly manipulated the federal regulations to create an artificially low calculation of “revenue” on which it pays creator royalties.
https://variety.com/2023/music/news/siriusxm-suedsoundexchange-150-million-royalty-1235697780/
Sony, Universal Sue Internet Archive Over Alleged ‘Massive Ongoing Violation’ Of Music Copyrights
The Internet Archive is known for its mission to collect and digitize as much human knowledge as possible, but that mission is putting it at odds with rightsholders.
https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/sony-universal-among-companies-suing-internet-archive-over-alleged-massive-ongoing-violation-of-music-copyrights/
Michael Jackson Sexual Abuse Lawsuits From ‘Leaving Neverland’ Subjects Revived by Appeals Court
A Los Angeles judge will now reconsider the accusations against the singer from the men.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/michael-jackson-sexual-abuse-lawsuits-leaving-neverland-1235570415/
‘The Nun’ Actress Sues Warner Bros. in Breach of Contract Lawsuit Over Merchandise Revenue
Bonnie Aarons suspects the studio is hiding the true amount of money it made off of merchandise exploiting her likeness.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/the-nun-lawsuit-warner-bros-1235569562/
Disney Sued by Film Financier TSG Over “Chilling Example” of Hollywood Accounting
In a lawsuit, TSG says 20th Century Studios and Disney "have tried to use nearly every trick in the Hollywood Accounting playbook" to short them hundreds of millions of dollars in connection with its investments in films, including “Avatar: The Way of Water”
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/disney-tsg-lawsuit-accounting-1235566787/
Iran Sentences Director to 6 Months After He Screened Film at Cannes
The Islamic Revolutionary Court said the director of “Leila’s Brothers,” Saeed Roustaee, and the film’s other producer had been “participating in the opposition’s propaganda.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/movies/iran-filmmaker-saeed-roustaee-jailed.html
Arts
Orlando Museum Accuses Ex-Leader of Seeking Profit From Fake Basquiats
The museum filed a lawsuit accusing its former director, Aaron De Groft and others, of using the institution to try to legitimize fake works that they planned to sell.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/15/arts/design/fake-basquiats-orlando-lawsuit.html
‘His Name Was Bélizaire’: Rare Portrait of Enslaved Child Arrives at the Met
For many years, a 19th century painting of three white children in a Louisiana landscape held a secret. Beneath a layer of overpaint meant to look like the sky: the figure of an enslaved youth.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/14/video/belizaire-frey-children-portrait-met.html
Relationships Carved From Clay Bring New Partners to Museums
In a sea change, artisans and leaders from Native communities were invited to be curators, offering a window onto the intangible and personal dimensions of Pueblo pottery.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/13/arts/design/museums-met-ceramics-pottery-native-americans.html
‘Bored Apes’ Investors Sue Sotheby’s, Paris Hilton, and Others as NFT Prices Collapse
The four named plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit allege that the auction house “misleadingly promoted” the NFTs and colluded with creator Yuga Labs to artificially inflate their prices.
https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/bored-apes-sothebys-lawsuit/index.html
Gentleman Thief ‘stole $1M’ in Art and Jewels: Professor, 79, Even Left Thank-You Notes
The 79-year-old is accused of making off with at least $1 million of jewels and art from homes in five states, some where he had been invited to weddings or fundraisers.
https://nypost.com/2023/08/17/gentleman-thief-stole-1m-in-art-and-jewels-professor-79-left-thank-you-notes/
Target’s Sales Hit by Pride Month Merchandise Backlash
The retailer’s quarterly sales fell, in part because of boycotts over Pride-themed fashions and displays, and it cut its forecast for the full year.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/business/target-sales-pride-backlash.html
Sports
‘Blind Side’ Player Says He Was Conned With Adoption Promise; Lawsuit Shows Strains in Depiction of Black Athletes
Michael Oher, whose life was depicted in the 2009 film, says in a lawsuit that he was never fully adopted by the family that took him in and was swindled into signing away his decision-making powers at 18. He has also long criticized the feel-good Hollywood version of his life as a struggling high school football player. His lawsuit against the family that took him in questions their relationship.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/14/sports/football/michael-oher-blind-side-lawsuit.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/sports/football/blind-side-lawsuit-movie.html
Former San Jose State Trainer Pleads Guilty to Groping Athletes
Scott Shaw admitted that he inappropriately touched the breasts and buttocks of four female athletes from 2017 to 2020, federal prosecutors said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/us/scott-shaw-sjsu-trainer-touching-guilty.html#:~:text=Mr.%20Shaw%20pleaded%20guilty%20nearly,of%20the%20six%20misdemeanor%20counts.
Some Transgender Women May Be Barred From Women’s Chess Competitions
The International Chess Federation introduced new regulations that can bar some transgender women from partaking in women’s competitions for up to two years or more.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/17/sports/chess-transgender-women-ban-fide.html
Knicks’ $85 Million Broadcaster Merger Settlement Greenlit
A Delaware judge approved two separate multi-million-dollar settlements to resolve investors’ claims over a 2021 merger that combined the billionaire James Dolan’s Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. with the company that broadcasts games for the NBA’s New York Knicks.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/knicks-85-million-broadcaster-merger-settlement-wins-approval
Technology/Media
Woman Is Awarded $1.2 Billion in ‘Revenge Porn’ Lawsuit
A jury ruled in favor of a Texas woman who said her ex-boyfriend had psychologically and sexually abused her by sharing intimate images of her online without her consent.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/15/us/houston-texas-revenge-porn.html
Biden Administration Urges Justices to Hear Cases on Social Media Laws
The administration argued that the laws enacted by Florida and Texas to prevent removal of posts amid conservative complaints about censorship by tech platforms violate the First Amendment.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/14/us/supreme-court-social-media-texas-florida.html
Authors and Booksellers Urge Justice Dept. to Investigate Amazon
The online retailer’s size and sway affects the free exchange of ideas, the groups argue. The Biden administration has stepped up enforcement of antitrust policies.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/books/amazon-books-justice-department.html
Judge blocks Internet Archive from sharing copyrighted books
A federal judge has approved a permanent injunction against the online Internet Archive from scanning and sharing copyrighted books already made available by publishers
https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/judge-blocks-internet-archive-sharing-copyrighted-books-102290385
AI-Created Art Isn’t Copyrightable, Judge Says in Ruling That Could Give Hollywood Studios Pause
A federal judge upheld a finding from the U.S. Copyright Office that a piece of art created by AI is not open to protection
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/ai-works-not-copyrightable-studios-1235570316/
Report on Anti-Gay Slur Could Put Local News Site Out of Business
When a north-central Wisconsin news site reported that a businessman had uttered a homophobic slur, he sued, claiming defamation. The legal bills are piling up.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/15/business/media/antigay-slur-wausau-pilot-review.html
Raid of Small Kansas Newspaper Raises Free Press Concerns
The search of The Marion County Record’s office led to the seizure of computers, servers and cellphones of reporters and editors.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/13/business/media/kansas-marion-newspaper-police-raid.html
After Kansas Paper Is Raided, Officials Are Ordered to Return What They Took
The raid of the newspaper, The Marion County Record, has drawn condemnation from First Amendment advocates.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/business/media/authorities-return-items-kansas-newspaper-raid.html
When Hackers Descended to Test A.I., They Found Flaws Aplenty
The hackers had the blessing of the White House and leading A.I. companies, which want to learn about vulnerabilities before those with nefarious intentions do.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/technology/ai-defcon-hackers.html
Google Tests an A.I. Assistant That Offers Life Advice
The tech giant is evaluating tools that would use artificial intelligence to perform tasks that some of its researchers have said should be avoided.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/technology/google-ai-life-advice.html
Sandy Hook Families Say Alex Jones Cannot Hide Behind Bankruptcy
They told a judge that Jones should not be allowed to use a Chapter 11 filing to skirt more than $1 billion in damages awarded for his lies.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/15/us/alex-jones-bankruptcy-sandy-hook.html
YouTube Ads May Have Led to Online Tracking of Children, Research Says
YouTube’s advertising practices on kids’ channels could have resulted in companies tracking children across the web, a report said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/17/technology/youtube-google-children-privacy.html
With TikTok and Lawsuits, Gen Z Takes on Climate Change
‘We’re the last resort,’ one young activist said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/19/climate/young-climate-activists.html
General News
Georgia Case Lays the Ground for Parallel Prosecutions of Trump
The district attorney in Georgia and the special counsel converged on the same conclusion: that former President Trump and his allies “knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/15/us/elections/trump-indictments-willis-smith.html
Trump Indicted in Georgia, Former-President Has 10 Days to Surrender for Arraignment
Donald Trump and 18 others were indicted by an Atlanta grand jury. They face sweeping racketeering charges stemming from efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/08/15/us/trump-indictment-georgia
With Racketeering Charges, Georgia Prosecutor Aims to ‘Tell the Whole Story’
Prosecutors have found racketeering laws to be powerful tools in targeting not only foot soldiers in a criminal enterprise, but also high-level decision makers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/15/us/trump-rico-charges-georgia.html#:~:text=Trump%20was%20charged%20under%20Georgia's,for%20a%20common%20criminal%20goal.
Special Counsel Obtained Trump’s Direct Messages on Twitter
The nature of the messages or who exactly wrote them remained unclear, but it was a revelation that such messages were associated with the former president’s account.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/15/us/politics/trump-twitter-direct-messages-warrant.html
Officials Investigate Threats Against Trump Grand Jurors in Georgia
Some of the jurors’ identities have been shared on social media, with suggestions that they be harassed or made “infamous.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/17/us/trump-georgia-grand-jurors.html
How Trump Uses Supporters’ Donations to Pay His Legal Bills
Facing a wide array of criminal charges, the former president is using money from small donors to defend himself legally — a practice that raises ethical questions.
https://www.nytimes.com/article/trump-donations-legal-bills.html
Former F.B.I. Spy Hunter Pleads Guilty to Aiding Russian Oligarch
Charles McGonigal, once the bureau’s chief of counterintelligence in New York, still faces separate federal charges out of Washington.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/15/nyregion/charles-mcgonigal-fbi-plea.html
Judge Rules in Favor of Montana Youths in a Landmark Climate Case
The court found that young people have a constitutional right to a healthful environment and that the state must consider potential climate damage when approving projects.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/14/us/montana-youth-climate-ruling.html#:~:text=1.3k-,Judge%20Rules%20in%20Favor%20of%20Montana%20Youths%20in%20a%20Landmark,climate%20damage%20when%20approving%20projects.
Administration Urges Colleges to Pursue Diversity Despite Affirmative Action Ban
In its first guidance since the Supreme Court decision, the administration says many recruitment programs are still allowed, but other questions are left unanswered.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/14/us/biden-affirmative-action-diversity.html
The Long, Lonely Wait for Justice for 17 Fallen U.S. Sailors
Families of the sailors who were killed in the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole and survivors having been making the trek to the war court at Guantánamo Bay for pretrial hearings since 2011.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/15/us/politics/uss-cole-bombing-case.html
Biden Welcomes Japanese and South Korean Leaders to Camp David Summit
President Biden is hosting the leaders of the two Asian nations to overcome historical grievances and present a united front in the face of an increasingly assertive China.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/18/us/politics/biden-japan-south-korea-sum.html
Why Hawaii Is Scrutinizing Hawaiian Electric in the Maui Fire
The utility company’s share price has tumbled after lawsuits were filed seeking to hold it accountable for the blaze, which has killed more than 100 people.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/17/business/energy-environment/hawaiian-electric-maui-wildfire.html
In Retail’s Top Echelons, Female CEOs Lose a Bit of Ground
Several prominent companies, like the Gap and Kohl’s, have recently replaced female leaders with men. Industry observers see a loss in gender representation.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/14/business/women-chief-executives-retail-companies.html
Little Rock Will Offer A.P. African American Studies Despite State Objections
The decision comes after the State Department of Education announced that the course’s content might violate a new law banning “indoctrination” in schools.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/17/us/little-rock-ap-african-american-studies.html