Month: January 2023

Colleagues and friends rallied to send their prayers and well-wishes when reports began to circulate early Monday morning that actor Jeremy Renner had been injured in an accident.

Renner, who is well-known for his portrayal of the comic superhero Hawkeye in a number of films within the Marvel cinematic universe, reportedly suffered serious injuries when the plow he was using to clear his Nevada driveway rolled over his legs.

Entertainment website TMZ shared video of “The Hurt Locker” star being airlifted to the hospital, and reported that a neighbor — who happened to be a doctor — had been able to get to Renner before first responders arrived and had applied a tourniquet to slow the bleeding.

“My God,” actor Josh Gad tweeted when he read the news. “Praying for @jeremyrenner and his family.”

Comic writer Christopher Yost wished Renner a quick recovery as well, adding, “Wishing @JeremyRenner a full and …

The Buffalo Bills said in a statement during the early morning hours on Tuesday that safety Damar Hamlin’s frightening collapse on the field was triggered by a heart attack.

Hamlin collapsed with about six minutes left in the first quarter of the Monday Night Football game after he tackled Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins after a 13-yard catch. After the tackle, Hamlin got up, took a step backward, and fell to the ground.

“Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals,” the team said in a statement. “His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”

Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical …

On Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II passed away surrounded by family at Balmoral in Scotland. She was ninety-six years old.Two days later, her son was proclaimed King Charles III at the Accession Council held at St James’s Palace. In attendance were members of the royal family, British politicians past and present, and others invited to witness the historic event.”My lords, ladies, and gentlemen,” King Charles III began, “it is my most sorrowful duty to announce to you the death of my beloved mother the Queen. I know how deeply you, the entire nation, and I think I may say the whole world, sympathize with me in the irreparable loss we’ve all suffered.””It is the greatest consolation to me, to know of the sympathy expressed by so many to my sister and brothers and that such overwhelming affection and support should be extended to our whole family in our loss.”Charles went on to highlight the legacy of his …

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has allocated $25 million to UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism “to support and strengthen local reporting in underserved and historically underrepresented areas across the state,” according to a Wednesday announcement from the university. Dean of the journalism school at Berkeley, Geeta Anand, stated the reasons for the move and how the school will use the money.”We’ve got three reasons for taking this on,” she tweeted. “1: we all see the world through the prism of our own lived experiences. So, who our storytellers are matters. If we don’t have a diverse group of people becoming journalists, then we miss stories that matter.””This is core to Berkeley Journalism’s mission: removing the economic barriers for journalists who have historically been excluded from the industry. It’s why 1/4 of our new class are 1st-gen college students, …

Ray Epps is the fellow who was caught on video multiple times telling pro-Trump protesters that they were going to have to storm the Capitol. Yet despite this clear evidence that he was a singular ringleader and instigator of what Democrats insist was an “insurrection” that threatened the very survival of our free republic, Epps has never been charged with insurrection or anything else, or even been arrested. Meanwhile, people who never told anyone to storm the Capitol have languished in prison without trial for nearly two years now, in shocking conditions. All this has given rise to the widespread and lingering suspicion that Ray Epps is a fed, a suspicion that Epps himself has just reinforced by telling his nephew that he “orchestrated” the events of that fateful day. Of course he did.

A transcript of a deposition of Epps with the House Jan. 6 Committee, dated …

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy’s quest to become speaker of the House has run into new headwinds as the lower chamber of Congress prepares for a leadership vote on Tuesday.

Republicans gained control of the 435-member House in the November elections, with 222 seats. To be elected speaker over Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona — the only other Republican who has publicly said he wants the post — McCarthy needs 218 votes. That means any more than four Republicans opposing him, assuming all Democrats do, could sink his chances for the post.

On Sunday, nine Republicans signed a letter saying that McCarthy’s efforts to woo conservative Republicans have been, in essence, too little, too late.

“[T]he times call for radical departure from the status quo — not a continuation of past, and ongoing, Republican failures,” the letter said.

Republican Reps. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Chip …

“No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session,” American lawyer, politician and newspaper editor Gideon T. Tucker wrote in 1866.

How could the Honorable Mr. Tucker have known about 21st-century Illinois way back then?

Most of that state’s SAFE-T Act went into effect on Sunday, putting new constraints on law enforcement and giving new freedom to criminals.

Thankfully, a last-minute ruling Saturday by the Illinois Supreme Court suspended one of the worst aspects of the new law: elimination of cash bail, similar to what has occurred in New York state.

But it’s still a bad law, described by one of its opponents as the “most dangerous” he’s ever seen.

And Democratic Illinois Speaker of the House Emanuel “Chris” Welch has been aggressively pushing it, despite protests by Republicans of the 750-page bill crammed through both the state House and Senate in three days, …

After a resounding re-election victory in the November election, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is delving even further into America’s increasingly bitter cultural wars.

In his initial 2018 race, DeSantis won against Democratic opponent Andrew Gillum by just 0.4%. In his 2022 re-election campaign, the Republican governor carried the race on a landslide, beating Democrat Charlie Crist by nearly 20 points.

That victory came after four years of DeSantis’s nonstop political crusading throughout the state, much of it at the forefront of hot-button cultural issues that many Republicans often opt to avoid.

Most prominent among those subjects has been LGBTQ politics, which DeSantis’s office has continued to press.

DeSantis Press Secretary Bryan Griffin said on Twitter in late December the administration was “actively investigating” reports of “a sexually explicit performance marketed to children” in the state, which multiple media outlets said referred to a “drag queen” show where children …

As the House of Representatives plans to vote Tuesday for its next Speaker, current House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy is desperately scrambling to secure enough support within his own party to claim the gavel.

A prospective speaker needs a minimum of 218 supportive lawmakers to hold the post. After the November midterm elections, Republicans claimed a total of 222 seats, leaving any Republican leader with little room to maneuver.

Five House Republicans have committed to opposing McCarthy’s leadership, including Reps. Matt Gaetza, Fla.; Andy Biggs, Ariz.; Bob Good, Va.; Ralph Norman, S.C., and Matt Rosendale, Mont.

Their stalwart opposition leaves McCarthy one vote shy of the gavel, assuming he could wrangle the support of every other House Republican, and could force him to turn to Democrats for support, a move his has remained reluctant to pursue.

Incoming House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, moreover, has …