02.17.19

Minnesota Capitol sees change in addressing opioid crisis

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Supporters of bills to fight opioid abuse and addiction think they have the votes at the Minnesota Legislature to pass a comprehensive response to the crisis. Back in 2018, a similar bill failed to get through the Minnesota House after easily making it through the state Senate, even though the basics of the legislation had widespread support. Yet lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry blocked passage of increased registration fees for drug makers and distributors that...

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02.17.19

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Birthday: His Best 15 Movies Ranked

Plot summary: The NSA's illegal surveillance techniques are leaked to the public by one of the agency's employees, Edward Snowden, in the form of thousands of classified documents distributed to the press. Plot summary: A New Jersey guy dedicated to his family, friends, and church, develops unrealistic expectations from watching porn and works to find happiness and intimacy with his potential true love. What the critics said: "Writer-director-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so savvy about the workings of our small minds...

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02.16.19

Fox News Refused to run an Advertisement Condemning Fascism, but CNN and MSNBC Have Said They Will

CNN and MSNBC have agreed to air an advertisement that warns viewers about the dangers of American fascism —- a clip that Fox News has declined to broadcast. The film’s director, Marshall Curry, told The Washington Post on Friday they "decided to dig deep and pay for television ads we weren’t planning to buy because we wanted to make the point that Fox News is out the mainstream." Curry added that the network’s rejection of the ad  "says something that...

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02.16.19

Daughter takes over seat of longest serving state senator

FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 photo, former Alabama State Sen. Hank Sanders, left, a nine-term member of the Alabama Legislature, who is being replaced in the Alabama Senate by his daughter Sen. Malika Sanders-Fortier, right, attend a press conference to discuss preparation for the annual voting rights match commemoration in Selma, Ala. (AP Photo/Kim Chandler) MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — For nearly 40 years state Sen. Hank Sanders of Selma was a fixture of the Alabama Statehouse. Sanders,...

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02.16.19

After Ryan Adams allegations, will #MeToo finally roil music industry?

In recent weeks, three popular stars — R&B singer R. Kelly, pop icon Michael Jackson and alternative rocker Ryan Adams — have come under intense scrutiny over alleged sexual misconduct, pointing to what could be a new chapter for #MeToo. Sony Music, a leading recording company, cut ties with R. Kelly after a six-part Lifetime documentary series brought renewed attention to his alleged pattern of sexual, emotional and physical abuse. R. Kelly and Adams join a comparatively short list of...

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02.16.19

Gut-Wrenching Production 'The Shadow of a Gunman' Debuts at Irish Rep

New York’s Irish Repertory Theater has kicked off probably its most ambitious season ever—showcasing all the works of master playwright Sean O’Casey—with a powerful production of The Shadow of a Gunman, a tragedy about the Irish War of Independence from Britain, which is expertly directed by Ciarán O’Reilly. Shadow of a Gunman, which was first performed at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre in 1923, was O’Casey’s first successful play. Donal Davoren, the protagonist—the gunman, or shadow, as it were—is a poet who has no time...

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02.16.19

Why Donald Trump Jr.'s 'loser teachers' comment was 'a chilling moment' for educators around the world

(Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images) You may recall that President Trump held a pro-border wall rally on Feb. 11 in El Paso and his eldest child, Donald Trump Jr., made a speech that roused the crowd. The president’s son drew cheers when he urged young conservatives to "bring it to your schools" (though he didn’t say exactly what "it" was) because "you don’t have to be indoctrinated by these loser teachers that are trying to sell you on socialism from birth." They...

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02.16.19

Europe's youth walk out of classrooms to demand action on climate change

descended on Parliament Square in London Friday as part of a school strike movement that has swept across Europe in recent months to demand action on climate change. "Young people have so much passion and energy and so much enthusiasm for issues like this," said Tallulah Guard, 17, a London student participating in the march. The walk-outs called Youth Strike 4 Climate and Fridays for Future were founded by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, who began protesting outside the Swedish parliament last...

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02.16.19

Poland's political leader on unprecedented defensive

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Poland’s most powerful politician who has built his position on a reputation of honesty and anti-communist convictions, suddenly finds himself embroiled in revelations over his involvement in complex business dealings and the presence in his inner circle of people with alleged communist ties. The scandal broke when Gazeta Wyborcza, a daily newspaper critical of ruling Law and Justice party that Kaczynski leads, published transcripts of secretly recorded business negotiations between Kaczynski and an Austrian...

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02.16.19

Fuggedaboutit: NYC's tech scene mourns Amazon but is ready to move on

New York City’s growing tech scene was poised to receive a once-in-a-lifetime boost: tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. The issues raised by local activists and politicians about Amazon’s development mirror a growing national discussion about the impact of big tech companies on issues including inequality, gentrification and housing — raising some fears that New York City could miss out on jobs and economic development from big tech companies. Amazon’s office would have been the crowning achievement for a city...

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