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Elissa D. Hecker - Editor

Week In Review

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

Cable TV Is on Life Support, but a New Bundle Is Coming Alive

Cable companies have started to figure out a way to stay in the TV game: Reselling streaming services.


Fox Sued by New York City Pension Funds Over Election Falsehoods

Representatives of the pension funds accuse the Fox Corporation board of neglecting its responsibility to shareholders by leaving the company open to defamation lawsuits.

Electric Zoo Organizers Hit With Class Action Lawsuit After Disastrous 2023 Fest

Plaintiffs cite "nightmare endured by thousands of electronic music fans" as the fest faced global supply chain issues and capacity limits.


Studios Say Talks With Striking Writers May Resume Next Week

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said the union had asked for a meeting, which would be the first in nearly a month.


Marquee Writers Push for Negotiations, but Their Clout May Not Matter

Some showrunners, eager for progress in the Hollywood strike, want the Writers Guild of America to meet with studios. How much sway they still have is in question.


Drew Barrymore’s Show Is Picketed as It Resumes Amid Writers’ Strike

The star, who dropped out of an MTV awards show in May to demonstrate solidarity with striking writers, planned to bring her daytime talk show back without its unionized writers, only to change her mind again at the 11th hour.


Bill Maher Says Show Will Return Despite Writers’ Strike

The HBO host said that he sympathized with the writers but needed to return for the good of other people who work on “Real Time With Bill Maher”.


Stan Lee’s Estate Loses Yearslong Elder Abuse Lawsuit Against Former Attorney on a Technicality

An arbitrator found that claims against Lee's former attorney were brought five days past the statute of limitations.


Jann Wenner Removed From Rock Hall Board After Times Interview

The Rolling Stone co-founder’s exit comes a day after The New York Times published an interview in which he made widely criticized comments about women and people of color.


Russell Brand Denies Accusations of ‘Egregious’ Sexual Assaults

Three British media outlets published an investigation in which four women accused him of sexual assault in a series of incidents between 2006 and 2013.


Chinese Singer Denounced Over Video at Bombed-Out Ukrainian Theater

The singer Wang Fang drew criticism after she performed “Katyusha,” a Soviet-era patriotic song, at the ruins of a theater in Mariupol.


Arts

‘Maus,’ Nazi parallels and a Shylock reference make appearances at Senate hearing on book bans

The hearing brought to Capitol Hill the debate over how much control parents should have over what kinds of books their children can access in their school and public libraries — and whether it constitutes a “ban” when a book is removed because of their activism.


Pulitzer Prizes Expand Eligibility to Noncitizens

The jury for the memoir category had raised concerns that the citizenship requirement was excluding a large part of American culture.


Museum Curators Evaluate A.I. Threat by Giving It the Reins

When Duke University’s art museum asked ChatGPT to organize an exhibition, it chose some unexpected artworks, mistitled objects, and wrote errant descriptions. There is still work to be done.


Schiele Works Believed to Be Stolen Are Seized From U.S. Museums

Manhattan prosecutors contend that the art in question belongs to the heirs of a collector who was a Holocaust victim.


MoMA Raises the Price of Admission to $30, Joining Other Museums

The museum follows a nationwide trend of cultural institutions that have seen ticket prices increase by 20%.

A Spectacular Marble Cube Rises at Ground Zero

The Perelman Performing Arts Center, a glamorous $500 million project, may yet turn the World Trade Center back into a neighborhood.


Withstanding the Passage of Time, but Not the Shaking of the Earth

Many historic buildings and heritage sites revered by Moroccans and tourists alike were lost or damaged in the earthquake.


China May Ban Clothes That Hurt People’s Feelings. People Are Outraged.

A proposal evokes memories of 1980s China, when opening up to the world set off a debate over flared pants and men with long hair, what the party called “weird attire.”


Stolen Van Gogh Painting Is Returned in Ikea Bag

A tipster handed the work over to a Dutch art crimes detective who had been investigating the theft with the police.


Photo ban lifted on Picasso’s Guernica after 30 years

A new museum director hopes to appeal to younger audiences, although selfie sticks are still off limits.

Venice Keeps Off List of Endangered World Sites

The fragile Italian city has taken steps to reduce the impacts of climate change and excessive tourism, but some experts said the moves were not enough.

Sports

N.F.L. Reporter Files Racial Discrimination Claim Against the League After Dismissal

Jim Trotter said his contract with the NFL Network was not renewed after he challenged Commissioner Roger Goodell and other executives on pro football’s commitment to diversity.


An N.F.L. Stadium Brings Sports Betting Inside

A sports book inside the Washington Commanders’ stadium is the first of its kind in the N.F.L. and a symbol of the league’s wholehearted — and profitable — embrace of gambling.


Union Push by Dartmouth Athletes Is Distinct From Previous Failed Efforts and Could Spark Sweeping Changes Across College Sports

A bid to unionize by the Dartmouth men’s basketball team raises questions that earlier unsuccessful campaigns in college sports have not addressed.


How Coco Gauff Embodies the Biggest Story in Sports

The Sports of The Times columnist reflects on a recurring theme from his tenure: the rise of female athletes.


Rubiales Quits, but Women’s Soccer in Spain Is Still Troubled

After the resignation of the country’s soccer chief, recriminations, accusations, and an inquiry remain.


Technology/Media

Biden Asks Supreme Court to Lift Limits on Contacts With Social Media Sites

The administration’s emergency application followed an appeals court ruling prohibiting many officials from encouraging or coercing sites to delete asserted misinformation.


‘A Monopolist Flexing’: U.S. Blasts Google’s Tactics as Antitrust Trial Opens

In opening statements for the government’s first monopoly trial of the modern internet era, Google defended itself and said that users had many choices for online searches.

Microsoft, Google, and Antitrust: Similar Legal Theories in a Different Era

The government’s antitrust case against Google borrows heavily from the landmark lawsuit against Microsoft 25 years ago. However, it lacks the same cultural impact.

Authors Sue Meta and OpenAI in Lawsuits Alleging Infringement of Hundreds of Thousands of Novels

Artificial intelligence companies are being bombarded by court challenges that will decide the legality of the way large language models are trained.


In Show of Force, Silicon Valley Titans Pledge ‘Getting This Right’ With AI

Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, and others discussed artificial intelligence with lawmakers, as tech companies strive to influence potential regulations.

Meta’s Oversight Board Urges Improved Distinction Between Hate Speech and Criticism of Hate Speech

The Oversight Board, an independent body tasked with reviewing Meta’s content moderation decisions, says the owner of Facebook and Instagram should improve its efforts to distinguish posts that promulgate hate from ones that aim to combat it. Too often, the Board explained in a summary of its decision, human and automated moderators flag posts that are meant to educate against hate and antisemitism.

SEC Files Charges Against NFT Project ‘Stoner Cats,’ Starring Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and More

The LLC connected to the animated Web3 series, which also stars Jane Fonda, Seth MacFarlane, and Chris Rock, agreed to pay a $1 million penalty and return payments to buyers of the NFTs.


MGM Reeling From Cyber 'Chaos' Five Days After Attack as Caesars Entertainment Says That It Was Also Hacked

Hackers struck MGM Resorts, rendering doors to the chain's casinos and hotels unusable.


Selena Gomez Reaches Settlement in Lawsuit Against Mobile Game Makers That Stole Her Likeness

Singer sued Clothes Forever, a Styling Game, for $10 million in April 2020; the terms of the tentative settlement have not yet been revealed.


Ruby Franke Is True-Crime TikTok’s Next Target

Allegations of abuse have followed the YouTuber for years and Ruby Franke's arrest has started a frenzy of misinformation online.


Powered by AI, Company Aims to Make Selling Easier for Retailers

Lily AI matches online shoppers to the merchandise they seek based on colloquial search terms, a welcome change for companies like Bloomingdale’s.


Chinese Warnings on iPhones Tap Deep Strain of Security Concerns

For years, officials in China have been told to shun foreign devices. Now reports of renewed curbs have unnerved Apple’s investors, heightening geopolitical tensions.

China Sows Disinformation About Hawaii Fires Using New Techniques

Beijing’s influence campaign using artificial intelligence is a rapid change in tactics, researchers from Microsoft and other organizations say.


TikTok Fined $370 Million for Mishandling Child Data

The data-collection practices of TikTok that were cited by the European Union are becoming a common target for global regulators.


Maria Ressa, Journalist and Nobel Laureate, Is Cleared of Tax Fraud

It was the latest legal victory for the veteran journalist and her news site, Rappler, who have faced a barrage of charges from the Philippine government.


General News


Justice Dept. Asks Supreme Court to Hear Abortion Pill Case

The case sets up a showdown before the Court on the availability of the most common method of terminating pregnancies.


Abortions Rose in Most States This Year, New Data Shows

Legal abortions most likely increased in the United States in the first six months of the year compared with 2020, an analysis of new estimates shows, as states with more permissive abortion laws absorbed patients traveling from those with bans and access to abortion pills via telemedicine continued to expand.


McCarthy, Facing an Ouster and a Shutdown, Orders an Impeachment Inquiry

The move against President Biden, which Speaker Kevin McCarthy had been signaling for weeks, comes as some far-right House Republicans are irate overspending and threatening to depose him.

McCarthy Pulls Back Pentagon Spending Bill, Inching Closer to a Shutdown

The House speaker abandoned efforts to move forward on a normally bipartisan military spending bill as far-right Republicans balked at the funding level, after pleading with his party to avert a shutdown.


Federal Court Says Consumer Watchdog Cannot Check Banks for Discrimination

A Texas judge’s sweeping ruling says that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau exceeded its authority in trying to examine banks for uneven treatment.

Federal Judge Again Rules DACA Is Illegal

The judge maintained that President Barack Obama exceeded his authority when he created the program, which has allowed thousands of young undocumented immigrants to avoid deportation and work legally.


C.D.C. Recommends New Covid Vaccines for All Americans

Everyone aged 6 months and older should get at least one dose, the agency said.


Poverty Rate Soared in 2022 as Aid Ended and Prices Rose

The increase in poverty reversed two years of large declines. Median income, adjusted for inflation, fell 2.3% to $74,580.

U.A.W. Starts Strike Small, but Repercussions Could Prove Far-Reaching

The union targeted three factories: one run by General Motors, one by Ford and one by Stellantis. Prolonged walkouts could hurt the U.S. economy and President Biden.


Judge Tells Trump to Use Secure Facility for Secret Evidence in Documents Case

Judge Aileen Cannon’s order did not specify where the former president could discuss the classified material, but suggested that it should not be Mar-a-Lago.


Special Counsel Seeking Gag Order on Trump in Election Case

Prosecutors have asked Judge Tanya S. Chutkan to curb statements from the former president that could intimidate witnesses, influence potential jurors or lead to harassment of others in the case.

Georgia Judge Orders 2 Trials for Defendants in Trump Election Case

Two defendants will get a speedy trial starting in October, but the others, including Trump, can have more time to prepare, the judge ruled.


Trump Lawsuit Against Judge Could Delay N.Y. Fraud Trial

The delay came as federal prosecutors pushed back against the former president’s efforts to attack another judge in his election interference case in Washington.


C.I.A. Discloses Identity of Second Spy Involved in ‘Argo’ Operation

The movie about the daring mission to rescue American diplomats from Tehran portrayed a single C.I.A. officer sneaking into the Iranian capital. In reality, the agency sent two officers.


Hunter Biden Indicted on Gun Charges

The Justice Department charged President Biden’s son after the collapse of an earlier plea deal and amid an impeachment investigation by House Republicans.


Cuomo Wins Book Lawsuit, Leaving New York’s Ethics Panel in Limbo

A state judge sided with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s argument that a new state ethics commission was created in a way that violated the New York State Constitution.


Paxton Impeachment Trial, Texas Attorney General Is Acquitted

The Texas Senate acquitted Ken Paxton after a nine-day trial that divided the Republican Party.


Arkansas Governor Tried to Keep More Records Private. The Pushback Was Swift.

When Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders sought to restrict what could be released under the state’s Freedom of Information Act, even some of her own supporters resisted.


Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Calls on Nation to Remember Ugly Past Truths

The Justice was the keynote speaker at the 60th anniversary of the Ku Klux Klan bombing that killed four young girls at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala.


In Risky Hunt for Secrets, U.S. and China Expand Global Spy Operations

The nations are taking bold steps in the espionage shadow war to try to collect intelligence on leadership thinking and military capabilities.


Israel’s Supreme Court Begins Debating Law Limiting its Power

For almost nine months, Israelis have been fighting over the future of their Supreme Court. Now that battle has moved into the Supreme Court itself.


Island Nations Hope for Court’s Help on Climate’s Effects

A tribunal is expected to issue an advisory opinion on behalf of Pacific and Caribbean countries on whether greenhouse gases are pollutants that violate international law.

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