NEW YORK: Demi Lovato says she is reached out to the nonprofit organization Voto Latino to find out how she can help after President Donald Trump said he is rescinding a program that allows young immigrants who were brought to America as children to remain in the US.
Trump’s administration said Tuesday it is phasing out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA program, but is giving Congress six months to take action on it. Lovato, who is white and Mexican, said she reached out to actor Wilmer Valderrama, who has worked with Voto Latino, to see how she can help out. The pop singer and Valderrama dated for six years until last year.
“I work with Voto Latino sometimes and I contacted Wilmer (Valderrama), who is part of the organization. I contacted him and said, ‘What can I do to help?’ So we are going to try to figure something out,” Lovato said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Former President Barack Obama created DACA by executive order in 2012. “We are so fortunate in the United States and we have it so lucky compared to some other countries. And it is sad, it is frustrating and it just goes to show you that this is not — this is just a race problem. I genuinely believe that this is just a race problem and I think that it is something (that) is just not right, and we need to stand up for the things we believe in,” she said. “All I can do is post on Twitter and text my senators on the Resistbot and raise the awareness as much as I can. But I feel kind of helpless.”
Lovato, 25, grew up in Dallas and said she is also been working to assist those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Harvey has killed at least 70 people who drowned in floods, got crushed by trees and died during power outages.
“I have family in Dallas and everybody is OK and safe. ...I started a fundraiser with the Houston Food Bank,” she said. “I made a donation and I am encouraging everyone to make a donation, whether it is to my fundraiser or someone else’s. As long as we are doing something to help and make sure that we do not forget about the people in Houston. Weeks are going to pass by, people are going to forget about it and it is important that we do not forget about it, that we continue to help volunteer.”
Lovato will release a new album, “Tell Me You Love Me,” on Sept. 29. She currently has three songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Sorry Not Sorry,” ″No Promises” with dance trio Cheat Codes, and her new album’s title track.
Demi Lovato reaches out to those affected by US Dreamers immigration program, Hurricane Harvey
Demi Lovato reaches out to those affected by US Dreamers immigration program, Hurricane Harvey
Starbucks reports better-than-expected quarterly sales as turnaround efforts begin
- Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol says Starbucks plans to cut its food and beverage offerings by 30% over the course of this year to simplify operations and speed service
Starbucks on Tuesday reported better-than-expected sales in its fiscal first quarter as some of its turnaround efforts start to deliver results.
The Seattle coffee giant said its revenue was flat at $9.4 billion for the 13-week period ending Dec. 29. That beat Wall Street’s forecast of $9.3 billion, according to analysts polled by FactSet.
Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol, who joined the company in September, said customer-focused changes — such as a decision to stop charging extra for non-dairy milk and a streamlining of the menu — were helping to improve service and drive store traffic.
In a conference call with investors Tuesday, Niccol said Starbucks is planning to cut its food and beverage offerings by 30 percent over the course of this year to simplify operations and speed service. Starbucks will also add digital menus to all of its company-owned US stores over the next 18 months to make ordering options clearer and make it easier to shift its offerings depending on the time of day.
Niccol said the company is also adding staff to some stores and experimenting with ordering algorithms that prioritize in-store customers and better pace mobile orders.
“The place where we run into problems, frankly, is the fact that there is just no gating on the mobile orders,” Niccol said. “All these orders come flooding in faster than even our customer can get there. So all these drinks are sitting on the counter, and it’s at the expense of providing any other experience for a customer that’s right in the store.”
Starbucks is trying to reestablish itself as a gathering place, and this week announced that it will start using ceramic mugs and offering in-store customers free refills of coffee or tea. The company is also trying to appeal to customers with a new rule that requires people to buy something if they want to hang out or use the restroom.
“This is back to the core of what makes Starbucks a unique experience,” Niccol said.
Starbucks’ same-store sales — or sales at locations open at least a year — fell 4 percent compared to the same period last year. The decline was less than the 5.5 percent analysts anticipated, according to FactSet. It was also better than the previous quarter, when global same-store sales were down 7 percent.
US same-store sales also fell 4 percent in the first quarter. Starbucks said transactions were down 8 percent but customers spent more per visit. Starbucks also pulled back on discounts during the quarter, Niccol said.
Niccol said he recently visited China, Starbucks’ second-largest market, where sales have been hampered by lower-cost competitors. China’s same-store sales fell 6 percent in the fiscal first quarter.
Niccol said Starbucks is continuing to explore a strategic partnership that would help it continue to grow in China.
Niccol has also been reshaping Starbucks’ corporate staff. Earlier Tuesday, he announced the departure of two senior executives and a reshuffling of their job responsibilities.
Mike Grams, who most recently served as president of Taco Bell, will become Starbucks’ chief stores officer for North America. Meredith Sandland, the CEO of Empower Delivery and the former chief development officer at Taco Bell, will become Starbucks’ chief store development officer. Niccol led Taco Bell until 2018, when he left to run Chipotle.
Niccol also announced earlier this month that Starbucks plans an unspecified number of corporate layoffs by early March.
Starbucks’ shares rose less than 1 percent in after-hours trading Tuesday.
‘Mona Lisa’ will get its own room under a major renovation of the Louvre
- The renovation project, branded “Louvre New Renaissance,” will include a wide new entrance near the Seine River, to be opened by 2031, Macron said
- Macron said the expansion of the museum will allow the “Mona Lisa” to be moved to a new, dedicated room accessible to visitors through a special ticket
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday that the “Mona Lisa” will get its own dedicated room inside the Louvre Museum under a major renovation and expansion of the Paris landmark that will take up to a decade.
The renovation project, branded “Louvre New Renaissance,” will include a wide new entrance near the Seine River, to be opened by 2031, Macron said in a speech from the room where Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece is displayed.
Macron didn’t disclose an exact amount budgeted for the project to modernize the world’s most visited museum, which is plagued with overcrowding and outdated facilities. But it’s estimated to reach up to 800 million euros ($834 million).
The Louvre’s last overhaul dates back to the 1980s, when the iconic glass pyramid was unveiled.
Move designed to make Louvre experience easier
Macron said the expansion of the museum will allow the “Mona Lisa” to be moved to a new, dedicated room accessible to visitors through a special ticket. That will make the visit simpler for those who want to see the painting and ease the experience of other visitors in the rest of the museum, he said.
“Conditions of display, explanation and presentation will be up to what the ‘Mona Lisa’ deserves,” he said.
Leonardo’s masterpiece is now being shown behind protective glass in the museum’s largest room, overcrowded with long, noisy lines of visitors eager to take a selfie with the groundbreaking portrait of the woman with the enigmatic smile. That makes some other paintings in the room by Venetian painters like Titian and Veronese go unnoticed by many.
The museum’s big renovation in the 1980s was designed to receive 4 million annual visitors.
Last year, the Louvre received 8.7 million visitors, more than 75 percent being foreigners mostly from the United States, China and neighboring countries Italy, the UK, Germany and Spain.
Costly and complex overhaul
Macron said that a new entrance for the Louvre will be created near the Seine by 2031, to be financed by ticket sales, patronage and licensing money from the museum’s Abu Dhabi branch.
A design competition will be staged in the coming months, he said. In addition, some new underground rooms will be created to expand the museum.
A French top official said that the cost of the renovation is estimated at 700 to 800 million euros ($730 to 834 million) over the next decade, including half for the creation of the new entrance. The official couldn’t be named in line with the French presidency’s customary practices.
Macron said that ticket prices would be raised for foreign visitors from outside the European Union, up from 22 euros ($23) now. He promised the museum would be safer and more comfortable for both the public and employees.
Comparing the project to Notre Dame’s recent reopening, Macron said that “the redesigned Louvre, restored and expanded, will become the epicenter of art history for our country and beyond.”
Half the Louvre’s budget is being financed by the French government, including the wages of the 2,200 employees.
The other half is provided by private funds including ticket sales, earnings from restaurants, shops and bookings for special events, as well as patrons and other partners.
Water leaks and other damage
The renovation announcement came after Louvre Director Laurence des Cars expressed her concerns in a note to Culture Minister Rachida Dati earlier this month saying that the museum is threatened by “obsolescence.”
According to the document first released by French newspaper Le Parisien, she warned about the gradual degradation of the building because of water leaks, temperature variations and other issues “endangering the preservation of artworks.”
The pyramid that serves at the museum’s entrance, unveiled in 1989 as part of late President François Mitterrand’s project, now appears outdated. The place isn’t properly insulated from the cold and the heat, and it tends to amplify noise, making the space uncomfortable for both the public and the staff, des Cars said.
In addition, the museum suffers from a lack of food options and restroom facilities, she said.
Cold snap chills New York City’s rats, and heats up the fight against them
- The United States’ most populous city has been spared the Upper Midwest’s extreme wind chills, not to mention the shock of record-breaking snow in the deep South
NEW YORK: This week’s frigid weather has many New York City residents shivering, scurrying into cozy spots and feeling sapped. Including the rats.
The United States’ most populous city has been spared the Upper Midwest’s extreme wind chills, not to mention the shock of record-breaking snow in the deep South, in this week’s Arctic blast. But temperatures peaked Monday around 26 degrees Fahrenheit (-3 Celsius) and roughly 20 degrees (-7 Celsius) Tuesday and Wednesday, well below average.
Such cold has, yes, a chilling effect on the Big Apple’s notorious rodents. But it boosts efforts to get rid of them, says city “rat czar” Kathleen Corradi.
“It’s stressing out rats. It’s putting them in their burrows,” she says. “So we kind of get to double down now while the rats are ‘feeling the heat’ from this cold snap.”
New York City’s wild rat species — Rattus norvegicus, also called the Norway rat or brown rat — doesn’t hibernate in winter but does become less active when the weather is freezing for prolonged periods. At the same time, the rodent’s food source tends to shrivel because people are out less and therefore discarding few food wrappers and other rat snacks on the streets, Corradi said.
All that makes for stressed rats and suppresses breeding, which “is really their superpower,” Corradi said. Norway rats can reproduce many times a year, essentially any time conditions are suitable, though they tend to be most prolific from spring through fall.
Jason Munshi-South, a Drexel University ecology professor who has researched New York City’s rats, said those that are already holed up in subway tunnels, sewers, crawlspaces or other nooks can weather the cold fairly well.
Rats that haven’t secured a hideaway might venture to unusual places, such as car engine blocks. Or a tempting basement? Perhaps, if building owners haven’t diligently blocked them out.
But Munshi-South said some of the animals likely will freeze to death, especially if they’re already sick, malnourished or otherwise weakened.
“Harsh winters like we are having so far will keep the rat population at a lower level if we have sustained cold, freezing periods,” he said in an email.
All of that, Corradi said, allows the city’s rat-fighters to make headway ahead of the warmer months.
There’s no official count of New York City’s rats, but no one disputes that they have long been legion. Successive city administrations have tried various approaches to eliminating or at least reducing them.
Current Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who has battled the critters at his own Brooklyn home, created Corradi’s position — officially, the director of rodent mitigation — about two years ago. Adams’ administration also has focused on requiring trash “containerization,” otherwise known as putting household and business garbage into enclosed bins instead of piling refuse-filled plastic bags on the curb.
The Oscar nominations are Thursday. Here’s what to look for
- In the wake of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles that struck at the heart of the movie industry, the twice-delayed nominations to the 97th Academy Awards are going forward Thursday morning
- But after wildfires began burning through the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other areas around Los Angeles, the academy extended its voting window and postponed the nominations
In the wake of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles that struck at the heart of the movie industry, nominations to the 97th Academy Awards are going forward Thursday morning after a pair of delays.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will announce the nominations Thursday at 8:30am ET via a wide array of platforms, including on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the academy’s social network sites, ABC’s “Good Morning America,” as well as on Disney+ and Hulu. Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott will read the nominees.
The Oscar nominations had originally been planned for Jan. 17. But after wildfires on Jan. 7 began burning through the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other areas around Los Angeles, leaving behind historic levels of destruction, the academy extended its voting window and twice postponed the nominations announcement.
With so many in the film industry reeling from the fires, some called on the academy to cancel the Oscars altogether. Academy leaders have argued the March 2 ceremony must go ahead, for their economic impact on Los Angeles and as a symbol of resilience for the industry. Organizers have vowed this year’s awards will “celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires.”
“We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry,” Bill Kramer, academy chief executive, and Janet Yang, president, said in an email to members Wednesday.
But much of the usual frothiness Hollywood’s award season has been severely curtailed due to the fires, which continue to burn. The film academy canceled its annual nominees luncheon. Other events have been postponed or downsized. On Wednesday, Kramer and Yang said original song nominees won’t be performed this year. Conan O’Brien, whose Pacific Palisades home was spared by the fires, is hosting.
Here are some of the things to look for Thursday:
How wide open is it?
Usually by this time, one or two movies have emerged as the clear favorites for best picture. Not so this year. Four films have been nominated for the top award from the Producers Guild, the Directors Guild and the Screen Actors Guild: “Anora,” “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez” and “A Complete Unknown.”
They are likely to be joined Thursday by Golden Globe-winner “The Brutalist,” the musical blockbuster “Wicked” and the sci-fi sequel “Dune: Part Two.” In the category’s 10 films, that leaves slots expected for “A Real Pain” and “The Substance.” The last spot could go to the prison drama “Sing Sing,” the journalism drama “September 5” or the POV-shot “Nickel Boys.”
Of them all, Netflix’s contender “Emilia Pérez” could land the most nominations of all, and, possibly, set a new high mark for non-English language films.
Who gets left out in best actress?
As is often the case, best actress is extremely competitive. Most prognosticators expect nominations for Demi Moore (“The Substance“), Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked“), Mikey Madison (“Anora“) and Karla Sofía Gascón (“Emilia Pérez”). Who gets the fifth slot could go to Fernanda Torres (“I’m Still Here“), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Hard Truths”) or Pamela Anderson (“The Last Showgirl”). And that still leaves out Nicole Kidman (“Babygirl”) and Angelina Jolie (“Maria”).
Who could make history?
Gascón, the star of Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” is poised to become the first openly transgender actor nominated for an Oscar. Gascón, who plays both a male drug lord in the film and the woman she becomes, has spoken both passionately and sanguinely about the possibility of making Oscar history at a time with trans rights are imperiled.
“If it does happen, I would be so grateful,” Gascón said last fall. “It would be a beautiful thing. But if it doesn’t, whatever. I’d go back to my old life. I’ll do my grocery shopping. I’ll play with cats. I’ll see my family. Maybe I’ll do other jobs and people will like those jobs.”
With Trump now in office, will ‘The Apprentice’ be nominated?
One of 2024’s most audacious films, “The Apprentice,” dramatized the formative years of President Donald Trump’ s emergence in New York real estate under the tutelage of attorney Roy Cohn. Both Sebastian Stan (who plays Trump) and Jeremy Strong (Cohn) are borderline contenders for best actor and best supporting actor, respectively. Trump has called those involved with the film “human scum.”
Will best director be all male again?
For most of Oscar history, the best director category has been all male. That’s changed somewhat in recent years, with wins by Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog“) and Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland“). But this year may see another all-male group of Audiard (“Emilia Pérez“), Sean Baker (“Anora”), Edward Berger (“Conclave“), Brady Corbet (“The Brutalist“) and James Mangold (“A Complete Unknown“).
The two most likely female contenders are Payal Kapadia (“All We Imagine as Light”) and Coralie Fargeat (“The Substance”). Also in the mix are a pair of big-budget filmmakers in Jon M. Chu (“Wicked”) and Denis Villeneuve (“Dune: Part Two”).
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For more coverage of this year’s Oscars, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards
Microsoft’s LinkedIn sued for disclosing customer information to train AI models
Microsoft’s LinkedIn has been sued by Premium customers who said the business-focused social media platform disclosed their private messages to third parties without permission to train generative artificial intelligence models.
According to a proposed class action filed on Tuesday night on behalf of millions of LinkedIn Premium customers, LinkedIn quietly introduced a privacy setting last August that let users enable or disable the sharing of their personal data.
Customers said LinkedIn then discreetly updated its privacy policy on Sept. 18 to say data could be used to train AI models, and in a “frequently asked questions” hyperlink said opting out “does not affect training that has already taken place.”
This attempt to “cover its tracks” suggests LinkedIn was fully aware it violated customers’ privacy and its promise to use personal data only to support and improve its platform, in order to minimize public scrutiny and legal fallout, the complaint said.
The lawsuit was filed in the San Jose, California, federal court on behalf of LinkedIn Premium customers who sent or received InMail messages, and whose private information was disclosed to third parties for AI training before Sept. 18.
It seeks unspecified damages for breach of contract and violations of California’s unfair competition law, and $1,000 per person for violations of the federal Stored Communications Act.
LinkedIn said in a statement: “These are false claims with no merit.”
A lawyer for the plaintiffs had no immediate additional comment.
The lawsuit was filed several hours after US President Donald Trump announced a joint venture among Microsoft-backed OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank, with a potential $500 billion of investment, to build AI infrastructure in the United States.
The case is De La Torre v. LinkedIn Corp, US District Court, Northern District of California, No. 25-00709.
