newyorkpost--2020-12-08--NYC correction officers charged with using forged disability placards

Four city correction officers were among five defendants indicted Tuesday for alleged using forged disability parking placards , prosecutors announced .
One of the correction officers , Nakia Gales , 44 , of Manhattan , is accused of selling the phony placards to her colleagues for up to $ 280 apiece .
“ Members of our community with severe disabilities need these placards to enable them to park near their place of work , doctor ’ s office and other essential places so they can go about their lives more easily , ” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The defendants—four of them Correction Officers—allegedly corrupted the placard program for their own convenience , ” Clark said .
Gales , the other three corrections officers — Judy Guity , 46 , Rasma Caines , 43 and Shyiera Daniels , 29 — along with 60-year-old Craig Scott , are facing criminal possession of a forged instrument charges .
The four corrections officers were arraigned Tuesday and released on their own recognizance .
Prosecutors said the illegal placards were seen in cars belonging to all five defendants .
Gales ran into trouble with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other Rikers Island correction officer were charged with allegedly staging a retaliatory attack on an inmate who trashed talked them , the New York Times had reported , citing prosecutors .

Four city correction officers were among five defendants indicted Tuesday for alleged using forged disability parking placards, prosecutors announced.
One of the correction officers, Nakia Gales, 44, of Manhattan, is accused of selling the phony placards to her colleagues for up to $280 apiece.
“Members of our community with severe disabilities need these placards to enable them to park near their place of work, doctor’s office and other essential places so they can go about their lives more easily,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a statement announcing the charges.
“The defendants—four of them Correction Officers—allegedly corrupted the placard program for their own convenience,” Clark said.
Gales, the other three corrections officers — Judy Guity, 46, Rasma Caines, 43 and Shyiera Daniels, 29 — along with 60-year-old Craig Scott, are facing criminal possession of a forged instrument charges.
The four corrections officers were arraigned Tuesday and released on their own recognizance.
Prosecutors said the illegal placards were seen in cars belonging to all five defendants.
Gales ran into trouble with the law in September 2015 when she and other Rikers Island correction officer were charged with allegedly staging a retaliatory attack on an inmate who trashed talked them, the New York Times had reported, citing prosecutors.


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--DoorDash prices IPO at $102 a share ahead of Wednesday debut

DoorDash said it has sold stock for $ 102 a share in its initial public offering , doubling the food-delivery giant ’ s valuation ahead of its Wednesday market debut .
The San Francisco-based startup is set to raise about $ 3.4 billion from the highly anticipated IPO , which will give it a fully diluted valuation of roughly $ 38 billion , up from the $ 16 billion price tag it received in a private fundraising round in June .
The pricing , announced late Tuesday , came in above DoorDash ’ s target price range of $ 90 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ target that it had revised last week from $ 75 to $ 85 a share .
The company will start trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “ DASH ” on Wednesday , at the end of a red-hot year for tech IPOs .
The listing will come a day ahead of Airbnb ’ s market debut and will follow blockbuster offerings from Silicon Valley firms such as data-mining titan Palantir and cloud-storage startup Snowflake .
DoorDash and other food-delivery firms have seen their business boom during the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ locked-down consumers .
The company reported revenues of more than $ 1.9 billion for the first nine months of 2020 , up from $ 587 million in the same period last year , and saw its net loss drop to $ 149 million from $ 533 million .
DoorDash ’ s stock will be significantly more expensive than smaller rival Grubhub , whose shares closed at $ 66.87 on Tuesday .

DoorDash said it has sold stock for $102 a share in its initial public offering, doubling the food-delivery giant’s valuation ahead of its Wednesday market debut.
The San Francisco-based startup is set to raise about $3.4 billion from the highly anticipated IPO, which will give it a fully diluted valuation of roughly $38 billion, up from the $16 billion price tag it received in a private fundraising round in June.
The pricing, announced late Tuesday, came in above DoorDash’s target price range of $90 to $95 per share — a target that it had revised last week from $75 to $85 a share.
The company will start trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “DASH” on Wednesday, at the end of a red-hot year for tech IPOs. The listing will come a day ahead of Airbnb’s market debut and will follow blockbuster offerings from Silicon Valley firms such as data-mining titan Palantir and cloud-storage startup Snowflake.
DoorDash and other food-delivery firms have seen their business boom during the coronavirus pandemic as demand for takeout surged among locked-down consumers. The company reported revenues of more than $1.9 billion for the first nine months of 2020, up from $587 million in the same period last year, and saw its net loss drop to $149 million from $533 million.
DoorDash’s stock will be significantly more expensive than smaller rival Grubhub, whose shares closed at $66.87 on Tuesday.
With Post wires


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--Facts vs. Truth: How David Fincher’s ‘Mank’ Approaches the Competing Histories of Hollywood’s Golden

Facts vs. Truth: How David Fincher’s ‘Mank’ Approaches the Competing Histories of Hollywood’s Golden Age

Of all the things audiences expected from David Fincher ’ s newest film , Mank , they likely didn ’ t anticipate an acidic portrayal of politics and corruption in 1930s Hollywood .
Fincher , working from a script by his late father , Jack , had indicated that he would explore the writing of Citizen Kane through the eyes of one of its co-writers , Herman Mankiewicz ( Gary Oldman ) , and the battle for screen credit he waged with his co-writer , producer/director/star Orson Welles ( Tom Burke ) .
It turned out that Fincher ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , folding in the 1934 California governor ’ s race where newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst ( Charles Dance ) , in partnership with MGM producers Louis B. Mayer ( Arliss Howard ) and Irving Thalberg ( Ferdinand Kingsley ) , worked to undermine socialist candidate Upton Sinclair ( Bill Nye ) .
What does this all have to do with Mankiewicz and Citizen Kane ?
It ’ s an interesting question , and one that deserves unpacking .
Fincher manipulates the historical record to place Mankiewicz at the center of Hearst ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his disillusionment with their decision to more or less invent modern “ fake news ” via staged campaign newsreels results in his decision to tackle the first draft of the Kane screenplay , and make its hero-turned-villain , Charles Foster Kane , a thinly fictionalized version of Hearst .
Fincher has essentially made an origin story for Citizen Kane .
But while the facts are sometimes left aside , Fincher still managed to capture some essential truths about Mankiewicz and the world he traveled through .
Like all historical fiction , writers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a good story , but when is history reshaped out of existence ?
Let ’ s start with Mankiewicz himself .
As portrayed by Oldman , he is an alcoholic gambling addict who has a strong distaste for the sordid , assembly-line nature of the movie business .
He also happens to be a devastating wit who can both charm and repel anyone in his wake .
“ One of his tragedies was that he chose to make his living in a field that he didn ’ t respect , ” his grandson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ He went to Hollywood to write screenplays just to make a quick buck , and he assumed he would be back east soon doing real work , but the money and the lifestyle were so good that like a lot of other writers followed him , he never got back to work that he respected .
” That cynicism is all over Oldman ’ s performance , and in Jack Fincher ’ s words .
In scene after scene , Mank displays his knowledge , wit , and moral backbone in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happen , but they draw on the essential truth of a man to give us a concise portrait of what he was actually like .
“ He was a journalist at heart , ” Davis said .
“ One thing that he maybe should have been is a political columnist like Walter Lippmann.
” The approach extends to various supporting characters , including the mercurial Louis B. Mayer , the titanic Hearst , and the flighty but sharper-than-she-looks Marion Davies ( Amanda Seyfried ) , Hearst ’ s mistress .
Fincher takes various @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give us hyperefficient bits of character information that repeatedly ring historically true .
While Fincher ’ s attention to the small details brings his characters to life , things get a little fuzzier as he expands his focus .
The central element of Mank is Herman Mankiewicz ’ s political awakening , thanks to Mayer ’ s and Hearst ’ s fake newsreels that spread misinformation and fear about Upton Sinclair ’ s socialist agenda .
Mank feels guilty about accidentally suggesting the idea to Thalberg in the first place , and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the project .
When Sinclair gets pasted in the election , Mank is eventually inspired to burn his bridges with the powerful , and write Citizen Kane as a rebuke to their actions .
It ’ s a little more complicated than that .
Mankiewicz ’ s politics were often contradictory , and often willfully so .
“ He had a lot of competing impulses going on inside him , ” his biographer , Sydney Ladensohn Stern , told Decider .
( Stern is the author of The Brothers Mankiewicz : Hope , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mank most likely wouldn ’ t have supported Sinclair , either .
“ There were inconsistencies where you think sometimes , well , clearly he is a staunch Republican ; he ’ s anti-Roosevelt , ” said Davis .
“ Other times , you think , well , he ’ s so anti-Nazi … I don ’ t think that he was ideologically driven , so much as he was driven to question power , and to question authority.
” Given Mankiewicz ’ s other professed sentiments against communism and labor unions in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much interest in sharing the spirit of a prominent socialist .
Fincher has to work a little harder in order to get Mank in line with Sinclair .
At one point , Fincher has Mank say that “ in socialism , everyone shares the wealth ; in communism , everyone shares the poverty.
” There ’ s not much evidence to suggest that Mankiewicz made such a distinction in real life .
Herman was less angry about political hypocrisy and more frustrated that he didn ’ t have a job anymore .
Fincher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ self-destructive habits , but he transforms the underlying cause of all of his trouble .
“ I think that he was always a bit of a victim of what ’ s going to make a better story , ” Davis said .
Mankiewicz ’ s life was not “ a life actually well lived , but a life lived well for the biographer.
” Fincher takes up this baton , recasting Mankiewicz as a Don Quixote figure , gallantly tilting at windmills .
Mankiewicz ’ s feelings about Hearst were not so clean-cut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have us believe .
In the film , after his drunken rant in front of Hearst , Mayer , Marion , and the rest of the guests , Hearst shares the parable of the organ grinder ’ s monkey , a creature who thinks the entire world moves on his performances , all the while ignorant of who actually controls him .
Hearst is quite clear who the monkey is , and this drives Mank to eventually take Hearst down with Kane .
After the first draft is finished , Mank ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , asks , “ why Hearst ?
” Mank makes it quite clear that the monkey is seeking revenge on his former master .
Mankiewicz in many ways revered Hearst .
Long after he had co-written Citizen Kane , he said of Hearst , “ I couldn ’ t imagine anyone who didn ’ t have affection for him … he was , and is , one of the most charming men I have ever known.
” Furthermore , Hearst was just one of many “ American sultans ” that Mankiewicz and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Hearst was used more as a convenient model rather than as Mankiewicz ’ s bete noire .
That ’ s not especially dramatic on its face , and toying with facts to make them more dramatically compelling isn ’ t a problem on its own .
But if Mankiewicz wasn ’ t really a quixotic , David-vs-Goliath crusader , does it not then undercut the ideas you hope to impart by making him one ?
Compared to , say , Barton Fink—a vicious satire of Hollywood and politics in the 1930s—Fincher has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , rather than fictionalized versions of real people , and that can messy pretty quickly .
Then we come to the elephant in the room , and where the project originated for Fincher and his father : the battle between Mankiewicz and Welles over the screenplay credit of Citizen Kane .
In a couple brief scenes , Welles suggests that the two of them “ noodle ” through the rewrites of the script , and then Welles will “ run everything through my typewriter , ” implying that he will help dig into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says that he must relinquish credit , but once Mank realizes the script was the best thing he ’ s ever written , he insists that his name be included .
Before Mank confronts him , Welles states that Hearst is attempting to shut the film down before they even begin filming , and Mayer was ready to buy out the investment .
He fails , but Welles is concerned about Mank ’ s health , so he offers a $ 10,000 buyout to get him off the rewrite .
Mank refuses .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was he who rescued Mank from the gutter , and that he ’ s going back on his word .
He threatens that Mank would lose in credit arbitration , before conceding that he probably won ’ t .
He reminds Mank that it is Welles who is producing , directing , and starring in the movie , and then angrily smashes a chest of liquor against the hearth .
This sparks Mank to write the climactic scene of Citizen Kane , one of “ purging violence.
” Welles grudgingly agrees , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scene plays very awkwardly .
Welles isn ’ t much of a character in the film .
We don ’ t really understand his motivations .
Why is he so concerned about Mank ’ s health when he offers to buy him out ?
Why does he become so angry that Mank is trying to change the terms of his contract ?
Since we don ’ t really know anything about Welles as he is depicted in the film , we can ’ t speculate , and the movie doesn ’ t help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fincher is stuck trying to resolve two seemingly incompatible ideas .
The scene is partially inspired by critic Pauline Kael ’ s infamous 1971 New Yorker essay , “ Raising Kane.
” In it , Kael declares that the value of Citizen Kane doesn ’ t come from its visual style , but rather its screenplay .
She then embarks on a piece of historical revisionism to show that Mankiewicz wrote the whole script himself , and that Welles not only attempted to deny him credit , but also tried to bribe him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away .
None of it was true .
Kael never did any actual research , made up stories whole cloth , relied on a single source—John Houseman , who bore a grudge against Welles—and in a nice bit of irony , also plagiarized research from UCLA professor Howard Suber while writing the piece .
“ It was a painful thing in my life that marked me in various ways , ” said Suber .
Nothing about Kael ’ s historical claims held up to scrutiny .
This inspired Welles ’ s close friend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a response to Kael in Esquire a year-and-a-half later , with some ghostwriting assistance from Welles himself .
“ He didn ’ t like the idea that his [ grand ] children would think of him as a bald-faced liar , ” Bogdanovich told Decider .
“ Orson also told me , ‘ Herman made a tremendous contribution .
That ’ s why I gave him first billing !
’ He reminded me of the scene in Kane where Bernstein remembers the woman in white on the ferry .
Orson got very emotional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s my favorite thing in the picture ! '
” Bogdanovich ’ s article was a necessary rebuttal of Kael ’ s work , but her sloppy research and plagiarized ideas were properly discredited by historian Robert Carringer in 1978 , when he wrote “ The Scripts of Citizen Kane.
” Carringer analyzed all seven official script drafts , plus supplemental documents , that conclusively demonstrated that Welles had co-written the script with Mankiewicz .
The only problem was that Carringer was a scholar publishing in an obscure academic journal , while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in America , swallowing up two whole issues of one of the biggest magazines in the country .
“ She wrote in that cynical voice that attracted everybody , ” Carringer told Decider .
“ That ’ s what made her so popular .
She ’ s fun to read .
She would say things that other journalists wouldn ’ t say.
” “ Everybody likes to say they found out something that nobody else knows , ” Bogdanovich says .
There ’ s an allure of discovery , of disproving people ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of research .
Kael attempted to do that , and she did it with her trademark flourishes .
The pretty and exciting package has lasted much longer in the mind than the package ’ s plain but highly functional contents .
Fincher recognized a lot of the problems in the Kael essay .
In a recent Vulture interview with Mark Harris , Fincher stated , “ Pauline Kael knew a lot about watching movies .
What Pauline Kael didn ’ t know about making movies could fill volumes.
” Although the script began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gospel ( some of the more unseemly lies from the piece , including Welles ’ s intention to bribe Mankiewicz , live on in albeit softer form ) , Fincher did try to move away from them .
Fincher also seems to loop back to Kael ’ s argument in the final scene in the film .
Mank takes questions from the press after he wins the Oscar .
“ You ask me what my acceptance speech might have been .
I am very happy to accept this award in the manner in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is to say , in the absence of Orson Welles.
” A reporter asks , “ How come he shares credit ?
” Mankiewicz responds : “ Well , that , my friend , is the magic of the movies.
” These are Mank ’ s literal last words in the film , and after everything we ’ ve witnessed , it ’ s hard not to believe him .
We have no reason not to be on Mank ’ s side when he makes this statement .
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , evocative of sympathy , rather than irony .
One is left scratching one ’ s head at the whole enterprise .
Herman Mankiewicz didn ’ t sympathize with socialists , nor did he unequivocally hate William Randolph Hearst .
Nor was he embittered at being revealed as an organ grinder ’ s monkey for more powerful people .
Nor did he write Citizen Kane in Orson Welles ’ s absence .
So why did David Fincher use him as the vehicle for an exploration of Hollywood ’ s hypocrisy and philistinism ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ or Stern much , two people who know Herman ’ s legacy better than anybody .
“ How great is it that one of our best directors and one of the world ’ s finest actors is taking on my grandfather , and doing this loving portrait of a really talented , complicated mensch ?
” says Davis .
“ It ’ s an interpretation of a role that is now part of our national cast of characters .
It ’ s just thrilling to think that Herman is now part of that.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ loved the structure of the movie , ” she told me .
“ I am so excited that people will see this .
It is how Herman will be remembered.
” In a riposte to the position I ’ ve laid out here , she recently wrote , “ if Oldman ’ s noble but flawed Herman is more of a tragic hero than I imagine the real Herman to have been , I don ’ t begrudge my subject his larger-than-life moment .
After all , what are movies for ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point—if Mank were strictly a character study .
History is mutable , and an artist ’ s desire to use history in order to advance a particular worldview is admirable .
Many of the greatest directors have done it , from Josef von Sternberg to John Ford to Fincher himself .
They all had specific , and often idiosyncratic , ideas to offer through their historical lens .
With Mank , those ideas are contradictory to the lived experiences of many of its characters .
Furthermore , are those ideas —Hollywood is hypocritical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in order to maintain power , and artists face an uphill battle to be recognized for their work—all that profound ?
These don ’ t strike me as especially revelatory , and when funneled through a man who only partially lived through them , it makes one wonder how a movie that condemns fake news ends up , in some ways , participating in it .
Evan Davis is a writer living in New York City .
Follow him on Twitter @ EvanDavisSports

Of all the things audiences expected from David Fincher’s newest film, Mank, they likely didn’t anticipate an acidic portrayal of politics and corruption in 1930s Hollywood. Fincher, working from a script by his late father, Jack, had indicated that he would explore the writing of Citizen Kane through the eyes of one of its co-writers, Herman Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), and the battle for screen credit he waged with his co-writer, producer/director/star Orson Welles (Tom Burke).
It turned out that Fincher’s ambitions were wider in scope than that, folding in the 1934 California governor’s race where newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance), in partnership with MGM producers Louis B. Mayer (Arliss Howard) and Irving Thalberg (Ferdinand Kingsley), worked to undermine socialist candidate Upton Sinclair (Bill Nye).
What does this all have to do with Mankiewicz and Citizen Kane? It’s an interesting question, and one that deserves unpacking. Fincher manipulates the historical record to place Mankiewicz at the center of Hearst’s and Mayer’s machinations, and his disillusionment with their decision to more or less invent modern “fake news” via staged campaign newsreels results in his decision to tackle the first draft of the Kane screenplay, and make its hero-turned-villain, Charles Foster Kane, a thinly fictionalized version of Hearst. Fincher has essentially made an origin story for Citizen Kane.
But while the facts are sometimes left aside, Fincher still managed to capture some essential truths about Mankiewicz and the world he traveled through. Like all historical fiction, writers and directors must reshape history to make a good story, but when is history reshaped out of existence?
MANK: ORGAN GRINDER, WINDMILL TILTER, OR BOTH?
Let’s start with Mankiewicz himself. As portrayed by Oldman, he is an alcoholic gambling addict who has a strong distaste for the sordid, assembly-line nature of the movie business. He also happens to be a devastating wit who can both charm and repel anyone in his wake. “One of his tragedies was that he chose to make his living in a field that he didn’t respect,” his grandson, filmmaker Nick Davis, told Decider. “He went to Hollywood to write screenplays just to make a quick buck, and he assumed he would be back east soon doing real work, but the money and the lifestyle were so good that like a lot of other writers followed him, he never got back to work that he respected. ”
That cynicism is all over Oldman’s performance, and in Jack Fincher’s words. In scene after scene, Mank displays his knowledge, wit, and moral backbone in countless scenarios that didn’t actually happen, but they draw on the essential truth of a man to give us a concise portrait of what he was actually like. “He was a journalist at heart,” Davis said. “One thing that he maybe should have been is a political columnist like Walter Lippmann.” (Davis is the author of Competing With Idiots, a forthcoming book about Mankiewicz and his brother, writer-director Joseph Mankiewicz.)
The approach extends to various supporting characters, including the mercurial Louis B. Mayer, the titanic Hearst, and the flighty but sharper-than-she-looks Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried), Hearst’s mistress. Fincher takes various elements from history and streamlines them to give us hyperefficient bits of character information that repeatedly ring historically true.
While Fincher’s attention to the small details brings his characters to life, things get a little fuzzier as he expands his focus. The central element of Mank is Herman Mankiewicz’s political awakening, thanks to Mayer’s and Hearst’s fake newsreels that spread misinformation and fear about Upton Sinclair’s socialist agenda. Mank feels guilty about accidentally suggesting the idea to Thalberg in the first place, and then begs both Thalberg and Marion to scrap the project. When Sinclair gets pasted in the election, Mank is eventually inspired to burn his bridges with the powerful, and write Citizen Kane as a rebuke to their actions.
It’s a little more complicated than that. Mankiewicz’s politics were often contradictory, and often willfully so. “He had a lot of competing impulses going on inside him,” his biographer, Sydney Ladensohn Stern, told Decider. (Stern is the author of The Brothers Mankiewicz: Hope, Heartbreak, and Hollywood Classics.)
Mank most likely wouldn’t have supported Sinclair, either. “There were inconsistencies where you think sometimes, well, clearly he is a staunch Republican; he’s anti-Roosevelt,” said Davis. “Other times, you think, well, he’s so anti-Nazi … I don’t think that he was ideologically driven, so much as he was driven to question power, and to question authority.” Given Mankiewicz’s other professed sentiments against communism and labor unions in Hollywood, he might not have had much interest in sharing the spirit of a prominent socialist.
Fincher has to work a little harder in order to get Mank in line with Sinclair. At one point, Fincher has Mank say that “in socialism, everyone shares the wealth; in communism, everyone shares the poverty.” There’s not much evidence to suggest that Mankiewicz made such a distinction in real life.
Herman was less angry about political hypocrisy and more frustrated that he didn’t have a job anymore. Fincher manages to capture Mankiewicz’s notoriously self-destructive habits, but he transforms the underlying cause of all of his trouble. “I think that he was always a bit of a victim of what’s going to make a better story,” Davis said. Mankiewicz’s life was not “a life actually well lived, but a life lived well for the biographer.” Fincher takes up this baton, recasting Mankiewicz as a Don Quixote figure, gallantly tilting at windmills.
Mankiewicz’s feelings about Hearst were not so clean-cut as the film’s climax would have us believe. In the film, after his drunken rant in front of Hearst, Mayer, Marion, and the rest of the guests, Hearst shares the parable of the organ grinder’s monkey, a creature who thinks the entire world moves on his performances, all the while ignorant of who actually controls him. Hearst is quite clear who the monkey is, and this drives Mank to eventually take Hearst down with Kane. After the first draft is finished, Mank’s editor, John Houseman (Sam Troughton), asks, “why Hearst?” Mank makes it quite clear that the monkey is seeking revenge on his former master.
Mankiewicz in many ways revered Hearst. Long after he had co-written Citizen Kane, he said of Hearst, “I couldn’t imagine anyone who didn’t have affection for him … he was, and is, one of the most charming men I have ever known.” Furthermore, Hearst was just one of many “American sultans” that Mankiewicz and Welles poured into Charles Foster Kane, and Hearst was used more as a convenient model rather than as Mankiewicz’s bete noire.
That’s not especially dramatic on its face, and toying with facts to make them more dramatically compelling isn’t a problem on its own. But if Mankiewicz wasn’t really a quixotic, David-vs-Goliath crusader, does it not then undercut the ideas you hope to impart by making him one? Compared to, say, Barton Fink—a vicious satire of Hollywood and politics in the 1930s—Fincher has ostensibly hewn close to the real people, rather than fictionalized versions of real people, and that can messy pretty quickly.
NAVIGATING KAEL FORCE WINDS
Then we come to the elephant in the room, and where the project originated for Fincher and his father: the battle between Mankiewicz and Welles over the screenplay credit of Citizen Kane. In a couple brief scenes, Welles suggests that the two of them “noodle” through the rewrites of the script, and then Welles will “run everything through my typewriter,” implying that he will help dig into the rewrite. Mank’s contract says that he must relinquish credit, but once Mank realizes the script was the best thing he’s ever written, he insists that his name be included.
Before Mank confronts him, Welles states that Hearst is attempting to shut the film down before they even begin filming, and Mayer was ready to buy out the investment. He fails, but Welles is concerned about Mank’s health, so he offers a $10,000 buyout to get him off the rewrite. Mank refuses. Welles explodes, reminding him that it was he who rescued Mank from the gutter, and that he’s going back on his word. He threatens that Mank would lose in credit arbitration, before conceding that he probably won’t. He reminds Mank that it is Welles who is producing, directing, and starring in the movie, and then angrily smashes a chest of liquor against the hearth. This sparks Mank to write the climactic scene of Citizen Kane, one of “purging violence.” Welles grudgingly agrees, then storms out of the bungalow.
The scene plays very awkwardly. Welles isn’t much of a character in the film. We don’t really understand his motivations. Why is he so concerned about Mank’s health when he offers to buy him out? Why does he become so angry that Mank is trying to change the terms of his contract? Since we don’t really know anything about Welles as he is depicted in the film, we can’t speculate, and the movie doesn’t help us. It’s mostly because Fincher is stuck trying to resolve two seemingly incompatible ideas.
The scene is partially inspired by critic Pauline Kael’s infamous 1971 New Yorker essay, “Raising Kane.” In it, Kael declares that the value of Citizen Kane doesn’t come from its visual style, but rather its screenplay. She then embarks on a piece of historical revisionism to show that Mankiewicz wrote the whole script himself, and that Welles not only attempted to deny him credit, but also tried to bribe him with $10,000 to make him go away.
None of it was true. Kael never did any actual research, made up stories whole cloth, relied on a single source—John Houseman, who bore a grudge against Welles—and in a nice bit of irony, also plagiarized research from UCLA professor Howard Suber while writing the piece. “It was a painful thing in my life that marked me in various ways,” said Suber. Nothing about Kael’s historical claims held up to scrutiny.
This inspired Welles’s close friend, filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, to write a response to Kael in Esquire a year-and-a-half later, with some ghostwriting assistance from Welles himself. “He didn’t like the idea that his [grand]children would think of him as a bald-faced liar,” Bogdanovich told Decider.
“Orson also told me, ‘Herman made a tremendous contribution. That’s why I gave him first billing!’ He reminded me of the scene in Kane where Bernstein remembers the woman in white on the ferry. Orson got very emotional. ‘That was Mankiewicz! That’s my favorite thing in the picture!'”
Bogdanovich’s article was a necessary rebuttal of Kael’s work, but her sloppy research and plagiarized ideas were properly discredited by historian Robert Carringer in 1978, when he wrote “The Scripts of Citizen Kane.” Carringer analyzed all seven official script drafts, plus supplemental documents, that conclusively demonstrated that Welles had co-written the script with Mankiewicz. The only problem was that Carringer was a scholar publishing in an obscure academic journal, while Kael was the most popular film critic in America, swallowing up two whole issues of one of the biggest magazines in the country.
“She wrote in that cynical voice that attracted everybody,” Carringer told Decider. “That’s what made her so popular. She’s fun to read. She would say things that other journalists wouldn’t say.”
“Everybody likes to say they found out something that nobody else knows,” Bogdanovich says. There’s an allure of discovery, of disproving people’s assumptions, that fuels a lot of research. Kael attempted to do that, and she did it with her trademark flourishes. The pretty and exciting package has lasted much longer in the mind than the package’s plain but highly functional contents.
Fincher recognized a lot of the problems in the Kael essay. In a recent Vulture interview with Mark Harris, Fincher stated, “Pauline Kael knew a lot about watching movies. What Pauline Kael didn’t know about making movies could fill volumes.” Although the script began with taking Kael’s words as gospel (some of the more unseemly lies from the piece, including Welles’s intention to bribe Mankiewicz, live on in albeit softer form), Fincher did try to move away from them.
Fincher also seems to loop back to Kael’s argument in the final scene in the film. Mank takes questions from the press after he wins the Oscar. “You ask me what my acceptance speech might have been. I am very happy to accept this award in the manner in which the screenplay was written, which is to say, in the absence of Orson Welles.” A reporter asks, “How come he shares credit?” Mankiewicz responds: “Well, that, my friend, is the magic of the movies.” These are Mank’s literal last words in the film, and after everything we’ve witnessed, it’s hard not to believe him. We have no reason not to be on Mank’s side when he makes this statement. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score is lush and mournful, evocative of sympathy, rather than irony.
“THE MAGIC OF MOVIES,” INDEED
One is left scratching one’s head at the whole enterprise. Herman Mankiewicz didn’t sympathize with socialists, nor did he unequivocally hate William Randolph Hearst. Nor was he embittered at being revealed as an organ grinder’s monkey for more powerful people. Nor did he write Citizen Kane in Orson Welles’s absence. So why did David Fincher use him as the vehicle for an exploration of Hollywood’s hypocrisy and philistinism?
This question doesn’t bother Davis or Stern much, two people who know Herman’s legacy better than anybody.
“How great is it that one of our best directors and one of the world’s finest actors is taking on my grandfather, and doing this loving portrait of a really talented, complicated mensch?” says Davis. “It’s an interpretation of a role that is now part of our national cast of characters. It’s just thrilling to think that Herman is now part of that.”
Stern feels similarly. “I loved the structure of the movie,” she told me. “I am so excited that people will see this. It is how Herman will be remembered.” In a riposte to the position I’ve laid out here, she recently wrote, “if Oldman’s noble but flawed Herman is more of a tragic hero than I imagine the real Herman to have been, I don’t begrudge my subject his larger-than-life moment. After all, what are movies for?” It’s hard to argue the point—if Mank were strictly a character study.
History is mutable, and an artist’s desire to use history in order to advance a particular worldview is admirable. Many of the greatest directors have done it, from Josef von Sternberg to John Ford to Fincher himself. They all had specific, and often idiosyncratic, ideas to offer through their historical lens. With Mank, those ideas are contradictory to the lived experiences of many of its characters. Furthermore, are those ideas —Hollywood is hypocritical, right-wing elites will lie to you in order to maintain power, and artists face an uphill battle to be recognized for their work—all that profound? These don’t strike me as especially revelatory, and when funneled through a man who only partially lived through them, it makes one wonder how a movie that condemns fake news ends up, in some ways, participating in it.
Evan Davis is a writer living in New York City. Follow him on Twitter @EvanDavisSports
Watch MANK on Netflix


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--Sofia Richie defends Olivia Jade’s ‘Red Table Talk’ appearance

Click to email this to a friend ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Twitter ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Facebook ( Opens in new window ) A fellow privileged person has come forward to defend the so-called “ epitome of white privilege , ” Olivia Jade .
Jade shared a clip from her Tuesday “ Red Table Talk ” appearance , in which she talked about the college admissions scandal , on her Instagram , prompting Sofia Richie to praise her in the comments .
“ Yes girl !
!
😍😍 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” 22-year-old Richie , the daughter of famed singer Lionel Richie , commented .
An Instagram user , however , felt that Richie ’ s comment was “ white privilege supporting white privilege.
” Taking the high road , Richie defended her friend against the commenter .
“ We are all human , who make human mistakes , ” Richie wrote back .
“ Life is too short to wish negativity on anyone .
Sending you love.
” During Tuesday ’ s episode of “ Red Table Talk , ” co-host Adrienne @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t want Jade to appear on the show .
“ I fought it to the nail , ” she said .
“ I just found it really ironic that she chose three Black women to reach out to for her redemption story.
” She added , “ Her being here is the epitome of white privilege to me.
” Throughout the episode , Jade repeatedly owned up to her and her family ’ s mistakes , which landed her parents , Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli , in prison .
“ This has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … and although there ’ s a lot of negative around it and there ’ s a lot of mistakes and wrongdoings , it ’ s led me to have a completely different outlook on a lot of situations , ” she said .

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A fellow privileged person has come forward to defend the so-called “epitome of white privilege,” Olivia Jade Giannulli.
Jade shared a clip from her Tuesday “Red Table Talk” appearance, in which she talked about the college admissions scandal, on her Instagram, prompting Sofia Richie to praise her in the comments.
“Yes girl!!😍😍 Cant wait for what’s ahead,” 22-year-old Richie, the daughter of famed singer Lionel Richie, commented.
An Instagram user, however, felt that Richie’s comment was “white privilege supporting white privilege.” Taking the high road, Richie defended her friend against the commenter.
“We are all human, who make human mistakes,” Richie wrote back. “Life is too short to wish negativity on anyone. Sending you love.”
During Tuesday’s episode of “Red Table Talk,” co-host Adrienne Banfield-Norris made it clear she didn’t want Giannulli to appear on the show.
“I fought it to the nail,” she said. “I just found it really ironic that she chose three Black women to reach out to for her redemption story.”
She added, “Her being here is the epitome of white privilege to me.”
Throughout the episode, Giannulli repeatedly owned up to her and her family’s mistakes, which landed her parents, Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli, in prison.
Sofia Richie and Olivia Jade Getty Images
“This has been a really eye-opening experience for me … and although there’s a lot of negative around it and there’s a lot of mistakes and wrongdoings, it’s led me to have a completely different outlook on a lot of situations,” she said.


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--Fauci touts vaccine but warns that US must overcome COVID-19 denial

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Dr. Anthony Fauci said coronavirus vaccines could fight the deadly bug as successfully as the polio jabs did against the paralyzing disease in the 1950s – but urged people who still think COVID-19 is a hoax to get on board , according to a report .
The nation ’ s top infectious diseases expert predicted that the vaccines will allow workers to return to offices and restaurants in the second half of 2021 , The Wall Street Journal reported .
“ There are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think this is not real , that it ’ s fake news , or it ’ s a hoax .
This is extraordinary .
I ’ ve never seen this before , ” the nation ’ s top infectious diseases expert said Tuesday at the Journal ’ s CEO Council Summit .
Fauci , who will serve as the country ’ s chief medical officer in President-elect Joe Biden ’ s administration , said he would tell the White House : “ We have all got to be on the same page telling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together .
That , to me , is the most important thing.
” The top doc said that among the hurdles that need to be overcome are people ’ s hesitancy to get the shot and a spike in cases fueled in part by misinformation about the bug .
Fauci , who heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , and Deborah Birx , the White House coronavirus-response coordinator , both reiterated their calls for people to adopt public-health measures .
“ We have to go head-to-head with the misunderstandings people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said at the summit , adding that she didn ’ t know what role she ’ ll have in the new administration but that she will remain in the federal government .
Fauci said health-care workers and nursing home residents will receive the first vaccinations , followed by various prioritization levels that are likely to include seniors , people with underlying conditions and workers with critical jobs , such as teachers .
Younger people and those with no underlying health conditions will likely be able to get the jab by the end of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inoculation program runs efficiently , Fauci said .
With about 75 percent of the population vaccinated , there should be low levels of circulating virus and a return to workplaces , according to The Wall Street Journal .
“ I don ’ t think we ’ re going to eradicate [ Covid-19 ] the way we did with smallpox , but I think we can do what we did with polio , ” said Fauci , who added that the stringency of public-health measures will gradually subside .
The Food and Drug Administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer and its partner BioNTech .
On Tuesday , the agency concluded that the first vaccine being considered for US distribution “ met the prescribed success criteria ” in a clinical study , according to the Journal .
As of Wednesday morning , more than 15 million cases of the coronavirus have been recorded in the US , with 286,338 deaths , according to Johns Hopkins University

Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said coronavirus vaccines could be as successful against the deadly bug as polio jabs were against the paralyzing disease in the 1950s — but urged people who still think COVID-19 is a hoax to get on board, according to a report.
The nation’s top infectious diseases expert predicted that the vaccines will allow workers to return to offices and restaurants in the second half of 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported.
“There are a substantial proportion of people who do think this is not real, that it’s fake news, or it’s a hoax. This is extraordinary. I’ve never seen this before,” Fauci said Tuesday at the Journal’s CEO Council Summit.
Fauci, who will serve as the country’s chief medical officer in President-elect Joe Biden’s administration, said he would tell the White House: “We have all got to be on the same page telling the American public we have to pull together. That, to me, is the most important thing.”
The top doc said that among the hurdles that need to be overcome are people’s hesitancy to get the shot and a spike in cases fueled in part by misinformation about the bug.
Fauci, who heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, both reiterated their calls for people to adopt public health measures.
“We have to go head-to-head with the misunderstandings people have with this virus,” Birx said at the summit, adding that she didn’t know what role she’ll have in the new administration but that she will remain in the federal government.
Fauci said health care workers and nursing home residents will receive the first vaccinations, followed by various priority levels that are likely to include seniors, people with underlying conditions and workers with critical jobs, such as teachers.
Younger people and those with no underlying health conditions will likely be able to get the jab by the end of March or beginning of April if the inoculation program runs efficiently, Fauci said.
With about 75 percent of the population vaccinated, there should be low levels of circulating virus and a return to workplaces, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“I don’t think we’re going to eradicate [COVID-19] the way we did with smallpox, but I think we can do what we did with polio,” said Fauci, who added that the stringency of public health measures will gradually subside.
The Food and Drug Administration could soon give the green light for vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer and its partner BioNTech.
On Tuesday, the agency concluded that the first vaccine being considered for US distribution “met the prescribed success criteria” in a clinical study, according to the Journal.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 15 million cases of the coronavirus have been recorded in the US, with 286,338 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--Teddi Mellencamp gives health update on daughter after her neurosurgery

Click to email this to a friend ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Twitter ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Facebook ( Opens in new window ) Teddi Mellencamp posted a health update Tuesday about her infant daughter Dove , almost five months after her successful neurosurgery .
“ Dove noggin update , ” the Instagram post began .
“ Hi guys , I am 9 months old and other than a zig zag scar underneath my hair across my head I wouldn ’ t even know I had neurosurgery a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — who welcomed daughter Dove in February with husband Edwin Arroyave — revealed that her baby girl would need surgery for Lambdoid Craniosynostosis , or the premature fusion of the bones in an infant skull , per the St. Louis Children ’ s Hospital .
Later that month , the former “ Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ” star , 39 , confirmed the procedure had been a success .
On Tuesday , Mellencamp noted how Dove has been in her helmet , “ aka doc band for 10 weeks and am about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The doc ’ s said I have to wear another helmet for 10+ more weeks but it truly doesn ’ t bother me one bit , ” the message read .
“ Mom cried a little when she found that out but then Dr. Urata reminded her that not only is it helping me shape my head further but it is protecting me as I am starting to learn to crawl and lift myself up incase I bump into something.
” Mellencamp ’ s post added how Dove gets to take her helmet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normally during and after bath time which is a good thing bc peeyou it can get stinky.
” “ I am a happy silly baby who loves to laugh , command all the attention in a room , go on walks and be sung to .
For any other # craniowarrior babies out there .
We have got this , ” the message concluded .
Mellencamp received of a slew of supportive messages from her famous followers , including former “ RHOBH ” co-star Lisa Rinna .
“ She is just beautiful , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County ” star Gretchen Rossi commented .
2020 has been a difficult year for Mellencamp , who also shares daughter Slate and son Cruz with husband Arroyave .
Over the summer , Mellencamp ’ s “ All In ” health program came under fire from critics , and she was axed from the “ Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ” in September .

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Teddi Mellencamp posted a health update Tuesday about her infant daughter Dove, almost five months after her successful neurosurgery.
“Dove noggin update,” the Instagram post began. “Hi guys, I am 9 months old and other than a zig zag scar underneath my hair across my head I wouldn’t even know I had neurosurgery a few months back.”
In July, Mellencamp — who welcomed daughter Dove in February with husband Edwin Arroyave — revealed that her baby girl would need surgery for Lambdoid Craniosynostosis, or the premature fusion of the bones in an infant skull, per the St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Later that month, the former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star, 39, confirmed the procedure had been a success.
On Tuesday, Mellencamp noted how Dove has been in her helmet, “aka doc band for 10 weeks and am about to grow out of it.”
“The doc’s said I have to wear another helmet for 10+ more weeks but it truly doesn’t bother me one bit,” the message read. “Mom cried a little when she found that out but then Dr. Urata reminded her that not only is it helping me shape my head further but it is protecting me as I am starting to learn to crawl and lift myself up incase I bump into something.”
Mellencamp’s post added how Dove gets to take her helmet for an hour a day, “normally during and after bath time which is a good thing bc peeyou it can get stinky.”
“I am a happy silly baby who loves to laugh, command all the attention in a room, go on walks and be sung to. For any other #craniowarrior babies out there. We have got this,” the message concluded.
Mellencamp received of a slew of supportive messages from her famous followers, including former “RHOBH” co-star Lisa Rinna.
“Hi Dove!!!!!!!! ♥♥♥,” Rinna coomented.
“She is just beautiful,” former “Real Housewives of Orange County” star Gretchen Rossi commented.
2020 has been a difficult year for Mellencamp, who also shares daughter Slate and son Cruz with husband Arroyave.
Over the summer, Mellencamp’s “All In” health program came under fire from critics, and she was axed from the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” in September.


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--Pornhub cracks down on illegal content following NY Times exposé

Credit card giants Visa and Mastercard said Sunday that they ...

Pornhub has pledged to crack down on illegal content after an exposé raised concerns about the platform being infested with videos of rape and child sex abuse.
The popular porn site announced major policy changes Tuesday aimed at rooting out such clips, including restrictions on who can upload videos and a new squad of content moderators that will seek out potentially illegal material.
“Over the years, we have put in place robust measures to protect our platform from non-consensual content,” Pornhub said in a blog post.
“While leading non-profit and advocacy groups recognize that our efforts have been effective, we know there is more to do.”
While Pornhub linked the shifts to a policy review it undertook in April, the announcement followed a sweeping New York Times report detailing the disturbing proliferation of harmful videos on the site and their devastating effects on survivors of rape and sexual assault.
The exposé by Times columnist Nicholas Kristof prompted Visa and Mastercard to investigate their business relationships with Pornhub, which is owned by the Luxembourg-based porn conglomerate MindGeek.
But the National Center on Sexual Exploitation expressed skepticism that Pornhub could be reformed in light of its checkered past.
“Pornhub cannot be trusted: it has profited for years from rape, child sexual abuse material, sex trafficking, and revenge pornography,” Dawn Hawkins, the organization’s senior vice president and executive director, said in a statement. “Any number of ‘improvements’ will not change that fact.”
In its biggest change, Pornhub will only allow verified users to upload videos to the site. That privilege is currently restricted to Pornhub’s content partners and members of its “Model Program,” which requires performers to verify their identities by uploading a photo of themselves.
Pornhub said it will implement a new verification process sometime next year so anyone can upload videos once they successfully complete an “identification protocol.”
The move was applauded by sex workers, who have urged Pornhub to limit uploads to verified users and strengthen its verification process. Porn performer Ginger Banks launched an online petition calling for those changes earlier this year that has garnered more than 9,000 signatures.
But it’s unclear what Pornhub will do with videos that unverified users have already uploaded to the platform. The company didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment early Wednesday.
The site said it has also banned users from downloading any Pornhub videos besides those they pay to download from models in an effort to prevent clips that have already been removed from returning to the platform.
Additionally, Pornhub said it has established a new “Red Team” of content moderators that proactively sweeps the site for harmful clips along with a “Trusted Flagger Program” through which more than 40 nonprofit groups can alert the site to problematic videos.
Kristof, the author of the Times exposé, called the changes “a big deal” and expressed tepid optimism that they would stem the proliferation of perverted videos on the platform.
“A great deal depends on how responsibly Pornhub implements these, and it hasn’t earned my trust at all, but these seem significant,” Kristof said on Twitter.


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--Benjamin Netanyahu will be first in Israel to get COVID-19 vaccine

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be the first person in his country to be given Pfizer ’ s COVID-19 vaccine .
Netanyahu made the announcement Wednesday in front of a just-landed aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv , which had been carrying the first batches of the vaccine to arrive in the Jewish state .
The 71-year-old prime minister explained that he had decided to get the shot early to encourage others to not fear the immunization .
“ I believe in this vaccine , I expect it to get the requisite approvals in the coming days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be vaccinated , and in order to do that , I want to serve as an example to them , and I plan to be the first inoculated with the vaccine in Israel , ” Netanyahu remarked .
Pfizer and BioNTech have applied for an emergency use authorization for their vaccine in the US , which was approved for use in the UK on Wednesday .
The vaccine-makers agreed last month to provide Israel with eight million doses of its inoculation , which the country plans to begin administering on Dec. 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Industries Ltd .
The shipment received Wednesday was delivered from Brussels and contained over 100,000 doses , but the country expects upwards of four million doses by the end of December .
Israel has also ordered vaccines from Moderna and AstraZeneca .

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be the first person in his country to be given Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Netanyahu made the announcement Wednesday in front of a just-landed aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, which had been carrying the first batches of the vaccine to arrive in the Jewish state.
The 71-year-old prime minister explained that he had decided to get the shot early to encourage others to not fear the immunization.
“I believe in this vaccine, I expect it to get the requisite approvals in the coming days. I want the citizens of Israel to be vaccinated, and in order to do that, I want to serve as an example to them, and I plan to be the first inoculated with the vaccine in Israel,” Netanyahu remarked.
Pfizer and BioNTech have applied for an emergency use authorization for their vaccine in the US, which was approved for use in the UK on Wednesday.
The vaccine-makers agreed last month to provide Israel with 8 million doses of its inoculation, which the country plans to begin administering on Dec. 20, according to vaccine distributor Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
The shipment received Wednesday was delivered from Brussels and contained over 100,000 doses, but the country expects upwards of 4 million doses by the end of December.
Israel has also ordered vaccines from Moderna and AstraZeneca.
With Post wires


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--Zara Tindall, Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter, is pregnant

Click to email this to a friend ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Twitter ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Facebook ( Opens in new window ) Another royal baby is on the way .
Zara Tindall , a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II , is expecting her third child , husband Mike Tindall confirmed Wednesday .
“ It ’ s been a good week for me , had a little scan last week — third Tindall on its way , ” Mike said on the podcast “ The Good , The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ via The Sun ) .
Zara , who is the daughter of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips , has two children with Mike , daughters Mia Grace , 6 , and Lena Elizabeth , 2 .
Zara has previously spoken about suffering two miscarriages before Lena ’ s birth .
Mike , a 42-year-old former English rugby player , has been married to Zara , 39 , since 2011 .
In September , Buckingham Palance announced that Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank are expecting their first child together in 2021 .
Eugenie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prince Andrew and Sarah , Duchess of York .

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Another royal baby is on the way.
Zara Tindall, a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, is expecting her third child, husband Mike Tindall confirmed Wednesday.
“It’s been a good week for me, had a little scan last week — third Tindall on its way,” Mike said on the podcast “The Good, The Bad & The Rugby” (via the Sun).
Zara, who is the daughter of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, has two children with Mike, daughters Mia Grace, 6, and Lena Elizabeth, 2.
Zara has previously spoken about suffering two miscarriages before Lena’s birth.
Mike, a 42-year-old former English rugby player, has been married to Zara, 39, since 2011.
Zara isn’t the only royal expecting.
In September, Buckingham Palance announced that Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank are expecting their first child together in 2021.
Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Getty Images
Eugenie, 30, is the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York.


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--Kim Jong Un’s sister threatens South Korea’s top diplomat over COVID-19 remarks

North Korea has tightened its borders to build a “ wall ...

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Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong on Wednesday slammed South Korea’s foreign minister for his “reckless remarks” about Pyongyang’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic — warning the top diplomat that she might have to “pay dearly,” according to reports.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Saturday it was “hard to believe” that North Korea had no COVID-19 cases even as the country has been making all-out efforts to prevent the deadly illness, Reuters reported.
Pyongyang has not officially confirmed any cases, though it has said there were thousands of “suspected” ones.
“It can be seen from the reckless remarks made by [Kang] without any consideration of the consequences that she is too eager to further chill the frozen relations between North and South Korea,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by the KCNA news agency, the Guardian reported.
“Her real intention is very clear. We will never forget her words and she might have to pay dearly for it,” added Kim, a senior official in the ruling Workers’ Party whom some describe as the rogue regime’s de facto second-in-command.
Her profile rose in the spring with a series of bellicose remarks aimed at Seoul and Washington — leading some to speculate that she was being groomed to succeed her sibling.
She later vanished from public view for more than two months and had not made any official comments since late July before Wednesday’s statements.
In her comments at a forum in Bahrain, Kang said the outbreak had “made North Korea more North Korea — that is, more closed, very top-down decision-making process where there is very little debate on their measures in dealing with COVID-19.”
She added at the IISS Manama Dialogue 2020: “They still say they do not have any cases, which is hard to believe. So, all signs are the regime is very intensely focused on controlling the disease that they say they do not have.”
Kang added that Pyongyang “has not been very responsive to our offer of help on the COVID-19 front.”
Last week, the official KCNA agency said the Hermit Kingdom had imposed “top-class emergency measures” in Pyongyang, including the shuttering of restaurants and other public places, as well as restrictions on people’s movements around the capital.
Seoul’s National Intelligence Service has said an outbreak of the virus in the North could not be ruled out as the secretive regime had trade and people-to-people exchanges with China, where the virus emerged a year ago, before sealing the border in late January.
Kim Yo Jong Jorge Silva/Pool/EPA
According to the World Health Organization, North Korea had recorded nearly 8,000 suspected cases of the coronavirus as of Nov. 20 but has reported no confirmed infections so far.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un held three summits in 2018, but little progress has been made between the two countries since a failed 2019 summit between Kim and President Trump, which Moon had offered to mediate.


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--‘The Bachelorette’ recap: Nothing says love like a lie-detector test

This week , the walls closed in on our Bachelorette as she had to prepare for home town dates .
Though it ’ s not quite clear how “ The Bachelorette ” will handle meeting the men ’ s families next week with the pandemic , the pressure is on .
At the start of the episode , Tayshia had 11 suitors .
Only four will make it to the next round .
On Tuesday ’ s episode she was forced to go deep with her guys , getting them to reveal the root of their characters .
Ben and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pain paid off .
Tayshia is falling in love with a few of her men , and they ’ re falling right back .
For those of you who haven ’ t been paying attention , Noah is a silly 25-year-old and Bennett is a very serious , Harvard educated investment banker .
Despsite being polar opposites , Tayshia is into both of them .
They can ’ t comprehend that , and are taking it out on her and each other .
Tayshia sat them both down for chats to get to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lectured her on what emotional intelligence is and why Noah doesn ’ t have it .
She felt that he questioned her integrity .
Noah apologized to her for being at the center of all the house drama , and said Bennett talks down to him .
Tayshia sent Bennett home — a decision she didn ’ t take lightly .
So when she saw Noah smiling like he had won some prize , she couldn ’ t reward him for his behavior .
No rose for Noah , but no SUV either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week anniversary with a kiss .
Zac C. gifted her a framed picture from their photoshoot last week .
She also smooched Ben .
Brendan wore another adorable turtleneck .
It was a lovely few minutes , until JoJo ( yes , JoJo Fletcher is still filling in for Chris Harrison ) reminded her it was time to break some hearts .
Ten guys stood waiting .
Only five roses were on the table .
Zac , who had a rose from his one-on-one , was safe .
Brendan , Riley , Ben @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I know ) received roses , meaning Demar , Spencer and Ed went home .
Ben Smith and Tayshia scooted around the resort ( literally ) to find an “ oasis ” that JoJo set up for them .
They jumped into fountains and hit piñatas to discover clues .
It was cute .
They had so much fun , but Tayshia could tell Ben was holding back .
He told her that being perfect is something that was drilled into him as a child .
Last week , he bravely confessed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disorder .
On Tuesday , Ben revealed to his date that he had two suicide attempts in 2018 and 2019 , something he had never told anyone before .
“ I didn ’ t want to burden anybody with my problems .
Luckily they didn ’ t work , ” he said .
Tayshia embraced him with open arms .
It was another mature , vulnerable discussion , which have come to be a real highlight and welcome addition to this season .
Of course , he was given the rose .
With @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together during a private concert .
Brendan , Ivan , Noah and Riley were put to the test on the group date .
A polygraph test .
Because nothing says love like intense interrogation .
( Note : it probably wasn ’ t a real polygraph test , because it was hooked up to flashing lights , and I ’ ve watched enough true crime documentaries to know that ’ s not how they work . )
JoJo asked the questions .
She discovered that Brendan may not be ready to go into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zac has cheated on someone before .
And that he ’ s falling in love with Tayshia .
Also Riley may not be named Riley .
The questions continued at the cocktail party .
Why is Zac a cheater ?
It ’ s because he made out with a girl at a bowling alley while dating someone else , in sixth grade .
More good news : Tayshia is falling in love with him too .
Off to the side , Riley started to break down , worrying about him meeting her family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was originally named after his father .
After struggling with his relationship with his mother , he decided to start over , including getting a name change .
Tayshia was floored with his and everyone ’ s honestly , and didn ’ t feel that it was fair to give out a rose just because she had to .
They ’ ll have to wait until the rose ceremony to see who will make it to next week .
Bennett came back to get his girl .
He claimed that he wasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those other amateurs .
He was in love .
She needed to process his words , and allowed him to stay the night at the resort so she could think .
It ’ s two nights of “ The Bachelorette ” next week .
On Monday and Tuesday , it seems that Tayshia allows Bennett to come back .
Everyone breaks down crying .
Things are getting real .
Also it ’ s the “ Men Tell All ” special , which will never match up to a “ Real Housewives ” Reunion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis , call the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org .

Tayshia needs to make a decision.
This week, the walls closed in on our Bachelorette as she had to prepare for hometown dates. Although it’s not quite clear how “The Bachelorette” will handle meeting the men’s families next week amidst the pandemic, the pressure is on.
At the start of the episode, Tayshia had 11 suitors. Only four will make it to the next round.
On Tuesday’s episode, she was forced to go deep with her guys, getting them to reveal the root of their characters. Ben and Riley got particularly vulnerable.
But the pain paid off. Tayshia is falling in love with a few of her men, and they’re falling right back.
(Spoiler alert and content warning: Suicidal ideation is discussed in this post.)
Here’s what happened on Week 9.
The talk
Bennett (far right) clearly didn’t major in communications at Harvard. ABC/Craig Sjodin
For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, Noah is a silly 25-year-old, and Bennett, 36, is a very serious, Harvard-educated investment banker. Despite being polar opposites, Tayshia is into both of them. They can’t comprehend that, and are taking it out on her and each other.
Tayshia sat them both down for chats to get to the bottom of their issues. Bennett lectured her on what emotional intelligence is and why Noah doesn’t have it. She felt that he questioned her integrity. Noah apologized to her for being at the center of all the house drama, and said Bennett talks down to him.
Tayshia sent Bennett home — a decision she didn’t take lightly. So when she saw Noah smiling like he had won some prize, she couldn’t reward him for his behavior. No rose for Noah, but no SUV either.
The cocktail party
Another fine turtleneck-sweater look from Brendan. ABC/Craig Sjodin
Riley and Tayshia celebrated their one-week anniversary with a kiss. Zac C. gifted her a framed picture from their photoshoot last week. She also smooched Ben. Brendan wore another adorable turtleneck. It was a lovely few minutes, until JoJo Fletcher (yes, JoJo is still filling in for Chris Harrison) reminded her it was time to break some hearts.
The rose ceremony
Ten guys stood waiting. Only five roses were on the table. Zac, who had a rose from his one-on-one, was safe. Brendan, Riley, Ben, Blake, Ivan and Noah (I know) received roses, meaning Demar, Spencer and Ed went home.
The one-on-one
Ben Smith and Tayshia scooted around the resort (literally) to find an “oasis” that JoJo set up for them. They jumped into fountains and hit piñatas to discover clues. It was cute.
They had so much fun, but Tayshia could tell Ben was holding back. He told her that being perfect is something that was drilled into him as a child. Last week, he bravely confessed to her that he suffered from an eating disorder. On Tuesday, Ben revealed to his date that he had two suicide attempts in 2018 and 2019, something he had never told anyone before. “I didn’t want to burden anybody with my problems. Luckily they didn’t work,” he said. Tayshia embraced him with open arms. It was another mature, vulnerable discussion, which has come to be a real highlight and welcome addition to this season. Of course, he was given the rose. With a new bond made, they danced together during a private concert.
The group date
Tayshia straps in for a lie-detector test from JoJo Fletcher. ABC
Brendan, Ivan, Noah and Riley were put to the test on the group date. A polygraph test. Because nothing says love like intense interrogation. (Note: it probably wasn’t a real polygraph test, because it was hooked up to flashing lights, and I’ve watched enough true-crime documentaries to know that’s not how they work.) JoJo asked the questions. She discovered that Brendan may not be ready to go into hometown week. She also uncovered that Zac has cheated on someone before. And that he’s falling in love with Tayshia. Also Riley may not be named Riley.
The questions continued at the cocktail party. Why is Zac a cheater? It’s because he made out with a girl at a bowling alley while dating someone else — in sixth grade. More good news: Tayshia is falling in love with him, too.
Off to the side, Riley started to break down, worrying about meeting her family. The test was right: He was originally named after his father. After struggling with his relationship with his mother, he decided to start over, including getting a name change.
Tayshia was floored with his and everyone’s honestly, and didn’t feel that it was fair to give out a rose just because she had to. They’ll have to wait until the rose ceremony to see who will make it to next week.
Surprise!
Bennett came back to get his girl. He claimed that he wasn’t merely falling in love, like those other amateurs. He was in love. She needed to process his words and allowed him to stay the night at the resort, so she could think.
Prediction
There will be two nights of “The Bachelorette” next week. On Monday and Tuesday, it seems that Tayshia allows Bennett to come back. Everyone breaks down crying. Things are getting real. Also, it’s the “Men Tell All” special, which will never match up to a “Real Housewives” reunion. It wants what Andy Cohen has.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, call the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--How Rachel Luba helped Trevor Bauer become MLB’s most intriguing free agent

If it ’ s up to Sandy Alderson — and Steve Cohen ’ s ...

Rachel Luba, MLB’s youngest certified female agent, is in the middle of the most interesting free agency in the sport.
With her first client, free agent Trevor Bauer, Luba won the reigning NL Cy Young award winner’s business in a formal pitch to him and his father a year ago, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Despite knowing Bauer for 10 years, going back to their days as UCLA athletes, Luba sold Bauer on how her agency – Luba Sports – separates itself from traditional agencies by emphasizing analytics and offering social media and marketing services.
“Rachel’s plan made so much sense to me – the value isn’t just determined by what the player does on the field,” Bauer told the paper of his decision after leaving the Wasserman Media Group in 2019.
“The days of an agent going into a room, getting drinks with the owner, getting them drunk and agreeing to a deal are long gone, but the agency world still seems to feel like players should be compensated on past performance rather than realizing the industry now pays for projected future performance.
Trevor Bauer; Rachel Luba AP; Instagram
“When you realize that shift, the value of negotiating a contract is drastically diminished and players need to be a brand off the field to set them up for what they might want to do afterward.”
According to the company’s website, Luba Sports “utilizes modern business practices and algorithmic data to elevate their clients’ negotiation potential, improve accuracy of valuations, and raise the players’ status in the public sphere.”
Bauer and Luba, 28, were friendly at UCLA — one a star pitcher, the other a standout gymnast. According to the Monterey Herald, Luba’s goal to become an agent started at UCLA after talking to a baseball player’s representative. She graduated from UCLA a year early and got her law degree from Pepperdine University.
Bauer, who declined a qualifying offer from the Reds this offseason, has become one of the most outspoken players in the league. He has offered his opinion and in the past, has gotten into it with fans who criticized him on social media.
After Nikki Giles, a senior at Texas State University, tweeted that Bauer was her “least favorite person in all sports,” the then-Indians pitcher began to harass her. He tweeted at her roughly 80 times, including rummaging through her past tweets and exposing her underage drinking. Bauer later acknowledged his behavior on the social media app, noting that it had “a negative impact” and that he would “wield the responsibility of my public platform more responsibly in the future.”
Luba has helped facilitate that.
“Trevor is very analytical; he was a mechanical engineering major,” Luba told the Chronicle. “The way he goes about everything — eating, training, people — there are specific reasons. He doesn’t do things that don’t have a purpose — except on Twitter. I tried to explain to him, ‘You need to operate on Twitter like you do in the rest of your life.’ That was a big change for him.”
Eventually the message got through to Bauer, who can count the Mets among his many suitors.
“Me being hard-headed, I didn’t listen and didn’t listen,” he said. “About the fifth or sixth time, I said, ‘You know, you’re right.’”
Luba, who recently added free agent Yasiel Puig as client, recently made Forbes’ 30 under 30 list. She became the first female agent with a Cy Young winner.
She joins a growing list of powerful female agents in sports. Lonnie Murray is another female MLB agent. Emilie Castonguay represents Rangers pick Alexis Lafreniere, and is the first female NHL agent with the top draft pick as a client. Nicole Lynn represents Jets rising star Quinnen Williams; the former No. 3 pick is the highest NFL Draft selection represented by a woman.
“I had the motivation. I was like, I’m already being blackballed half the time because of my gender, and I didn’t want to join a traditional agency and get sucked into that world,” Luba said of her decision to launcher her own company.
“I was like, ‘Screw it, I’ll go out on my own. I want to do this myself.’”


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--Parrot replaces scissors in this house

Parrot replaces scissors in this house

Grab the “ parr ” of scissors .
Maui , a pet parrot in Idaho , went viral after its @ @ @ @ @ showed how she uses the bird ’ s beak as scissors when opening a tea @ @

Grab the "parr" of scissors. Maui, a pet parrot in Idaho, went viral after its owner, Kerri Cosma, showed how she uses the bird's beak as scissors when opening a tea packet.
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newyorkpost--2020-12-09--FDA warns against wearing masks with metal during MRIs after patient is burned

A patient wearing a face mask with a metal part was burned while undergoing an MRI exam – prompting the Food and Drug Administration to issue a warning about the potential dangers of using such coverings .
“ The FDA received an injury report for a patient who was wearing a face mask with metal during a 3 Tesla MRI scan of the neck .
The report describes burns to the patient ’ s face consistent with the shape of the face mask , ” the FDA said in its alert Tuesday .
The agency warned that patients should not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a well-known precaution that was apparently missed during the person ’ s neck scan .
“ Given the increased use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic , the FDA wants patients and health care providers to be aware of the potential risk of face burns related to the use of patient face masks containing metal during an MRI , ” the FDA said .
The agency noted that it is appropriate for a patient to wear a mask for an MRI exam during the coronavirus pandemic .
” Before the MRI begins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exams should confirm the face mask has no metal .
Some face masks have metal strips to help shape the mask to the face of the user , nanoparticles , or antimicrobial coating , which may contain metal ( for example , silver or copper ) , ” it said .
“ The metal could result in radio frequency ( RF ) -induced heating .
This may represent a hazard for MR imaging during the COVID-19 pandemic .
”

A patient wearing a face mask with a metal part was burned while undergoing an MRI exam – prompting the Food and Drug Administration to issue a warning about the potential dangers of using such coverings.
“The FDA received an injury report for a patient who was wearing a face mask with metal during a 3 Tesla MRI scan of the neck. The report describes burns to the patient’s face consistent with the shape of the face mask,” the FDA said in its alert Tuesday.
The agency warned that patients should not wear any metal during an MRI, a well-known precaution that was apparently missed during the person’s neck scan.
“Given the increased use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA wants patients and health care providers to be aware of the potential risk of face burns related to the use of patient face masks containing metal during an MRI,” the FDA said.
The agency noted that it is appropriate for a patient to wear a mask for an MRI exam during the coronavirus pandemic.
”Before the MRI begins, health care providers who perform MRI exams should confirm the face mask has no metal. Some face masks have metal strips to help shape the mask to the face of the user, nanoparticles, or antimicrobial coating, which may contain metal (for example, silver or copper),” it said.
“The metal could result in radio frequency (RF)-induced heating. This may represent a hazard for MR imaging during the COVID-19 pandemic.”


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--UK issues allergy warning about Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine after patients fall ill

Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic .
People with “ significant ” allergic reactions are being warned not to get Pfizer ’ s new coronavirus vaccine — after two people needed treatment after being jabbed on the day it was launched in the UK .
The unidentified duo — both staff in the UK ’ s National Health Service ( NHS ) — needed treatment for an “ anaphylactoid reaction ” Tuesday after they were among the first in the world to get the shot .
The Medicines and Healthcare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued precautionary advice against vaccinating anyone with a history of “ significant ” allergic reactions to medicines , food or vaccines .
“ Two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday , ” said professor Stephen Powis , national medical director for the NHS in England , adding that “ both are recovering well.
” “ The MHRA have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination , ” he said , insisting the advice was “ common @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the regulatory agency , Dr. June Raine , noted the adverse responses to the vaccine while reporting to a Parliament committee Wednesday .
“ We know from the very extensive clinical trials that this wasn ’ t a feature , ” she said .
“ But if we need to strengthen our advice , now that we have had this experience with the vulnerable populations , the groups who have been selected as a priority , we get that advice to the field immediately .
”

Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic.
Two people who were jabbed with Pfizer’s recently approved coronavirus vaccine in the UK had to be treated for serious adverse reactions — leading to warnings that those with “significant” allergies may not be able to get it.
The unidentified duo — both staff in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) — needed treatment for an “anaphylactoid reaction” Tuesday after they were among the first in the world to get the shot.
They both had serious reactions, but recovered after treatment, the NHS said.
The pair both had a history of allergic responses, and each carried an adrenaline shot — sometimes called EpiPens — used to save people from potentially fatal reactions.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) immediately issued precautionary advice against vaccinating anyone with a history of “significant” allergic reactions to medicines, food or vaccines.
The medical regulator also said vaccinations should be carried out only in facilities that have resuscitation equipment.
“Two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday,” said professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for the NHS in England, adding that “both are recovering well.”
“The MHRA have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination,” he said, insisting the advice was “common with new vaccines.”
The head of the regulatory agency, Dr. June Raine, noted the adverse responses to the vaccine while reporting to a Parliament committee Wednesday.
“We know from the very extensive clinical trials that this wasn’t a feature,” she said.
“But if we need to strengthen our advice, now that we have had this experience with the vulnerable populations, the groups who have been selected as a priority, we get that advice to the field immediately.”
A nurse prepares a shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Guy’s Hospital in London. AP
Pfizer and BioNTech said they were working with investigators “to better understand each case and its causes.″
Stephen Evans, a professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said it should not alarm the general public.
“For the general population, this does not mean that they would need to be anxious about receiving the vaccination,” he said.
“One has to remember that even things like Marmite can cause unexpected severe allergic reactions,” he added, referring to a UK food spread made with brewer’s yeast.
With Post wires


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--Papa John’s founder’s use of N-word not racist, according to report he commissioned

Papa John ’ s founder John Schnatter ’ s use of the N-word in a 2018 conference call — which led to him stepping down as chairman — was not racist and the episode was widely misreported , according to the findings of an investigation commissioned by his lawyers .
The investigation ’ s results , released Monday by Louis Freeh , former FBI Director and federal judge , were based in part on what was described as a “ background ” investigation into Schnatter ’ s past relationships with coworkers , friends and prominent African Americans .
“ A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public comments by Mr. Schnatter were neither intended nor can reasonably be interpreted to reflect any racial bias , prejudice , or disrespect for African Americans or people of color , ” the investigative report said .
Investigators reviewed the transcript of the phone conference between Schnatter and marketing agency Laundry Service .
It has been reported — and confirmed by Schnatter in a subsequent apology — that while discussing football players taking a knee during the national anthem he said “ Colonel Sanders called blacks n—–s ” and never faced a backlash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ findings claimed , failed to provide further context into Schnatter ’ s comments .
Freeh , in a press release statement , said that in the meeting Schnatter “ stress [ ed ] his disdain for racism ” and “ at no time… express [ ed ] any beliefs that could be described as bigoted or intolerant.
” Schnatter did not “ use the word as a racial slur nor was it directed at any person or group , ” added Freeh .
The investigative report found that Schnatter ’ s standing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their assessment that “ Mr .
Schnatter had no prejudicial intent or racial animus when he made the public comments at issue .
”

Papa John’s founder John Schnatter’s use of the N-word in a 2018 conference call — which led to him stepping down as chairman — was not racist and the episode was widely misreported, according to the findings of an investigation commissioned by his lawyers.
The investigation’s results, released Monday by Louis Freeh, former FBI Director and federal judge, were based in part on what was described as a “background” investigation into Schnatter’s past relationships with coworkers, friends and prominent African Americans.
“A thorough examination by FGIS found that the public comments by Mr. Schnatter were neither intended nor can reasonably be interpreted to reflect any racial bias, prejudice, or disrespect for African Americans or people of color,” the investigative report said.
Investigators reviewed the transcript of the phone conference between Schnatter and marketing agency Laundry Service.
It has been reported — and confirmed by Schnatter in a subsequent apology — that while discussing football players taking a knee during the national anthem he said “Colonel Sanders called blacks n—–s” and never faced a backlash.
But many media outlets, the findings claimed, failed to provide further context into Schnatter’s comments.
Freeh, in a press release statement, said that in the meeting Schnatter “stress[ed] his disdain for racism” and “at no time… express[ed] any beliefs that could be described as bigoted or intolerant.”
Schnatter did not “use the word as a racial slur nor was it directed at any person or group,” added Freeh.
The investigative report found that Schnatter’s standing and reputation with prominent Africans Americans further validated their assessment that “Mr. Schnatter had no prejudicial intent or racial animus when he made the public comments at issue.”


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--White House proposes $600 COVID-19 checks, elimination of $300 jobless benefit

WASHINGTON — President Trump is ready to sign a new , ...

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration dove back into Capitol Hill’s confusing COVID-19 negotiations Tuesday, offering a $916 billion package to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans — but eliminate a $300 weekly unemployment benefit favored by a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the offer to Pelosi (D-Calif.) late Tuesday afternoon, he said in a statement. He offered few details, though House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said it proposes the $600 direct payment for individuals and $1,200 for couples, which is half the payment delivered by the March pandemic relief bill.
Mnuchin reached out to Pelosi after a call with top congressional GOP leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who remains at odds with Democratic leaders over COVID-19 relief. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) responded to Mnuchin’s entreaty with a statement that said they would prefer to let a bipartisan group take the lead.
The bipartisan group, led by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), among others, is seeking to rally lawmakers in both parties behind a $908 billion framework that includes a $300-per-week pandemic jobless benefit and $160 billion for states and local governments. It is more generous than a GOP plan that’s been filibustered twice already, but far smaller than a wish list assembled by House Democrats.
McConnell had earlier proposed shelving a top Democratic priority — aid to state and local governments — in exchange for dropping his own pet provision, a shield against lawsuits for COVID-related negligence. Democrats angrily rejected the idea, saying McConnell was undermining the efforts of a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators and reneging on earlier statements that state and local aid would likely have to be an element of a COVID-19 relief agreement given Democratic control of the House.
The $916 billion Mnuchin offer, the separate ongoing talks among key rank-and-file senators, and the shifting demands from the White House add up to muddled, confusing prospects for a long-delayed COVID-19 aid package. The pressure to deliver is intense — all sides say failure isn’t an option.
The Mnuchin plan resurrects direct payments that are popular with President Trump and the public but which are disliked by many Republican lawmakers who say they are costly and send too much aid to people who do not need it. Democrats generally embrace the idea.
“Right now we’re targeting struggling families, failing businesses, health care workers and we don’t have a stimulus check to every single person, regardless of need,” said Collins.
McConnell said Congress will not adjourn without providing the long-overdue COVID-19 relief. He had previously said he would not put any pandemic relief bill on the floor that does not include the liability shield, which is being sought by businesses, universities, nonprofits and others that are reopening during the pandemic.
“Leaving here without a COVID relief package cannot happen,” McConnell said. “Why don’t we set aside the two obviously most contentious issues. We know we’re going to be confronted with another request after the first of the year. We’ll live to fight those another day.”
Schumer immediately rejected the entreaty, saying the state and local relief is sought by many Republicans, too, including some conservatives like Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Mitt Romney of Utah. Pelosi blasted McConnell’s offer as an attempt to undercut the bipartisan group whose framework she supports as a foundation for the negotiations.
Pelosi initially demanded more than $900 billion for state and local governments this spring, but the fiscal situation in the states hasn’t been as bad as feared and Democratic leaders could be willing to accept a $160 billion proposal by the moderate group.
Already, Capitol Hill leaders are moving a government shutdown deadline to the end of next week, but progress is slow and key decisions are yet to be made. The House has scheduled a vote on a one-week temporary government funding bill for Wednesday. Without the measure, the government would shut down this weekend.
Separately, Pelosi and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) spoke by phone Monday to try to kick-start talks on a separate $1.4 trillion government-wide spending bill. That measure is held up over issues like protections for the sage grouse, the Census and accounting maneuvers being employed by lawmakers to squeeze $12 billion more into the legislation.
McConnell initially proposed a sweeping, five-year liability shield, retroactive to December 2019, to protect companies and organizations from COVID-19-related lawsuits. Democrats, along with their allies in labor and civil rights groups, roundly dismissed that approach as a danger to workers. And there hasn’t been a wave of lawsuits.
“Contrary to the majority leader’s dire predictions, there has been no flood of COVID lawsuits. In fact, quite the opposite,” said Schumer. “Far from the pandemic of lawsuits, there’s barely been a trickle.”


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--Knicks’ Myles Powell using Spurs veteran  as career inspiration

Myles Powell may have gone undrafted , but the All-American from ...

Seton Hall great Myles Powell is a long shot to make the Knicks roster and probably will spend the year in a shortened G-League bubble season in Atlanta, representing Westchester.
The undersized guard from Trenton is still calling being in camp “a dream come true.’’ And he’s set his sights on emulating Spurs veteran guard Patty Mills, the Australian who played at St. Mary’s and beat long odds to make it to his 10th NBA season.
“I watched a lot of Patty Mills lately,’’ Powell said on a Zoom call Tuesday after the third day of practice. “Everything from him coming from college to him making a living in the NBA with the Spurs, I’ve been watching a lot of him, how he plays on the defensive end, how he moves without the ball, how he sees the floor and gets to the spots on the floor when he wants to shoot. So I’ve been watching him and trying to pick from his game.”
Despite averaging 17.5 points in his four-year Seton Hall career and being known as an all-around sniper, Powell wasn’t one of the NBA’s 60 draft picks. College seniors are often considered outmoded on draft night.
Myles Powell Bill Kostroun
“My family helped me keep my head,’’ Powell said. “I turned the page real quickly. This is my story. I’ve always kind of been the underdog. I needed that. They say sometimes in life when you get things handed to you, you take it for granted. I’m blessed to be in this situation. A kid coming from Trenton, I shouldn’t be here anyway. I know there’s a lot of kids in Jersey and family looking up to me, I just want to keep being that role model people keep looking up to.”
Defending the point will be his biggest challenge on this level because he’s only 6-foot-2.
“I’m a competitor,’’ Powell said. “I lay it all out on the line. If you watch me play, you know I’m playing for something. I play with a different type of passion. I’m a shooter. I feel every team needs a shooter on the floor to space the floor out. And just working on defense. Me being 6-2, I’m going tot have to guard the 1 spot. The NBA is filled with a lot of good guards. Going against Dennis [Smith Jr.] every day, guarding EP [Elfrid Payton], I feel that’s helped me.”
Even if he doesn’t play an NBA game this season, nothing will beat this opportunity, potentially suiting up in the upcoming preseason games.
“As a young kid growing up, you always dream about playing in the NBA,’’ Powell said. “There’s nothing like playing so close from your hometown.
Tom Thibodeau still is reserving judgment on rookie Obi Toppin, knowing the lack of summer league is a factor in his readiness.
“Particularly this year’s class, it’s going to be a challenge,’’ Thibodeau said when asked about Toppin. “No summer league, no fall practices. Now they’re in training camp and they’re going against NBA quality players and they have to learn a lot. But I love his attitude.’’
Combo guard Austin Rivers still isn’t practicing fully and is not expected to play Friday in Detroit in the first preseason game


newyorkpost--2020-12-09--Truck driver who killed 2-year-old daughter to be executed Friday

A Louisiana truck driver convicted of murdering his 2-year-old daughter is scheduled to be federally executed on Friday .
Alfred @ @ @ @ @ daughter in July 2002 during a work delivery at Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi , is @ @ @ @ @ injection at the Federal Correction Complex Terre Haute in Indiana , the Corpus Christi Caller @ @ @ @ @ slammed his daughter ’ s head into a windshield and dashboard after becoming enraged that @ @ @ @ @ trainer , according to court documents obtained by the newspaper .
The child was placed @ @ @ @ @ at a hospital .
Bourgeois , who has been on death row since 2004 , @ @ @ @ @ molesting his daughter , the report said .
His execution is one of two planned @ @ @ @ @ week .
Brandon Bernard , who in 1999 kidnapped and killed two youth ministers on @ @ @ @ @ is scheduled to be executed Thursday .
Three other federal executions have been scheduled before @ @ @ @ @ on Jan. 20 .

A Louisiana truck driver convicted of murdering his 2-year-old daughter is scheduled to be federally executed on Friday.
Alfred Bourgeois, who killed his daughter in July 2002 during a work delivery at Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi, is slated to receive a lethal injection at the Federal Correction Complex Terre Haute in Indiana, the Corpus Christi Caller Times reported.
Bourgeois repeatedly slammed his daughter’s head into a windshield and dashboard after becoming enraged that she tipped over her potty trainer, according to court documents obtained by the newspaper.
The child was placed on life support before dying at a hospital.
Bourgeois, who has been on death row since 2004, was also convicted of sexually molesting his daughter, the report said.
His execution is one of two planned by the federal government this week.
Brandon Bernard, who in 1999 kidnapped and killed two youth ministers on a Texas military reservation, is scheduled to be executed Thursday.
Three other federal executions have been scheduled before President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20.
With Post wires