Politics

Germany’s Studio Babelsberg is seeking to find a settlement with hundreds of film crew members following the shutdown earlier this month of Warner Bros.’ “The Matrix 4” and Sony Pictures’ “Uncharted” amid the coronavirus outbreak. The production stop has left many independent film crew members without pay and more than 300 have formed a working

Coronavirus remains firmly in the royal orbit as one of Queen Elizabeth’s footmen has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19. The royal footman, who regularly walks the Queen’s dogs and was in regular contact with the monarch, is now in self-isolation after falling ill with coronavirus, according to British tabloid The Sun. The revelation comes just

The House of Representatives passed the $2 trillion stimulus package on Friday, even as lawmakers said another rescue package would be needed. The bill passed on a voice vote, and now heads to President Donald Trump for his signature. Most Americans will receive a one-time payment of $1,200 plus $500 per child. The bill also

The Senate voted on Wednesday to approve a $2 trillion bill to cushion the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, including hundreds of billions for companies and a massive expansion of unemployment benefits. The Senate voted 96-0 to approve the measure, after two votes earlier in week failed along party lines. The House of Representatives

Senate leaders and the White House have reached a deal on a $2 trillion stimulus package, which includes a large increase in unemployment insurance and hundreds of billions of dollars to aid companies harmed by the coronavirus pandemic. Shortly before 2 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced on the Senate floor

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India announced a sweeping, nationwide lockdown on Tuesday, declaring citizens across the country of 1.3 billion must stay at home for the next three weeks. Addressing the country for the second time in a week, the prime minister said the decree, which takes effect at midnight Tuesday, was a necessary

A reporter who works at the White House is believed to have the novel coronavirus, the White House Correspondents’ Association said on Monday. In a memo to its members, the WHCA said the reporter was at the White House four times in the last two weeks: on March 9, 11, 16 and 18. “We encourage

U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson has declared a partial lockdown of the country, effective immediately. In an address broadcast to the nation on Monday evening, Johnson urged Britons to stay home to save lives. The prime minister forbade leaving home for anything apart from shopping for basic necessities like food and medicines, medical needs, one

As the coronavirus crisis continues to devastate Germany’s entertainment industry, calls are growing ever louder for an official ban on shooting. At the same time, the country’s film funders have come together to finance an industry rescue package, while leading TV broadcasters are promising to bear a share of the costs of shuttered productions. The

March 22, 2020 5:03PM PT Originally set for April 25, this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner has been postponed. A new date will be announced at a later time. The White House Correspondents’ Association made the announcement on Sunday afternoon. “The White House Correspondents’ Association regrets to announce that it is unable to go ahead

March 22, 2020 11:04AM PT Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the first U.S. senator to contract coronavirus. His office announced the diagnosis on Twitter Sunday morning, saying he is asymptomatic and currently in quarantine. The announcement said that he was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has expanded coronavirus-related restrictions in the Empire State, ordering non-essential businesses to keep all workers home in an effort to slow the spread of the contagion. “When I talk about the most drastic action we can take — this is the most drastic action we can take,” Cuomo said Friday

California residents have been ordered to stay at home, except to get food or other essential services, in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the order in a press conference on Thursday night, saying it will remain in place until further notice. The order mirrors one announced shortly beforehand

In order to stop the spread of coronavirus, millions of Americans are following the advice, or orders, of public health authorities and staying home. We don’t know how long this crisis will last, but we know that if we stay home and slow the spread of the virus, we can avert the worst outcomes that

Kim Foxx, the state’s attorney in Chicago, has survived the controversy over her handling of the Jussie Smollett case, defeating three challengers in her bid for re-election. Foxx was first elected four years ago on a platform of criminal justice reform. But last year she became entangled in the Smollett case, in which her office

Joe Biden swept the primaries in Florida, Illinois and Arizona on Tuesday, setting himself up to become the de facto Democratic nominee. With more than 90% of the vote counted in Florida, Biden was beating Sen. Bernie Sanders by nearly 40 points. He won Illinois by more than 20 points, and was leading in Arizona

China said Tuesday it will expel all American journalists working in the country for the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal whose credentials will expire in 2020. The journalists will have to turn in their press credentials within 10 days, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.  “They will not

The governor of Ohio on Monday called for Tuesday’s presidential primary to be delayed until June in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Ohio is one of four states set to vote on Tuesday. The others are Illinois, Florida and Arizona. Last week, the secretaries of state of all four states issued a joint statement saying

President Donald Trump said the growing coronavirus crisis could last as long as August, according to the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Trump issued new guidelines during a press briefing on Monday, calling for Americans to avoid discretionary travel and gatherings of more than 10 people, as well as public spaces — including bars, restaurants,

Former Vice President Joe Biden pledged on Sunday to pick a woman to be his running mate, should he get the Democratic nomination. Biden made the pledge more than an hour into the first one-on-one debate with Sen. Bernie Sanders, carried on CNN and Univision without an audience due to coronavirus concerns. “My administration will

President Trump on Friday declared a national state of emergency in response to coronavirus, freeing up billions in federal funds to assist with state and local response to the pandemic. “The action I am taking will open up access to $50 billion of very important — a large amount of money — for states and

House speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed the nation Friday to introduce today’s Congressional bill, “The Families First Coronavirus Response Act.” She outlined what the House Democrats and the Senate minority had already proposed, which have not gone through. Of this new bill, Pelosi said, “The three most important parts of this bill are: testing, testing, testing.”

March 13, 2020 10:14AM PT President Donald Trump is expected to declare a state of emergency on Friday in response to the growing coronavirus pandemic. Trump is expected to invoke the Stafford Act, which will allow state and local governments to access federal disaster relief funds. Trump announced that he would hold a press conference

The U.K. government has announced it is moving to the next phase in its plans to combat the coronavirus outbreak in the country. Following a meeting of the government’s emergency planning committee Cobra, the country has formally moved from a “contain” standing to its “delay” phase. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the move at a

Sen. Bernie Sanders acknowledged on Wednesday that he is trailing former Vice President Joe Biden, but said he will stay in the race and will debate Biden on Sunday. Sanders also acknowledged that he is struggling to persuade voters that he is the best candidate to defeat President Donald Trump in November. However, he said

Prince Harry was allegedly duped by Russian pranksters during two recent wide-ranging phone calls, in which the Duke of Sussex discussed Megxit, climate change and Prince Andrew, while saying U.S. President Donald Trump “has blood on his hands,” according to revelations made in the British press Wednesday. In the recordings, which were obtained by the

The Bank of England has cut interest rates in an emergency move to shore up the U.K. economy amid growing alarm over the coronavirus crisis. The Bank announced Wednesday morning it had reduced rates from 0.75% to 0.25%, marking the lowest level in history. “The reduction in Bank Rate will help to support business and

Former Vice President Joe Biden was projected to win the primary in Michigan on Tuesday, dealing a major setback to Sen. Bernie Sanders in the race for the Democratic nomination. Biden was also declared the winner in Missouri and Mississippi, as he continued a winning streak that began 10 days ago in South Carolina. Speaking

March 8, 2020 5:29PM PT Texas Senator Ted Cruz announced he has put himself in a self-quarantine after shaking hands with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. In a statement on Twitter, Cruz explained that he came into contact with the person 10 days ago at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor,

Hillary Clinton has yet to formally endorse a presidential nominee, but the political trailblazer offered some advice to the Democratic candidate tasked with taking on Donald Trump. “My hope — and certainly my advice — is that the Democratic Party unite behind whoever the nominee is,” Clinton told Variety Wednesday night. “The most important thing