Politics

President Biden included a nod to a rising issue in the entertainment and tech industries during his State of the Union address Thursday evening, calling for a ban on AI voice impersonations. “Here at home, I have signed over 400 bipartisan bills. There’s more to pass my unity agenda,” President Biden said, beginning to list

With American lawmakers sounding the alarm again over TikTok‘s ties to China’s communist regime, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce committee unanimously voted to approve a bill that would give China’s ByteDance 165 days to divest its ownership of TikTok — or effectively face a U.S. ban. The bill, “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled

Julianne Moore, Michael Douglas and Emma Thompson are among a slew of celebrities putting their names to a campaign for nuclear disarmament. Ahead of “Oppenheimer’s” expected domination at the Oscars this Sunday, Moore, Douglas, Thompson and other celebrities have backed the Nuclear Threat Initiative’s “Make Nukes History” campaign. “We want to raise our voices to

Nikki Haley will suspend her presidential campaign on Wednesday, sources close to the politician told the Associated Press. This sets the stage for a near certain rematch of 2020’s race between Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden. According to the AP, Haley will make the announcement on Wednesday morning, but three people with direct

The estate of the late Sinéad O’Connor has denounced Donald Trump’s use of the singer-songwriter’s performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U” at his campaign rallies. Trump most recently played the song at events in Maryland and North Carolina in the past week. In a statement to Variety, O’Connor’s estate and label Chrysalis Records demanded that

“Euphoria” star Hunter Schafer was among 30 protesters taken into police custody for participating in a Pro-Palestine rally outside of President Joe Biden’s “Late Night With Seth Meyers” appearance in New York City on Monday. When contacted about Schafer’s involvement, a NYPD spokesperson told Variety that “a total of 30 individuals were taken into custody”

The Creative Coalition has announced the 2024 #RightToBearArts Delegation to Capitol Hill and the White House, advocating for public funding of the arts across the nation. The delegation will be held in Washington, D.C., on April 26. The 2024 delegation is led by Creative Coalition president Tim Daly and actors Yetide Badaki, Diedrich Bader, Lizzy

The incident of a Palestinian flag covering a Star of David necklace on an Amy Winehouse statue is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police. Winehouse, who died in 2011, aged 27, lived in London’s Camden neighbourhood. The life-size statue of the late Winehouse, who belonged to the Jewish faith, was installed in 2014 at Camden

Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader and subject of the Oscar-winning 2022 documentary “Navalny,” died in jail on Friday, according to Russia’s state prison service. He was 47. The Associated Press reported that Russia’s Federal Prison Service said in a statement that Navalny “felt unwell after a walk on Friday and lost consciousness.” Emergency services

The Kansas City Police Department reported that shots were fired Wednesday afternoon after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade, which had culminated in a highly-attended rally for fans held directly across the street in the downtown area. KCPD states that two armed individuals have been detained and are being held in custody. According to Michael

Prince Harry will receive an interim payment of £400,000 (approximately $504,000) in addition to “substantial” further damages in his phone hacking case against British tabloid The Mirror, according to his lawyer, bringing the suit to a close. The BBC reported that Harry’s lawyer, David Sherborne, told a judge at London’s High Court on Friday that

Tucker Carlson has shared his longform interview with Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, discussing the political leader’s justifications for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The video, running more than two hours, represents the first time that the Russian leader has been interviewed by a Western journalist since the conflict started nearly two years ago. “The interview, as

King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Monday. In a statement on its website, the Palace said that “a separate issue of concern” had been noted during the King’s recent procedure for a benign prostate enlargement. “Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer,” the statement continued. “His Majesty

Melissa Barrera is once again under fire over a series of new social media posts involving the Israeli-Gaza conflict, prompting her representatives at WME and Sugar23 to explore dropping the actress as a client. The “In the Heights” and “Scream” star earlier this week posted a link in her Instagram bio that directed her followers

A federal judge has dealt a major setback to Disney in its fight with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, throwing out the company’s First Amendment lawsuit. Disney argued that the governor retaliated against the company for its protected speech when he dissolved a special tax district that governs the company’s Orlando theme parks. But in a

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doesn’t want to be former President Donald Trump’s running mate in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. “I don’t think that my marriage would survive it,” Kennedy told Variety‘s Marc Malkin at the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” Season 12 premiere in Los Angeles. “I think he’s right,” added Kennedy’s wife, Cheryl Hines. Malkin

Joy Reid had a hot mic moment during MSNBC’s “The Reid Out” on Monday night and later apologized for her remarks, which included the f-bomb. During a segment titled “Republicans take credit for stuff they voted against,” Reid said that the party ties “themselves into pretzels to do nothing for the American people for the

Former President Donald Trump has won the New Hampshire primary, according to the Associated Press, as he continues to cruise toward his third nomination to lead the Republican Party in the coming election. The AP called the race immediately once all polls were closed at 8 p.m. local time. Trump faced only one significant remaining

Noah Schnapp has addressed online backlash to his stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, saying that his “thoughts and beliefs have been so far misconstrued.” In a video posted on TikTok late Monday night, the “Stranger Things” star said he “just wanted to come on here super briefly to discuss everything that’s been going on

Former president Donald Trump won the Iowa caucuses on Monday, according to projections from the Associated Press and other outlets. Trump was the heavy favorite heading into Monday’s vote, as he seeks to reclaim the White House. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations, are vying for second

Idris Elba launched a campaign on Monday calling on U.K. Parliament to put an end to knife violence, particularly among the youth. Called Don’t Stop Your Future, the campaign aims to amplify the “voices of marginalized communities and those most affected by knife crime,” according to its website. Along with a message penned by Elba

What was former President Barack Obama jamming out to this year? “America Has a Problem” by Beyoncé featuring Kendrick Lamar, Tyla’s “Water” and “My Love Mine All Mine” by Mitski, to name a few. Obama revealed his annual list of favorite songs via social media on Friday, and as per usual, it spans a wide

Ziwe has found her latest iconic guest: George Santos. After teasing a collab with the expelled congressman, comedian and celebrity interviewer Ziwe released her sit-down interview with Santos on YouTube on Monday morning. Ziwe’s “ZNN” interview, a CNN spoof with her own Ziwe News Network, began with onscreen text saying “No congressman were paid in

The European Commission announced a wide-ranging formal investigation Monday into whether Elon Musk’s X violated the EU’s Digital Services Act, covering areas “linked to risk management, content moderation, dark patterns, advertising transparency and data access for researchers.” In addition, the commission said, the probe will look into X’s “suspected deceptive design of the user interface,

Prince Harry has received a judgement in his case against British tabloid newspaper The Mirror. Mr Justice Fancourt, who presided over the trial earlier this year, said he found “extensive” phone hacking between 2006 and 2011, the PA reports. Judge Fancourt, who handed down his lengthy judgment on Friday morning, local time, added that the

President Biden is set to make a whirlwind fundraising tour of Los Angeles this weekend, hitting six or seven events in the course of a day and a half. Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will attend a sold-out fundraiser on Friday night, with co-hosts including Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, Shonda Rhimes, Rob Reiner,

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. You can’t believe everything you see on the internet, particularly when it has to do with ex-congressman George Santos who was kicked out of the House of Representatives this week. No, he didn’t work

Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice, died on Friday, the Supreme Court announced in a statement. She was 93. O’Connor died in Phoenix, Ariz. from complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness. Appointed by former President Ronald Reagan in 1981, O’Connor retired from the court in

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and California Governor Gavin Newsom will take the debate stage on Thursday night, marking an usual event between a Republican presidential candidate and a high-profile Democratic governor. The 90-minute debate,

Henry Kissinger, the secretary of state for Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford who shaped U.S. foreign policy for decades, has died. He was 100. Kissinger died Wednesday at his home in Connecticut, according to a statement from his consulting film. As national security advisor and U.S. secretary of state between 1969 and 1977, Kissinger