Politics

May 24, 2019 8:09AM PT On the day that British Prime Minister Theresa May announced her resignation plans, a prominent former politician has unveiled a two-part documentary about the troubles faced by her Conservative party. Michael Portillo is a former senior Conservative politician and leadership candidate. As the starting gun is sounded on a fresh

May 24, 2019 7:06AM PT Twitter permanently suspended the accounts of Ed and Brian Krassenstein — progressive political activists famous for trolling Donald Trump and his supporters — with the company alleging the brothers used bogus accounts to amplify their reach on the platform. “The Twitter Rules apply to everyone,” a Twitter rep said in

British Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed she will step down as Conservative leader on June 7. She set the timetable for her resignation, Friday. It paves the way for a contest to decide on a new U.K. Prime Minister. She will remain as Prime Minister until a new leader is in position. The Prime

FYI Brand Group, the music and fashion brand marketing and public relations firm founded by Tammy Brook, is launching a social impact division dedicated to campaigns centered around creating a call to action for social good. Organizations that have signed on to work with FYI include the American Cancer Society and Black Lives Matter; the

Jeff Daniels took a swipe at President Donald Trump and the GOP during an appearance on MSNBC on Monday. Daniels spoke with Nicolle Wallace on MSNBC about his role as Atticus Finch in the Broadway production of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a story about racial politics and discrimination in 1930s Alabama, and spent the segment

This past weekend, squeezed between a string of Eurovision Song Contest parties, Tel Aviv’s posh Norman hotel played host to an intimate, invite-only dinner of music industry delegates from the United States. The rooftop-set event was designed as a highlight on the itinerary of the Creative Community for Peace (CCFP) weeklong trip to Israel. CCFP,

Robert De Niro honored Al Pacino, his longtime friend and four-time collaborator (with Martin Scorsese’s upcoming film “The Irishman” marking their latest pairing), at the American Icon Awards, and then called for a different type of tribute for President Donald Trump — “impeachment and imprisonment.” “You didn’t think you were going to completely get away without

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai gave a thumbs-up to T-Mobile and Sprint’s proposed $26 billion merger, after the companies committed to enhanced 5G buildout commitments and agreed to spin off Sprint’s Boost Mobile. T-Mobile and Sprint first announced their plans to merge in April 2018, looking to combine forces to take on industry leaders AT&T and

Songwriting took a backseat to politics for the female honorees at Thursday night’s ASCAP Pop Music Awards at the Beverly Hilton. America’s rapidly spreading anti-abortion movement in states such as Alabama, Georgia and, most recently, Missouri — and resulting legal battles that could lead the Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade — had veteran

May 15, 2019 7:03PM PT President Donald Trump has issued a full pardon for Conrad Black, a former media mogul who was convicted on counts of wire fraud and obstruction of justice and who also wrote a biography that praised the president last year. According to a lengthy post on Black’s website, Trump called Black

Doubling down on the idea that conservative views are being censored on social media, the White House launched a web form Wednesday afternoon that asks users to report any actions taken against them on platforms like Facebook and Twitter because of their political views. “Social media platforms should advance freedom of speech,” the White House

The U.S. is sitting out an international initiative — sparked by the March terrorist attack on Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand — aimed at halting the spread of terrorism and extremist content on social media, citing the need for freedom of speech. “While the United States is not currently in a position to join the

Facebook will ban users who have violated certain rules from live streaming after just one offense, the company announced this week. The new one-strike policy includes posting content in support of hate groups and terrorist organizations. The policy change comes in response to the Christchurch shooting in New Zealand, which was live-streamed on Facebook by

Swedish prosecutors announced Monday that they would reopen their rape investigation into WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is currently serving a 50-week jail sentence in Britain for jumping bail on an arrest warrant stemming from the case. Eva-Marie Persson, Sweden’s deputy director of public prosecution, told reporters Monday that the investigation would be resumed. “I

Pete Buttigieg finished a day of fundraising on Friday at the home of Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuk with a reception that drew about 100 people including Bradley Whitford, Rob Reiner and Martin Sheen. According to a source knowledgeable about the event, other attendees included interior designer Michael Smith and James Costos, former U.S. ambassador

Pete Buttigieg started a fundraising blitz through Los Angeles donor circles on Thursday, a reflection of the sudden interest in his unexpected rise as a serious candidate for the Democratic nomination. In contrast to previous visits to Los Angeles, where he has met individually with prominent bundlers and held meet and greets, his schedule includes

May 9, 2019 12:38PM PT WASHINGTON — Gail MacKinnon has been promoted to senior executive vice president of global policy and government affairs at the MPAA. MacKinnon will oversee all of the trade organization’s international advocacy and policy, including the Asia-Pacific regions and Europe, the Middle East and Africa. MacKinnon joined the MPAA in 2017

Chris Hughes, who co-founded Facebook with Mark Zuckerberg and others 15 years ago when they were students at Harvard, believes the federal government should dismantle the extraordinarily powerful social-media giant. In a 5,700-word New York Times op-ed piece published Thursday, Hughes argued that Zuckerberg holds “unchecked power” that is “unprecedented and un-American.” “Mark is a

Joe Biden spoke to a crowd of about 300 people on Wednesday evening at the home of James Costos and Michael Smith in his first fundraising swing through Los Angeles since announcing his 2020 presidential bid. A who’s who of Hollywood’s longtime political class, including Jeffrey Katzenberg, Tom Rothman, Rob Reiner and Chris Silbermann were

WASHINGTON — The MPAA said that it will continue to monitor what happens to Georgia’s new law restricting abortion after some industry figures have called for a boycott in the wake of passage of the legislation. In a statement, MPAA spokesman Chris Ortman said on Wednesday, “Film and television production in Georgia supports more than

George Clooney isn’t ready to endorse any of the democratic candidates for president just yet. “I’m going to stay out of the primaries, [but] I’ll fundraise for anybody that is out there that’s interested in trying to make this president a one-term president.” Clooney told Variety on Tuesday night at the Los Angeles premiere of

When Joe Biden made one of his first treks to Hollywood for his last presidential race, in 2007, his fundraising had been paltry, he was having trouble getting donors’ attention, and much of showbiz was siding either with the presumed front runner, Hillary Clinton, or the historic upstart, Barack Obama.  “I haven’t asked for anything

May 7, 2019 7:58AM PT WASHINGTON — Spotting in D.C. of Special Counsel Robert Mueller spread quickly on social media, even more so in the aftermath of the release of his report on Russian election interference and Democrats’ efforts to get him to testify before the House Judiciary Committee. So there was a great deal

WASHINGTON — Nearly 400 former federal prosecutors have signed on to a statement concluding that President Trump would be facing obstruction of justice charges were he not in the White House. The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel has a policy against the indictment of a sitting president, but the prosecutors conclude that Special Counsel

In an apparent response to Facebook’s banning of far-right agitators, President Trump vowed on Twitter Friday afternoon to closely monitor the situation, calling it censorship. “I am continuing to monitor the censorship of American citizens on social media platforms,” he tweeted without naming Facebook by name. “This is the United States of America — and

Pete Buttigieg will be in Los Angeles on May 9 for a fundraising swing and his campaign is already lining up other events for another visit in June. He’s headlining a fundraiser on the afternoon of June 19 at the Hancock Park home of Mike Rose and Ruben Rodriguez, who sold Ease Entertainment Services in

May 2, 2019 4:32PM PT Attorney General William Barr skipped out on the House Judiciary hearings Thursday, but in his stead was a ceramic chicken and bucket of KFC fried chicken courtesy of Tennessee congressman Steve Cohen. Cohen dubbed the Attorney General “ChickenBarr” for failing to appear for the second day of testimony regarding the

President Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton are jumping on the podcasting bandwagon. The former U.S. president and his daughter, who is vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, launched a new podcast, “Why Am I Telling You This?” The series will feature conversations with President Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Clinton Foundation staff, partners and special guests —

WASHINGTON — Michael Bennet, who has served as a U.S. senator from Colorado since 2009, is the latest Democrat to join the crowded field of candidates in the 2020 presidential race. “This country faces two enormous challenges, among others: One is a lack of economic mobility and opportunity for most Americans. The other is the

May 2, 2019 3:45AM PT A day after being sentenced to nearly a year in jail for jumping bail, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was back in court Thursday for a brief initial hearing on whether he should be extradited to the U.S. to face prosecution over leaking classified information. Assange appeared by video link in