Politics

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

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) will return to showbiz fundraising circles on June 3, as she headlines an event hosted by a group that includes a number of powerful Hollywood lawyers and Peter Chernin and his wife, Megan. The event will be held at Sam and Leah Fischer’s Hancock Park home, with tickets starting at $1,000

When an advisory firm estimated that Walt Disney Co. chief Bob Iger would be paid as much as $423 million over four years, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., seized on the figure as a signal of what’s wrong with the U.S. economy. “Does Disney CEO Bob Iger have a good explanation for why he is being

WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr faced tough questions from Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday over the way he characterized the conclusions of Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. Barr’s appearance came after the revelation that Mueller objected to the way that the conclusions were first presented to

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was sentenced to 50 weeks in jail Wednesday for jumping bail when he took refuge inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London. Assange was arrested last month after spending nearly seven years inside the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced sexual assault allegations. He told Southwark Crown Court in

As Tel Aviv gears up for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, taking place in the coastal Israeli city May 14 through 18, the entertainment industry non-profit Creative Community For Peace (CCFP) has released a statement in support of the internationally-attended and globally-televised event, which promotes musical acts from all over the world. The statement, signed

April 28, 2019 8:05AM PT WASHINGTON — As thousands of Beltway journalists, politicos and media executives gathered at the Washington Hilton for the White House Correspondents Association dinner, Bill and Hillary Clinton were appearing onstage across town for an event that actually did feature a comedian, Comedy Central’s Jordan Klepper. The event, at DAR Constitution

WASHINGTON — President Trump may have succeeded in drawing attention to a rally on the same night as the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, but the annual Beltway event went on as if it didn’t matter that the administration was boycotting it. At the Washington Hilton, there were few celebrities, not even that many elected

WASHINGTON — Executives from Facebook, Comcast Cable, Tegna, Gray Televison and Sinclair Broadcast Group are among the participants in a two-day Department of Justice workshop next week on competition in TV and digital advertising. The event, to be held on May 2 and 3, will “explore industry dynamics in media advertising and the implications for

WASHINGTON — Michael Beschloss, the presidential historian, on Thursday posted a photo from the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner some 95 years ago: All men in tuxes, lined up at long tables, and no celebrities of their day among them. This year’s event won’t be quite so staid, but it isn’t what it was just

Joe Biden has lined up a long list of co-hosts for his first Hollywood-centric fundraising event, including a number of industry figures who were active in President Barack Obama’s presidential runs. The list of co-hosts for the May 8 event, at the home of James Costos and Michael Smith, includes Colleen and Bradley Bell, Peter

Pete Buttigieg continues to line up celebrity figures for fundraising events, one of the latest being a group of New York media and entertainment personalities for a May 13 reception. According to an invite, the event will be hosted by a group that includes Alan Cumming, Andy Cohen, Jane Lynch, Billy Porter, Michael Stipe, Ilana