Politics

Montana has become the first state in the U.S. to ban TikTok. If the bill holds up against expected legal challenges, it will be put into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. State Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the bill on Wednesday, writing in a statement: “Today, Montana takes the most decisive action of any state to

Jenna Barbee, a fifth-grade Florida teacher, is under investigation by the Florida Department of Education after showing her class the animated Disney movie “Strange World,” which features an openly gay character. In a video posted to TikTok, Barbee said that she is being investigated for indoctrination after showing the film. “Our students had standardized testing

Donald Trump opened his town hall on CNN Wednesday night by reiterating his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged.” The former president sat down Wednesday evening for a conversation moderated by Kaitlan Collins broadcast live from New Hampshire, fielding questions from Republicans and undeclared voters in the state. At the start of

The war between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis does not appear to be calming down any time soon — as both sides have traded lawsuits in a struggle for control over the company’s Orlando theme parks. In the latest move, the DeSantis-backed board that oversees Disney World, EPCOT and the other parks will take

A New York City jury ruled on Tuesday that former president Donald Trump is liable of sexually abusing and defaming, but not raping, writer E. Jean Carroll, as reported by the New York Times. Carroll, a former columnist for Elle magazine, will be awarded $5 million in damages. In November 2019, Carroll filed a civil

Heads may roll if Howard Stern ever visits the U.K. The shock jock slammed the U.K.’s newly-crowned King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla in his radio show on Monday, calling the king a “pussy” and the royal couple “vampires.” “England’s got to get a grip on themselves,” Stern said. “I understand maybe it

The FTC alleges Meta failed to comply with a 2020 privacy order — and as such, the agency wants to impose new restrictions on the social giant, including prohibiting Facebook, Instagram and its other services from monetizing data from users under 18. The FTC also is proposing to prohibit Meta from releasing new or modified

BBC chair Richard Sharp has resigned his position over his role in a 2020 loan to then U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Sharp had been under pressure ever since a parliamentary inquiry into the matter by the same Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee that had interviewed him for the job found that

Incumbent U.S. President Joe Biden said early Tuesday that he will seek a second term in office. The move potentially set him up for another clash with former President Donald Trump who is the Republican Party’s front-runner for nomination. As in 2019, Biden used a video clip to announce his new run. In the three-minute

Keke Palmer opened up about sexuality and gender while being honored Saturday by the Los Angeles LGBT Center. “I’m so grateful to be here today to be embraced by a community that I’ve always felt accepted by, and a part of,” the “Nope” star. “I’ve always been my own person. Sexuality and identity for me

Kevin Spacey appeared in a U.K. court via videolink on Friday morning local time as a judge confirmed the length and date of his criminal trial, which is set for this summer. According to U.K. media reports, the actor spoke only to confirm his full name, Kevin Spacey Fowler, and that he could hear the

Let no one deny it: Rupert Murdoch is clever like a fox. He’s slyer than his adversaries in mainstream media. They still think in real-world terms. But Murdoch thinks in terms of the world that he’s created — the world of fake news, of lies that play because they carry the ring of vengeful mythology

Fox settled its Dominion Voting Systems defamation suit for $787.5 million, but the network’s litigators submitted several clips from “The Simpsons” to be shown in court, had the case gone to trial. Each of these scenes show Homer Simpson voting in a presidential election, as NBC reported: — Season 20’s “Treehouse of Horror XIX” shows

Mobilize Recovery is partnering with iHeartMedia and Meta again as part of its 2023 campaign, Variety can exclusively report.  It was also announced Monday morning that Grammy-award-winning artist Macklemore will make an appearance at Mobilize Recovery’s national event in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 19. “Mobilize Recovery has become central to iHeart Recovery Month, and this

Amazon has been awarded $35.3 million in state tax incentives for TV production, including the largest amount ever granted by the state of California for a single film or TV season. “Citadel,” a big-budget spy thriller set to debut on April 28, was awarded $25 million to relocate to California from the U.K. for its

Montana would become the first state in America to fully ban TikTok starting in 2024, after the state’s legislature passed a bill Friday banning the short-form app over security risks related to its ownership by China-based ByteDance. The bill now goes to the desk of Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte before it becomes law, while TikTok

Prince Harry is set to return to the U.K. next month to attend the coronation of his father, King Charles III. But he will not be accompanied by his wife Meghan or his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, PA reports. According to royal reporters in the U.K., the King’s communications team issued a statement

About 2,500 people RSVP’d for Sunday’s Drag March LA, a rally in West Hollywood to protest anti-LGBTQ legislation. The event, which kicked off at West Hollywood Park at 10 a.m. PT, included remarks by Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO Joe Hollendonor, Los Angeles county supervisor Lindsey Horvath and West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne. “RuPaul’s Drag

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is organizing a rally on Easter Sunday, April 9, in Los Angeles to protest anti-LGBTQ legislation. Billed as Drag March LA, the event kicks off at 11 a.m. PT at West Hollywood Park. “The center’s Drag March is a nod to the origins of the LGBTQ+ movement, when the very

After Donald Trump’s arrest on Tuesday, many celebrities took to Twitter to express their joy on the historic moment. The former president’s arraignment in Lower Manhattan is tied to his involvement in a “hush money” scheme associated with adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trump has plead not guilty to all 34 counts of falsifying business

Donald Trump, who on Tuesday became the first former U.S. president to be indicted, is looking to raise some cash from supporters — by selling T-shirts with a fake mug shot. On Tuesday, Trump was arraigned and charged with 34 felony counts including falsifying business records and conspiracy. The former president and TV personality pleaded

Donald Trump has been arrested, as New York law enforcement continues its extended investigation into the former president’s involvement in a “hush money” scheme with adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Although he was not handcuffed, did not have to take a mug shot or take a perp walk, he was effectively arrested when he surrendered

A New York grand jury has voted to indict former president Donald Trump over an alleged 2016 hush money scheme, the New York Times reports. A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg later confirmed the news in a statement, writing: “This evening we contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to the

Update: In a written submission, Prince Harry reportedly told the High Court he suffered from “suspicion and paranoia…caused by Associated’s publication of the unlawful articles – friends were lost or cut off as a result and everyone became a ‘suspect’, since he was misled by the way that the articles were written into believing that

TikTok, trying to fend off potential U.S. government ban over security fears related to the app’s Chinese ownership, is touting new figures reflecting how pervasive and popular it is in America. TikTok announced that as of February 2023, the short-form video app has more than 150 million monthly active users in the U.S. In addition,

Transgender “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Gottmik is speaking out against the spread of legislation being pushed throughout the U.S. that bans drag performances as well as health care for trans people. “I actually can’t believe that we are turning back time like this,” she told me at Versace’s pre-Oscars fashion show on Thursday in West

“How Women Change The World” was the theme of Emily’s List 2023 Pre-Oscar Breakfast. Packed with powerhouses working on impacting change throughout entertainment and politics, the morning kicked with California’s first woman Lieutenant Governor Eleni Koulnalakis and Emily’s List President LaPhonza Butler setting the tone for a morning of inspiration. “We’re not just talking about

More than 1,600 books were banned during the 2021-22 school year — and 41% of them featured LGBTQ content.   At PFLAG’s 50th anniversary gala on Friday night, host Amber Ruffin encouraged the audience to belt out thunderous boos while she read off statistics about school book bans.  An actor playing a loudmouthed teacher with an exaggerated Southern

Georgia lawmakers will take a close look at all of the state’s tax incentives — including its TV and film production program — with an eye toward reforming the ones that don’t work. Gov. Brian Kemp joined Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and House Speaker Jon Burns on Thursday to announce that a “thorough review” of

California has tried using carrots to encourage film and TV productions to hire a diverse workforce. Now, for the first time, it’s getting out the sticks. Under a proposal from the governor’s office, productions that fail to meet their diversity goals will lose 4% of their tax credit allocation. The provision is part of a