AFP USA

Victims of disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein joined a chorus of criticism on Monday over the Trump administration’s slow release and heavy redaction of records from the investigation into his alleged sex crimes.President Donald Trump said meanwhile, in his first comments since the release of the files, that people who “innocently met” Epstein in the past risked having their reputations ruined.The Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump mandated the complete release of the Epstein files by Friday of last week.But the Trump Justice Department has released only one batch of documents so far, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche blaming the delay on the need to redact the identities of Epstein’s more than 1,000 victims.In a statement, a group of Epstein victims complained that only a “fraction” of the files have been released and were “riddled with abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation.””At the same time, numerous victim identities were left unredacted, causing real and immediate harm,” they added.EFTA co-sponsors Ro Khanna, a Democrat, and Thomas Massie, a Republican, threatened over the weekend to bring contempt of Congress charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi for failing to comply with the law.And Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced a resolution on Monday calling for legal action against the administration for failing to release the complete Epstein files.”Instead of transparency, the Trump administration released a tiny fraction of the files and blacked out massive portions of what little they provided,” Schumer said in a statement.”This is a blatant cover-up. Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche are shielding Donald Trump from accountability, and the Senate has a duty to act.”- ‘We need no such protection’ -Blanche denied on Sunday that the Justice Department was redacting the files to protect the president, a formerly close friend of Epstein, a convicted sex offender with connections to the rich and powerful.Trump initially tried to block the disclosure of the files linked to Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in what was ruled a suicide.The president, who cut ties with Epstein years before his arrest and faces no accusations of wrongdoing, finally bowed to mounting pressure from Congress and signed the law compelling publication of the files.Trump on Monday dismissed the furor over Epstein as a distraction from his party’s achievements.”This whole thing with Epstein is a way of trying to deflect from the tremendous success that the Republican Party has,” he told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago home.Former Democratic president Bill Clinton featured prominently in the first batch of photos from the Epstein files released by the Justice Department and Trump was asked for his reaction.”I like Bill Clinton,” he said. “I hate to see photos come out of him.”There’s photos of me too,” Trump noted. “Everybody was friendly with this guy (Epstein).””You probably have pictures being exposed of other people that innocently met Jeffrey Epstein years ago, many years ago, and they’re highly respected bankers and lawyers and others,” he said.”But they’re in a picture with him because he was at a party and you ruin a reputation of somebody.”Clinton urged the Justice Department in a statement on Monday to release any materials in the files related to him, saying he had nothing to hide.”Someone or something is being protected. We do not know whom, what or why. But we do know this: We need no such protection,” Clinton said.Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, remains the only person convicted in connection with his crimes and is serving a 20-year sentence for recruiting underage girls for the disgraced financier.

The US Interior Department on Monday said it had paused leases for all five of the country’s offshore wind projects under construction, citing unspecified national security risks and casting new doubt over the future of an industry detested by President Donald Trump.The Republican president has long expressed opposition to windmills, particularly over their appearance, and his administration has made multiple attempts to limit their implementation during his second term.The Interior Department pointed in its announcement to national security risks from the projects, all off the Atlantic coast, that the Pentagon outlined in “recently completed” classified reports.The move comes weeks after a judge ruled that a blanket ban on new offshore permits — signed by Trump on his first day in office in January — was illegal.The Interior Department did not specify what the risks were, but it noted that the Department of Energy had also previously identified potential issues related to radar interference.The pause, effective immediately, would provide time to mitigate the government’s concerns, the Interior Department said.Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island said the move “looks more like the kind of vindictive harassment we have come to expect from the Trump administration than anything legitimate.”The Revolution Wind project off Rhode Island’s coast, developed by Danish energy giant Orsted, is 80 percent complete, according to its website.Whitehouse said on X that the project had long ago been “thoroughly vetted and fully permitted by the federal government, and that review included any potential national security questions.”- ‘One’ gas pipeline -Dominion Energy, which is behind a massive wind farm off the Virginia coast, said similary that its project “has been more than ten years in the works, involved close coordination with the military, and is located…so far offshore it does not raise visual impact concerns.”The company said it had been ordered to halt work for 90 days, while warning that stopping the project will “lead to energy inflation and threaten thousands of jobs.”Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, seen as close to the fossil fuel industry, expressed concerns for more than just security issues in a post on X, bashing the wind projects as “expensive, unreliable, heavily subsidized offshore wind farms.””ONE natural gas pipeline supplies as much energy as these 5 projects COMBINED,” the former Republican governor wrote.Wind energy represents about 10 percent of US power production, almost entirely from land-based turbines.Other projects targeted by Monday’s order include the Vineyard Wind project off Massachusetts, and the New York-area Sunrise and Empire projects.- ‘Ugly monsters’ -Trump has long complained that windmills ruin views and are expensive. During a trip this summer to one of his UK golf courses, the US president urged Britain to stop subsidizing the “ugly monsters.”In addition to his order attempting to ban new wind farm permits, Trump’s administration has also moved to block all federal loans for wind energy.”We should not be kneecapping America’s largest source of renewable power, especially when we need more cheap, homegrown electricity,” the Environmental Defense Fund’s lead counsel Ted Kelly said in a statement.New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul said on X that she was working with other impacted states “to review every available option to get these projects back on track.”Dominion Energy’s stock price closed down around 3.7 percent, while Danish energy giant Orsted — behind the Revolution Wind project — was down 11 percent.

As US forces deployed in the Caribbean have zoned in on tankers transporting sanctioned Venezuelan oil, questions have deepened about the real motivation for Donald Trump’s pressure campaign on Caracas.Is the military show of force really about drug trafficking, as Washington claims? Does it seek regime change, as Caracas fears? Could it be about oil, of which Venezuela has more proven reserves than any other country in the world?”I don’t know if the interest is only in Venezuela’s oil,” Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has offered to mediate in the escalating quarrel, said last week.The US president himself has accused Venezuela of taking “all of our oil” and said: “we want it back.”What we know:- Oil ties -Companies from the United States, now the world’s leading oil producer, have pumped Venezuelan crude from the first discoveries there in the 1920s.Many US refineries were designed, and are still geared, specifically for processing the kind of heavy crude Venezuela has in spades.Until 2005, Venezuela was one of the main providers of oil to the United States, with some monthly totals reaching up to 60 million barrels.Things changed dramatically after socialist leader Hugo Chavez took steps in 2007 to further nationalize the industry, seizing assets belonging to US firms.- And now? – Down from a peak of more than three million barrels per day (bpd) in the early 2000s, Venezuela today produces about a million barrels per day — roughly two percent of the global total. US firm Chevron extracts about 10 percent of the total under a special license.Chevron is the only company authorized to ship Venezuelan oil to the United States — an estimated 200,000 barrels per day, according to a Venezuelan oil sector source.The South American country’s domestic industry has declined sharply due to corruption, under-investment and US sanctions in place since 2019.Analysts say the high investment required to rebuild Venezuela’s crumbling oil rigs would be unappetizing for US firms, given the steady global supply and low prices.According to Carlos Mendoza Potella, a Venezuelan professor of petroleum economics, Washington’s actions were likely “not just about oil” but rather about the United States “claiming the Americas for itself.””It’s about the division of the world” between the United States and its rivals, Russia and China, he added.Venezuela exports about 500,000 barrels per day on the black market, mainly to China and other Asian countries, according to Juan Szabo, a former vice president of state oil company PDVSA.- Blockade – Trump on December 16 announced a blockade of sanctioned oil vessels sailing to and from Venezuela.Days earlier, US forces seized the M/T Skipper, a so-called “ghost” tanker transporting over a million barrels of Venezuelan oil, reportedly destined for Cuba.Washington has said it intends to keep the oil, valued at between $50 and $100 million.Over the weekend, the US Coast Guard seized the Centuries, identified by monitoring site TankerTrackers.com as a Chinese-owned and Panama-flagged tanker.An AFP review did not find the Centuries on the US Treasury Department’s sanctions list, but the White House said it “contained sanctioned PDVSA oil” — some 1.8 million barrels of it.On Sunday, officials said the Coast Guard was pursuing a third tanker, identified by news outlets as the Bella 1 — under US sanctions because of alleged ties to Iran.The PDVSA insists its exports remain unaffected by the blockade.This was critical, according to Szabo, as the company only has capacity to store oil for several days if exports stop.- Impact -Whatever Trump’s goal with Venezuelan oil, the blockade, if it continues, is likely to scare off shipping companies and push up freight rates.Szabo expects Venezuela’s oil exports will fall by nearly half in the coming months, slashing critical foreign currency income from Venezuela’s black market sales.This would asphyxiate the already struggling economy of Venezuela, piling more pressure on Nicolas Maduro.The Trump administration has tip-toed around explicitly demanding for Maduro to leave.While Trump has said he does not anticipate “war” with Venezuela, he did say Maduro’s days “are numbered.”US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News on Monday that the oil tanker seizures send “a message around the world that the illegal activity that Maduro’s participating in cannot stand, he needs to be gone.”

Nicki Minaj long reigned as pop’s unruliest shape-shifter — a hyper-sexual, neon-bright provocateur whose latex-clad persona, explicit lyrics and affinity with outsiders made her a global icon.Today, she commands a different spotlight — conservatively dressed, warmly received by Republican activists and increasingly fluent in the language of Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement.In just a few years, Minaj, 43, has moved from condemning the US president’s immigration policies to praising his leadership, trading memes with his vice president and appearing under US government auspices at the United Nations.She has mocked Democratic officials, echoed Republican messaging on transgender youth, and emerged as an unlikely darling of the MAGA right — a turn that has jolted fans, particularly within the LGBTQ community.The shift has recast Minaj as a lightning rod — particularly over rhetoric viewed as dismissive or hostile toward trans people — while making her an improbable guest at political events few would have linked to the artist behind “Super Freaky Girl” and “Trollz.””Nicki Minaj has always been about dominance, independence and answering to no one,” celebrity branding expert Jeetendr Sehdev told AFP.”Aligning with the energy around Donald Trump isn’t about policy — it’s about freedom of expression, resisting cancellation and asserting autonomy.”Minaj’s transformation was on full display at Turning Point USA’s weekend conference in Arizona, where she shared the stage with Erika Kirk — the widow of the group’s slain founder, Charlie Kirk — and hailed Trump as a “role model.” She mocked California Governor Gavin Newsom, using nicknames popularized by Trump.The contrast is jarring — not only politically, but culturally. Hip-hop, though never monolithic, has largely leaned progressive. Stars like Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion and Lizzo have backed Democratic candidates, while a smaller cohort — including Lil Wayne and Kodak Black — stand out as Trump-friendly exceptions.- ‘Childish’ -Gone was the shock-and-awe star in latex and wigs when she sat down in Phoenix. In her place sat a composed figure steeped in conservative grievance and moral certainty.Her remarks drew fierce backlash for comments on transgender youth that critics say mirror Republican framing of gender-affirming care as a threat to children.”For boys: boys, be boys… There’s nothing wrong with being a boy,” she told the crowd, urging a return to traditional gender norms.It was a sharp departure from the artist who once celebrated fluid identities and cultivated one of pop’s most queer-friendly fan bases.Her evolution did not happen overnight. Minaj has long resisted tidy labels, cloaking herself in alter egos and irony. She once rapped about voting Republican, then brushed it off as sarcasm. She called Trump “childish,” even as she admitted finding him entertaining.During Trump’s first term, she condemned family separations at the US–Mexico border — invoking her own arrival in the United States as an undocumented child from Trinidad and Tobago — and later celebrated Joe Biden’s election victory. But the shift towards MAGA gathered pace during the Covid-19 pandemic, when she questioned vaccine safety in ways that echoed conservative skepticism and drew public rebukes from health officials.- ‘The cool kids’ -From there, her rhetoric hardened and Minaj has increasingly aligned with administration messaging — reposting White House videos set to her music and appearing alongside senior officials.She has also appeared under US diplomatic auspices at the United Nations, speaking about violence against Christians in Nigeria — an issue experts say is more complex than often portrayed.The aesthetic shift rivals the political one — the artist who once weaponized excess now favoring restraint, sitting comfortably among Republican operatives and conservative influencers. At the Arizona conference, she joked that she and her allies were “the cool kids.”Supporters say Minaj is simply exercising independence, refusing to be boxed in by expectations tied to her gender, race or fan base.Critics counter that independence does not excuse language that marginalizes vulnerable groups — especially from an artist whose career was built on challenging norms, not reinforcing them.”She will polarize people, but that won’t weaken a brand like hers — it will likely amplify it,” Sehdev, the Hollywood branding expert, told AFP. “It filters out passive fans and deepens loyalty among those who admire strength over approval.”

Russia on Monday expressed “full support” for Venezuela as the South American country confronts a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers by US forces deployed in the Caribbean.The pledge from Moscow, itself embroiled in the war in Ukraine, came on the eve of a UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting Tuesday to discuss the mounting crisis between Caracas and Washington.In a phone call, the foreign ministers of the allied nations blasted the US actions, which have included strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats and more recently the seizure of two oil tankers.A third ship was being pursued, a US official told AFP on Sunday.”The ministers expressed their deep concern over the escalation of Washington’s actions in the Caribbean Sea, which could have serious consequences for the region and threaten international shipping,” the Russian foreign ministry said of the call between Sergei Lavrov and Venezuelan counterpart Yvan Gil.”The Russian side reaffirmed its full support for and solidarity with the Venezuelan leadership and people in the current context,” it added in a statement. US forces have since September launched strikes on boats that Washington claims, without providing evidence, were trafficking drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.More than 100 people have been killed — some of them fishermen, according to their families and governments.US President Donald Trump on December 16 also announced a blockade of “sanctioned oil vessels” sailing to and from Venezuela.Trump claims Caracas under President Nicolas Maduro is using oil money to finance “drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder and kidnapping.”He has also accused Venezuela of taking “all of our oil” — in an apparent reference to the country’s nationalization of the petroleum sector, and said: “we want it back.”Caracas, in turn, fears Washington is seeking regime change, and has accused Washington of “international piracy.”Moscow’s statement said Lavrov and Gil agreed in their call to “coordinate their actions on the international stage, particularly at the UN, in order to ensure respect for state sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs.”Russia and China, another Venezuela ally, backed Caracas’s request for a UNSC meeting to discuss what it called “the ongoing US aggression.”- Russia’s ‘hands full’ -On Telegram, Venezuela’s Gil said he and Lavrov had discussed “the aggressions and flagrant violations of international law being perpetrated in the Caribbean: attacks on vessels, extrajudicial executions, and illicit acts of piracy carried out by the United States government.”Gil said Lavrov had affirmed Moscow’s “full support in the face of hostilities against our country.”Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio brushed aside Moscow’s stated support for Caracas.Washington, he said, was “not concerned about an escalation with Russia with regards to Venezuela” as “they have their hands full in Ukraine.”US-Russia relations have soured in recent weeks as Trump has voiced frustration with Moscow over the lack of a resolution to the Ukraine war.Gil on Monday also read a letter on state TV, signed by Maduro and addressed to UN member nations, warning the US blockade “will affect the supply of oil and energy” globally.

The Trump administration is removing dozens of ambassadors appointed under the Biden administration as part of a broad reshuffle to align the diplomatic corps with its foreign policy priorities.The heads of mission, mostly career diplomats, have been notified they must leave their posts by mid-January, according to the American Foreign Service Association, which represents State Department employees.Press reports said ambassadors from 30 countries will be affected, particularly in Africa.The recalls were first reported by Politico.While it is customary for an administration to reshuffle ambassadors appointed to strategic posts or capitals and to appoint donors or supporters, such a sweeping change targeting career diplomats is unusual before their term ends or their successor is appointed.The American Foreign Service Association said it had received “credible reports from our members in diplomatic posts around the world that multiple career ambassadors, appointed during the Biden administration, have been directed by phone call to vacate their posts by January 15 or 16.””No explanation was given for these recalls,” the association added in its post on Facebook.”Removing senior diplomats without cause undermines US credibility abroad and sends a chilling signal to the professional Foreign Service: experience and an oath to the Constitution take a backseat to political loyalty,” it said.A senior State Department official said Monday that changing ambassadors was “a standard process in any administration.” “An ambassador is a personal representative of the President, and it is the President’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda,” the official said on condition of anonymity.The official did not confirm the details of the dismissals, or which countries were affected.In his second term, President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio have overhauled American diplomacy to focus priorities such as combating illegal immigration, cutting foreign aid and diversity policies. Rubio has overseen the dismissal of hundreds of personnel within the State Department, and Trump has placed loyalists as key ambassadors.

Oracle tech tycoon Larry Ellison is offering a $40.4 billion personal guarantee to back Paramount’s hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, deepening a bidding war with Netflix, a statement said on Monday.The amended proposal, worth a total $108 billion from the company run by Ellison’s son David, addresses concerns raised by Warner Bros’ board, which saw the Paramount bid as too risky and asked shareholders to accept a competing buyout offer from Netflix.Netflix shocked the industry December 5 by announcing it had sealed an agreement to buy the film and television studio and HBO Max streaming business for nearly $83 billion, the entertainment industry’s biggest consolidation deal this decade.Three days later, Paramount — whose CEO is David Ellison, son of Larry Ellison, an ally of President Donald Trump — launched an all-cash tender offer valuing the entertainment giant at $108.4 billion.But Warner Bros last week described the Paramount offer as risky, saying it was backed by “an unknown and opaque revocable trust” and involved “no Ellison family commitment of any kind.”Warner Bros Discovery also stressed the dependence of the Paramount offer on foreign investors — $24 billion of the financing comes from Middle East sovereign wealth funds — which could require further government approval.Paramount’s amended proposal is meant to address those concerns and also increases the breakup fee to match Netflix’s $5.8 billion, which would be payable to Warner Bros if its offer does not clear regulatory review.”Paramount has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to acquiring WBD,” said David Ellison. “Our $30 per share, fully financed all-cash offer… continues to be the superior option to maximize value for WBD shareholders.”Unlike Netflix’s offer, Paramount’s bid includes the buyout of cable channels such as CNN, TNT, TBS and Discovery — which would be added to its group of TV assets like CBS, MTV and Comedy Central.- Trump weighs in -The bidding war that will reshape Hollywood and US media has drawn White House attention.Trump has repeatedly weighed in, saying Netflix’s deal “could be a problem” as it would leave Netflix with a huge market share of the film and TV industry.But he has also railed against coverage of the White House from Paramount-owned CBS News, saying neither bidder for Warner Bros had his preference.He has stressed the importance that CNN gets new ownership as part of the Warner Bros sale, targeting the outlet he has long criticized for what he calls “fake news.”Both Paramount and Netflix have lobbied the White House directly, with David Ellison also making conservative-friendly changes at CBS News.Since taking over Paramount earlier this year, the company has appointed journalist Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News.Weiss is a prominent critic of what she calls bias in mainstream media, and the appointment won praise from conservatives.On Monday, Weiss was accused by a CBS News staff member of pulling a planned segment on an El Salvador maximum-security prison where the Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants.

The US Coast Guard was pursuing another allegedly sanctioned tanker on Sunday, a US official told AFP, as Washington ramps up its pressure campaign targeting Venezuela’s vital oil sector.The “active pursuit” in the Caribbean Sea was happening a day after the Coast Guard seized its second vessel off Venezuela in two weeks.US President Donald Trump announced on December 16 a blockade of “sanctioned oil vessels” sailing to and from Venezuela, demanding the return of allegedly stolen US assets in the oil-rich South American country.He has also deployed a large navy armada in the Caribbean with a stated mission of combatting drug trafficking, but which Caracas says is a pressure campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro.”The United States Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion. It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order,” a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said in a statement to AFP.News outlets identified the ship involved as the Bella 1, an oil tanker under US sanctions since 2024 because of alleged ties to Iran and Hezbollah.According to the specialized site TankerTrackers, the ship was en route to Venezuela but not carrying cargo.US forces approached the vessel late Saturday, but the ship did not submit to being boarded and continued sailing, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed officials.Earlier on Saturday, the US Coast Guard seized the Centuries, which according to TankerTrackers is a Chinese-owned and Panama-flagged tanker.It said that ship was loaded with 1.8 million barrels of crude oil at a Venezuelan port earlier this month before being escorted out of the Latin American country’s exclusive economic zone on December 18.An AFP review found that the Centuries did not appear on the US Treasury Department’s list of sanctioned companies and individuals.- Chevron tanker -Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez on Sunday posted a statement to social media about oil giant Chevron sending a tanker from Caracas to the United States carrying Venezuelan oil — without mentioning either vessel interdicted by Washington. “A ship of the American company Chevron has set sail from our country carrying Venezuelan oil bound for the United States, in strict adherence to regulations and in fulfillment of the commitments undertaken by our oil industry,” Rodriguez said on Telegram. Chevron renewed its license this year to extract crude oil from Venezuela, accounting for roughly 10 percent of the country’s production. “Venezuela has always been, and will continue to be, respectful of national and international legality,” Rodriguez continued.The Trump administration claims that Venezuela is using oil, its main resource, to finance “narcoterrorism.” The US military since September has also conducted a series of air strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. Critics have questioned the legality of the attacks, which have killed more than 100 people.Caracas denies any involvement in drug trafficking and insists that Washington is seeking to overthrow Maduro to seize Venezuela’s oil reserves.

Traffic stops and hallways clear as the diva arrives, her attendants escorting her backstage ahead of her rendition of the role she’s perfected over years of delighting audiences.”You’ve got this, Wanda,” one opera manager says as she heads inside.Before the show, she gets a quick pedicure touch-up — her hooves tend to pick up hay and debris.Wanda is, after all, a donkey.She’s played roles in classic New York Metropolitan Opera productions including “La Boheme” and “The Barber of Seville” since 2022.In Act II of “La Boheme” — Puccini’s popular if heartbreaking portrayal of 19th-century Paris — Wanda joins hundreds of performers including diners, shoppers and vendors.The donkey pulls the colorful cart of Parpignol, who peddles toys to children in the spectacular street market scene that also literally features a horse-drawn carriage.But Wanda and her colleague Max — the elegant brown horse who takes the stage after the donkey exits — are pros, calmly hitting their marks.Their handlers don cloaks alongside the animals during the performance, while Wanda’s costume includes a magenta cone hat with multi-colored gems and a frilly collar.As they wait in a holding area for their cues, Max usually naps, handler Angelina Borello told AFP during one performance. Wanda gets visits and pets from people including actor Gregory Warren, who plays Parpignol.Wearing elaborate clown make-up, he pats his co-star lovingly.”I think it comforts them a little bit just to know who’s there and who’s dressed like a clown,” Warren said. “She’s very chill. It’s a lot of fun.””It adds an energy, I think especially for the kids on the stage, to get to see a live animal in action in the middle of it all.”- ‘Confidence’ -Wanda debuted at the Met after her predecessor Sir Gabriel retired to Maryland, where he lives on a farm as a companion to a mare whose partner passed.When she’s scheduled for several opera roles in a short period, Wanda lives at stables in the New York borough of the Bronx to minimize her time on the road. When she has longer stretches off, she resides in upstate New York. She also has regular gigs in Palm Sunday processions in Manhattan.”She’s fabulous,” said Nancy Novograd, the owner of the agency All Tame Animals.Animals well-disposed to show business have similar qualities as people born to perform, Novograd said.”What I’m looking for is confidence. I’m looking for an animal that can walk into an unusual environment and maintain its focus,” she told AFP.On any given day, Novograd’s agency might be working on a commercial shoot with horses on the beach or waxworms appearing in a television show.Stage manager Hester Warren-Steijn said the logistics of working with live animals is an intricate dance — much like everything else backstage at the Met, home to a complex revolving stage with hydraulic lifts.There’s always a Plan B in case something goes awry, she said. The occasional allergy to equine hair crops up — those singers stay away to protect their voices.- Post-show peppermints -Warren-Steijn said part of the job of including animals onstage at the Met is ensuring that “they are well-treated” and “taken care of.”Animal rights advocates over the years have protested the use of live animals in stage productions, especially in Europe. The German arm of PETA notably convinced the Berlin State Opera in 2022 to stop using guinea pigs in several performances of Wagner’s “Ring Cycle.”At the Met, Warren-Steijn said the live animals in beloved productions like “La Boheme” are part of the grandeur and world-building that “this company does so well.””People want to see it,” she said. “This is the Met at its Mettiest.”According to Novograd, some animals simply aren’t right for performance. When that’s the case, it’s quickly evident to her and the trainers she works with.When “it’s overwhelming,” she said, “they should not be working.”But for some animals, “it’s something different, it’s stimulating,” she continued.”They get to be with the people they like to be with. They see new and different things.”When Wanda’s done performing, the donkey, like many high-caliber artists, demands refreshments — ideally lots of starlight peppermints.But she gets her treats only after her stroll across the stage, which lasts approximately a minute.Otherwise, Novograd said, “she’ll be asking for them constantly.”

In a parallel reality, Queen Elizabeth II gushes over cheese puffs, a gun-toting Saddam Hussein struts into a wrestling ring, and Pope John Paul II attempts skateboarding.Hyper-realistic AI videos of dead celebrities — created with apps such as OpenAI’s easy-to-use Sora — have rapidly spread online, prompting debate over the control of deceased people’s likenesses.OpenAI’s app, launched in September and widely dubbed as a deepfake machine, has unleashed a flood of videos of historical figures including Winston Churchill as well as celebrities such as Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley.In one TikTok clip reviewed by AFP, Queen Elizabeth II, clad in pearls and a crown, arrives at a wrestling match on a scooter, climbs a fence, and leaps onto a male wrestler.In a separate Facebook clip, the late queen is shown praising “delightfully orange” cheese puffs in a supermarket aisle, while another depicts her playing football.But not all videos — powered by OpenAI’s Sora 2 model — have prompted laughs.In October, OpenAI blocked users from creating videos of Martin Luther King Jr. after the estate of the civil rights icon complained about disrespectful depictions.Some users created videos depicting King making monkey noises during his celebrated “I Have a Dream” speech, illustrating how users can portray public figures at will, making them say or do things they never did.- ‘Maddening’ -“We’re getting into the ‘uncanny valley,'” said Constance de Saint Laurent, a professor at Ireland’s Maynooth University, referring to the phenomenon in which interactions with artificial objects are so human-like it triggers unease.”If suddenly you started receiving videos of a deceased family member, this is traumatizing,” she told AFP. “These (videos) have real consequences.” In recent weeks, the children of late actor Robin Williams, comedian George Carlin, and activist Malcolm X have condemned the use of Sora to create synthetic videos of their fathers.Zelda Williams, the daughter of Robin Williams, recently pleaded on Instagram to “stop sending me AI videos of dad,” calling the content “maddening.”An OpenAI spokesman told AFP that while there were “strong free speech interests in depicting historical figures,” public figures and their families should have ultimate control over their likeness.For “recently deceased” figures, he added, authorized representatives or estate owners can now request that their likeness not be used in Sora.- ‘Control likeness’ -“Despite what OpenAI says about wanting people to control their likeness, they have released a tool that decidedly does the opposite,” Hany Farid, co-founder of GetReal Security and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told AFP.”While they (mostly) stopped the creation of MLK Jr. videos, they are not stopping users from co-opting the identity of many other celebrities.””Even with OpenAI putting some safeguards to protect MLK Jr. there will be another AI model that does not, and so this problem will surely only get worse,” said Farid.That reality was underscored in the aftermath of Hollywood director Rob Reiner’s alleged murder this month, as AFP fact-checkers uncovered AI-generated clips using his likeness spreading online.As advanced AI tools proliferate, the vulnerability is no longer confined to public figures: deceased non-celebrities may also have their names, likenesses, and words repurposed for synthetic manipulation.Researchers warn that the unchecked spread of synthetic content — widely called AI slop — could ultimately drive users away from social media.”The issue with misinformation in general is not so much that people believe it. A lot of people don’t,” said Saint Laurent.”The issue is that they see real news and they don’t trust it anymore. And this (Sora) is going to massively increase that.”burs-ac/des