AFP USA

US President Donald Trump, who has made no mystery of his enmity for his Democratic predecessors, recently took things a step further with unorthodox White House plaques repeating his long-standing grievances against the former leaders.The 79-year-old Republican had previously caused a stir by installing a gallery of former presidents’ portraits outside the Oval Office, but replacing Joe Biden’s photograph with an autopen.The substitution is a reference to Trump’s claim that Biden, who left office in January aged 82, was so senile that he did not know what was being signed in his name.On Wednesday, journalists allowed access to the famed West Colonnade noted that new plaques had been installed under the presidents’ photos.The descriptions for Biden and former president Barack Obama were strikingly negative.The inscription below Obama, the first Black president in US history, calls him “one of the most divisive political figures in American history.”It also includes his middle name, Hussein, as Trump often does when referring to his Democratic predecessor, after having stoked conspiracy theories about the 44th president’s birthplace.Biden is described as “by far, the worst President in American history.”The plaque also repeats Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him.As for the current officeholder, his bio is expectedly glowing.It states that he ended eight conflicts in eight months, a figure viewed as inaccurate, and that he attracted an unverifiable sum of trillions of dollars in investment to the United States.The new plaques are the latest White House alteration since Trump’s return in January.The billionaire real estate developer has torn down the entire East Wing to make way for an extravagant ballroom, added copious amounts of gold to the Oval Office and other rooms, and hung portraits of himself — contrary to the custom of the president’s image only being displayed after leaving office.

US First Lady Melania Trump made a rare foray onto center stage Wednesday with the first trailer for her Amazon documentary — fixing the camera with an unflinching gaze and summing up her husband’s comeback in four words: “Here we go again.”The teaser for “Melania” — out January 30 — follows the famously private Slovenian-American former model as she walks into the US Capitol for President Donald Trump’s second swearing-in.Reports put Amazon’s licensing deal for the film at around $40 million. The Wall Street Journal reported that Melania, who served as executive producer, will receive 70 percent of that sum — a figure that has raised eyebrows among her critics.Amazon MGM promises “unprecedented access” in the documentary which chronicles the 20 days leading up to Inauguration Day in January, from transition planning to closed-door meetings and off-stage moments. The brisk trailer oscillates between choreographed grandeur and scenes that feel intentionally awkward.The first lady glides through the White House and the couple’s Florida estate in sharply tailored looks — sunglasses, stilettos, a strapless inaugural ball gown — while stepping in to fine-tune her husband’s rhetoric as he rehearses a speech.”Peacemaker and unifier,” she interjects as Trump practices a line about his proudest legacy being that of a “peacemaker.”One exchange has already sparked intrigue for what it suggests about the couple’s dynamic.In a gilded high‑rise office, Melania calls to applaud her husband for the speech — “Hi Mr. President. Congratulations,” she says — and, when he asks, “Did you watch it?” replies: “I did not… I will see it on the news.”Elsewhere, the footage flashes through a January photo shoot in the White House, travel shots, and more intimate moments — including placing a white flower at a graveside.Amazon says the film offers a rare glimpse “inside Melania Trump’s world” as the first lady reenters public life, with “exclusive footage” of critical meetings and private conversations.The documentary will debut in theaters worldwide on January 30, followed by a three-part companion series and a streaming run on Prime Video.”Melania” is directed by Brett Ratner. It is his first major project since multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct in 2017, allegations he denies.

The Oscars will be shown only on YouTube from 2029, the Academy said Wednesday, in a radical gambit for a movie industry that remains wary of streaming platforms even as viewing habits shift online.The new five-year deal means Hollywood’s most prestigious awards ceremony will be viewable exclusively online for the first time, ending a decades-long relationship with US broadcaster ABC.The decision will allow the Academy Awards to reach “the largest worldwide audience possible — which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the film community,” said Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer and President Lynette Howell Taylor in a statement.The annual Oscars, which celebrate the year’s top achievements in film and draw the world’s biggest A-list stars, are regularly watched by around 20 million Americans, and millions more globally.ABC’s latest contract to broadcast the show had been due to end in 2028, with the 100th Academy Awards. The Disney-owned channel will continue to air the Oscars up until then.But the new deal with Google-owned YouTube represents a bold new direction for the show at a time when audiences increasingly watch all types of content online.Streamers owned by Silicon Valley firms have lured top talent away from traditional Hollywood studios with massive contracts — despite filmmakers’ concerns that they rarely show movies on the big screen in theaters for extended runs.Streamers have also gradually gained wider acceptance at the Academy Awards, where Apple won best picture for “CODA” in 2022.The SAG Awards, another important Hollywood awards gala which recently rebranded as The Actors Awards, have already moved to Netflix.YouTube accounts for the biggest share of television viewing time in the United States of any streaming platform, dwarfing even Netflix.”This collaboration will leverage YouTube’s vast reach and infuse the Oscars and other Academy programming with innovative opportunities for engagement while honoring our legacy,” said the Academy statement.Financial terms of the new Oscars deal were not disclosed.Industry website Deadline said “the amount that YouTube was willing to pay didn’t make sense for Disney,” citing anonymous insiders.- ‘Proud home’ -An ABC Entertainment spokesperson told AFP: “ABC has been the proud home to The Oscars for more than half a century.”We look forward to the next three telecasts, including the show’s centennial celebration in 2028, and wish the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continued success.”Like Hollywood more broadly, the Oscars have endured a challenging time in recent years, as younger generations’ viewing habits shift.During the Covid-19 pandemic, Oscars ratings sank as low as 10.4 million.The most recent Oscars were viewed by 19.69 million people — the highest in five years — as the ceremony was shown live simultaneously on Disney’s streamer Hulu along with ABC.But the Hulu stream suffered technical glitches that left some viewers unable to see the final prizes.The Academy Awards telecast regularly topped 40 million just over a decade ago.

Former special counsel Jack Smith defended his prosecution of Donald Trump on Wednesday, telling lawmakers the US president had engaged in a “criminal scheme” to overturn the results of the 2020 election.Smith’s testimony to the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee was being held behind closed doors, but several US media outlets obtained excerpts of his prepared remarks.”The decision to bring charges against President Trump was mine, but the basis for those charges rests entirely with President Trump and his actions,” Smith was quoted as telling the panel.”Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power,” Smith said.”If asked whether to prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether the president was a Republican or Democrat,” he added.Smith had requested that his deposition be delivered in public, but the Republican majority on the House Judiciary Committee declined his request.Trump was accused by Smith of mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House and plotting to overturn the results of the White House race he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.Neither case came to trial and Smith — in line with a Justice Department policy of not prosecuting a sitting president — dropped them both after Trump won the November 2024 presidential election.Smith declined to speak to reporters as he arrived for the deposition before the committee, which is examining his decision to bring the two criminal cases against Trump.- ‘Unprecedented retribution campaign’ -Lanny Breuer, Smith’s lawyer, said the former special counsel, in testifying, was “showing tremendous courage in light of the remarkable and unprecedented retribution campaign against him by this administration and this White House.””Jack Smith, a career prosecutor, conducted this investigation based on the facts and based on the law and nothing more,” Breuer told reporters.Since taking office for the second time, Trump has urged the Justice Department to bring cases against Smith and a number of other perceived political opponents.Cases brought against Trump foes James Comey, a former FBI director, and New York Attorney General Letitia James collapsed last month after a judge ruled that the prosecutor who brought the charges was unlawfully appointed.Representative Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, has criticized the decision by the Republicans on the oversight panel not to allow Smith to testify publicly.”What are our colleagues so afraid of, that they won’t let the American people hear directly from the special counsel?” Raskin said.”The American people deserve to hear the full unvarnished truth about special counsel Smith’s years-long effort to investigate and prosecute the crimes committed by Donald Trump and his co-conspirators,” he said.

The son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner made his first appearance in court Wednesday, charged with stabbing his parents to death in their Los Angeles home.In a very brief hearing thronged by media, Nick Reiner did not enter a plea to two counts of first-degree murder over a crime that has shocked the entertainment world.The 32-year-old, who has a troubled history of addiction, is next expected to appear in court on January 7 for a formal arraignment.Lawyer Alan Jackson told reporters the case needed to be treated with “restraint and with dignity.””This is a devastating tragedy that has befallen the Reiner family,” he said.”There are very, very complex and serious issues that are associated with this case. These need to be thoroughly but very carefully dealt with and examined and looked at and analyzed.”Jackson has so far refused to say who hired him.If convicted, Reiner could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty, although California does not routinely carry out capital punishment.Reiner was arrested on Sunday after the bodies of his 78-year-old filmmaker father and mother, photographer Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were discovered at their home in the upmarket Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.Prosecutors said Rob Reiner — who directed huge hits including “When Harry Met Sally” and “A Few Good Men” — and his wife were stabbed to death.- Timeline -On Wednesday, a picture began to emerge of the timeline of a weekend that has left Hollywood in shock.According to US media reports, Nick Reiner, who lived in a guest property at his parents’ home, had attended a glitzy Hollywood party hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien on Saturday, where some attendees spoke of his behaving erratically.The New York Times, citing a source close to the family, said the couple had been due to dine with former president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle on Sunday evening, and had seemingly booked a massage appointment for that day.The paper said a therapist who arrived at the house had been unable to get an answer, so had contacted the couple’s daughter, Romy Reiner.When she arrived with a friend, she discovered her father’s body, and emergency services were called. Paramedics told her that her mother’s body was also at the property.Entertainment outlet TMZ reported that Nick Reiner had checked in to a Santa Monica hotel early Sunday morning.At a press conference on Tuesday, investigators declined to say what time they believed the couple had died.Police arrested Reiner several miles (kilometers) away from the scene of the crime late on Sunday evening.- ‘Devastating’ -In a statement issued Wednesday, Jake and Romy Reiner said the death of their parents was “horrific and devastating.””Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day,” the statement said. “The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends.”We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave.”Rob Reiner, the son of legendary comedian Carl Reiner, started his showbiz career in acting.He won fame as the oafish son-in-law Michael “Meathead” Stivic on groundbreaking 1970s sitcom “All in the Family,” before transitioning to directing. Even while leading behind the camera, he often appeared in cameo roles in his own films.As a director, he struck Hollywood gold.His output included classic films like 1984’s rock music mockumentary “This is Spinal Tap,” fantasy gem “The Princess Bride” from 1987, and seminal coming-of-age movie “Stand By Me.””A Few Good Men,” starring Hollywood heavyweights Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.

CNN is heading into an uncertain future with its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) destined for a takeover — and US President Donald Trump hoping the change will allow him to influence the iconic news network’s programming.WBD has urged shareholders to reject a hostile takeover bid from Paramount Skydance, in favor of a deal offered by streaming giant Netflix.Paramount’s CEO David Ellison — whose father is Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, a close Trump ally — has assured the US president that he would retool CNN’s editorial stance and lineup if his bid were successful, The Wall Street Journal reported. That could put on-air talent such as Kaitlan Collins and Jake Tapper, who have both drawn Trump’s ire, in jeopardy.And Trump appears ready to use the situation to his advantage, saying openly that he will be involved in the government’s decision on an eventual deal, instead of leaving it to the Justice Department.”I don’t think the people that are running that company right now and running CNN, which is a very dishonest group of people, I don’t think that should be allowed to continue,” Trump told business leaders last week at the White House.”I think CNN should be sold along with everything else.”- ‘Perilous time’ -Trump has long had a hostile relationship with CNN and other major news organizations, branding them “fake news” and attacking them repeatedly on social media. His insistence that CNN end up in friendly hands appears to favor the Paramount bid — even though the Netflix deal would also involve selling off the news network to an as-yet-unknown buyer.Ellison’s group obtained regulatory approval in July for a merger between Paramount and Skydance after committing to modify the editorial direction of CBS network.”President Trump has publicly put a bullseye on the television news network,” University of Maryland broadcast journalism professor Mark Feldstein told AFP.”I think this is a very perilous time for CNN both politically and economically,” he said. “Paramount’s craven tilt to the right would clearly pose a threat to CNN’s editorial independence, but it’s not clear that the news network would be much better off if Netflix buys Warner Brothers and leaves CNN out of the deal, either.”CNN is popular with left-leaning viewers but is regularly watched by 20 percent of Republicans, according to a Pew Research study.Under Netflix’s deal, WBD would likely spin off CNN and its other television networks into a separate company called Discovery Global.CNN would thus wind up part of a highly-indebted public company with weak growth prospects and still on cable television, which has been losing millions of subscribers in the United States each year.In that context, it would be tough for Discovery Global to justify investing money in CNN because it will need to focus on its overall bottom line, said Madison and Wall consulting firm chief executive Brian Wieser.- ‘Get after our audiences’ -Under the leadership of former New York Times and BBC head Mark Thompson, CNN is undergoing a major strategic reorientation to reduce its dependence on traditional television audiences.In October, it launched a subscription service (at $6.99 per month) that includes streaming access to most programs as well as the CNN.com website, which introduced a paywall nearly a year ago.Thompson said recently that a study commissioned by CNN showed that some 18 million Americans who had ditched cable television since the coronavirus pandemic would be “very interested” in paying for standalone subscriptions.”To continue to keep CNN strong in the future,” the executive argued, “we better get after our audiences where they currently are.”Fox News, CNBC, Newsmax and even NBC News have attempted streaming-only products, but all of them are add-ons.Once the leading all-news network, CNN now attracts fewer than 500,000 viewers on average per day — far behind rivals MSNBC and Fox News, but also the home improvement channel HGTV — but maintains it is still profitable.CNN nevertheless “still holds an important place within the broader news media landscape, especially given its brand power and global reach,” said University of Pennsylvania media policy professor Victor Pickard.For Wieser, “the best thing for CNN would be to sell it separately. But the problem is there’s almost no way that will happen without the Trump administration involving itself.”

US lawmakers on Wednesday passed a sweeping defense policy bill, signaling ironclad bipartisan support for Europe and delivering a blistering repudiation of President Donald Trump’s increasingly hostile posture toward NATO and America’s closest allies.The comfortable 77-20 Senate vote sends the $900 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to the White House, closing out one of Congress’s few remaining rituals of cross-party cooperation even as foreign policy divisions sharpen elsewhere in Washington.”We ask a lot of the brave Americans serving in uniform. And they give a lot,” Republican Senate Majority leader John Thune said ahead of the vote.”And I’m proud that this year’s National Defense Authorization Act will help ensure that they have what they need to keep America safe in a dangerous world.”The action in the upper chamber follows House passage last week and comes amid unease in European capitals over Trump’s rhetoric, especially after the recent White House national security strategy painted Europe as over-regulated, culturally adrift and insufficiently committed to its own defense.The strategy questioned the continent’s strategic value and openly echoed themes championed by far-right parties, fueling fears of a widening transatlantic rift.By contrast, the NDAA reflects lawmakers’ determination to anchor the United States firmly in Europe. The bill bars US troop levels on the continent from falling below 76,000 for more than 45 days and restricts the removal of major military equipment, effectively tying the administration’s hands on any rapid drawdown.It also boosts resources for frontline NATO states, particularly in the Baltic region, reinforcing the alliance’s northeastern flank.The measure authorizes roughly $8 billion more than the administration requested, a signal of congressional assertiveness on defense priorities.Beyond Europe, the NDAA locks in $400 million in security assistance for Ukraine, aiming to preserve a baseline of support even as broader funding debates grind on, and places new limits on any reduction of the 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea.As ever, the NDAA drew fire from multiple directions — from conservative critics of Ukraine aid to safety experts warning about aviation provisions rolling back critical air-safety requirements for military aircraft operating in Washington’s restricted airspace.But none came close to derailing a package long seen as must-pass legislation.

Venezuela struck a defiant note Wednesday, insisting that crude oil exports were not impacted by US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a blockade.Trump’s announcement on Tuesday marked a new escalation in his months-long campaign of military and economic pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.Venezuela, which has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, shrugged off the threat of more pain, insisting that it was business as usual.”Export operations for crude and byproducts continue normally. Oil tankers linked to PDVSA operations continue to sail with full security,” state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) said in a statementTrump said on Tuesday that he was imposing “a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela.”Referring to the heavy US military presence in the Caribbean — including the world’s largest aircraft carrier — Trump warned “Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America.”Oil prices surged in early trading Wednesday in London on the news of the blockade, which comes a week after US troops seized a sanctioned oil tanker near the coast of Venezuela.- ‘We are not intimidated’ -Venezuela’s battered economy relies heavily on petroleum exports.But the country’s military, which supports hard-left leader Maduro, said it was “not intimidated.””We say to the US government and its president that we are not intimidated by their crude and arrogant threats,” Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said at an event, surrounded by senior commanders who have repeatedly vowed loyalty to Maduro.The foreign minister of China, the main market for Venezuelan oil, defended Caracas in a phone call with his Venezuelan counterpart against the US “bullying.””China opposes all unilateral bullying and supports all countries in defending their sovereignty and national dignity,” he said, adding Venezuela “has the right to independently develop mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries.”Last week’s seizure of a tanker carrying between 1 and 2 million barrels of crude bound for Cuba marked a shift in Trump’s offensive against  Maduro.In August, he ordered the biggest military deployment in the Caribbean Sea since the 1989 US invasion of Panama, purportedly to combat drug trafficking.US strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have left at least 95 people dead since.Caracas believes that the anti-drug operations are a cover for a bid to topple Maduro, accused of stealing elections last year, and make a grab for Venezuela’s oil.Trump has sent mixed signals about a potential US intervention in Venezuela but says he thinks Maduro’s days are numbered.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum waded into the dispute on Wednesday, calling on the United Nations to step up to “prevent any bloodshed” in Venezuela.”The United Nations has been nowhere to be seen. It must assume its role to prevent any bloodshed and always seek peaceful solutions to conflicts,” the leftist leader told a press conference.- Oil lifeline -The US blockade threatens major pain for Venezuela’s crumbling economy.Venezuela has been under a US oil embargo since 2019, forcing it to sell its production on the black market at significantly lower prices, primarily to Asian countries.The country produces one million barrels of oil per day, down from more than three million barrels per day (bpd) in the early 2000s.Capital Economics analysts predicted that the blockade “would cut off a key lifeline for Venezuela’s economy” in the short term.”The medium-term impact will hinge largely on how tensions with the US evolve — and what the US administration’s goals are in Venezuela.”burs-cb/sms

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith was testifying behind closed doors on Wednesday before a Republican-led House committee looking into his past prosecution of US President Donald Trump.Smith, who had requested that his deposition be delivered in public, declined to speak to reporters as he arrived for the meeting with members of the House Judiciary Committee.Lanny Breuer, Smith’s lawyer, said the ex-special counsel, in testifying, was “showing tremendous courage in light of the remarkable and unprecedented retribution campaign against him by this administration and this White House.”Jack Smith, a career prosecutor, conducted this investigation based on the facts and based on the law and nothing more,” Breuer told reporters.Trump was accused by Smith of mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House and plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.Neither case came to trial and Smith — in line with a Justice Department policy of not prosecuting a sitting president — dropped them both after Trump won the November 2024 presidential election.Since taking office for the second time, Trump has urged the Justice Department to bring cases against Smith and a number of other perceived political opponents.Cases brought against Trump foes James Comey, a former FBI director, and New York Attorney General Letitia James collapsed last month after a judge ruled that the prosecutor who brought the charges was unlawfully appointed.Representative Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, has criticized the decision by the Republicans on the oversight panel not to allow Smith to testify publicly.”What are our colleagues so afraid of, that they won’t let the American people hear directly from the Special Counsel?” Raskin said.”The American people deserve to hear the full unvarnished truth about Special Counsel Smith’s years-long effort to investigate and prosecute the crimes committed by Donald Trump and his co-conspirators,” he said.

Warner Bros. Discovery on Wednesday rejected a hostile takeover bid by Paramount launched last week to trump plans by streaming giant Netflix to acquire the Hollywood giant and owner of CNN.In a statement, Warner Bros said the terms of the Netflix merger were better, while the Paramount offer “once again fails to address key concerns that we have consistently communicated… throughout our extensive engagement and review of their six previous proposals.””We are confident that our merger with Netflix represents superior, more certain value for our shareholders,” it said.Netflix shocked the industry on 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, the 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 on Wednesday described the Paramount offer as risky, saying it was backed up by “an unknown and opaque revocable trust” and involved “no Ellison family commitment of any kind,” among other factors.Warner Bros. Discovery also stressed the dependence of the Paramount offer on foreign investors — $24 billion of the financing is from Middle East sovereign wealth funds — which will require further regulatory scrutiny.”Our deal structure is clean and certain, with committed debt financing from leading institutions,” Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, wrote in a letter to Warner Bros shareholders, according to Business Insider.”There are no contingencies, no foreign sovereign wealth funds, and no stock collateral or personal loans,” they added.Trump has repeatedly weighed in on the bidding war, saying Netflix’s deal “could be a problem” as it would leave Netflix with a huge market share of the film and TV industry.He later said that he wanted to ensure CNN gets new ownership as part of the Warner Bros. Discovery sale, targeting the outlet he has long blasted for airing critical news coverage that he repeatedly refers to as “fake news.”- ‘Strong rationale’ -The president’s powerful son-in-law Jared Kushner, was initially a minor investor in the latest Paramount bid through his Middle East-backed private equity company, but backed out of the deal on Tuesday.”We continue to believe there is a strong strategic rationale for Paramount’s offer,” the company, Affinity Partners, said in a statement to AFP.Unlike Netflix’s offer, Paramount’s latest bid included 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.As Netflix emerged as the likely winning bidder for Warner Bros — the studio behind “Casablanca,” the “Harry Potter” movies and “Friends” — Hollywood’s elite launched an aggressive campaign against the acquisition.The streaming giant is viewed as a pariah in some Hollywood circles, largely due to its reluctance to release content in theaters and its disruption of traditional industry practices.In an interview Tuesday in Paris, Netflix co-chief executive Sarandos said it would continue to distribute Warner Bros films in cinemas if its takeover bid for the storied studio is successful.”We’re going to continue to operate Warner Bros. studios independently and release the movies traditionally in cinema,” he said, while admitting his past comments on theatrical distribution “now confuse people.”