Category: US

CNN
 — 

Prosecutors have decided to charge actor Alec Baldwin and the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, each with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer on the set of the Western movie “Rust” in 2021.

Halyna Hutchins was struck and killed by a live round of ammunition fired from a prop gun held by Baldwin, who maintains he did not pull the gun’s trigger. The actor has also maintained he was not aware the gun he fired during a rehearsal contained a live round.

Here’s everything you need to know about the charges.

New Mexico state law classifies involuntary manslaughter as a fourth degree felony.

“Involuntary manslaughter consists of manslaughter committed in the commission of an unlawful act not amounting to felony, or in the commission of a lawful act which might produce death in an unlawful manner or without due caution and circumspection,” according to New Mexico law.

This means that the charges accuse Baldwin of committing a “negligent act that resulted in the death of another person,” Sam Winder, a former federal prosecutor who currently teaches law at the University of New Mexico, told CNN.

“The big difference between involuntary manslaughter and murder, often seen in cases involving firearms, is that there is no criminal intent,” Winder said, referring to New Mexico state law. “It’s unintentionally killing someone by being negligent.”

“There is no argument that Baldwin had the criminal intent to commit murder,” he added.

CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams says prosecutors decided to charge Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death due to negligence.

“I’m not surprised at all about these charges, and particularly if you separate Alec Baldwin the actor from Alec Baldwin the producer,” Williams said. “But he’s being charged in effect as somebody who was responsible for what happened on the set. And what this involuntary manslaughter charge comes down to is negligence.”

Williams continued: “This wasn’t just a simple accident that happened on a movie set, at least according to the prosecutor, allegedly. What this is was such a failure from the leadership on the movie set that led to an incredibly tragic death.”

Shortly after announcing the involuntary manslaughter charges, Mary Carmack-Altwies, New Mexico’s first judicial district attorney, outlined why the on-set shooting could result in criminal charges regardless of whether it was an accident.

“Just because it is an accident doesn’t mean that it’s not criminal,” Carmack-Altwies told CNN.

“Our involuntary manslaughter statute covers unintentional killings, unintentional homicides,” Carmack-Altwies said. “Unintentional means they didn’t mean to do it, they didn’t have the intent to kill, but it happened anyway – and it happened because of more than mere negligence, because they didn’t exercise due caution or circumspection, and that’s what happened here.”

Carmack-Altwies says prosecutors believed there was probable cause to charge Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed because of a number of contributing factors, including the lack of safety standards.

People on set had complained about the lax safety, according to Carmack-Altwies, and there had been accidental misfires prior to this fatal incident.

“He should have been aware that safety was an issue on set and then as an actor that day, he should have checked that gun, checked those projectiles,” she said, referring to Baldwin.

Baldwin’s attorney, Luke Nikas, called the prosecutors’ decision “a terrible miscarriage of justice.”

“This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice. Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun – or anywhere on the movie set,” Nikas said. “He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win.”

CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig says the “Rust” fatal shooting case is not clear-cut negligence and includes factual issues.

First of all, Honig says, Carmack-Altwies told CNN that she doesn’t know – and “we might not ever know” – how live rounds got onto the set.

“That’s a major factual issue. The defense lawyer is going to stand in front of a jury someday and say, ‘They want you to convict my client and they can’t even tell you how those live rounds got there,’” Honig told CNN.

Secondly, the incident happened on a movie set, and “most normal people do not know what the norms are on a movie set,” he said.

So the expertise of prop masters are heavily relied upon, but even those experts have different views on what the obligations of actors and crew members are on set, Honig says.

“Remember, this is a criminal case. You need all 12 jurors to find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. So I’m not saying that there’s no chance here, but this is a really difficult case for the prosecution,” he said.

Besides Baldwin, “Rust” movie armorer Gutierrez-Reed will be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Hutchins on the film’s set, according to prosecutors.

“We were expecting the charges but they’re absolutely wrong as to Hannah – we expect that she will be found not guilty by a jury and she did not commit manslaughter,” Jason Bowles, Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney, told CNN. “She has been emotional about the tragedy but has committed no crime.”

In March 2022, Gutierrez-Reed said she was not called to inspect the gun that ultimately fired a live round and fatally wounded Hutchins. She also said she had no knowledge of what was happening inside the church set that day and Baldwin was responsible for helping maintain the safety of the crew.

“Rust” film assistant director David Halls, who handed the gun to Baldwin before the fatal shooting, signed a plea agreement “for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon,” the district attorney’s office announced Thursday. Prosecutors say the terms of that deal include six months of probation and a suspended sentence.

Charges will not be filed against film director Joel Souza, the statement said.

Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed each face two counts of involuntary manslaughter, so that a jury can decide which specific count may be more appropriate, according to the district attorney, who add that, if convicted, “they will only be sentenced to one count.”

In either case, a conviction is punishable by up to 18 months in jail and up to a $5,000 fine, prosecutors say.

However, one definition would involve a firearm enhancement, or added mandatory penalty, because a firearm was involved. In that case, the crime could be punishable by a mandatory five years in jail, prosecutors said.

Carmack-Altwies tells CNN she’ll formally file the charges “before the end of this month,” but that her office will not request an arrest of Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed. The two will be required at an initial court appearance, which they may do by video. The district attorney says she does not plan to charge anyone else involved in the production.

CNN
 — 

An Iranian man who beheaded his 17-year-old wife in February 2022 was sentenced to just eight years and two months in prison on Wednesday, according to the country’s semi-official Khabar Online website, sparking criticism over the leniency of the prison term.

Following the murder of the teenager, a video began circulating online of her husband, Sajjad Heydari, walking in the provincial capital of Ahvaz while smiling and carrying her severed head, IRNA reported.

Local authorities have confirmed that widely shared images that purport to be Heydari are from the same incident, a source with knowledge of the statements told CNN. The video, seen by​ CNN, showed Heydari holding a knife in one hand and ​the girl’s head in another.

The short sentence has been condemned by critics, with some pointing to female filmmaker Mozghan Ilanlo, who received a 10-year jail sentence for removing her headscarf.

In response to a question about the sentence, spokesman of Iran’s Judiciary Massoud Setayesh said the husband was “convicted of stewardship in intentional murder, intentional assault, and disturbing public order. A second defendant,” who is the victim’s brother-in-law, “has been convicted of being an assistant in an intentional murder.”

The judiciary spokesman said a death penalty was not issued because the family of the victim has forgiven the defendant. They “announced their forgiveness and since this part of the charge, in regard to the private aspect of this case, is qualified, it has resulted in the issuance of the suspension order, but the public aspect of the crime remains,” he said.

“Accordingly, in terms of the public aspect of the crime, the first-row defendant, in respect to stewardship of intentional murder, has been sentenced to seven and a half years imprisonment and in terms of the public aspect of the crime, to eight months in prison,” the judiciary spokesperson added.

The spokesman also stated that “the second-row defendant (the victim’s brother-in-law) was also sentenced to 45 months’ imprisonment for assisting in an intentional murder.”

When the story was published for the first time, Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) referred to the alleged murder as a so-called “honor killing.”

The victim had fled to Turkey four months before being persuaded to return to Iran by her father, according to an interview with the girl’s mother-in-law, published on Fars back in 2022.

​The girl was 12 years old at the time of her marriage to Heydari, according to IRNA.

In an interview with the girl’s father, published in Fars in 2022, he is quoted as saying that he had obtained a legal certificate allowing his daughter to be married. The minimum age of marriage in Iran is 13 for girls and 15 for boys. CNN has been unable to confirm her husband’s age.

The crime comes years after after another high profile “honor killing,” ​in which a 14-year-old was ​allegedly killed by her father with a sickle after she ran away from her family home in northern Iran’s Talesh County with a 29-year-old man.

For years, Iranian women​’s rights activists have campaigned for strengthened domestic violence laws in the country.

This comes after the country has been roiled in nationwide protests over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman accused of flouting the country’s compulsory hijab laws. Iran has cracked down by executing protesters, accused of killing security forces, which critics say were the result of hasty sham trials.

CNN
 — 

The House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing on the Biden administration’s border policies in early February, kicking off what is expected to be a series of hearings on the issue amid widespread GOP criticism.

Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer, who now serves as the committee’s chair, has been a fierce critic of the Biden administration’s handling of the US-Mexico border. The hearing will take place the week of February 6.

In a letter directed to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and obtained by CNN, Comer requested documents and information about the department’s policies, the costs to respond to an influx of migrants at the border, and potential national security risks.

“The American people and their elected representatives must know DHS’s role in the humanitarian and national security crisis along the U.S. southern border,” the letter states.

Among the documents requested by February 2 are: communications about how many people have been released into the US from DHS custody who crossed the border illegally on or after January 20, 2021; correspondence on any plans to secure the border; and communications related to ending the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy, among other asks.

“DHS will respond to members of Congress through official channels,” Marsha Espinosa, a DHS spokeswoman, said.

Republicans have repeatedly slammed the administration over the handling of the US-Mexico border, arguing that the historic number of arrests is evidence of President Joe Biden’s policies not working. But the administration is largely using the same protocols as the Trump administration and continues to lean on a Covid-era border restriction that allows border authorities to turn away migrants encountered at the US southern border.

The administration, however, faces unprecedented movement across the Western hemisphere that has contributed to an influx of migrants at the border, including more people from different countries, such as Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. The US is largely barred from deporting migrants to Cuba and Venezuela, presenting a unique set of challenges for DHS.

The committee invited senior Border Patrol officials who oversee certain sections of the border, including the Del Rio sector and Rio Grande Valley sector, to testify.

New York
CNN
 — 

Consumers, spooked by accelerating job cuts, looming recession fears and continuing high prices for goods and services in 2023, are trading down when they’re shopping, and that includes in secondhand stores.

Demand for secondhand goods remains red hot, with the resale market expected to reach $82 billion in sales by 2026, nearly doubling from $43 billion in 2022, according to industry data.

But, just as they are doing with their weekly groceries and purchases of new items such as clothes and shoes, consumers are looking for better value in the resale market.

“We started noticing it in late summer, early fall of last year,” said Sasha Skoda, director of merchandising with online luxury reseller The RealReal

(REAL). “Demand for higher-priced luxury brands at resale is down, which is pushing prices for brands like Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton down.”

At the same time, she said, demand for previously owned lower-priced luxury brands — such as Miu Miu and Bottega Veneta — is up.

“Consumers are worried about the economy and they are not spending as much. They are no longer willing to pay the same price at resale that were willing to pay last year for brands like Hermes, Gucci and Louis Vuitton,” Skoda added.

According to The RealReal’s Annual Luxury Consignment Report 2023, which was released Thursday, handbag resale prices fell 20% for Louis Vuitton, 17% for Gucci, 10% for Hermès and 9% for Chanel over the past 90 days.

On average, the resale value of higher-end luxury bags from these brands is beginning to level out, with prices down 5% in the last six months, said Skoda.

“A potential recession, the climate crisis, and global unrest are all reasons that, going into 2023, consumers are making shopping decisions based on value,” Rati Sahi Levesque, co-CEO and president of The RealReal, said in the report.

As they embrace lower prices, resale shoppers have become less picky about the condition of the items they buy.

Demand has nearly doubled for “fair condition” items, such as those showing signs of heavy wear through worn corners and significant scratches, the report said. Fair condition merchandise sold by The RealReal is on average 33% cheaper that products being resold in good or excellent condition.

Skoda noted that Millennial and Gen Z shoppers, who are the core shoppers of secondhand merchandise, are gravitating to more affordable contemporary brands like Miu Miu, Bottega Veneta and Telfar instead of investment pieces from top-tier luxury brands.

But what’s old — or perhaps more properly, “vintage” — continues to strike the fancy of younger shoppers, said Skoda

Data from searches on The RealReal’s website show that pearl jewelry, ultra-feminine dresses, low-heeled mules, tailored suits, loafers, and brooches are emerging as 2023’s most bankable fashion trends. Also hot: Y2K fashion.

“Pearls are a value play. They’re less expensive than diamonds and timeless,” said Skoda. Oversized clothing, in suits or dresses, is popular because casual comfort remains popular with consumers.

Demand for clothing and anything from the 1990s and early 2000s is strong, in great measure because fashions aimed at Gen Z buyers are so commercialized that “they are like walking advertisements for brands,” Skoda said.

“They see buying vintage clothing at resale as a way to be different, creative and sustainable.”

Washington, DC
CNN
 — 

US home building fell in December, as the housing market continued to slow.

December housing starts, a measure of new home construction, dropped by 1.4% from November, and were down 21.8% from a year ago, according to data released Thursday by the Census Bureau.

But after mortgage rates declined modestly in December, builders have begun to feel more optimistic that conditions may improve in 2023.

Housing starts had big drops in May and July last year, when rising mortgage rates pushed many prospective home buyers to the sidelines. Starts bounced back slightly in August, but have been falling since then.

Building permits, which track the number of new housing units granted permits, also fell in December, down 1.6% from the revised November rate, and were down 29.9% from a year ago.

“The combination of slightly reduced mortgage rates and discounts and specials on for-sale pricing may bring more buyers to the market, especially after the historically slow holiday season is over — and as spring buying season approaches,” said Kelly Mangold of RCLCO Real Estate Consulting. “Inflation is also beginning to decline, and the job market remains relatively strong — so it will be interesting to track how the housing market continues to react in the early part of 2023.”

Separately, a survey released Wednesday found home builder confidence rose for the first time in a year. But while builders continue to face headwinds with the high cost of construction, supply chain disruptions and challenging affordability conditions for buyers, the data suggests the worst may be over for the market, said Jerry Konter, NAHB chairman.

“The rise in builder sentiment means that cycle lows for permits and starts are likely near, and a rebound for home building could be underway later in 2023,” he said.

CNN
 — 

Nominations for the 2023 British Academy Film Awards, or BAFTA Awards, have been announced.

There were a few surprises among the 24 categories, including a strong showing for “All Quiet on the Western Front,” leading with 14 nominations.

Edward Berger’s adaptation is the first time Erich Maria Remarque’s First World War novel has been made into a German-language film. Released by Netflix last fall with little fanfare, it has nevertheless gained significant momentum as awards season ramps up.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” follows “All Quiet” with ten nominations, including acting nods for lead Colin Farrell and supporting actors Kerry Condon, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan. With the same tally is “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” the indie hit that became distributor A24’s first film to cross the $100 million mark at the box office.

The awards ceremony, which highlights some of the best British and international contributions in film of the year, will take place on February 19 at 7p.m. GMT, with actor Richard E. Grant on hosting duties at London’s Royal Festival Hall.

Here’s the nominations in full.

Best Film

“All Quiet on the Western Front”

“The Banshees of Inisherin”

“Elvis”

“Everything Everywhere All At Once”

“TÁR”

Oustanding British Film

“Aftersun”

“The Banshees of Inisherin”

“Brian And Charles”

“Empire of Light”

“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”

“Living”

“Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical”

“See How They Run”

“The Swimmers”

“The Wonder”

Oustanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer

Charlotte Wells, “Aftersun”

Georgia Oakley and Hélène Sifre, “Blue Jean”

Marie Lidén, “Electric Malady”

Katy Brand, “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”

Maia Kenworthy, “Rebellion”

Film Not in the English Language

“All Quiet on the Western Front”

“Argentina, 1985”

“Corsage”

“Decision To Leave”

“The Quiet Girl”

Documentary

“All That Breathes”

“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”

“Fire of Love”

“Moonage Daydream”

“Navalny”

Animated Film

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”

“Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”

“Turning Red”

Director

Edward Berger, “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Park Chan-wook, “Decision To Leave”

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

Todd Field, “TÁR”

Gina Prince-Bythewood, “The Woman King”

Original Screenplay

Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

Tony Kushner and Steven Spielberg, “The Fabelmans”

Todd Field, “TÁR”

Ruben Östlund, “Triangle of Sadness”

Adapted Screenplay

Edward Berger, Ian Stokell and Leslie Patterson, “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Kazuo Ishiguro, “Living”

Colm Bairéad, “The Quiet Girl”

Rebecca Lenkiewicz, “She Said”

Samuel D. Hunter, “The Whale”

Lead Actress

Ana de Armas, “Blonde”

Cate Blanchett, “TÁR”

Viola Davis, “The Woman King”

Danielle Deadwyler, “Till”

Emma Thompson, “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”

Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

Lead Actor

Austin Butler, “Elvis”

Brendan Fraser, “The Whale”

Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Daryl McCormack, “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”

Paul Mescal, “Aftersun”

Bill Nighy, “Living”

Supporting Actress

Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”

Hong Chau, “The Whale”

Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

Dolly De Leon, “Triangle of Sadness”

Carey Mulligan, “She Said”

Supporting Actor

Brendan Gleeson, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Barry Keoghan, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

Eddie Redmayne, “The Good Nurse”

Albrecht Schuch, “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Michael Ward, “Empire of Light”

Original Score

Volker Bertelmann , “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Justin Hurwitz , “Babylon”

Carter Burwell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Son Lux, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”

Alexandre Desplat, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”

Casting

Lucy Pardee, “Aftersun”

Simon Bär, “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Nikki Barrett, Denise Chamian, “Elvis”

Sarah Halley Finn, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

Pauline Hansson, “Triangle of Sadness”

Cinematography

James Friend, “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Greig Fraser, “The Batman”

Mandy Walker, “Elvis”

Roger Deakins, “Empire of Light”

Claudio Miranda, “Top Gun: Maverick”

Editing

Sven Budelmann, “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Mikkel E.G. Nielsen, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Matt Villa, “Elvis”

Paul Rogers, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

Eddie Hamilton, “Top Gun: Maverick”

Production Design

Christian M. Goldbreck, Ernestine Hipper, “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino, “Babylon”

James Chinlund, Lee Sandales, “The Batman”

Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Bev Dunn, “Elvis”

Curt Enderle, Guy Davis, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”

Costume Design

Lisy Christl, “All Quiet on the Western Front”

J.R. Hawbaker and Albert Wolsky, “Amsterdam”

Mary Zophres, “Babylon”

Catherine Martin, “Elvis”

Jenny Beavan, “Mrs Harris Goes To Paris”

Makeup and Hair

Heike Merker, “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Michael Marino and Zoe Tahir, “The Batman”

Shane Thomas, Louise Coulston, Mark Coulier and Barrie Gower, “Elvis”

Naomi Donne, Barrie Gower, Sharon Martin, “Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical”

Anne Marie Bradley, Judy Chin, Adrien Morot, “The Whale”

Sound

Lars Ginzsel, Frank Kruse, Viktor Prášil and Markus Stemler, “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Julian Howarth, Gary Summers and Gwendoyln Yates Whittle, “Avatar: The Way of Water”

Michael Keller, David Lee, Andy Nelson and Wayne Pashley, “Elvis”

Deb Adair, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley, Steve Single and Roland Winke, “TÁR”

Chris Burdon, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Mark Taylor and Mark Weingarten, “Top Gun: Maverick”

Special Visual Effects

Markus Frank, Kamil Jafar, Viktor Müller and Frank Petzoid, “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett, Joe Letteri and Eric Saindon, “Avatar: The Way of Water”

Russell Earl, Dan Lemmon, Anders Langlands and Dominic Tuohy, “The Batman”

Benjamin Brewer, Ethan Feldbau, Jonathan Kombrinck and Zak Stoltz, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

Seth Hill, Scott R. Fisher, Bryan Litson and Ryan Tudhope, “Top Gun: Maverick”

British Short Animation

“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”

“Middle Watch”

“Your Mountain is Waiting”

Britsh Short Film

“The Ballad Of Olive Morris”

“Bazigaga”

“Bus Girl”

“A Drifting Up”

“An Irish Goodbye”

EE Rising Star

Aimee Lou Wood

Daryl McCormack

Emma Mackey

Naomi Ackie

Sheila Atim