‘Rust’ armorer’s trial gives Alec Baldwin’s team a window into how his own trial could unfold
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The trial against an armorer in a fatal shooting on the set of the Western movie “Rust” has given Alec Baldwin’s team a window into how his own trial could unfold. A New Mexico jury convicted Hannah Gutierrez-Reed on Wednesday of involuntary manslaughter in cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’ death in October 2021. Alec Baldwin had pointed a gun at Hutchins, and it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin factored prominently into 10 days days of testimony in Gutierrez-Reed’s trial. He has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge. His trial is scheduled to begin in July.
Weight-loss drugs like Wegovy are meant for long-term use. Some patients want to stop
Millions of Americans who have used new obesity drugs like Wegovy to lose weight and improve health are wondering what happens if they stop taking them. Experts say the medications were designed and tested to be taken indefinitely to treat the disease of obesity. Some patients are experimenting with stretching out doses, taking the drugs intermittently or stopping and starting again only if needed. Doctors warn that the symptoms typically roar back even stronger, with more food cravings, hunger and weight regain. There’s no data on the long-term effects of intermittent use.
To revive stale US sales, candy companies pitch gum as a stress reliever and concentration aid
Gum makers are trying to figure out what will make Americans start chewing again. Generational habits, health concerns and the coronavirus pandemic have gnawed away at gum sales. Some manufacturers are leaving the U.S. market altogether. But Mars, which owns the 133-year-old Wrigley brand, is trying to reposition gum as a stress reliever and a concentration aid as well as a breath freshener. A company executive says the “aha moment” came from a nurse in a hospital COVID-19 ward who chewed gum behind a mask to calm herself. Market research firm Circana says U.S. chewing gum sales rose less than 1% last year to 1.2 billion packages, which was still 32% fewer than in 2018.
International Women’s Day is a celebration and call to action. Beware the flowers and candy
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Women across the world will demand equal pay, reproductive rights, education, justice, decision-making jobs and other essential needs during demonstrations marking International Women’s Day Friday. Officially recognized by the United Nations in 1977, International Women’s Day is commemorated in different ways and to varying degrees in places around the world. Protests are often political and, at times, violent, rooted in women’s efforts to improve their rights as workers. Demonstrations are planned from Tokyo to Mexico City and this year’s global theme is “Inspire Inclusion.”
Fewer fish and more algae? Scientists seek to understand impacts of historic lack of Great Lakes ice
RACINE, Wis. (AP) — An unusually warm winter has left the Great Lakes all but devoid of ice and sent scientists scrambling to understand the possible consequences as climate change accelerates. Researchers believe that warmer lakes could lead to bigger algae blooms, more evaporation, and beach erosion, and less oxygen for bottom-dwelling organisms that bigger fish consume. But they don’t know for sure because the lakes have been studied relatively little during the coldest months. According to the Great Lakes Ice Tracker website, ice coverage on the lakes dropped to just 3% in mid-February, a time when usually 40% of the lakes are covered. That’s the lowest figure since at least 1973, when the site’s records begin.
Oscars producers promise cameos and surprises for Sunday’s (1 hour earlier) show
LOS ANGELES (AP) — With just a few days to go until the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday, the show’s producers are feeling good about what they’ve put together. The nominees are some of the best the Oscars have seen, including some true blockbusters like “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie.” Ryan Gosling is singing “I’m Just Ken” during the show. There will be a live orchestra in the theater. And Jimmy Kimmel is back to host the proceedings for the fourth time. Their main concern at the moment is that the global audience remembers that the broadcast begins an hour earlier than normal, at 7 p.m. EDT. It’s also the first day of daylight saving time.
Ex-Google engineer charged with stealing AI trade secrets while working with Chinese companies
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says a former software engineer at Google has been charged with stealing artificial intelligence technology from the company while secretly working with two companies based in China. Linwei Ding was arrested in Newark, California, on four counts of federal trade secret theft. The case against Ding was announced at an American Bar Association Conference in San Francisco by Attorney General Merrick Garland, who along with other law enforcement leaders has repeatedly warned about the threat of Chinese economic espionage and about the national security concerns posed by advancements in artificial intelligence. It was not immediately clear whether Ding has a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
TSA unveils passenger self-screening lanes at Vegas airport as ‘a step into the future’
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Federal airport security officials have unveiled a passenger self-screening checkpoint at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas that they plan to test this year before beginning to use it around the country. For now, the futuristic-looking prototype the Transportation Security Administration showed Wednesday is only for TSA PreCheck customers and only uses the English language. Officials are comparing it to self-checkout lanes at supermarkets. They say the aim is to avoid hands-on pat-downs by TSA officers while speeding up the process. At the same time, they say they want to let travelers move at their own pace and not feel rushed.
Charges are dropped midtrial in ‘Hotel California’ lyrics case. Don Henley plans to fight on
NEW YORK (AP) — A prosecution centered on the ownership of a cache of hand-drafted lyrics to Eagles hits like “Hotel California” was highly unusual from the start, but its end is even more unexpected. New York prosecutors abruptly dropped their case Wednesday in the middle of a trial of three collectibles experts who had been accused of scheming to hang onto and peddle the pages. Eagles co-founder Don Henley maintained they were stolen. Prosecutors agreed that defense lawyers had been blindsided by recently getting 6,000 pages of communications involving Henley and his attorneys and associates. A lawyer for Henley says the star “will pursue all his rights in the civil courts.”
For social platforms, the outage was short. But people’s stories vanished, and that’s no small thing
NEW YORK (AP) — The widespread attention given to the blanking of Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Messenger platforms on Tuesday tells a tale. It says that social media platforms, like the books or newspapers or insert-medium-here of other times in history, matter more than just entertaining pastimes. The technologies might be recent, but what we use them for? That taps into something age-old — that we’re wired to love stories. Telling them. Listening to them. Relating to each other and our communities through them. And showing them to the world.
