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target

Target Removes Halloween Costume Critics Say Evoked Racist Minstrel Imagery

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A Halloween costume sold by Target has become the latest reputational problem for the retailer, which is trying to rebuild consumer confidence after several years of controversy while also maintaining a recent improvement in its financial performance.

Target said Monday that it had removed a children’s circus clown costume after critics on social media said the design resembled racist Blackface imagery and imagery associated with minstrel shows.

The costume at the center of the backlash was sold as the “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume” and was part of Target’s seasonal Hyde and EEK Boutique line.

The orange-and-black outfit included gloves, a top hat and a mask featuring an exaggerated grin with large teeth. A promotional image appeared to show a Black child modeling the costume, a marketing choice that became a particular focus of the criticism.

“As a company, we know we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry,” Target said in a statement.

“The costume is offensive and should never have been part of our assortment. It is no longer available for sale.”

The retailer also said the incident was particularly significant for Black consumers and employees, acknowledging that the costume was “especially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners.”

Minstrel shows, which became widespread in the United States during the 19th century, relied on demeaning caricatures of Black people and culture and commonly featured white performers in blackface.

Shomane Touré, founder of the Oakland-based Afrocentric Films Collaborative, told The New York Times that Target appeared to have failed to consider that history when choosing how to market the costume.

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“Target appears to have overlooked these historical implications by choosing to market a costume worn by a Black child in a manner that can be interpreted as reinforcing a longstanding racial stereotype.”

The controversy comes as Target has begun showing signs of progress after a difficult stretch. The retailer has posted back-to-back strong quarters, helped by efforts to lower prices and refresh its merchandise, while new CEO Michael Fiddelke has so far received a favorable response from Wall Street.

That recovery remains fragile, however. Morningstar analyst Brett Husslein told CNN that Target has less room for public-facing mistakes because it cannot compete as directly with Walmart and Costco on price.

“As Target begins to gain traction in repairing its brand reputation, this is exactly the kind of stuff they want to avoid,” he said.

Husslein said additional pressure on Target — whether stemming from management decisions, the broader economy or controversies involving the company’s image — “could lead to further market share losses.”

The episode adds to a series of political and cultural controversies that have complicated Target’s relationship with shoppers in recent years.

The company faced criticism over how it handled backlash to merchandise in its 2023 Pride Collection. More recently, Target faced criticism from customers over changes to its diversity, equity and inclusion programs following President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

The retailer was one of several major U.S. companies to scale back DEI programs after the Trump administration announced plans to investigate companies that maintained such initiatives. Google, Meta and Walmart also made changes to their diversity efforts.

Those controversies have created challenges for a company whose business depends in part on maintaining a distinctive brand identity rather than simply competing on price.

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Sheletta Brundidge, a Minneapolis-area business leader who criticized those changes, said she saw the costume controversy as a consequence of having fewer diverse perspectives involved in company decision-making.

“You rolled back diversity,” she said, “so who’s in the room, now, to say ‘hey, this is wrong?’”

Nadine Smith, president of the racial justice group Color of Change, made a similar argument Tuesday, saying Target’s DEI rollback had contributed to “corporate blindness” inside the company.

“Somewhere along that chain, people either did not recognize the racism, did not feel empowered to name it or were not heard. Target cannot treat Black voices as expendable in its decision-making and still expect Black dollars at the checkout.”

Target did not provide details about who created the costume or explain how it was approved for sale. The company declined to comment on the design and approval process beyond saying it was “looking closely at how this happened and what needs to change.”

The company’s 2023 Pride controversy also put it under pressure from both sides of the political divide. Target said some conservative opponents of the merchandise behaved confrontationally in stores, but after the retailer removed some products, LGBTQ advocacy groups criticized it for appearing to give in to the backlash.

Although Hyde and EEK Boutique are owned by Target, merchandise from the brand has also appeared for resale on other online marketplaces, including Walmart, Amazon and Etsy.

Despite the latest backlash, investors did not appear to react negatively to the news Monday. Target shares were up 2.7% in afternoon trading.

movie

Chris Hansen Questions ‘Hollywood’s Motive’ Behind New ‘Primetime’ Movie

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Chris Hansen says he plans to reserve judgment on the upcoming movie “Primetime” until he sees it for himself, though the former “To Catch a Predator” host is already questioning why Hollywood chose to revisit his controversial television career.

Hansen, 66, discussed the Robert Pattinson-led film during an appearance on the “Serialously with Annie Elise” podcast, saying he had no role in the production and was not consulted on the film.

Hansen said people connected to the project approached him a couple of months ago about potentially helping with the movie, but by that point it had already been made. He said he expects to see the completed movie soon.

“I’m going to get a private screening in the next week or so, and then I’ll be able to tell you whether I like it or don’t like it, and how dramatized it is. My suspicion is that they used my name because it helps in a commercial enterprise. And until I see the full movie, as a reporter, it’s sort of silly for me to talk about something that I haven’t seen yet.”

The A24 film, directed by Lance Oppenheim, is set in 2006 and dramatizes Hansen’s work on “To Catch a Predator,” the controversial series of “Dateline NBC” investigations that became a pop culture phenomenon in the 2000s.

Robert Pattinson portrays Hansen in “Primetime,” which traces the show’s rise in popularity. The film’s brief official synopsis reads: “In 2006, ‘To Catch a Predator’ host Chris Hansen sets out to make television history.”

Although Hansen has not watched the movie itself, he has seen its trailer, which he described as “very dramatic.”

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He also said the project has left him wondering what filmmakers hope to accomplish by revisiting the story.

“I know that [Robert Pattinson is] a very popular actor. I know that the director’s a popular guy. But I also have some questions. What’s Hollywood’s motive here? We don’t know. But I’ll find out, and I promise I’ll let you know.”

Hansen also made clear that he had no input into who would portray him onscreen.

He “didn’t get to choose” the actor playing him, Hansen said. Asked whom he might have selected himself, he offered another possibility.

“Denis Leary would be a good guy to play me, depending on the age of it all.”

Hansen said the idea of Denis Leary portraying him actually dates back years, when Hansen had developed a script of his own and pictured Leary in the role.

Despite the renewed Hollywood attention surrounding his career, Hansen indicated that he remains focused on his own work, saying he is “busy being the real Chris Hansen.”

Pattinson is joined in “Primetime” by Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Matthew Maher, Bokeem Woodbine and Anna Faris.

The movie revisits one of the most recognizable—and controversial—stretches of Hansen’s career. Hansen hosted “To Catch a Predator” as part of “Dateline NBC” from 2004 until 2007.

The investigations were conducted alongside the watchdog group Perverted-Justice. Adults working undercover posed as minors in online chat rooms and communicated with men suspected of seeking sexual encounters with children.

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Those men were then invited to a house under the impression that the minor was there alone. After arriving, they would instead encounter Hansen, who confronted them about their online conversations. Police were also involved in the operations, and suspects were arrested.

The format drew major attention and helped make Hansen nationally recognizable. Still, it also attracted criticism over the methods used in the investigations and the relationship between television producers and law enforcement.

Controversy intensified following a 2006 investigation involving Bill Conradt, an assistant district attorney in Texas.

Conradt died by suicide when police, accompanied by a camera crew, arrived at his home to execute a search warrant connected to a “To Catch a Predator” investigation. NBC later settled a $105 million lawsuit stemming from the case out of court.

“To Catch a Predator” eventually ended, but Hansen continued pursuing similar work after leaving the NBC series, hosting other programs focused on identifying suspected child predators across online and streaming platforms.

The journalist and television personality has also remained in the public eye for reasons unrelated to the show. In 2021, Hansen turned himself in after a warrant was issued when he missed a Michigan court date. He was later released.

Now, nearly two decades after the height of “To Catch a Predator,” “Primetime” is bringing that chapter of Hansen’s career back to the screen through a dramatized version of the story.

For Hansen, exactly how closely that version resembles what actually happened remains an open question, at least until he watches it.

The film is scheduled to premiere at the Venice Film Festival before arriving in theaters Sept. 25.

trail

Tupac Shakur Murder Trial Underway 30 Years After Rapper’s Death 

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This week, the trial for the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur began its initial proceedings in Las Vegas. 30-years-ago, one of the most high-profile unsolved killings in the US occurred, and now jury selection has begun for the trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, the one-time leader of the South Side Compton Crips gang in California. 

Prosecutors are aiming to show that 63-year-old Davis ordered the killing and provided the gun for the murder of Shakur. 75 potential jurors were called to the courthouse on Monday to be questioned about their ability to be fair and impartial in such a high-profile trial. 

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Davis is facing a potential life sentence without parole if he is convicted. 

On September 7th 1996, Shakur was shot and killed at the height of his career, he was 25-years-old. At the time, Shakur was sitting in the passenger seat of a black BMW with Marion “Suge” Knight in Vegas after watching a boxing match and going to a club to perform. 

Although Davis is not alleged to have fired the gun himself, he is the only person to be charged in the killing and is accused of murder with a deadly weapon. The trial is expected to last around a month with judge Carli Kierny. 

Reports indicate that prosecutors believe that Davis is the only person still alive out of the group that attacked Shakur and Knight. They will be presenting evidence material specifically from Davis’s book Compton Street Legend, which was published in 2019 and described the shooting in detail. 

When Shakur was murdered, there was a massive ongoing debate regarding who did it and why. It also highlighted the intensity of the hip-hop rivalry between the east coast and the west coast. 

Within this coastal rivalry was Los Angeles-based Death Row Records, founded by Marion “Suge” Knight, and east coast label Bad Boy Records, created by Sean Combs and featuring Christopher Wallace, more commonly known as “the Notorious BIG,” who was murdered less than a year after Shakur: March 1997. 

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Prosecutors stated that Death Row Records was protected by Mob Piru, a Los Angeles gang that was affiliated with the larger Bloods alliance. Knight was also affiliated with the group, and Bad Boy Records also hired rival group South Side Compton Crips, which was led by Davis. 

The prosecution also emphasized, according to reports, that after the boxing match, Knight and Shakur both attacked Davis’s nephew in retribution for an alleged assault on a Death Row employee, prompting Davis to want revenge. 

So why exactly has it taken three decades for this case to finally go to trial? The simple answer is a lack of evidence. However, once Davis published his memoir, the cold case was reheated due to the fact that he wrote about how he handed a pistol from where he was in the front seat of his car to those in the back seat of the vehicle as they pulled alongside Shakur’s vehicle. 

What was revealed in Davis’s memoir also coincided with remarks he made to reporters in the past, however, the publishing led to his arrest in September 2023. 

Davis has pleaded not guilty, backtracking on all his previous statements, on the basis of no evidence against him. He also claimed that his co-actor “inflated a tale.” 

In May of this year, Shakur’s stepbrother, Maurice Shakur, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in civil court. 

“There remain individuals who were involved in Tupac’s murder who, for 30 years, have not been held accountable for their crimes,” his complaint says.

LA General

Perez Hilton Hospitalized After Apparent Self-Harm During Livestream

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Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton was hospitalized after appearing to harm himself during a TikTok livestream Tuesday, authorities said.

“We can confirm that Perez is receiving medical care, and our family’s focus right now is on his well-being,” a statement published Wednesday on Hilton’s website said.

The message, attributed to the Perez Hilton Team and Family, continued: “Many of you have reached out with concern for Perez, and we are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming outpouring of love, support, and prayers.”

In a subsequent update, Hilton’s family said he was able to communicate, a development that had given them reason to remain hopeful about his condition.

“Our family wants to once again thank everyone who has reached out with prayers, kind messages, and support for Perez. Your compassionate humanity during this profoundly heartbreaking time has meant more than words can express.”

The family described the situation as “incredibly difficult and emotional” and said it would release further updates once additional information had been confirmed.

“We respectfully ask for your continued prayers, understanding, and grace as Perez continues to recover,” the statement said.

Deputies went to Hilton’s home Tuesday evening after the sheriff’s office received multiple calls regarding a disturbing livestream, according to a statement issued by the agency Wednesday morning. After arriving, officers spoke with Hilton’s family members and determined that he was alone inside the residence.

Dispatch audio obtained by People indicated that emergency responders were sent to investigate reports of a “possible suicide.” According to the audio, authorities entered Hilton’s home at approximately 11 p.m. and were traveling to a nearby hospital with him about 30 minutes later.

Hilton was hospitalized under Florida’s Baker Act, a sheriff’s office spokesperson confirmed. The law permits authorities to involuntarily hold a person for up to 72 hours when that individual is believed to pose a threat of harm to themselves or others.

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Rather than immediately engaging with Hilton, deputies monitored the situation and worked to “prioritize de-escalation by creating time, distance, and opportunities for communication,” the sheriff’s office said. The agency described the strategy as an approach intended to reduce the possibility of further harm.

Mental health professionals were later brought in to provide support to Hilton’s family.

Dante Rusciolelli, a representative for Hilton, said Wednesday that he had no further information about the blogger’s condition.

“Our focus remains on Perez’s health, recovery, and the privacy of both him and his family during this incredibly difficult time.”

Golden Artists Entertainment said in a separate statement that its representatives had not been able to reach Hilton directly Tuesday, despite repeated attempts. The company later said it still had no additional confirmed information about his condition.

TikTok said its automated moderation technology detected that Hilton’s livestream violated the platform’s community guidelines within minutes of the broadcast beginning. The company’s U.S.-based human moderation team was then notified to review the stream.

The initial livestream was shut down after approximately 15 minutes, TikTok said. Several additional streams that Hilton started were removed within 90 seconds. TikTok also said it contacted law enforcement about the situation.

Before the livestream was removed, graphic footage that appeared to show Hilton covered in blood had begun circulating on other social media platforms. His account was deactivated before TikTok formally banned it for violating rules prohibiting self-harm content.

Dan Romer, research director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, told The New York Times that he could not determine why Hilton chose to broadcast the apparent act. Romer has published research examining the relationship between self-harm and social media.“Often when people do self-harm, they are reaching out for help,” he said.

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Such attempts to attract attention are more commonly directed toward friends or relatives, Romer said. Hilton, however, may regard his sizable internet audience “as part of his social circle.”

Referring to the numerous viewers who contacted authorities about the livestream, Romer added, “they intervened and got him some help.”

Bryan Freedman, an attorney and friend who previously represented Hilton for two decades, told People he was working to verify that Hilton was receiving appropriate care.

“I, like many others, feel very concerned for Mario’s health, and I am trying to confirm that he is receiving the care that he needs to fully address the causes and conditions which led to this incident. It feels like a moment that deserves kindness and compassion.”

Hilton, whose legal name is Mario Lavandeira, became one of the best-known figures in online celebrity gossip during the mid-2000s through PerezHilton.com. The website’s blunt commentary about celebrities and popular culture helped turn its creator into a recognizable public figure in his own right.

Hilton, the older of two children raised in a working-class Cuban-American family, initially pursued a career as an actor. He later worked as a publicist and became a reporter for Star magazine before finding widespread fame through his website.

His rise was propelled by relentless self-promotion and provocative public statements that frequently attracted media coverage. As his audience grew, Hilton produced a steady stream of unrestrained commentary about entertainers, relationships and celebrity scandals.

By 2006, Hilton said he was spending 17 hours each day creating and publishing items for the website. The business had become highly lucrative by the following year, when a single advertisement on the site could bring in $9,000 per week.

“I’m like Madonna, I’m not afraid to offend,” Hilton said in a 2007 interview with The New York Times.

Hilton’s relationship with TikTok has been turbulent in the past. The platform banned him in 2020 for violating its community guidelines.

Hilton said at the time that losing his account had been emotionally difficult. He said he had been “very depressed” and that the social media app “gave me something to really look forward to every day.”

Earlier this year, Hilton publicly discussed another serious health crisis. In March, he said on social media that he had spent three weeks in the hospital while being treated for an ulcer and sepsis.

Hilton said that during the hospitalization, “God presented himself to me.” The following month, Hilton announced through social media that he had returned to TikTok. In the announcement, he expressed gratitude to both the platform and Jesus.

bbc

Jared Leto Faces Sexual Misconduct Allegations From 10 Women in BBC Documentary

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Ten women have accused Jared Leto of sexual misconduct in a new BBC documentary, with four alleging conduct that could constitute criminal offenses because they were teenagers at the time of the alleged encounters.

Nine of the women featured in “Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret,” which airs Wednesday, are publicly sharing their accounts for the first time, according to the BBC. The alleged interactions span from 2002 to 2016, when Leto was in his 30s and 40s.

Leto, now 54, has denied the accusations.

“I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false,” the Oscar-winning actor and Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman said in a statement provided to Variety through his representatives.

The BBC said it corroborated “a number of the women’s accounts with friends and family who were told about the encounters with Leto at the time.” The broadcaster also said it reviewed photographs and messages that “support the women’s accounts” in some instances.

One woman alleges that Leto repeatedly made sexually explicit phone calls to her when she was 16. She claims that during at least one of those conversations, he suggested that the two of them should have sex. The woman characterized Leto’s alleged behavior toward her as grooming.

According to the documentary, the BBC reviewed a nondisclosure agreement that the woman was later asked to sign to prevent her from discussing her relationship with Leto. She declined to sign it.

A second woman alleges that Leto assaulted her inside the bathroom of a motel when she was 17. She claimed Leto pulled open a shower curtain and began kissing her before taking her hand and using it to masturbate himself.

“I don’t think there was many words exchanged, and he opened the shower curtain and started kissing me,” she said in the documentary.

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The woman said she had agreed to meet Leto at the hotel. She alleged that she pulled away during the encounter and told him she wanted to leave. According to Isabel, Leto then wrapped himself in a towel and appeared to check whether anyone was nearby before allowing her to exit what she described as a “dingy gross motel” room.

Another participant claims the actor threatened to sexually assault her inside a hotel room in 2002, when she was 19.

A third woman says she had sex with Leto in California when she was 17, below the state’s age of consent. She alleged that the encounter occurred at Leto’s home. The alleged encounter would consequently be classified as statutory rape. She claims Leto “shrugged off” a discussion about California’s age of consent being 18.

The woman, identified as Clara, said Leto was 34 at the time and that one of her friends waited elsewhere inside the house during the encounter.

“It wasn’t a huge concern for him. He told me, ‘I would like you to call me daddy.’ And it was either pretend to be a little girl or ‘my little girl.’… It was only as time went on that I [realized] more and more how scary that really was.”

Clara described herself at the time as “naive and vulnerable” and said she did not know whether Leto’s alleged behavior was typical in an adult relationship.

“There is no well-adjusted man in his 30s who’s going to look at a teenager and think … she would be a great partner.”

The documentary also includes footage from a 2013 Thirty Seconds to Mars concert at Ex’Pression College in Emeryville, California, during which Leto invited a young woman on stage.

“Give me a hug, first of all,” Leto told her before asking for her name and where she was from. After she said she was from Los Angeles, Leto imitated Matthew McConaughey and quoted a line from the 1993 film “Dazed and Confused”: “That’s what I like about high school girls. I keep getting older, they just stay the same age. Alright, alright, alright.”

Four additional women interviewed for the documentary accuse Leto of placing “strange and often very sexual” phone calls to them when they were younger. Altogether, the documentary includes accounts from 10 women, including the four who allege conduct that may have been criminal.

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One of the women said she decided to speak publicly because she believed Leto had avoided accountability for decades. “This was 25 years ago… he has gotten away with it,” she said.

Two men who previously worked with Leto’s band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, were interviewed for the documentary. Both claim that members of the band’s staff felt uneasy about Leto’s alleged interactions with teenage girls.

The men allege that Leto would sometimes invite teenage girls backstage to his dressing room or to the residence where he was recording music. One former worker said the age difference between Leto and the girls caused concern among those around him.

“I think everyone thought the age gap was way too big,” he said.

The BBC said it identified more than 120 separate accusations concerning Leto’s alleged behavior toward women while researching the documentary. Many had appeared online, and some dated back years.

The accusations presented in “Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret,” which is being sold internationally by BBC Studios, follow earlier public claims concerning the actor’s behavior.

In 2025, Los Angeles DJ Allie Teilz accused Leto of sexual misconduct, alleging that he assaulted and traumatized her when she was 17. Her accusations prompted other women to come forward with similar accounts.

A month before the Air Mail report was published, Teilz reposted a Facebook status she had originally shared in 2012. “You’re [sic] not really in L.A. until Jared Leto tries to force himself on you backstage… In a kilt.. And a snow hat,” the post read.

Teilz also wrote on Instagram: “I was assaulted and traumatized by this creep when I was 17 … He knew my age and didn’t care. What he did was predatory, terrifying and unacceptable.”

A June 2025 report published by Air Mail subsequently detailed accusations from nine women who alleged that Leto had engaged in inappropriate behavior over a period of years. Leto also denied those allegations. His representatives described the claims at the time as “demonstrably false.”

heat wave

Europe’s Worst Heatwave On Record Raises Debates Over Air Conditioning Culture 

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Europe is currently enduring its worst heatwave on record, and it’s bracing for it to get even hotter as the summer progresses. The continent’s lack of air conditioning has often been a major point of contention for travelers and residents alike during the summer months. Now, health experts are entering the conversation over the culture of air conditioning, especially for vulnerable groups. 

The head of the World Health Organization’s Europe office, Hans Kluge, said that “much of Europe’s investment has rightly gone into longer-term solutions like shade, insulation, and cooling centers, rather than mechanical cooling.”

The WHO office also recommends a “nuanced adoption” of air conditioning that specifically works to protect those at high risk, “both have a role,” Kluge said. 

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The Guardian recently reported on studies that suggest Europe’s efforts to adapt to modern cooling systems have decreased the death toll by 75% for the kind of heat that was considered to be extreme 20 years ago. However, it’s clear now that all over the world heatwaves and dangerously high temperatures have gotten even worse within the past two decades. 

The WHO estimates that over 200,000 people have died from the heat in Europe within the last four years. In June, record-breaking heat levels will likely “yield a death toll in the thousands, if not low tens of thousands,” the publication reported.

These numbers are also well above the levels that are experienced in the US, where historic heatwaves are also occurring, but air conditioning is used in 90% of homes. 

Although most political parties in Europe agree that hospitals, care homes, schools, and public transport should all have proper air conditioning, many mainstream parties are also blocking air conditioning services due to not viewing climate change as a serious concern. 

For example, this year, the day after Germany broke their heat record, Marc Bernhard, the construction spokesperson for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) stated that his party would stop people “being sacrificed on the altar of mainstream climate ideology. Climate hysteria is leading to more heat-related deaths due to ideological construction errors such as abstaining from air conditioning.”

In France, on the other hand, Marin Le Pen’s National Rally has been fighting against renovations to make buildings energy-efficient and even has tried to block wind turbines and solar panels. However, the rally has also made air conditioning a main focus while simultaneously going against policies to combat climate change. 

In some of the world’s richest nations, including the US, Australia, and Japan, air conditioning is normalized, however, only around 15% of the 3.5 billion people living in regions with some of the highest global temperatures own an AC unit. 

The demand for global cooling is expected to increase significantly within the next decade and beyond. For example, in south-east Asia, the International Energy Agency expects the number of air conditioners to “rise ninefold” between 2020 and 2040 if current policies remain. 

While air conditioning can impact climate change due to the fact that it expels hot air into surrounding streets and the energy use can increase the risk of blackouts, in Europe the risk of these detrimental effects is significantly lower than other urban areas around the world. 

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Additionally, although there are laws in some areas that make it difficult to install air conditioning in private buildings, there isn’t a lot of data to back up that this is the driving reason for the low amounts of air conditions adopted throughout the continent. 

Despite all of this, there are many citizens throughout Europe that are protecting themselves from the extreme heat and cooling their homes. Reports indicate that the share of households in Italy and Spain with air conditioning has grown to more than 50%, and in France it’s risen to 24%.

 On the opposite end, Germany has some of the lowest air conditioning installations in Europe. This is partially due to a large proportion of renters, but a lot of it has to do with homeowners not being able to justify the cost even with record-breaking temperatures and dangerous conditions. 

Gabriele Werner, a worker in the tourist information office of Neuzelle, said that they’d “consider getting air conditioning if the summers keep getting hotter, but when it’s just a few days [they] can bear it.”

The Guardian actually visited Neuzelle and their neighboring district of Neißemünde, where they reported that the response to the recent heat wasn’t met with any urgency or sympathy for those suffering. 

Reinhard Lang, a retired electrician who lives in a 150-year-old house, told the publication that “climate change is just a word that gets trumpeted. Back when I was a child, it was also warm. It just wasn’t played up.” 

Kluge stated that Europe’s strong emergency response to their recent heat has saved lives. 

“The priority now is ensuring AC reaches people for whom it’s a medical necessity, while continuing to build out the infrastructure – trees, green roofs, cooler buildings – that protects everyone, including people who simply can’t fit a unit in their home.”

Dr. Chloe Brimicombe, a climate scientist at Oxford University who focuses on extreme heat gave some of the other solutions that are being looked into as well. “We are currently focusing a lot of our energy and water resources during heatwaves on cooling data centers.”

“Lives are more valuable to us than AI – or at least they should be right?” 

broadway

Josh Grisetti Withdrew From ‘Legally Blonde’ Production Days Before His Death, Citing ‘Personal Reasons’

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Broadway actor and director Josh Grisetti had withdrawn from an upcoming production of Legally Blonde: The Musical for “personal reasons” only days before his death by suicide at age 44 on Friday.

Grisetti’s close friend and Something Rotten! costar Rob McClure announced the news Sunday in an emotional Instagram post. The two appeared together both on Broadway and during the musical’s national tour, which lasted more than a year.

“It is with a shattered heart that I share that the brilliant Josh Grisetti took his own life on Friday. I’m not ready to even attempt to understand,” McClure wrote.

“My heart is with his wife and family as they try to deal with the reality of this. Some of my all-time favorite memories were by this man’s side, playing his brother onstage for years, watching him inspire students while transforming the Musical Theatre program at Cal State Fullerton …and having the honor of being the Best Man at his wedding. Maggie and I are beyond heartbroken. Communities around the world will never be the same without him.”

He continued, “We love you Josh. Just a cataclysmic loss,” adding that information about a memorial would be shared at a later date.

Grisetti’s agent, Rick Ferrari, also addressed the actor’s death in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. “I’m absolutely devastated. That’s all I can say,” Ferrari said.

News of Grisetti’s death prompted an outpouring of tributes from across the Broadway community, including messages from performers who had worked with him, knew him personally or had admired his work onstage. Rachel Zegler, Caissie Levy, Lea Salonga and Drew Gehling were among the performers who shared condolences in the comments of McClure’s tribute.

Tony Award winner Donna Murphy described his death as “truly devastating & heartbreaking news.” She also remembered Grisetti as “a beautiful, gifted human and artist.”

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Erika Henningsen, who appeared alongside Grisetti in Sheryl Crow’s musical Diner, thanked him for “changing my life” and “making me believe in myself.”

Boggess, who starred opposite Grisetti in It Shoulda Been You, also shared a tribute remembering the creativity, humor and curiosity he brought to his work and relationships.

“We all loved him so unbelievably much. He created light and thought and humor everywhere he went. He was a BRILLIANT actor and director and writer. I loved the way he looked at the world and how he challenged ideals and norms. I loved his humor and his brain and deep, deep philosophical conversations.”

She described the cast of It Shoulda Been You as an especially close-knit group and said Grisetti’s death would be something she and the show’s extended family would be processing for a long time.

Just days earlier, Grisetti had shared what would be his final Instagram post, explaining that he was leaving his directing role in Legally Blonde: The Musical shortly before its opening night. The production was staged as part of the Trentino Music Festival at the Fiera di Primiero in Italy.

Despite having to leave, he expressed gratitude to the cast and creative team and shared a group photo in which one performer held up a photo of him so he could still be included.

“When you have to leave a production for personal reasons before getting to see the show open, and the cast and team do stuff like this,” he wrote.

“Literally cried on the plane,” Grisetti continued. “Little gestures go a long way when your heart is hurting… Love this group of misfits right back!!”

The Instagram post also featured a video of the cast members calling out together, “We love you, Josh!”

Grisetti ended his message by celebrating the production and encouraging the performers ahead of their opening.

“Happy opening, LEGALLY BLONDE!!! I’m so proud of you all. Knock their pink socks off!!” he wrote.

Students and members of the production’s cast later filled the comments beneath the post with messages thanking Grisetti for his guidance, humor and kindness.

“We missed you and are still missing you so dearly,” one person wrote.

“Thank you so much for pouring your knowledge into our gardens, you have grown so many flowers in me just throughout this last month… So insanely grateful to have you as a director and teacher.”

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Another commenter called Grisetti “Director supreme,” adding, “It has been so wonderful working with you. Grateful for your hilarity and kindness throughout this process.”

A third wrote, “Love you so so much Josh!!! Thank you so much for everything!! Best director EVAAAA!!”

Born in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 1, 1981, Grisetti established a wide-ranging career across Broadway, television and regional theater. He grew up in Southwest Virginia and attended the North Carolina School of the Arts, where he earned a diploma in drama in 2000. He later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater from the Boston Conservatory in 2004.

He made his Broadway debut in 2015 as Marty Kaufman in It Shoulda Been You, earning nominations for both a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award.

The following year, Grisetti succeeded John Cariani as Nigel Bottom in Something Rotten!, appearing opposite McClure as his character’s brother, Nick Bottom. His other stage work included productions of Broadway Bound, Camelot, Peter and the Starcatcher, Matilda and Spamalot.

On television, Grisetti appeared as Ralph Emerson in eight episodes of the fifth and final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Earlier in his career, he starred in the short-lived ABC sitcom The Knights of Prosperity. His film credits included The Immigrant, Revolutionary Road and The Namesake. He was also the author of the book God in My Head.

Alongside his performing career, Grisetti worked extensively as a musical theater educator. He served as the head of the Musical Theatre program at California State University, Fullerton, and previously taught acting, musical theater and the business of theater at Fullerton College and Loyola Marymount University.

Grisetti is survived by his wife of six years, Mackenzie, a Los Angeles-based real estate agent.

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Utah Boarding School Where Paris Hilton Alleged Abuse Loses License

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Utah regulators have revoked the license of a girls’ boarding school where Paris Hilton has said she was abused as a teenager, ordering the facility to end services at its Springville campus by August 6.

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services said Provo Canyon School had “failed to provide applicable health and safety services for clients.” In a notice sent Monday, July 7, the department described the issue as the “provider’s chronic, ongoing noncompliance with applicable rules, statutes, or requirements.” Regulators cited findings that included unnecessary restraint, aggressive physical contact and instances of neglect dating back to 2025, including an alleged incident involving one resident and a separate failure to protect clients from potential harm or acts of violence.

The school’s girls’ facility, which is described on its website as an intensive psychiatric youth residential treatment center for girls ages 12 to 18, has 15 days to challenge the order, including by requesting a hearing.

Hilton, 45, who has become one of the most prominent public critics of the so-called troubled-teens industry, welcomed the state’s decision and said the school had long ignored former students’ accounts.

“For more than fifty years, children came forward with stories of abuse, neglect, and trauma,” Hilton said in a statement to the BBC.

“Today, the state confirmed what survivors have known all along: Provo Canyon School failed the children in its care. I was one of those children. I know what it feels like to cry for help and believe no one is coming. Today, children still inside that facility know someone is finally coming to protect them.”

In a separate statement to Rolling Stone, Hilton added that the move showed that institutions could still be held responsible, even after years of public pressure from former residents.

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“The little girl in me who was told she would never be believed feels so validated today. We were telling the truth. We always were. No institution is too powerful to be held accountable. When survivors refuse to stay silent, change is possible.”

Hilton also reacted on Instagram, writing that “nothing can erase the trauma so many of us endured,” but calling the license decision “a powerful step toward protecting future generations.” She thanked survivors, advocates and those who believed them, saying she was “endlessly grateful” to everyone who helped bring the issue to this point.

Provo Canyon School said it was reviewing the state’s action and had not ruled out fighting the decision.

School officials told local media they were “evaluating all available legal and administrative options, including an appeal”.

“As this is an ongoing matter, we are limited in what we can say at this time. Our priority remains providing safe, high-quality care and support for adolescents and their families, and we remain committed to serving those in need.”

Hilton attended the Utah school in the 1990s, when it was under different ownership. She has said she spent nearly a year at the Springville campus as a teenager, an experience she began speaking about publicly in a 2020 documentary about her life.

Her parents sent her to the school because they believed her partying had become unmanageable. They did not know what she was experiencing inside the facility.

“My parents were promised that tough love would fix me and that sending me across the country was the only way,” Hilton said in 2021, adding that her time in such facilities “haunts her to this day”.

During a 2021 appearance on Capitol Hill, Hilton described being stripped of her identity at the school.

“At Provo Canyon School in Utah, I was given clothes with a number on the tag. I was no longer me, I was only number 127.”

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She also alleged she was kept indoors for 11 months without sunlight or fresh air, watched in the shower by male staff, assaulted, called vulgar names, forced to take medication without a diagnosis, denied a proper education and placed in solitary confinement in a room she described as covered in scratch marks and smeared with blood for up to 20 hours.

Since going public, Hilton has campaigned for stricter oversight of private youth treatment programs and has pushed for laws aimed at protecting teenagers placed in residential facilities as part of her broader campaign against the “troubled teen” industry, a network of private, often for-profit centers that market themselves to parents as treatment or behavior-modification programs.

Provo Canyon School has previously responded to Hilton’s allegations, stating that the facility changed ownership in 2000. In 2020, its parent company, Universal Health Services, paid $117 million to resolve alleged False Claims Act violations, a law that includes provisions tied to whether patients receive adequate and appropriate services.

The Springville girls’ campus is not the only Provo Canyon School facility facing scrutiny. State health officials also placed temporary restrictions on the school’s boys’ campus in Provo, Utah, in June.

According to the school’s website, the boys’ campus “continues to serve those under our care, but is not permitted to accept new admissions at this time”.

That restriction followed an inquiry that found staff failed to protect a boy during a fight and did not immediately seek medical care for his injuries.

Provo Canyon School has faced mounting calls for closure from Hilton and other former residents who have described abuse, neglect and trauma at the facility. Complaints were also filed with Utah’s licensing agency last month.

The latest action by state regulators marks a major development in a campaign Hilton has pursued for years, turning her own allegations about the school into a broader push for accountability across youth residential treatment programs.

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Matt Damon On What Inspired Him To Start His Safe Water For All Nonprofit

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Damon spent time in a Zambian village with local families and was immediately astonished with the lack of access to clean water and toilets, he then began focusing on the global water crisis to get a grasp on just how severe the situation was around the world. 

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Jessica Alba, Tracy Brennan, And More Co-Host Culture Makers Event Celebrating Latin Creatives 

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Jessica Alba and Tracy Brennan launched the group Culture Makers in 2023. The goal of the collective was to address the lack of Latin representation in film and television. In the past three years they’ve collaborated with their peers in the entertainment industry to network and promote further opportunities for Latinos.

This week, Alba and Brennan were joined by co-hosts ELLE editor-in-chief Nina Garcia and actress Sofia Vergara to hold the Culture Makers’ third annual event. The event was presented by ELLE Magazine and Tequila Don Julio and included high profile guests like Becky G, Andy Garcia, Vanessa Bryant, Miguel, and many more. 

Vergara told ELLE about how it was “such an honor to join Jessica, Nina, and Tracy in hosting the event this year.”

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“Having an event that creates community and helps to foster ideas of collaboration, creation, and supporting each other was of course something I wanted to be a part of. It’s an opportunity to celebrate who we are and where we come from.”

Both Alba and Brennan spoke with Adrienne Gaffney of ELLE Magazine to discuss the event, Culture Makers, their growth as a collective, and their successes and goals for the future. 

“Our community has just come together. When Jessica and I started this, we knew each other peripherally,” Brennan said when discussing the differences in Culture Makers from 2023 to now. 

“We were running in the same circles and seeing each other at events but had never really spent time together or had a meaningful conversation. Our group is much more bonded, so much more in communication.”

“I think [we were] starving for a community like Culture Makers and our group chat and a space where we could really support one another and be a sounding board for one another. People are super active on it all the time,” Alba added.

“Every time we have one of these events, Jessica’s amazing at getting these statistics out quickly, eloquently, and articulately. Education is key because when you’re not connected to other people, you don’t realize your power. But because of the Latino purchasing power, we do have real power. Hopefully people care and are excited and want to support the Latin community, but people also care about their bottom lines,” Brennan continued. 

Alba and Brennan then discussed the projects and collaborations that have been created through Culture Makers work and networking opportunities. “What comes out of that are projects and working together. [I spoke with Michael Peña] and was like, ‘Michael, what do you want to do?’ He said, ‘It would be cool to do a family movie. It’d be cool to do an action movie, a heist movie.’ And I was like, ‘Robert Rodriguez, would you want to do a fun action, family, heist movie?’ And so Robert joined us,” Alba reflected. 

Brennan went on to explain also how a lot of what they do is about connecting fellow industry figures with one another to create everlasting relationships for future work.

“I think a lot of people within our community weren’t aware of the accomplishments of other Latinos. Enrique Melendez, who’s Jenna Ortega’s stylist and one of the very few Latin stylists, was at the Culture Makers event in year two. I was promoting him because I worked with Jenna and was saying to everybody, ‘You should know this guy.’ All of a sudden, he started getting calls from people,” Brennan said. 

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Alba then explained to ELLE the general problem that Latina women face in not only Hollywood, but every creative field, which is what truly led them to create Culture Makers. 

“I think the biggest challenge is, frankly, representation. A lot of the gatekeepers just frankly don’t know people who look like you or work alongside someone who looks like you, so many times they feel like they’re really putting their neck out.”

“What’s so imperative about this group and what we’re doing every day is to continue to show up and represent who we are and show little boys and girls, no matter who you are, where you’re from, that all different kinds of people can be leaders and in positions of power,” Alba stated. 

Brennan then echoed that sentiment and explained that as an agent for CAA, she’s unfortunately seen a lot of her Latino clients be called for roles that are “very stereotypical.” 

“I represent Demián Bichir [the third Latino to be nominated for Best Actor, ever]. After he was nominated for an Oscar, the same year as many prominent movie stars, the only casting submissions that were coming in for him were cartel leaders and he really did not want to continue to perpetuate that stereotype.”

“It’s incumbent on us to help promote new voices, new writers, new directors, and identify them, support them. I don’t think anybody’s asking, ‘Hey, I need a straight offer,’ but everybody would like to at least have the chance to put their art forward, for other people to look at it and see a new idea and equal the playing field a little bit.”

Both Alba and Brennan think that it’s “still tough” when looking at the progress being made for Latinos in entertainment and creative industries. Looking forward, the two of them will continue to work hard to build connections, amplify new voices, and expand their presence with Culture Makers. 

To read Jessica Alba and Tracy Brennan’s full illuminating interview regarding Culture Makers, read the ELLE Magazine article by Adrienne Gaffney here!