(BALTIMORE) — Two Baltimore, Maryland, police officers were shot Tuesday morning and are in unknown conditions, according to the city’s Fraternal Order of Police.
Baltimore police said the two officers involved are on the Warrant Apprehension Task Force. They were working with the U.S. Marshals regional fugitive task force at the time of the shooting, according to a law enforcement source.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison is heading to the hospital, police said.
Additional information was not immediately available.
Eli Roth is known for his horror films like Hostel and Knock Knock, but he tells ABC Audio the “scariest” film he’s ever done is the new documentary Fin.
Co-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and released today as part of Discovery’s Shark Week, Fin took Roth behind the scenes of the environmentally disastrous commercial shark fishing industry.
The documentary maintains that 100,000,000 sharks are slaughtered every year, for use in products from shark fin soup to lipstick. “I didn’t want to be another kind of Hollywood person with a cause,” he insists to ABC Audio. “I just couldn’t believe what was happening.”
He explains it was, “a chance for me to make the scariest movie I’ve ever made because it’s real…you don’t even have to try and make it scary,” Roth insists. “You just have to show what’s happening.”
Roth found that out straightaway, in a scene reminiscent of one his most famous characters, who dispatched Nazis with a baseball bat. “When I got out on the sea the first day of shooting, they killed a Mako shark with a bat. I thought, ‘Wow, this is crazy because I’m so known for that scene in Inglourious Basterds and now I’m watching a shark get beaten to death with a bat…”
A swim with sharks to confront his fears changed his life. “You’re coming from this place of ‘This thing wants to eat me,’ to, ‘Oh, my God, this thing reminds me of my dog.”
The movie fan says, “You know, the most famous horror film of all time is Jaws. And it’s certainly time to show the other side. And I really wanted to make a film that just put into context just how necessary sharks are and how what we’re doing to them is so completely insane.”
Roth urges those who want to seek an end to the global shark trade to visit FinTheMovie.com, where they can find information to contact their representatives in government.
(WASHINGTON) — Consumer prices continued to climb last month, newly-released data indicates, as the economy begins to bounce back from the pandemic-induced downturn.
The consumer price index, the Labor Department’s measure of what consumers pay for everyday goods and services, spiked 5.4% over the last 12 months. In June alone, it jumped 0.9%.
This was the largest one-month change since June 2008 and the largest 12-month increase since August 2008, the Labor Department said Tuesday.
The latest CPI data was largely driven up by the index for used cars and trucks, which skyrocketed by a whopping 10.5% in June amid a global chip shortage. This increase accounted for more than one-third of the increase for all items.
The so-called core index, which accounts for all items except the more volatile food and energy index, spiked 0.9% in June after rising 0.7% in May. The core index rose by some 4.5% over the last year — the largest 12-month increase since the period ending in Nov. 1991.
The food index spiked 0.8% in June, double the 0.4% jump reported in May. The energy index spiked 1.5% last month, with the gasoline index spiking 2.5%. Over the last 12 months, the food index was up 2.4% and the energy index rose 24.5%.
While nearly all the indexes saw increases last month, the index for medical care and the index for household furnishings were among the few that decreased in June, according to the DOL. The consumer price index for all items has been trending upward every month since the start of the year.
The latest figures come as the pandemic wanes in the U.S. and consumer demand surges while many businesses have reported supply chain bottlenecks and labor issues. Meanwhile, economists and policymakers mull over whether the data reflects a temporary blip or indicates the potential of longer-term inflation.
Last month, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell downplayed inflation fears in a testimony before lawmakers, saying it is likely temporary.
“Inflation has increased notably in recent months,” Powell stated, according to prepared remarks. “This reflects, in part, the very low readings from early in the pandemic falling out of the calculation; the pass-through of past increases in oil prices to consumer energy prices; the rebound in spending as the economy continues to reopen; and the exacerbating factor of supply bottlenecks, which have limited how quickly production in some sectors can respond in the near term.”
“As these transitory supply effects abate, inflation is expected to drop back toward our longer-run goal,” he added.
Global Citizen Live, a 24-hour live broadcast on Saturday, September 25, will feature performances from music’s top stars, including Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, The Weeknd, BTS, Billie Eilish, Adam Lambert and Coldplay.
The broadcast will be filmed across six continents, with a goal of uniting the world in order to defeat poverty and defend the planet. It’ll air on ABC, ABC News Live, FX, Hulu, YouTube, Twitter and more. The musical performances will take place at “iconic locations” in New York, Paris, London, Seoul, LA, Sydney and Rio de Janeiro.
Other artists on the bill include Alessia Cara, Andrea Bocelli, Demi Lovato, Duran Duran, H.E.R., Lizzo, Lorde, Ricky Martin, Usher and Doja Cat.
The broadcast is part of Global Citizen’s Recovery Plan for the World in the wake of the pandemic. It calls on governments, the private sector and philanthropists to donate one billion COVID-19 vaccine, contribute $6 billion to famine relief efforts, donate $400 million to education, give $250 million to support COVID-19 response efforts for marginalized communities, and get the world’s biggest companies to commit to reaching net zero emissions to fight climate change.
“It is very important to me to be a part of this historic event to spread awareness and encourage action toward helping the people of Ethiopia during this devastating humanitarian crisis they are faced with,” says The Weeknd, whose parents are from Ethiopia. “It’ll be an honor to perform and help bring support to these citizens who are suffering so severely.”
(NEW YORK) — It is finally time to light the Olympic torch. After being delayed a year due to the coronavirus, the Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to begin next Friday, July 23, and will run through Aug. 8.
Since spectators won’t be allowed to travel to Tokyo, all eyes will instead be watching Team USA on TV as they take on the world. And what better way to support Team USA than by sporting some patriotic gear and accessories?
In support of the Olympic Games, Macy’s has launched an Olympic store that will run until Aug. 8. You can check out the items here.
Kyle Massey, known for playing Cory Baxter in Disney Channel shows That’s So Raven and Cory in the House, has been hit with an arrest warrant stemming from a case where he stands accused of sending pornographic material to an underage girl.
TMZ reports that Massey, 29, failed to appear at his scheduled court date in King County, WA, on Monday. Because the actor missed his court date and allegedly did not respond to the summons, a judge signed a $100,000 warrant for his arrest.
This is the second arraignment Massey missed, as he also was absent from the first court appearance set for late June.
Massey’s lawyer, Lee Hutton, spoke with TMZ and said that the actor’s team tried to communicate with the court, but did not hear back. The claim was denied by a member of the King’s County, Washington, District Attorney’s Office.
The representative said, not only did Massey fail to communicate with the court, “Mr. Massey, nor any representatives of him, have filed anything in the Court docket.”
The D.A.’s rep added, “It is possible that Mr. Massey’s attorney is calling the wrong office. It’s also worth noting that Mr. Massey previously acknowledged the filing of the case in past media articles since the first arraignment date, which also included today’s new arraignment date. There’s no misrepresentation here. Quite simply, Mr. Massey did not appear in court.”
Massey, who maintains his innocence, faces 1 charge of communication with a minor for immoral purposes.
The alleged victim said she was 13 when she reached out to the former Disney star in November 2018 after learning of a potential Cory in the House reboot and wanted to audition. She claims he texted her explicit material in the form of images, videos and written communications.
20 years ago today, the beloved comedy Legally Blonde hit theaters, with Reese Witherspoon winning over audiences as Elle Woods, a sorority girl seeking to overcome stereotypes while earning a law degree. In honor of the film’s big 2-0, here are five fascinating facts about the film:
The film is based on a true story.
Before Legally Blonde the movie, there was Legally Blonde the book, written by Amanda Brown, who drew from her real-life experiences at Stanford Law School.
Reese Witherspoon almost didn’t get the lead role of Elle. Christina Applegate was also in the running but she turned it down, stating that she didn’t want to play another stereotypical blonde character. “What a stupid move that was, right?” she told ET before adding that Reese did a “much better job than I ever could.”
The iconic “bend and snap” moment was created during a drunken night out.
While at a bar in Los Angeles trying to come up with a scene for Jennifer Coolidge’s character, Paulette, lead writer Karen McCullahasked co-writer Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith, “What if Elle shows [Paulette] a move so she can get the UPS guy?” Smith then spontaneously came up with what we know now as the “bend and snap.”
Legally Blonde made its way to the theatre.
There were Broadway and West End musicals based on the film. Its London West end production won several awards, including the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical.
The movie almost had a very different ending.
The current version ends with Elle delivering a speech at her Harvard Law School graduation, but the first cut actually ended at the courthouse. After winning her case, she shares a kiss with Emmett (Luke Wilson) and then it cuts to Elle and a blonde Vivian Kensington (Selma Blair) opening their own blonde legal defense club in law school. It was changed because of test audiences.
As Legally Blonde celebrates turning 20, a third installment is currently in the works and slated for a May 2022 release — plenty of time for fans to give the original movie another view.
Brad Barket/Getty Images for PEOPLE En Espanol, Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Spotify, Mike Coppola/FilmMagic
Celebrities with ties to Cuba, such as Gloria Estefan and Camila Cabello, are raising awareness about the ongoing crisis impacting the country.
Thousands of Cubans are actively protesting the government over rising prices and shortages of food and medicine amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as blackouts plaguing the island. The turnout is among the largest anti-government demonstrations in Cuba’s recent history. Amid the already growing tensions, Cuba’s government denounced the protests and deployed armed forces, further provoking an already volatile situation.
Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Cabello informed her millions of followers about what’s happening in Cuba and pleaded for their assistance.
“Hey guys, there is a major crisis right now in Cuba and we need your help to spread awareness. Deaths from COVID are rising rapidly and because of the lack of medicine, resources, basic necessities and even, food many people are dying,” she explained, urging her fans to use the #SOSCuba hashtag on social media.
In a follow up, the “Havana” singer continued, “There are simultaneous protests in more than 5 cities in Cuba. Our brave people took the streets to protest for this humanitarian crisis & they need our help.”
Gloria Estefan also rallied her followers on Sunday by sharing footage of a recent protest taking place in the country.
“The Cuban people are reaching their breaking point! I stand with them as I always have!,” she wrote, while also sharing the message in Spanish. In other social media posts, she called for the country’s freedom.
Other celebrities rallying for the country includeJ Balvinand Becky G.
Cuba is going through its worst economic crisis in decades. In tandem with the economic crisis, the country is grappling with a new and deadly surge of COVID-19.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — A Taco Bell employee was arrested on Monday in Nashville, Tennessee after she and her coworkers allegedly set off fireworks inside the restaurant, causing the building to catch fire as they watched from afar and accidentally locked themselves out.
The incident occurred on July 5, at one of the fast-food chain’s locations in Tennessee’s capital city. But the investigation into how the blaze began took a turn on July 8, when the restaurant’s management called local fire investigators to report that surveillance cameras had captured their employees playing with fireworks inside of the establishment, according to a statement released Monday by the Nashville Fire Department.
“According to the surveillance footage, the employees can be seen locking the doors to the dining room to keep customers from entering the business,” the fire department said in the statement. “The video then shows the employees running around the inside of the store with fireworks in their hands.”
At one point in the video, the employees can be seen going into the men’s bathroom, where they are out of sight of the camera for a short period of time, before returning to the lobby and placing an item into a trash can near the door, according to the Nashville Fire Department.
“Employees are seen using their cell phone cameras to record the trash can from the outside of the restaurant,” the fire department said. “Employees then realized they locked themselves out of the restaurant. The employees tried unsuccessfully to get back into the store. When the employees saw the trash can start to smoke, they called 911 for help.”
The footage has not been released.
Firefighters arrived on scene a short time later and were able to force their way into the restaurant to extinguish the flames.
The Nashville Fire Department estimated that the fire caused more than $30,000 worth of damage to the inside of the restaurant. Investigators also found damage inside of the men’s bathroom where it appeared fireworks were ignited inside of the trash can.
The restaurant’s shift leader, 25-year-old Courtney Mayes, was taken into custody on Monday and charged with felony aggravated arson. She is being held on a $5,000 bond at the Davidson County Jail in Nashville.
“Arson is one of the costliest human-made disasters,” the Nashville Fire Department said in the statement. “Arson indirectly contributes to increased insurance premiums, higher medical costs, lost jobs, lost income, and the increased costs of fire services.”
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and the Nashville Fire Department said it expects additional arrests “in the coming days.”
(DENVER) — New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso has once again been crowned the winner of the Home Run Derby.
The 26-year-old defended his title in Denver’s Coors Field Monday night, beating Baltimore Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini in the final round of the derby to win the competition for the second year in a row.
In three rounds, Alonso knocked 74 pitches out of the park, topping Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez, Washington Nationals left fielder Juan Soto and Mancini along the way.
After the Home Run Derby, Alonso told reporters he’s a power hitter and that he considers himself “the best power hitter on the planet.”
“Being able to showcase that, and really put on a fun display for fans, I just think it’s truly a dream come true for me because when I was younger, my parents actually let me stay up past my bedtime to watch this,” he said. “That was one of the few nights of the year where I actually got to stay up past my bedtime and just watch absolutely incredible feats that you don’t see in a regular baseball game.”
“To be able to participate — it’s a dream come true. To be able to do it back-to-back — this is really special for me. And really cool,” Alonso added.
