Adrien Brody says his new ultra-violent action thriller, Clean, isn’t afraid to tackle the hot-button issues of today — because that’s exactly the kind of movie he loved watching as a kid.
Speaking with ABC Audio, the 48-year-old actor explained he wanted to make a “action revenge story” that is more than just about a man beating people up and spilling blood. “I was looking to find a way to bring a film that speaks to issues that exist around us, that we can’t really ignore, that that justify the rage and sense of failure within many individuals,” says Brody. “Clean represents that.”
The Oscar winner plays the title role of Clean, and said his character will serve as a catalyst for the audience’s emotional experience. “He embodies this collective sense of failure and of anger and frustration with our powerlessness against what’s coming around us,” said Brody.
Brody adds his film honors a genre in movies he’s not only drawn to, but sorely misses seeing in theaters.
“In its core it’s an action revenge story. And when I used to hang out with my boys and we go to the movie theater and we’d hang out and we’d just revel in these kinds of movies,” he explained. “And a degree of that is feels lost today.”
So, is Clean the modern Dirty Harry or Death Wish? Brody only says the movie shares his “love for a style of filmmaking from the 70s, and filmmakers and writers that I really admired.”
Clean, also starring Glenn Fleshler, Michelle Wilson and Richie Merritt, is now in theaters and available on demand.
Oscar nominations are right around the corner, and Tom Holland recently weighed in on the possibility of Spider-Man: No Way Home getting a best picture nod.
“It would be a huge honor for it to be nominated for an Oscar,” the 25-year-old actor told Variety while promoting his upcoming action adventure film, Uncharted, but said he’d also be fine if it didn’t.
“I think I can speak on behalf of everyone at Marvel and Sony and particularly [director] Jon Watts, the fan reaction that we’ve received — the love and support — is enough.”
“We have created something that has been such a culturally enriching experience for so many people, that watching those fan reactions to when Andrew [Garfield] comes through and Tobey [Maguire] comes through and Andrew saves Zendaya, I will never be able to live that down,” he continued. “That is just incredible. And for me, to be able to share that with the world is enough.”
As for another Spider-Man reunion, Holland isn’t ruling anything out.
“Could it happen? Of course it could happen. We’ve done it once before. Will it happen? I don’t know,” he says.
Nominees for the 94th Academy Awards will be announced February 8.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Washington 106, Philadelphia 103
Orlando 119, Indiana 118
Boston 113, Charlotte 107
Memphis 120, New York 108
Houston 115, Cleveland 104
Oklahoma City 120 Dallas 114 (OT)
Sacramento 112, Brooklyn 101
Utah 108, Denver 104
LA Lakers 99, Portland 94
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Seattle 3, NY Islanders 0
Edmonton 5, Washington 3
Los Angeles 5, Detroit 3
Calgary 4, Arizona 2
Minnesota 5, Chicago 0
(WASHINGTON) — The persons of interest were connected to spoofed calls – emanating from a fake telephone number, the FBI official said, according to the source familiar with the contents of a call between FBI and DHS officials and state and local law enforcement on Tuesday.
No bombs have been found.
During the call, the federal officials went into more detail about the nature of the bomb threats, which started in early January, and the most recent, which occurred Monday against HBCUs and other universities, according to the source.
In the past few days, the FBI reported over 20 bomb threats to HBCU’s and other institutions — from Howard University in Washington, D.C. to Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi.
Several of the schools canceled classes amid concerns about the threats.
The FBI on Wednesday said it is investigating the bomb threats to predominantly HBCUs as hate crimes, according to a statement released by the Bureau.
“Although at this time no explosive devices have been found at any of the locations, the FBI takes all threats with the utmost seriousness and we are committed to thoroughly and aggressively investigating these threats,” the statement says.
They FBI says investigation is being coordinated with 20 FBI field offices and is the “highest priority” for the Bureau.
The first threat against the HBCUs came against Xavier University of Louisiana on Jan. 4, and according to the FBI official briefing state and local law enforcement, it was racially motivated.
Following that threat in early January, two Black churches were also targeted with bomb threats – none came to fruition.
There were also three bomb threats against Jewish facilities on the last day in January, but officials aren’t clear if those are connected, according to a source briefed on the contents of the law enforcement call.
(BRIDGEWATER, Va.) — The suspect in a shooting on a Virginia college campus that left two officers dead was a former student at the institution, according to court documents.
Andrew Wyatt Campbell, 27, faces multiple felony charges, including two counts of capital murder, in connection with Tuesday’s shooting at Bridgewater College.
A campus police officer and a campus safety officer were fatally shot after responding to a call of a “suspicious male individual” on the grounds of the college’s Memorial Hall, Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller told reporters Tuesday.
Geller did not elaborate on any connections between the alleged shooter and the small, private liberal arts college. However, in court records obtained by Harrisonburg, Virginia, ABC affiliate WHSV, authorities noted that Campbell had dropped out of Bridgewater College.
Bridgewater College confirmed with WHSV that Campbell, of Ashland, Virginia, was once a member of the college’s track and field and cross country teams. He attended the school from 2013 to 2017, a school spokesperson told The Associated Press.
In 2017, Campbell was charged with trespassing for entering the campus’ Kline Campus Center, the school’s main dining hall, “after being banned,” an arrest warrant at the time stated.
Several college employees called 911 Tuesday after seeing the suspect in and around the college’s Memorial Hall. “He was not supposed to be in this particular location,” Geller told reporters.
Campbell was charged with two felony counts of capital murder, one felony count of first-degree murder, one felony count of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and aggravated felony murder of more than one person within three years in connection with the shooting, court records show. He is being held without bond at the Rockingham County Jail.
The suspect made his first court appearance Wednesday via video conference for an arraignment in Harrisonburg/Rockingham General District Court. His attorney requested that Campbell undergo a mental health evaluation, WHSV reported. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 16 at 1 p.m.
Police are investigating a motive in the shooting, which killed Bridgewater College Campus Police Officer John Painter, 55, and Campus Safety Officer Vashon “JJ” Jefferson, 48.
Painter joined the department in May 2019 after retiring as chief of the Grottoes Police Department in Virginia, and Jefferson joined in August 2018.
The two were close friends and known to many as the “dynamic duo,” according to Bridgewater College President David Bushman.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin ordered that flags in the state be flown at half-staff Wednesday “in respect and memory of the officers lost.”
In the wake of the tragedy, Bridgewater canceled classes for the remainder of the week and gathered to sing the school’s alma mater Wednesday.
Bushman told ABC News’ Pierre Thomas in an interview Wednesday that the tight-knit campus community is suffering an “unspeakable” loss.
“We’ve navigated a pandemic together and it’s almost like you’re getting back to normal. And then it’s just, it’s unimaginable,” Bushman said.
“In so many ways this hurts so deeply because we are a tight community, but that’s also our greatest strength,” he said. “And that’s why I know we know we will grieve together and will heal.”
The officers were “always together” and on a first-name basis with students, the president said.
Bridgewater College sophomore Jack Cataneo, 20, told ABC News the incident feels “like a bad dream.”
“It really makes you think because it could happen to anybody,” he said.
ABC News’ Quinn Owen, Sarah Shales and Ben Stein contributed to this report.
John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(MIAMI) — Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is sounding off about the NFL’s response to his lawsuit accusing the league of racial discrimination.
Flores spoke with ABC News’ “Nightline” about his suit, filed Tuesday, and dismissed the league’s statement that his claims were “without merit” and criticized the league saying it is “committed to ensuring equitable employment practices.”
Flores said it was a “slap in the face” because there is only one Black head coach in the NFL despite the fact Black players make up 70% of the league.
“It speaks to a lack of belief not wanting to believe the facts [and] the numbers,” Flores told ABC News. “There’s a little bit of a fantasy land that would leave them to feel like, you know, these things are without merit.”
Flores, 40, filed his 60-page suit against the league contending it has a history of racism especially when it comes to the hiring and retention of Black head coaches.
Flores, who was let go as the head coach of the Dolphins last month, cited a recent opportunity when he was asked to meet with the owners of the New York Giants to interview for their open head coaching job.
Watch Brian Flores’ full interview with “Nightline” Wednesday night at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.
The suit included what he says are screengrabs of text messages from his mentor, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who congratulated Flores on getting hired by the Giants before the interview took place. Belichick later allegedly texted back indicating that he’d made a mistake and Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was actually getting the job — three days before Flores’ interview.
Flores, who was coming off back-to-back winning seasons with the Dolphins, said he wasn’t mad at Belichick but was in disbelief and angry after reading the messages.
“There’s a humiliation that came over me,” he said. “Why wasn’t I afforded the opportunity to truly interview and show what I can do? Because I am a good coach and I do relate to players and I know how to lead.”
Belichick hasn’t responded to the allegations.
Flores accused the Giants of requesting an interview simply to fill the quota of interviewing a minority candidate outlined in the league’s Rooney Rule. The Giants denied that claim, saying in a statement, “We are pleased and confident with the process that resulted in the hiring of Brian Daboll. We interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates. The fact of the matter is, Brian Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach.”
The league put out a statement Tuesday claiming, “the NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations.”
Flores’ lawsuit also cites the use of race-norming in the league’s concussion settlement program, which was the subject of a previous ABC News investigation, as indicative of its broader attitude toward Black players and coaches.
“The NFL took the position that white people simply have better baseline cognitive function than Black people,” Flores’ suit said.
“It just gives you how they view Black people as being inferior intellectually to white people,” Doug Wigdor, Flores’ attorney, told ABC News.
The NFL previously told ABC News that the concussion settlement “relied on widely accepted and long-established cognitive tests and scoring methodologies.”
The lawsuit seeks class-action status, unspecified damages and changes to ensure the hiring of more Black coaches, coordinators and front office personnel.
“Those coaches could set an example for the Black players in the league that they can strive and be in those types of leadership positions,” Flores said. “We filed because this is bigger than football.”
Flores said he is hopeful he can coach again and would take up any opportunity offered.
“I think what I’m doing now speaks to leadership, speaks to sacrifice. I mean what more would you want to exemplify from your team?” he said.
(MCALLEN, Texas) — When 21-year-old, first-time mother Samantha Reyna arrived in labor at DHR Health Women’s Hospital in McAllen, Texas, she was stunned to learn that she was positive for COVID-19.
“I was actually completely shocked,” Reyna, who gave birth Sunday, told ABC News. “I didn’t think I was going to be positive while going into labor.”
Although Reyna has had minor symptoms, out of precaution, she and her husband made the difficult decision to keep her 1-day-old son, Santos, in the nursery, in an effort to keep him from catching COVID-19.
“It’s been a little sad, because I don’t have him here with me. I’m not able to be there for him in case he cries or anything,” Reyna said.
Although there are encouraging declines in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across much of the country, many U.S. hospitals, including DHR Health, continue to struggle with significant numbers of COVID-19 patients in need of care. Many of these patients suffer from obesity and other comorbidities, such as diabetes and hypertension, which put them at increased risk from severe disease due to COVID-19, according to health care workers.
“Our population is a sick population. We have one of the worst levels of diabetes and obesity in the nation,” Dr. Federico Vallejo, a pulmonary critical care physician at DHR Health, told ABC News. “And as you know this, this can be really difficult for any population. So that’s why we saw incredible cases of sick patients, because our population has increased risk because of these comorbidities.”
A number of pregnant people, who are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 because of their pregnancy, are also coming in positive, hospital officials said, with between 10% to 15% of patients who are delivering testing positive.
Over the last two years, nearly 167,000 pregnant people tested positive for COVID-19, and at least 267 pregnant people died, according to federal data.
Throughout the pandemic, the emotional toll of testing positive has had a significant impact on expectant mothers.
“You could see the fear in their eyes, thinking they and their baby were going to die. Initially there was a lot of misinformation and fear from moms about ‘What do I do now that I am positive? Is my baby going to get it now that I’m positive, because I’m pregnant?'” Dr. Flor A. Limas, an obstetrician and gynecologist at DHR Health, told ABC News.
Available intensive care units in Texas are still running low, with 8% of beds currently available across the state.
“Omicron is supposed to be mild, but it’s not mild for the health care system,” Dr. Juan Sarmiento, a critical care intensivist at DHR Health, said.
Dr. Juan Marcos Chavez Paz, a critical care physician at DHR Health, added that though virus-related hospitalization numbers are slowly beginning to abate, his team is still not out of the woods yet.
“I think that we passed the tsunami, but we’re still having waves, some big ones coming, and I’m sure there will be more coming in the future,” he told ABC News.
According to Vallejo, a small fraction of the population in need of care are immunocompromised patients who have fallen ill despite being previously vaccinated.
“We’re seeing the poor souls that are collateral damage, those that did everything right, they got their vaccinations, but unfortunately they’re immunosuppressed because of different circumstances — organ transplants, cancer with chemotherapy — and those sadly get sick, despite the vaccine, but this is more of a fraction of them,” Vallejo said.
The physicians stressed that the vaccines have been a “game-changer,” explaining that the majority of their patients who are becoming severely ill are unvaccinated.
Reyna, who is unvaccinated, has now been reunited with her baby, and said she wants to get vaccinated, and is now considering the shot for her son, too.
“Without vaccines right now, we’d be in hell,” Sarmiento said.
(WASHINGTON) — Three of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump have tapped out early to announce they are not seeking reelection in 2022 — but the remaining seven appear to be running strong races, judging by fundraising numbers disclosed in the latest campaign finance filings.
As 2022 candidates were gearing up for the upcoming midterm election none of the Trump-endorsed challengers vying to unseat those seven House Republicans managed to outraise the sitting lawmakers in the last quarter of 2021, filings released this week show.
It’s not uncommon for incumbents to have a big cash advantage over their challengers, but the large fundraising gaps hint at the long way Trump-backed challengers have to go to — despite the former president’s support.
Most notably, Rep. Liz Cheney — with backing from both establishment Republicans and moderate Democrats — has broken her own fundraising records, despite being the most high-profile Republican on Trump’s 2022 hit list.
The Wyoming Republican reported raising more than $2 million in just the final three months of last year, bringing her 2021 fundraising total to $7.2 million. Her Trump-endorsed primary challenger, Harriet Hageman, raised less than half of Cheney’s fourth-quarter haul during the same period, reporting just over $745,000.
As the 2022 election year ramps up, Hageman’s cash on hand is just $381,000 compared to Cheney’s $4.7 million war chest, according to filings.
Cheney, one of two Republicans on the nine-member House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, has also received support from some major liberal donors who typically give only to Democrats, including investor and billionaire John Pritzker of the Pritzker family, who maxed out on his contribution to Cheney by giving $10,800 to her joint fundraising committee earlier last year.
Also among those rallying behind Cheney are Trump critics within the Republican Party, including former Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., who is among several Republican lawmakers who announced their retirement after clashing with pro-Trump GOP forces.
“My wife and I maxed out for Liz and then we held a fundraiser for her because we wanted to speak up,” Rooney, who gave Cheney’s joint fundraising committee $10,800 back in May, told ABC News.
Rooney, who had previously given upwards of $1 million to various GOP candidates groups over the years, told ABC News that he’s no longer giving to the RNC and Republicans except for Cheney and a handful of others, because he’s tired of Trump-dominated narratives within the Republican Party.
Among Cheney’s other donors in the final months of last year was former President George W. Bush, who maxed out on his donation to her campaign by giving $5,800 in October.
Bush also gave $2,800 to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who has been targeted by Trump for being one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict him in his impeachment trial last year, and the only one of them up for reelection this year. Similar to Cheney, Murkowski outraised her Trump-endorsed challenger, Kelly Tshibaka, by more than double in the final three months of 2021, and entered the 2022 election year with $4.3 million on hand.
Reps. Fred Upton and Peter Meijer, both representing Michigan, also boasted major fundraising advantages over their respective Trump-endorsed challengers, Steve Carra and John Gibbs, both bringing in five times the amount their challengers took in last quarter.
In Washington’s 3rd District, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler held a narrower fundraising gap over Trump-backed challenger Joe Kent, but still entered 2022 with a much larger war chest than his rival.
South Carolina Republican Russell Fry, who Trump endorsed just this week, managed to raise close to the amount raised by incumbent Rep. Tom Rice, but still faces Rice’s big war chest of nearly $2 million.
Former Trump aide Max Miller, who’s running to fill retiring GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez’s seat in Ohio, continued to report the strongest fundraising figures among contenders vying for Gonzalez’s open seat. Although his fundraising showed signs of slowing down in the final quarter of 2021, with contributions of $181,000 compared to the nearly $700,000 he raised in the previous quarter, he nonetheless entered 2022 with nearly $1 million in cash on hand.
Miller was one of several big-name Trump-aligned GOP candidates who failed to maintain their massive fundraising momentum from the earlier part of 2021.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had boasted $3.5 million in donations in the first quarter of 2021, reported a relatively small $1.2 million haul in the final quarter, while Reps. Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert’s fundraising both gradually slowed down throughout the year.
In Senate races, Sen. Tim Scott, who is endorsed by Trump and is also considered a possible 2024 presidential election contender, continued to bring in large sums, raising $7 million in the fourth quarter.
Rep. Mo Brooks, who is running for a Senate seat, was significantly outraised in the fourth quarter by his GOP primary challenger Katie Britt, who raised $1.2 million compared to Brooks’ $385,000 — a huge drop from what he raised in the previous quarter.
In North Carolina, no GOP Senate candidate raised more than a million dollars in the final quarter amid a competitive primary. Trump-endorsed Senate candidate Ted Budd brought in $968,360 while former North Carolina Republican Gov. Patrick McCory raised $748,072 and Rep. Mark Walker brought in only $146,053. The split among Republican donors could make Trump’s endorsement all the more important for Budd, the current leading fundraiser.
In Pennsylvania, the Senate primary field was upended when the Trump-endorsed candidate dropped out in November, leading two relative newcomers to emerge on the campaign trail. TV doctor Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund CEO Dave McCormick are reportedly dropping millions in advertising, but it remains to be seen whether they’re getting any return on their investment. Trump has yet to make an endorsement in the race.
The candidate who appears to have raised the most money of any GOP challenger is Georgia Senate candidate and former football star Herschel Walker, who raised $5.4 million in the fourth quarter to lift his fundraising total to $10 million since the start of his campaign — signaling what could be an expensive general election race between him and Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock, who has nearly $23 million in cash on hand.
“This massive fundraising haul, likely the largest in the country for a non-incumbent, shows that Georgia Republicans are clearly united behind Herschel Walker and are ready to take on Senator Warnock,” Scott Paradise, campaign manager for Team Herschel, said in a press release last week.
On the Democratic side, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly joins Warnock as the party’s top two fundraisers, with Kelly holding $19 million in cash on hand as both men seek reelection.
In what could be a tight Senate primary race in Pennsylvania, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman held a strong lead in fundraising over the course of last year, but fellow Western Pennsylvanian Rep. Conor Lamb appears to be gaining traction, bringing in $1.35 million in the fourth quarter of 2021.
In North Carolina, leading Senate candidate Cheri Beasley took in $2.1 million in the final quarter of 2021, with 90% of her donations being $100 or less, according to her campaign. Beasley’s campaign manager, Travis Brimm, said in a press release that they are “committed to building a strong, grassroots campaign that touches every corner of the state and helps lead to victory in November.”
And nationally, the Democratic Party and Republican Party fared about even with their national party committees’ fundraising in 2021.
In total, the RNC outraised the DNC by $8 million, but the DNC entered the election year with a bigger war chest, reporting $67 million in cash on hand compared to $56 million for the RNC.
The Senate and House arms of the Republican Party also slightly outraised their Democratic counterparts, and entered the year with a slightly bigger war chest of $111 million compared to the Democratic committees’ $106 million.
(WASHINGTON) — A bill introduced in Congress Wednesday by Democratic lawmakers seeks to end legacy admissions at many U.S. colleges and universities.
The so-called Fair College Admissions for Students Act would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to bar institutions of higher education that participate in federal student aid programs from giving admissions preference to applicants with legacy or donor status, a common practice at elite institutions.
The bill was introduced by Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) in an attempt to address what they said is an unfair and inequitable admissions process that disproportionately benefits wealthy, white and connected students.
“All students deserve an equitable opportunity to gain admission to institutions of higher education, but students whose parents didn’t attend or donate to a university are often overlooked in the admissions process due to the historically classist and racist legacy and donor admissions practices at many schools across the country,” Bowman said in a statement.
Merkley said the bill would seek to level the playing field for minority and first-generation students especially.
“Children of donors and alumni may be excellent students and well-qualified, but the last people who need extra help in the complicated and competitive college admissions process are those who start with the advantages of family education and money,” he said in a statement.
The bill would allow the education secretary to waive the legacy preference ban for institutions like historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and minority-serving institutions, which admit high levels of underrepresented students already.
Legacy preferences are common among selective colleges; according to the progressive think tank The Century Foundation, three-quarters of the nation’s top 100 national universities in U.S. News & World Report employ them, and nearly all the 100 liberal arts colleges do.
The legacy preference is worth an extra 160 points for children of alumni, researchers from Princeton University found.
Supporters of legacy preferences argue that legacies can help boost an institution’s ability to award financial assistance to low-income students.
Several institutions, including Johns Hopkins University and Amherst College, have ended their practice of legacy admissions in recent years.
Last year, Colorado became the first state to enact a law banning legacy admissions at public colleges and universities. In the wake of the “Varsity Blues” scandal, California didn’t ban legacy admissions but did require institutions whose students receive state financial aid to disclose how many applicants are accepted through the practice.
The Fair College Admissions for Students Act is introduced as the Supreme Court is poised to hear challenges to affirmative action, which also could have implications for many colleges and universities’ admissions policies.
Jack White has achieved a career first with his new single, “Taking Me Back.”
The track has hit number one on Billboard‘s Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, which measures “radio airplay audience impressions” across rock-, alternative- and adult alternative-formatted stations. That gives the White Stripes/Raconteurs/Dead Weather rocker his first-ever number-one hit on a Billboard radio chart as a solo artist.
“Taking Me Back” had already set a personal chart record for White when it became his highest-charting solo single on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay and Alternative Airplay charts.
In addition to hearing “Taking Me Back” all over your radio, you can find it on White’s upcoming album Fear of the Dawn, dropping April 8. It’s the first of two solo records White is releasing this year, alongside Entering Heaven Alive, which is due out July 22.
