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Miss Universe Star's Death Saddens Fans As Tributes Pour In

Miss Universe Star's Death Saddens Fans As Tributes Pour In

Newsweek10-06-2025
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Patricia Fuenmayor, a television presenter and former beauty queen, has died at the age of 51 after a battle with cancer.
The news of Fuenmayor's death on Monday morning was confirmed during a live broadcast of Despierta América, the Univision morning show where she had worked for years. Co-host Raúl González was visibly moved as he announced her passing.
Fuenmayor first rose to prominence in 1997 as a finalist in the Miss Venezuela competition and was later crowned Miss South America. Despite her success in pageantry, she transitioned into journalism, building a respected media career across Latin America. She worked with Venevisión, E! Latinoamérica and Teledeporte, and hosted her own show, De Boca en Boca, where she welcomed guests including Shakira and Marc Anthony.
Patricia Fuenmayor poses for a photographer on Wednesday, September 28, 2016, at the studios of the television station TELEVEN.
Patricia Fuenmayor poses for a photographer on Wednesday, September 28, 2016, at the studios of the television station TELEVEN.
William Dumont / El Nacional/GDA via AP Images
In 2015, following the kidnapping of her husband in Venezuela, she emigrated to the United States with her family. Settling in New York, she started anew and quickly found a place at Univision's Al Despertar, eventually joining Despierta América. Her direct yet warm communication style earned her both professional respect and popularity among viewers.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fuenmayor candidly spoke about her own experience contracting the virus in 2021, aiming to support others facing similar struggles.
Fuenmayor leaves behind her husband, surgeon Jorge Safar Perez, and two children, a daughter, 14, and younger son.
Her former colleagues and fans took to social media to express their grief and share memories. "A deep sorrow for those who knew her and shared her life. Life is only a moment," wrote anchor Elyangelica Gonzalez on X, formerly Twitter.
Her co-host Raúl González wrote on Instagram: "Today, we hug her husband, her two children, and her entire family. We join in their pain... But we also celebrate his life. Patricia isn't leaving at all. She stays in every memory, every report, every conversation that ended with a laugh of her own... We will always remember her like this: with that warmth, that elegance and that gift of people that only she had."
The Venezuelan host had over 200,000 followers on Instagram, where she frequently posted messages of hope and moments from her family life.
Venezuelan model Edinson Jose Calderon Perez wrote on Facebook: "With deep pain, we bid farewell to our dear Patricia Fuenmayor, our beautiful queen, model, mother, journalist, friend and a great Venezuelan. A passionate woman, professional and always dedicated to her informative work." He added, "Thank you, Patricia, for your light, your delivery and your smile. We will always remember you."
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Almost 20 Years After Katrina, a Filmmaker Visited New Orleans. Everyone Told Her the Same Thing.
Almost 20 Years After Katrina, a Filmmaker Visited New Orleans. Everyone Told Her the Same Thing.

Newsweek

time15 minutes ago

  • Newsweek

Almost 20 Years After Katrina, a Filmmaker Visited New Orleans. Everyone Told Her the Same Thing.

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A visitor in New Orleans might frolic around the French Quarter, revel in Mardi Gras culture or get lost in a blues performance. When trying to track down the tastiest jumbo, it is easy to forget the trauma that meanders the Mississippi. But for residents, there is no getting away from the impacts of Hurricane Katrina, which still haunts the city two decades on. Filmmaker Traci A. Curry visited Essence Festival in 2023, a behemoth of Black American culture hosted annually in the city. She soon uncovered a startling truth, uttered by pretty much everyone in New Orleans—from Uber drivers to bartenders. "What was interesting was that all of them said some version of the same thing, which was that for those of us who come to New Orleans as visitors, it looks and feels as the New Orleans we all know. The one of our imagination. It's the Mardi Gras, it's the drinking, it's the food, it's the music. "But for us, they describe this bifurcated experience of the city—of before Katrina and after Katrina, that continues to this day," Curry told Newsweek in an interview at the London pre-screening of the upcoming five-part documentary Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time, premiering July 27 on National Geographic and streaming July 28 on Disney+ and Hulu. Anthony Andrews and Traci A. Curry during a Q&A event at the London pre-screening of "Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time". Anthony Andrews and Traci A. Curry during a Q&A event at the London pre-screening of "Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time". Lydia Patrick/Lydia Patrick It soon became clear to her that the city's recovery is somewhat surface-level. Curry's series—a five-part documentary—peels back the veneer of post‑Katrina New Orleans to reveal the lingering scars. A Man-Made Disaster Most Americans remember the mayhem when Katrina made landfall off Louisiana on August 29, 2005. Broadcasts aired stampedes of people trapped in the Superdome, overhead footage of submerged streets, and looted grocery stores. Now, the storm is memorialized as a "man‑made" disaster, noting the failure of the emergency response and the maintenance of the aging levee system that was supposed to protect the low‑lying neighborhoods from being utterly deluged. Curry told Newsweek: "So many of the things that happened during Katrina and the story that we tell were not things created by the storm. They were things that were revealed and exacerbated by the storm," noting how it disproportionately impacted poorer Black communities. A mandatory evacuation order was put in place; tens of thousands of the city's 480,000 residents fled, but more than 100,000 remained trapped. Many made their way to the Superdome, which descended into unbridled chaos as survivors were left without means to survive. Stranded New Orleans residents gather underneath the interstate following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Stranded New Orleans residents gather underneath the interstate following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. KTVT - TV/KTVT - TV "When you're talking about class and race and, you know, all these things—so much of the reason that there were so many people left behind is because they could not afford to just because you are working class and don't have money, you are more likely to perish during Katrina," Curry added. A crowd of stranded New Orleans residents are gathered outside of the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A crowd of stranded New Orleans residents are gathered outside of the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. ABC News/ABC News The Personal Stories Curry and her team sifted through hundreds of hours of footage to reframe the narrative of Katrina with humanity. Curry explained during a post‑screening Q&A hosted by Anthony Andrews, co-founder of arts company We Are Parable: "I used to be a news producer, and I understand how it goes. If you're on a deadline, you get your shot and go. If you run the same footage of one guy taking the TV over and over, that becomes the story." But she believes something more nefarious took place, too: dangerous stereotypes against Black people were perpetuated, dehumanizing victims of the unfolding tragedy. "There's a pre‑existing narrative about Black people in the U.S.—violence and pathology—that the media can easily lean into. News cycles don't incentivize a nuanced human story," she said. A military helicopter arrives to rescue stranded New Orleans residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A military helicopter arrives to rescue stranded New Orleans residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. John Keller/John Keller The Oscar-nominated director counteracted this with personal and individualized footage. "You can either look at footage, look through hundreds of hours and see like shirtless Black men running crazy and say like, 'That's a criminal,' or you say 'that's a human being that's trying to survive' and allow that to inform the storytelling, which is what I and the team did," she explained. "You as the audience member must look into the eyes of the human being." Personal stories include that of Lucrece, a mother trapped in her attic with her children. Her daughter wrote their names on the walls, believing they were going to die. They were rescued by boat, but had to confront her haunting reality, a submerged city. Lucrece Phillips, resident of the 8th Ward at the time of Hurricane Katrina, who shared her harrowing rescue story in the documentary series. Lucrece Phillips, resident of the 8th Ward at the time of Hurricane Katrina, who shared her harrowing rescue story in the documentary series. Disney/National Geographic/Disney/National Geographic "There's a point at which she sees the body of a dead baby in the water. She says, 'Stop the boat, we have to get her.' The man goes, 'We have to focus on the living,'" Curry recalled. Lessons Learned? Fast‑forward 20 years and New Orleans is a city forever etched by disaster. The Lower Ninth Ward was completely decimated by Katrina, and today the area once populated by working‑class Black residents remains largely vacant. "It looks like it just happened," Curry said. "There's footage in the fifth episode we shot last year: block after block of concrete steps leading nowhere—houses that no longer exist. That neighborhood has never recovered." Meanwhile, gentrification has "turbo‑charged" the displacement of the original community, as rising housing costs transform shotgun doubles into Airbnbs with skyrocketing rents. Natural disasters are still having devastating effects. Before production wrapped, Hurricane Helene made landfall in September 2025, causing extreme flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. Crushed vehicles and storm debris sit along the Swannanoa River in a landscape scarred by Hurricane Helene on March 24, 2025, in Asheville, North Carolina. Crushed vehicles and storm debris sit along the Swannanoa River in a landscape scarred by Hurricane Helene on March 24, 2025, in Asheville, North Carolina. AFP/Getty Images "There were different weather events—the fires in Hawaii and Los Angeles. All very different. Katrina was singular in many ways, but we've seen the same contours: a weather event exacerbated by man‑made environmental impacts, an infrastructure unfit to sustain it, and harm that disproportionately affects the most vulnerable. As severe weather worsens with climate change, this will only continue unless we center the needs of the most vulnerable before the storm," Curry warned. Curry added that, while Katrina's impact is New Orleans‑centric, similar inequalities plague other communities—like the predominantly Black "Cancer Alley" upriver, where higher-than-average cancer rates have been blamed on factory pollution, or neighborhoods saddled with heat‑intensive data "server farms" and tainted water. "Katrina's story just has so much to teach us about related issues that are continuing to happen today. I hope people wake up," she added. Highlighting this point is footage of President George W. Bush flying over the apocalyptic scenes of New Orleans. The series cuts in near‑identical footage from 1965's Hurricane Betsy—when the Lower Ninth Ward was submerged similarly—yet that time President Lyndon Johnson came immediately, and emergency operations began at once. Curry notes that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), whose response was heavily criticized, has since learned from Katrina and adjusted policies to better serve those most vulnerable before a storm. But today the agency faces significant financial cuts, and its survival hangs in the balance as political pressures threaten to dismantle the system altogether. Yet the bigger story Curry wants to tell—decades on from disaster—is one of community. "Even in the most inhumane conditions, when all of these systems had failed and civil society broke down, these people did not lose their humanity. They held onto it, expressed it through care for one another, and used whatever agency they had to maintain the tight bonds of kinship and community that characterize New Orleans."

Christian MAGA Singer Vows To Continue Despite Canada Protests
Christian MAGA Singer Vows To Continue Despite Canada Protests

Newsweek

timean hour ago

  • Newsweek

Christian MAGA Singer Vows To Continue Despite Canada Protests

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Sean Feucht, a prominent American Christian worship leader and vocal supporter of the MAGA movement, says he will press on with his tour of Canada, despite a wave of public protests, security concerns, and event cancellations in multiple cities. Newsweek contacted Feucht for comment via email on Sunday. Why It Matters Feucht's tour has become a flash point in Canada's ongoing debate over freedom of expression, public safety, and the role of religious and political ideologies in public spaces. As communities respond to his messaging—often framed around conservative Christian values and American right-wing politics—the backlash highlights tensions between freedom of speech and protecting marginalized groups from perceived harm. Despite the setbacks, Feucht remains determined to complete his tour. He is continuing to organize events at alternative venues and actively posting about it on social media. On Saturday, Feucht posted on his Facebook and Instagram accounts: "We've been canceled, banned, protested and smoke-bombed in Canada, but the MOVE OF GOD ONLY GROWS STRONGER! "The greater the resistance, the greater the breakthrough! See you today Ottawa and tomorrow Toronto!" Sean Feucht is seen at Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza outside the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 19, 2024. Sean Feucht is seen at Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza outside the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 19, 2024. Rebecca Noble/AFP/Getty Images What To Know As reported by Newsweek, Feucht is a pro-Trump American Christian singer-songwriter who unsuccessfully ran as a Republican candidate in California's 3rd congressional district in 2020. Feucht has previously been criticized over remarks he has made about the LGBTQ+ community and for his pro-life stance. He first rose to prominence with his "Let Us Worship" tour in the latter half of 2020, which protested COVID-19 lockdowns. In April of 2022, he helped to lead a protest against The Walt Disney Company for their opposition to anti-LGBTQ legislation. In early 2023, he announced a "Kingdom to the Capitol" tour co-sponsored by Turning Point USA, the nonprofit that advocates for conservative politics at high schools and university campuses. Several Canadian cities, including Halifax, Quebec City, Charlottetown, and Moncton, have canceled Feucht's scheduled events in recent days. Officials cited public safety concerns, protest activity and logistical complications. In Halifax, Parks Canada revoked a permit for a concert at the York Redoubt historic site after consulting with police and local residents. The event was moved to Shubenacadie, about an hour away, where hundreds of attendees gathered. Despite the relocations and cancellations, protests have continued to follow Feucht's appearances. In Montreal, demonstrators set off smoke bombs inside a venue, and at least one person was arrested. Critics of the tour, including advocacy groups and local officials, argue that Feucht's rhetoric is inflammatory and harmful to community cohesion. Some have also pointed to Feucht's political affiliations, which they believe are inconsistent with Canada's inclusive values. Feucht has accused Canadian authorities and media outlets of discriminating against his religious beliefs, claiming his events are being unfairly targeted for expressing traditional Christian values. He has maintained that his message is peaceful and spiritual in nature, not political. What People Are Saying Feucht posting on his X account on Saturday: "I've led worship and preached in Africa, the Middle East and all across the world in 2025. The most intense persecution was not in Iraq or Turkey - but CANADA! Didn't have that on my bingo card." The city of Vaughan, where Feucht was due to perform on Sunday, said in a statement, per CTV News: "The City of Vaughan has denied a Special Event Permit for a music event to be held at Dufferin District Park on July 27 on the basis of health and safety as well as community standards and well-being." What Happens Next City officials in other planned tour stops are assessing whether to grant permits, and national law enforcement agencies are monitoring developments closely. As protests persist, the debate over who gets access to public spaces—and under what terms—is likely to intensify in the days ahead.

Nikola Jokic's Agent Posts Cryptic LeBron James Message After Meetup
Nikola Jokic's Agent Posts Cryptic LeBron James Message After Meetup

Newsweek

timean hour ago

  • Newsweek

Nikola Jokic's Agent Posts Cryptic LeBron James Message After Meetup

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. There's been plenty of speculation about the NBA future of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James this offseason, and things took a wild new turn on Saturday. The 40-year-old James, who exercised his $52.6 million player option earlier this offseason, has made it known through his agent Rich Paul that he wants to win at least one more championship before he retires. "LeBron wants to compete for a championship," Paul said, via Yahoo Sports. "He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. "... We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him." LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers holds the ball during the second half against the Houston Rockets at Arena on March 31, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers holds the ball during the second half against the Houston Rockets at Arena on March 31, 2025 in Los Angeles, Basketball: Warriors' Steph Curry Reveals Surprising Bronny James Revelation There have been several conflicting reports this offseason about where James will ultimately end up, and things got a little more interesting over the weekend when James was photographed on a yacht with Misko Raznatovic, the agent for Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. What made things even more intriguing is the caption Raznatovic posted on his Instagram account along with the photo. "The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026! @kingjames @mavcarter," Raznatovic wrote. More Basketball: Angel Reese Sends Clear Message to WNBA About Salary Negotiations The cryptic post has several NBA fans buzzing about the possibility of a James-Jokic team up in Denver in 2026, especially given the number of reports that indicate the Lakers don't have much interest in keeping James around beyond next season. Many analysts believe the likeliest scenario for James sees him playing 2025 in Los Angeles with a revamped Lakers roster that already featured Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura and added Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia, before moving onto a new team in 2026. Despite being the oldest player in the NBA, James is still one of the most productive players in the game. He ranked 13th in the league in scoring (24.4 points per game), and finished sixth in assists (8.2 per game) and 22nd in rebounds (7.8 per game) in 2024.

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