Latest news with #JamesGray
News.com.au
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Scarlett Johansson screams at paparazzi while filming new movie: ‘Move out of the f**king way'
Scarlett Johansson broke character to put a paparazzo on blast. The Hollywood actress was filming Paper Tiger on a New York City street Thursday when she stopped what she was doing to scream at a photographer, which you can watch in the video player above. 'Move out of the f**king way,' the Oscar nominee, 40, yelled in a video obtained by Page Six on Friday, shooing the individual with one hand. After doubling down on the photographer needing to 'move out of the way,' Johansson pointed out, 'I'm working. 'I get that you're working, but let me do my job,' she continued. 'Be respectful.' The Tony winner was nearly unrecognisable wearing eyeglasses and a short and curly '80s-era wig for the scene in Queens. She completed her look with a brown blazer, white button-down top and brown slacks. In a separate scene, filmed with co-star Adam Driver, Johansson sported tan pants and a vibrant blue top. James Gray is directing the upcoming crime drama, starring Driver, 41, Johansson and Miles Teller. While Anne Hathaway was initially set to play Johansson's role, news broke in May that the Black Widow star had taken over due to Hathaway's other commitments. Shooting began in New Jersey in June. That same month, Johansson was busy promoting her latest movie, Jurassic World Rebirth. She and co-star Jonathan Bailey went viral for locking lips at multiple premieres, once in front of her husband, Colin Jost, but the Bridgerton actor brushed off the backlash in an Entertainment Tonight interview. 'I believe in being able to show love in all different ways,' the actor, 37, said last month. 'And if you can't kiss your friends … life's too short not to.' Johansson's husband, Colin Jost, told the same outlet Thursday that 'people really blow it out of proportion when someone kisses their friend hello.' He joked about the headlines, quipping that he hadn't realised Bailey was a 'threat' to his marriage as an 'out gay man.' The Saturday Night Live star, 43, quipped, 'I guess we have to kiss now? Is that what happens? Close the loop?' He and Johansson have been married since October 2020.
BBC News
18-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Gateshead flat residents unable to return home after flood
Dozens of people have been told they will not be able to return to their homes inside a tower block following an internal of Priory Court in Gateshead were evacuated on 6 June and investigations show restoring the building's electrical supply could take "several months".About 30 households were moved to hotels or emergency accommodation, with Gateshead Council covering the correspondence seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the local authority has now contacted residents to say it has "made the difficult decision to decommission Priory Court with immediate effect". James Gray had moved there from another tower block following similar problems last 55-year-old said going through the experience again was devastating."The worst part for me is getting that money, putting it into the new flat, decorating it out, spending money on the furniture and it's just money down the drain," he said. 'Massive upheaval' Kenneth Forrest, 80, who has lived there for decades, moved into his daughter's home following the daughter, Lesley Stanners, said: "The council has said there will be people to help him move, but there are memories in that house."He could do some shopping, put a bet on, talk to people and keep himself going until I got there after work."He knew everybody in the flats. It's going to be a whole new different thing." Sheila Blatchford, who lived in the building for 10 years, described the news as a "massive upheaval", but praised the council."They've done everything they can for us within their remit and they have been here every day since it happened," she Labour-led council says all residents will be given "critical need" prioritisation for rehousing, including direct lettings and support with residents may face being relocated on a temporary basis until something permanent can be Chris Buckley, the council's cabinet member for housing, said: "We fully recognise how difficult this news will be, and we are currently talking directly to every individual concerned about next steps and the support and assistance the council will provide."This is not the outcome anyone wanted, but we must face the reality of the situation."We are committed to doing everything we can to meet the needs of each resident and ensure they are rehoused with our full support."Neighbouring Peareth Court and Park Court, which are located near to the closed Gateshead Highway flyover, are also being decommissioned due to the cost of maintaining them, with occupants due to be updated this week. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State budget rolls through Republican-led Senate
It took four hours of debate over 20 amendments, but a $15.4 billion two-year state budget proposal easily cleared the state Senate Thursday. Senate Finance Committee Chairman James Gray, R-Rochester, said his committee's proudest achievement is the reversal of more than $160 million in unpopular cuts made by the House of Representatives to Medicaid providers and those relying on community mental health and developmental disability services. 'We made some tough choices with limited resources,' Gray said. Relying on rosier estimates for future state revenues, the Senate proposal spends nearly $250 million more than the House's. Senate Democratic Leader Rebecca Perkins Kwoka of Portsmouth praised the Senate Republicans for making those changes, but she said working families are hurt in other parts of the budget, which imposes new health care premiums for some families on Medicaid, raids an eight-figure surplus in the state's renewable energy fund and fails to include any new spending for housing. Perkins Kwoka said the state's fiscal problems are the result of Republican governors and legislators voting for repeated cuts in business and unearned income taxes that robbed the state treasury of money it could now use to pay for programs. 'Let's be clear: This is not magically a tight budget year,' Perkins Kwoka said. The Senate passed the spending bill (HB 1) on a 15-9 vote with only Sen. Keith Murphy, R-Manchester, breaking ranks to oppose the measure along with the eight Senate Democrats. Fellow Manchester Republican Sen. Victoria Sullivan joined Murphy and all the Democrats opposing the trailer bill to the state budget (HB 2) that makes the necessary changes in state law to implement the budget; it passed the Senate, 14-10. Senate President Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, said Senate Democrats had proposed $168 million in higher spending with no corresponding cuts in other parts of the budget. 'This isn't a perfect budget; we have never had a perfect budget, but this is a budget that works for the people of New Hampshire,' Carson said. Democrats targeted EFAs Nearly half of the amendments Senate Democrats tried to make Thursday would have eliminated the expansion of Education Freedom Accounts. If signed into law, the measure would remove income restrictions on eligibility for these taxpayer-paid grants for private, religious, alternative public or home school programs. Sullivan said her family has used EFAs since the Legislature created the program in 2021 and she expressed doubt that the very wealthy would bother seeking what critics call school vouchers. 'There is the middle-class families that are usually not mentioned … the ones who pay all the bills for the state and municipalities and get nothing back,' Sullivan said. 'They do all the paying and this allows them to use their taxpayer money for their own children's education.' Senate Deputy Democratic Leader Cindy Rosenwald said other states that made these vouchers universal ended up with large budget deficits. YDC settlements The Senate rejected an attempt to increase by $50 million spending on settlements for victims of alleged sexual or physical abuse at its youth detention centers. The House set aside $20 million more to the $165 million that lawmakers have already directed to the settlement fund. The Senate budget adds $20 million as well but also would earmark for the fund the proceeds from the sale of the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester. State officials estimate that could raise $80 million. Senate Deputy Democratic Leader Cindy Rosenwald said the state can't sell the Sununu Center until construction is complete on a new, treatment-oriented replacement on the grounds of the former Hampstead Hospital. Chuck Miles, a Youth Development Center abuse survivor who works with Justice for YDC Victims, an advocacy group, said the Senate budget falls short. 'The budget passed by the Senate would be devastating for the YDC Settlement Fund and would break the promises made to the victims of horrendous abuse while in the care of the state,' Miles said. 'Survivors came forward with courage, opting for a settlement process over the courtroom to seek closure, accountability and justice, but by falling woefully short on funding and removing the fund's independence, the state is essentially telling victims 'see you in court,'' he said. Landfill regulation The Senate voted 14-9 against an amendment from Sen. David Rochefort, R-Littleton, that tried to remove from the trailer bill changes to the landfill law that will allow a site evaluation committee to declare a 'public benefit' for a new or expanded commercial landfill in the state. 'The potential with this language is to undo local control,' Rochefort said. Sen. Denise Ricciardi, R-Bedford, joined Rochefort in voting for the amendment while Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, joined the rest of the Republicans voting against it. What's Next: The House and Senate next week will name members to a conference committee to be charged with working out differences between their competing budget bills. Prospects: This issue is far from resolved as it's unclear if the GOP-led House will be willing to accept a final compromise that spends much more money than it budgeted. klandrigan@
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Hampshire lawmakers move to make ivermectin an over-the-counter medication
Ivermectin gained notoriety during the pandemic when people began using it as a treatment for COVID-19. Research was conducted on whether the drug could be repurposed for COVID-19 treatment. However, that research was never able to prove ivermectin was effective at treating the virus. (Getty Images) State lawmakers are pushing to allow ivermectin — an antiparasitic drug that became notorious during the COVID-19 pandemic — to be purchased without a prescription in New Hampshire. And they're doing it by tacking on a provision to a Medicaid cost-efficiency program. Senate Bill 119 was introduced in the New Hampshire Senate earlier this year with the goal of making the state Medicaid program more cost-efficient. The bill seeks to allow Medicaid to purchase name-brand drugs when they are cheaper than generics. Medicaid has long been prevented from buying name brands because historically they are more expensive. However, recent market developments have made some name-brand drugs cheaper than their generic counterparts, so lawmakers have worked to alter that rule this year. This has been a priority in Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte's budget agenda amid a difficult fiscal environment this year. 'My wife loves to shop at Hannaford, and nine times out of 10, if there's a Hannaford brand, I pick the Hannaford brand up,' Sen. James Gray, a Rochester Republican and the bill's sponsor, said during a hearing on the bill last month. 'But you know what? Sometimes that national brand has a coupon. Sometimes that national brand has a discount. Sometimes it's just on sale. And that's exactly what this bill does. It says, 'Hey, you don't have to buy generic if the national brand is cheaper.'' The Senate approved SB 119 through a voice vote in March. However, when it got to House lawmakers, Rep. Yury Polozov, a Hooksett Republican, proposed an amendment that added a provision allowing ivermectin to be purchased at New Hampshire pharmacies without a prescription from a doctor. The House passed the amended version of SB 119 on Thursday, sending the bill back to the Senate for another vote. House Democrats criticized the change. 'It is very bad legislative policy to attach unlike things together in the hopes of forcing somebody else to do something that they would not otherwise do,' Rep. Lucy Weber, a Walpole Democrat, said on the House floor Thursday. 'Anything that is good legislative policy stands on its own and should not be attached to anything else.' Ivermectin was discovered in Japan in the 1970s and subsequently used to develop a veterinary drug to treat parasitic infections in horses, cattle, dogs, and other animals, according to the American Chemical Society. Years later, researchers from Merck Pharmaceuticals and the Kitasato Institute began experimenting on uses of the drug for humans. They were able to use the drug to treat river blindness and saw so much success they won a 2015 Nobel Prize. The medicine is now used to treat several kinds of worm and lice infections in humans. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cautions that high doses of ivermectin can cause seizures, coma, or even death. The Mayo Clinic also warns that the drug could interact poorly with other medications and that it hasn't been tested for safety and efficacy among small children, geriatric patients, and breastfeeding babies. Ivermectin gained notoriety during the pandemic when people began using it as a treatment for COVID-19. Research was conducted on whether the drug could be repurposed for COVID-19 treatment. However, that research was never able to prove ivermectin was effective at treating the virus. Still, online misinformation and faulty studies drove people to seek the drug anyway. In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a sharp increase in the number of people calling into poison control centers due to ivermectin overdoses. It also said it received reports of people who, unable to get a prescription for the drug, had resorted to buying and taking formulations made for animals from veterinary suppliers unsafe for humans. Some online posts have claimed ivermectin could be used to treat cancer, a claim that is unsubstantiated, though there's early-stage research investigating its use for cancer treatment in combination with other drugs. A few other states have turned ivermectin into an over-the-counter medication. Legislatures in Arkansas, Idaho, and Tennessee have done so already. North Carolina, Louisiana, and several other states are considering following suit. This state-by-state approval marks a departure from the typical process for approving an over-the counter medicine. Typically, federal health authorities with the FDA have weighed scientific evidence and determined whether a drug can be sold safely over-the-counter. In these states, lawmakers have superseded that process and made the determination themselves. This isn't the first effort to make ivermectin over-the-counter in New Hampshire. In 2022, the Legislature passed similar legislation, but then-Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, vetoed it, arguing that, 'Patients should always consult their doctor before taking medications so that they are fully aware of treatment options and potential unintended consequences of taking a medication that may limit other treatment options in the future.' Introducing the amendment, Rep. Kelley Potenza, a Rochester Republican and one of its supporters, said the proposal 'lies at the intersection of public health, personal freedom, and frankly common sense.' Potenza claimed the drug 'carries a much lower risk than over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol.' She also called claims that ivermectin is dangerous and ineffective in treating COVID-19 'propaganda' and 'lies.' Potenza said when she had COVID-19 during the pandemic, she got a prescription from a doctor in Arizona for ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. She attributes her recovery to it. She said the government's actions during the pandemic is what inspired her to run for office. The Mayo Clinic says that claims about ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, or chloroquine being effective at treating COVID-19 are false. The CDC and FDA both say current research has been unable to demonstrate that ivermectin is effective at treating COVID-19.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The week ahead: Committees start to finish 2025 agenda
Birdsell fights to block foreign ownership near N.H. military sites Senate Majority Leader Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead, has led the call for the state to outlaw ownership of property near key military properties by a list of banned countries to include the Peoples Republic of China, Russia, Iran, Syria and North Korea In this shortened post-holiday week, the New Hampshire Legislature will refrain from holding business sessions to allow committees in the state Senate to wrap up work on a two-year state budget proposal. It will also give the House of Representatives time to finalize the thorniest bills sent to it from the other body. Senate Finance Committee Chairman James Gray, R-Rochester, told his six colleagues to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend and come back ready to slog through four straight days of intense committee work. 'We've quite a few details to finalize but I've delegated key senators to resolve each of the remaining issues in dispute,' Gray said at the end of last week. Reduction in layoffs At the end of last week, Senate budget writers checked off an important box, restoring many of the nearly 100 layoffs in Department of Corrections contained in the House-approved state budget. 'I think we met a good middle ground,' Senate Majority Leader Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead, said during a radio interview Friday. Sen. Tim Lang, R-Sanbornton, credited now-resigned Corrections Commissioner Helen Hanks for working with him to make the most improvements to the House budget for the least amount of money. The Senate changes reduce the $34 million in cuts the House made to about $20 million. This reduces the layoffs to about two dozen with the elimination of about 35 other vacant positions. 'She was really cooperative and constructive in restoring nearly all of the affected positions for the least hit on the budget, which we appreciate,' Lang said in an interview. Other big-ticket budget decisions the Senate panel needs to make include the amount of state aid for the university system, many programs in the Department of Health and Human Services along with the fate of the Office of Child Advocate, the Human Rights Commission, Housing Appeals Board and Board of Land and Tax Appeals. Pitch to 'fix' ban on teaching bias Gray said one change the Senate will make is to reject a House-proposed 5% fee on all dedicated funds to generate $30 million over the two-year cycle. He announced plans instead to direct Gov. Kelly Ayotte to identify a similar amount of budget savings as a section in the Senate spending plan. Several House committees will be holding long sessions to try and hammer out their final Senate bills to include: Cordelli says he has way to fix ban on 'divine concepts' Rep. Glenn Cordelli, R-Tuftonboro, will ask a House panel he chairs to change a state law that bans the teaching of discrimination in public schools. The proposal is an attempt to fix a 2021 law a federal judge set aside because it was unconstitutionally vague. • Risk pools (SB 297): Secretary of State David Scanlan proposed reforms to set up tougher financial guardrails for the pools that sponsor health or property and casualty insurance for member cities and towns, schools and county government. House Commerce Committee Chairman John Hunt, R-Rindge, has a competing proposal to permit the four companies offering these lines to instead come under regulation of the Insurance Department. • Foreign ownership (SB 162): Birdsell has championed this one to prevent the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Syrian Arab Republic, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from acquiring property within 10 miles of an included list of state properties including the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Pease Air National Guard Base, several other national guard sites and the New Boston Space Force Station. • Moving state primary (SB 222): This would move the state primary election from one of the latest in the nation in September up to June when more than a third of states hold theirs. The House Election Laws Committee will make the final recommendation on this one; they had endorsed the idea earlier this spring but wanted to put it off until after the 2026 election; as currently written the change would take effect next Jan. 1. • Education Freedom Accounts (SB 295): The House Finance Committee holds on Wednesday the last committee vote on the Senate-passed plan to eliminate any income eligibility so all parents could receive taxpayer-paid scholarships to send their children to private, religious, alternative public or home school programs (SB 295). • Ban on teaching discrimination (SB 100): Sen. Glenn Cordelli, R-Tuftonboro, will promote his amendment to alter the 2021 law aimed at blocking teachers from such 'divisive concepts' as Critical Race Theory. A federal court struck down the law as unconstitutionally vague and this seeks to add a mental state factor for the violating teacher that Cordelli maintains would fix the law's legal defect. Opponents insisted the set aside law was beyond saving. klandrigan@
