Free Republic

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has tweaked its Oscar eligibility rules in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. During a meeting on Tuesday, the board of governors approved a temporary hold on the requirement that a film needs a seven-day theatrical run in a commercial theater in Los Angeles County to qualify for the Oscars. Instead, films will be allowed to be released digitally without playing in theaters. However, that doesn’t mean any movie premiering on a streaming service is eligible for Oscar gold. To be considered, the streamed film must have already had a planned theatrical...

New data from digital piracy analysts Muso shows traffic on piracy sites jumped more than 40 percent following stay-at-home orders in the U.S. and U.K. Lockdown and stay-at-home orders due to the novel coronavirus have been a big boost for online pirates, with a new study showing double-digit growth in digital piracy across major territories in Europe and North America. The data, published Monday by London-based piracy analysts Muso, shows visits to illegal film streaming and download sites shot up by 41.4 percent in the United States and by 42.5 percent in the U.K. in the last seven days of...

A woman says she was sexually harassed by presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee Joe Biden when she was 14 years old. The woman, Eva Murry, told Law&Crime that Biden complimented her on the size of her breasts at the First State Gridiron Dinner & Show in 2008, a long-running roast of and party for politicians, journalists and prominent business figures held each year in Delaware. Murry says she remembers the event occurring sometime around May of that year. One friend and her sister said that Murry told her details of the alleged incident more or less immediately after it happened....

In a victory for Gov. Gavin Newsom, an Orange County judge on Friday rejected a request from Huntington Beach seeking a temporary restraining order to keep beaches open. Orange County Superior Judge Nathan Scott set a hearing for Monday to consider the city’s request for an injunction against Newsom’s order that closed all Orange County beaches in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus. Dana Point, another Orange County coastal city, had also joined the suit to block the beach closure. Newsom has said it’s too soon to lift the state’s stay-at-home order, doubling down on that commitment Thursday...

Ramadan—the Muslim holy month of fasting—has officially started across the world, with politicians and celebrities alike sharing messages to the Muslim community on social media. President Donald Trump issued a presidential message on Thursday, expressing wishes to all Muslims in the U.S. and around the world. "For millions around the globe, this holy month is an opportunity to renew and strengthen their faith through rigorous fasting, devout prayer, reflective meditation, reading the Quran, and charitable deeds," read the message. "These acts are closely aligned with the universal values that the Islamic faith promotes—peace, kindness, and love and respect for others....

Appearing Friday on Fox News Channel’s Hannity, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he has never seen former Vice President Joe Biden do anything “untoward toward a woman” as the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee faces an allegation of sexual assault from former Senate staffer Tara Reade.

Google owner Alphabet saw a significant slowing of ad revenue in March due to the global pandemic. YouTube had just over $4 billion in advertising revenue for the first quarter of the year despite a slowdown in ad sales after the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. in March. Google began reporting YouTube revenue for the first time earlier this year, disclosing that the video giant earned $15.1 billion in ad revenue in fiscal 2019. During the fourth quarter of 2019, the platform, which is run by longtime Google executive Susan Wojcicki, brought in $4.7 billion. YouTube's first quarter was not...

An NBC affiliate station in Minnesota confirmed Friday that it has parted ways with a staff meteorologist, citing “continued violations” of the station’s “news ethics” and other policies. KARE-TV of Minneapolis did not specify exactly why Sven Sundgaard was dismissed but he recently drew reaction from the public after reposting a local rabbi’s online message regarding crowds protesting against coronavirus lockdowns. That message, attributed to Rabbi Michael Adam Latz, had described groups protesting against lockdown measures as “white nationalist Nazi sympathizer gun fetishist miscreants,” according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Within two hours of KARE confirming Sundgaard’s firing on...

A clown that is usually cheering up kids at UNM Children's Hospital has been staying home due to COVID-19. However, Dr. Cora Zon hasn't stopped bringing smiles to people's faces. Check out the video to see why she made KOB 4's Joy Wang laugh so much.

New Georgia drivers can get a driver’s license without passing a road test — at least for the next two weeks. In a little-noticed portion of Gov. Brian Kemp’s April 23 executive order allowing certain businesses to re-open, Kemp also ordered the state Department of Driver Services to suspend a requirement that teens and other new drivers must pass a road skills test before getting a new or upgraded license. The exemption continues for the duration of Kemp’s state of emergency declaration, originally due to expire May 13 but recently extended to June 12.

At least three Arizona sheriffs say they will not fully enforce Gov. Doug Ducey’s extended stay-at-home order. Most non-essential businesses have remained closed across the state, but there is some rebellion. Some businesses have reopened, without permission, when the governor failed to lift the stay-at-home order on Thursday. Some Arizonans have also protested, saying social distancing rules should be loosened immediately, in part to save small businesses from ruin. Anyone who defies the governor’s stay-at home-order, including businesses that reopen in violation, are committing a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $2,500 fine. Pinal County...

How do I plan or get in touch with others to protest in Oregon? Thank you for any tips and leads.

The Russian pipe laying vessel Academic Cherskiy has reached Danish waters on a journey that began on the other side of the world earlier this year. Russia sent the vessel in a bid to complete the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to bring natural gas directly from Russia into Germany and onto other European countries. Its a move that's been opposed by the United States, which wants to sell liquefied natural gas made in the USA to Europe. To make the point the US imposed sanctions on any companies helping to build the pipeline with President Trump signing the legislation..... Canadian...

Executive Order 20-24 Oregon.gov ​​Office of the Governor State of Oregon EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 20-24 EXTENDING THE COVID-19 DECLARATION OF EMERGENCY (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 20-03) FOR AN ADDITIONAL 60 DAYS, THROUGH JULY 6, 2020 Executive Order 20-03, declaring a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Oregon, was issued on March 8, 2020, and declared a statewide emergency for 60 days, through May 7, 2020. Pursuant to ORS 401.165 and ORS 401.204, I find that the novel infectious coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to threaten public health and safety, and remains a statewide emergency under ORS 401.025. Accordingly, I am...

The ventilators received from China, the Shangrila 510 model, were built by one of the country's major ventilator manufacturers, Beijing Aeonmed Co. Ltd. The manufacturer could not be reached for comment. The letter detailed serious concerns over the "basic" quality of the ventilators, calling the oxygen supply "variable and unreliable." The doctors said that the machines are also unfamiliar to British doctors and were built for ambulance use, rather than hospital use. Addressed directly to a senior NHS official, the letter stated: "We look forward to the withdrawal and replacement of these ventilators with devices better able to provide intensive...

PHOENIX — Numbers released by the Arizona Secretary of State today show that while the total number of registered voters in the state has barely increased, the Democratic Party is the recent winner. On the first report released since Arizona’s Democratic Presidential Preference Election, Democrats have increased their registration numbers by 15,307 to 32.5% of registered voters. The data implies that most of these gains came from voters not registered with a political party. Unaffiliated voters, also commonly referred to as Independents, lost 9,561 voters in the same period, bringing them to 31.8%. Republicans, meanwhile, increased 10,594.

Afghanistan, beset by a poor healthcare system, malnutrition, war and other vulnerabilities, likely is facing a “health disaster” from the coronavirus, a watchdog report to the U.S. Congress warns. The report released late on Thursday by Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko could heighten concerns among U.S. officials and lawmakers that the pandemic threatens to derail stalled U.S.-led peace efforts. The spread of COVID-19 - the illness caused by the novel coronavirus - already has significantly impacted Afghanistan, the report said, from complicating the peace initiative to forcing border crossing closures that have disrupted commercial and humanitarian...

BERLIN (AP) — German police raided five sites linked to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, as authorities announced Thursday that they were banning activities by its political wing in Germany. The raids, intended to prevent evidence about possible front organizations being destroyed, took place at mosques and community centers in Berlin, Bremen, Muenster, Recklinghausen and Dortmund.

A former NYPD officer is suing the department and male officer who she alleges repeatedly harangued her with lewd remarks — and asked her if she would perform a sex act with someone sitting on a toilet. Ex-NYPD officer Emily Brucato charges in a lawsuit filed on Sunday in Brooklyn federal court that over several months in 2017, then-Lt. Jonathan Blatt subjected her to a barrage of filthy comments — including asking her to have a “threesome,” saying “it’s OK my wife gave me the go ahead.” “Would you ever give a ‘Blumpkin’?” Blatt allegedly asked Brucato on one occasion,...

Keep an eye out for a shiny new quarter with a raised image of fruit bats and be careful not to let the coin fly out of your wallet or pocket. As part of the U.S. Mint's America the Beautiful Quarters Program, the new National Parks quarter dollar celebrates American Samoa and on the relief features a mother fruit bat and her pup hanging upside down.