Philadelphia city workers strike after contract talks failNew Foto - Philadelphia city workers strike after contract talks fail

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nearly 10,000 city workers in Philadelphia who collect trash, answer 911 calls, maintain city pools and perform other jobs went on strike Tuesday after contract negotiations broke down. District Council 33 President Greg Boulware said the city hadn't agreed to a high enough wage increase,WPVI-TVreported. Mayor Cherelle Parkersaid the city would suspend residential trash collection, close some city pools and shorten recreation center hours, but vowed to keep the city running. Police and firefighters are not on strike. Parker, a pro-labor Democrat, promised that Fourth of July celebrations in thenation's birthplacewould go on as usual. "Keep your holiday plans. Don't leave the city," she said at a Monday afternoon news conference that followed hours of last-minute negotiations. City officials urged residents to be patient and not hang up should they need to call either 911 or the city's non-emergency helpline. They said they would open drop-off sites for residential trash. Parker said she had offered raises that amount to 13% over her four-year term and added a fifth step to the pay scale to align with other unionized workers. District Council 33 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is the largest of four unions representing city workers. "We believe it's a fair offer and still fiscally responsible for the people of this city," said Parker, who took office last year. Union leaders, in their initialcontract proposal, asked for 8% annual raises each year of the three-year contract, along with cost-of-living hikes and bonuses of up to $5,000 for those who worked through the pandemic. The union also asked the city to pay the full cost of employee health care, or $1,700 per person per month. "District Council 33's members contribute as much blood, sweat and tears as does anyone else," they said in a demand letter. "We all make the city work. Our contract must reflect that reality." In November, thecity transit systemaverted a strike when the parties agreed to a one-year contract with 5% raises.

Philadelphia city workers strike after contract talks fail

Philadelphia city workers strike after contract talks fail PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nearly 10,000 city workers in Philadelphia who collect trash,...
Thailand's king approves new Cabinet for coalition government shaken by leaked phone callNew Foto - Thailand's king approves new Cabinet for coalition government shaken by leaked phone call

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's king approved the appointments of new Cabinet members Tuesday in the coalition government shaken by a major party's departure over the prime minister'sleaked phone callwith Cambodia's former leader. The reshuffle came during speculation over whether the Constitutional Court will take a petition accusing Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra of a serious breach of ethics over the leaked call. The court could suspend her from office pending the investigation. Paetongtarn said she would accept and follow the process although she didn't want to see her work interrupted. "If you ask me whether I'm worried, I am," she told reporters Monday. The endorsement of her new Cabinet by King Maha Vajiralongkorn was published in the government gazette. The reshuffle replaced former Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, which had held several Cabinet positions but left the coalition over the leaked call. Anutin was replaced by Phumtham Wechayachai, who had been defense minister for the past year and also will lead the Interior Ministry. The Defense Ministry post was left blank, with the deputy minister becoming the acting minister instead. Paetongtarn took the position of culture minister. She said she wanted to promote Thai culture on a global scale. Before she became prime minister, Paetongtarn had promoted Thailand's "soft power," highlighting its food, culture and sports. The Constitutional Court last yearremoved her predecessorover a breach of ethics. Thailand's courts, especially the Constitutional Court, are viewed as a bulwark of the royalist establishment, which has used them and nominally independent agencies such as the Election Commission to cripple or sink political opponents. Paetongtarn also faces investigations over an alleged breach of ethics by the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, whose decision could also lead to her removal. Outrage over the call mostly revolved around Paetongtarn's comments toward an outspoken regional army commander and her perceived attempts to appease Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen to easetensions at the border. Thousands of conservative, nationalist-leaning protestersrallied in central Bangkokon Saturday to demand Paetongtarn's resignation.

Thailand's king approves new Cabinet for coalition government shaken by leaked phone call

Thailand's king approves new Cabinet for coalition government shaken by leaked phone call BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's king approved th...
Iowa's civil rights protections no longer include gender identity as new law takes effectNew Foto - Iowa's civil rights protections no longer include gender identity as new law takes effect

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa became the first stateto remove gender identityfrom its civil rights code under a law that took effect Tuesday, meaning transgender and nonbinary residents are no longer protected from discrimination in their job, housing and other aspects of life. The law also explicitly defines female and male based onreproductive organs at birthand removes the ability for people to change the sex designation on their birth certificate. An unprecedented take-back of legal rights after nearly two decades in Iowa code leaves transgender, nonbinary and potentially even intersex Iowans more vulnerable now than they werebefore. It's a governing doctrine now widely adopted byPresident Donald Trumpand Republican-led states despite themainstream medical viewthat sex and gender are better understood as a spectrum than as an either-or definition. When Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Iowa's new law, she said the state's previous civil rights code "blurred the biological line between the sexes." "It's common sense to acknowledge the obvious biological differences between men and women. In fact, it's necessary to secure genuine equal protection for women and girls," she said in a video statement. Also taking effect Tuesday are provisions in the state's health and human services budget that say Medicaid recipients are no longer covered for gender-affirming surgery or hormone therapy. A national movement Iowa's state Capitol filled with protesters as the law went through the Republican-controlled Legislature and to Reynolds' desk in justone week in February. Iowa Republicans said laws passed in recent yearsto restrict transgender students' useof bathrooms and locker rooms,and their participation on sports teams, could not coexist with a civil rights code that includes gender identity protections. Abouttwo dozen other statesand the Trump administration have advanced restrictions on transgender people. Republicans say such laws andexecutive actionsprotect spaces for women, rejecting the idea that people can transition to another gender. Many face court challenges. About two-thirds of U.S. adultsbelieve that whether a person is a man or woman is determined by biological characteristics at birth, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in May found. But there's less consensus on policies that target transgender and nonbinary people. Transgender people say those kinds of policies deny their existence and capitalize on prejudice for political gain. In a major setback for transgender rights nationwide, the U.S. Supreme Court last monthupheld Tennessee's banon puberty blockers and hormone treatments fortransgender minors. The court's conservative majority said it doesn't violate the Constitution's equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same. Not every state includes gender identity in their civil rights code, but Iowa was the first to remove nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ rights think tank. Incidents of discrimination in Iowa, before and after July 1 Iowans will still have time to file a complaint with the state Office of Civil Rights about discrimination based on gender identity that occurred before the law took effect. State law requires a complaint to be submitted within 300 days after the most recent incident of alleged discrimination. That means people have until April 27 to file a complaint about discrimination based on gender identity, according to Kristen Stiffler, the office's executive director. Sixty-five such complaints were filed and accepted for investigation from July 2023 through the end of June 2024, according to Stiffler. Forty-three were filed and accepted from July 1, 2024, through June 19 of this year. Iowa state Rep. Aime Wichtendahl, a Democrat and the state's first openly transgender lawmaker, fears the law will lead to an increase in discrimination for transgender Iowans. "Anytime someone has to check your ID and they see that the gender marker doesn't match the appearance, then that opens up hostility, discrimination as possibilities," Wichtendahl said, naming examples such as applying for a job, going through the airport, buying beer or getting pulled over in a traffic stop. "That instantly outs you. That instantly puts you on the spot." About half of U.S. states include gender identity in their civil rights code to protect against discrimination in housing and public places, such as stores or restaurants, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Some additional states do not explicitly protect against such discrimination, but it is included in legal interpretations of statutes. Five years ago,the U.S. Supreme Court ruledLGBTQ people are protected by a landmark federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in the workplace. But Iowa's Supreme Courthas expressly rejectedthe argument that discrimination based on sex includes discrimination based on gender identity. Changing Iowa birth certificates before the law took effect The months between when the bill was signed into law and when it took effect gave transgender Iowans time to pursue amended birth certificates before that option was eliminated. Keenan Crow, with LGBTQ+ advocacy group One Iowa, said the group has long cosponsored legal clinics to assist with that process. "The last one that we had was by far the biggest," Crow said. Iowa's Department of Transportation still has a process by which people can change the gender designation on their license or identification card but has proposed administrative rules to eliminate that option. Wichtendahl also said she has talked to some families who are looking to move out of state as a result of the new law. "It's heartbreaking because this is people's lives we're talking about," Wichtendahl added. "These are families that have trans loved ones and it's keeping their loved ones away, it's putting their loved ones into uncertain future, putting their health and safety at risk."

Iowa's civil rights protections no longer include gender identity as new law takes effect

Iowa's civil rights protections no longer include gender identity as new law takes effect DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa became the first ...
Rosie O'Donnell Calls Out Oprah for Attending Jeff Bezos' Wedding: 'How Is That Possible? He Treats His Employees With Disdain… He Is Not a Nice Man'New Foto - Rosie O'Donnell Calls Out Oprah for Attending Jeff Bezos' Wedding: 'How Is That Possible? He Treats His Employees With Disdain… He Is Not a Nice Man'

Rosie O'Donnell wrote in an Instagram post that she was sickened by Jeff Bezos' lavish wedding to Lauren Sanchez in Venice, Italy. The days-long event featured a ton of A-list celebrities, from Sydney Sweeney to Leonardo DiCaprio, and promptedwidespread backlashand protests from Venice locals. "The Bezos' wedding. It turned my stomach seeing all these billionaires gathering in the gross excess of it all. The show of it," O'Donnell wrote before calling out Oprah for her attendance at the event. More from Variety Italian Press Plays Up 'No Space for Bezos' Versus 'Welcome, Mr. Amazon!' Plus a Bomb-Sniffing Dog Named Elvis The Jeff Bezos-Lauren Sanchez Wedding Extravaganza Is the Ultimate Billionaire Flex by a Couple Flying Above Cost-Cutting Times Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Forge Ahead With Venice Wedding After Activists Threaten to Block a Canal With Inflatable Crocodiles "Is Oprah friends with Jeff Bezos? Really? How is that possible? He treats his employees with disdain. By any metric he is not a nice man. And his fake fem bot wife who looks like that… Why would he choose her after the salt of the earth Mackenzie [Scott]? Sold his soul is what it looks like from here. The devil is smiling at all his conquests." Oprah attended the Bezos wedding with longtime friend Gayle King, who is well-acquainted with Sanchez after theirspace flight togetherearlier this year courtesy of Bezos' Blue Origin company. O'Donnell expanded on her anti-Bezos thoughts in a post on her Substack page. Other celebrities who criticized the Bezos wedding include Oscar winner Charlize Theron, whomade a quipabout Bezos' wedding guests while hosting her annual party for the Africa Outreach Project. She told attendees: "I think we might be the only people who did not get an invite to the Bezos wedding. But that's ok because they suck and we're cool." O'Donnellmade headlinesearlier this year for revealing she fled America after the re-election of Donald Trump. She currently lives in Ireland and toldVarietyshe has no plans on returning to the U.S. until Trump is out of office. "With the current political climate, when would it be safe to come back with my child?" she asked. "I'm not going to push it before this administration is completely finished, and hopefully held accountable for their crimes." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rosie O'Donnell (@rosie) Best of Variety Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

Rosie O’Donnell Calls Out Oprah for Attending Jeff Bezos’ Wedding: ‘How Is That Possible? He Treats His Employees With Disdain… He Is Not a Nice Man’

Rosie O'Donnell Calls Out Oprah for Attending Jeff Bezos' Wedding: 'How Is That Possible? He Treats His Employees With Disdain… ...
James Gunn Says Adria Arjona Would 'Be a Great Wonder Woman'New Foto - James Gunn Says Adria Arjona Would 'Be a Great Wonder Woman'

DC Studios head James Gunn may have revealed his first choice to play Wonder Woman. In a recent interview withExtra, the "Guardians of the Galaxy" director discussed "Hit Man" star Adria Arjona and teased where he sees her fitting in to his revamped DC Universe. More from Variety Matt Reeves Finally Completes 'The Batman 2' Script James Gunn Says 'Superman' Won't Confuse Moviegoers With So Many Characters: 'Oppenheimer' Had 'Three Times as Many Speaking Roles' James Gunn Says 'I'm Irritated by People' Outraged Over 'The Batman 2' Delay: 'Get Off Matt Reeves' Nuts... He Doesn't Owe You Something Because You Like His Movie' "I follow Adria on Instagram, but everybody came out [and thought], 'He just followed her, that means she's Wonder Woman,'" Gunn shared. "She'd be a great Wonder Woman, by the way." "She was in a movie that I made seven years ago," he added. "We've been friends and have known each other since that time. I followed her then, I didn'tjustfollow her." Earlier in June, Gunn told Entertainment Weekly thata new feature film following Wonder Womanis "being written right now." He added that the movie would come in addition to an HBO series about Wonder Woman's home of Themyscira. Gunn said that the TV project is "slow moving, but it's moving." The Wonder Woman movie is only one of many feature films in development at DC Studios. "Superman," written and directed by Gunn and starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, is set to release in July. "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow" is scheduled for release in June 2026, directed by Craig Gillespie. "Clayface," a horror film and origin story of the titular Batman villain, is also in the works and set for release in September 2026. James Watkins is set to direct with a script from Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. Best of Variety Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

James Gunn Says Adria Arjona Would ‘Be a Great Wonder Woman’

James Gunn Says Adria Arjona Would 'Be a Great Wonder Woman' DC Studios head James Gunn may have revealed his first choice to play W...

 

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