News Young Sherlock Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock TV Series Gets a Mom and Dad Will there be a meet-cue with teen Watson? By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on June 25, 2024 Credit: Adrienn Szabo/Paramount+ Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Adrienn Szabo/Paramount+ Guy Ritchie is working on a television series for Prime Video centered on a teenaged Sherlock Holmes. The show, adeptly titled Young Sherlock, has already found its titular character with Hero Fiennes Tiffin (The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare), and today we found out who will be playing his parents. According to Variety, Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) has joined the cast. Fiennes is the real-life uncle of Tiffin but will be playing Sherlock’s father on the show, a man described as a “scientist, explorer and self-made businessman.” Natascha McElhone (pictured above as Dr. Halsey in Halo) is playing Cordelia Holmes, a “devoted mother, artist and matriarch of the Holmes clan.” The series is based on the books by Andy Lane. Ritchie is directing and executive producing, with Matthew Parkhill on board as writer and showrunner. Here’s the official synopsis, per Variety: Young Sherlock is an action-packed origin story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective in an explosive re-imagining of this iconic character. At age 19, Sherlock Holmes is disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever. “In Young Sherlock we’re going to see an exhilarating new version of the detective everyone thinks they know in a way they’ve never imagined before,” Ritchie said in a statement via Variety when the show was first announced. “We’re going to crack open this enigmatic character, find out what makes him tick, and learn how he becomes the genius we all love.” No news yet on when the series will make its way to Prime Video. [end-mark] The post Guy Ritchie’s <i>Young Sherlock</i> TV Series Gets a Mom and Dad appeared first on Reactor.

News I USed to Eat Brains Now I Eat Kale Ryan Gosling to Produce Zombie Comedy, I Used to Eat Brains, Now I Eat Kale His job is eat (brains) By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on June 25, 2024 Screenshot: Warner Bros. Comment 0 Share New Share Screenshot: Warner Bros. Amazon MGM Studios and Ryan Gosling’s new production company, General Admission, which he runs with partner Jessie Henderson, is diving into zombie fare. Today, The Hollywood Reporter shared that the two studios have picked up rights to a feature film based on an unpublished short story by twin brothers, Adam and Daniel Cooper. Details of the tale, which is called I Used to Eat Brains, Now I Eat Kale, are under wraps, but THR said it’s a “post-post-apocalyptic” story, where the undead have to integrate into a non-human-eating society (and likely, as the title suggests, have to eat kale instead of brain matter). The Cooper Twins, as THR calls them, have several short films under their belt and are known in Hollywood for directing and editing marketing content and trailers for many major studios. Their work has earned them Clios and Golden Trailer Awards. Things are still very much in the early days for I Used to Eat Brains; the Cooper Twins still have to pen a script from their own short story. And while Gosling is producing the movie, he’s currently not attached to star in it. There also isn’t a director attached yet. Gosling, who recently played Ken in Barbie (pictured above), has other projects on his plate in the interim. He’s currently set to star in the adaptation of Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary, which should go into production soon. No news on if/when this movie will make its way past the development stage. [end-mark] The post Ryan Gosling to Produce Zombie Comedy, <i>I Used to Eat Brains, Now I Eat Kale</i> appeared first on Reactor.

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Jeremy Story, a dad in the Austin, Texas, area, who is suing his local school board and superintendent after police arrested him for speaking out at a board meeting in 2021, has uncovered what he claims to be more evidence that bolsters his case. Round Rock Independent School District has its own police force, and school district police removed Story after he spoke at a school board meeting, raising concerns about the school superintendent facing allegations that the superintendent had assaulted and threatened a former girlfriend. Police later arrested Story on charges of hindering proceedings by disorderly conduct—though after he was released, he never faced formal charges. According to records Story obtained via the Texas Public Information Act, Superintendent Hafedh Azaiez hired two leaders of the school district police force despite failing to go through the proper appointment process. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement sent Azaiez a letter on Dec. 20, 2023, noting that he had hired Chief of Police Dennis Weiner and Assistant Chief of Police Rosemarie White without completing the full review of personnel files and other employee records. The school district had not completed a background check for White before hiring her, the commission stated. Story claims the district never went through the full process to obtain licenses for Weiner and White. “The uncovering of these licensing violations and the superintendent’s … malfeasance demonstrates a clear abuse of power,” Story told The Daily Signal in a statement Tuesday. “This lawsuit is not just about my wrongful arrest. It is about protecting the constitutional rights of all parents and community members. We must hold school boards and our public officials accountable.” “America must never become a banana republic, where district attorneys, politicians, and government bureaucrats use the criminal justice system to persecute and silence those who expose or disagree with them,” he added. Story also cited two other incidents involving the school district’s police department. Last month, Weiner parted ways with the Round Rock Independent School District and submitted a letter to Azaiez. In that letter, he alleges that the school district failed to notify police when a student suffered a sexual assault on April 12. Weiner’s letter points to broader concerns with Azaiez’s leadership of the school district police department. “Since joining the Round Rock ISD …, I have experienced numerous practices of non-reporting and delayed reporting of crimes, and interference with police operations and investigations by district staff,” he writes, noting his suspicion that Azaiez himself might be responsible. Story also highlighted a report into the “culture and climate” of the Round Rock ISD police department, which Story received in April via a public records request after appealing to the Texas Attorney General’s Office. The report, conducted by Patricia Linares at the school board’s request and resolved on Sept. 22, 2023, found that “the culture and climate are extremely negative, and there is little to no cohesiveness in the department.” The report found that staff had a “prevalent sense of favoritism” among leadership, a “fear of retaliation if someone disagrees with leadership,” and a sense that “they have ‘no voice.'” The report found that claims of “willful misconduct” on the part of Weiner had been “substantiated.” Story told The Daily Signal that these scandals bolster his case against Azaiez. “It establishes a trend of the administration, specifically Azaiez and other top administrators, interfering with and using the police force,” he said. “It refutes [the school district’s] claim in our case that their police department has no systemic or organizational cultural issues and thus my incident was just a one-time ‘mistake’ they can’t be held accountable for.” “It shows when it suits Azaiez’s purposes he is willing to ignore requirements and look the other way,” Story added. Anne Drabicky, chief of public affairs and communications at the school district, declined to respond to concerns about the “culture and climate” report and also declined to comment on Story’s claims regarding the lawsuit. She did, however, dispute Weiner’s claim that he experienced non-reporting and delayed reporting of crimes, and interference with police operations. “This is inaccurate,” Drabicky told The Daily Signal. Mary Nix, a lawyer who represents Azaiez, did not immediately respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment. What Happened to This Texas Dad? The case dates back to Sept. 17, 2021, when police arrested Story on a misdemeanor charge of hindering proceedings by disorderly conduct. That charge related to Aug. 16, 2021, when Story raised concerns at a school board meeting about Azaiez, who at the time faced allegations of family violence in an application for a protective order sought by a former girlfriend against him (redacted version available here). According to publicly available footage of the meeting, Amy Weir, then president of the Round Rock Independent School District Board of Trustees, warned Story not to speak about “something other than” items on the meeting’s agenda. Story responded: “I will show you how what I’m about to comment on is related to that.” Weir twice interrupted Story, saying, “No, I do not want you to demonstrate.” However, she agreed to let him speak. Yet as soon as Story said, “Our superintendent has a protective order,” Weir nodded to Round Rock school district police officers, who escorted Story out of the building. Story argues that Weir was intending to silence him. Weir categorically denied that claim. Weir told Fox News, “There has never been an attempt to silence Mr. Story.” Following normal procedure, she said, Story wrote on a card indicating what he would say in the meeting, and he wrote that “unlike the board, citizens are not required to speak on items on the agenda,” indicating that “he was planning to speak on a topic not listed for the meeting.” Story filed a grievance with the school board on Sept. 4, 2021. The board noted it as “filed” on Sept. 16, the day before police arrested Story. The board rejected the claim more than a year later. Jeremy Story (@jeremywstory) got escorted out of a school board meeting in Aug 2021 & filed a grievance with the district in Sept. A few days later, he got arrested. Last week, the school board finally agreed to hear his grievance, and then this happened. https://t.co/yfGcRjqksZ pic.twitter.com/xpNAZ42vRQ— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) October 18, 2022 In a Sept. 14, 2021, school board meeting, the district set up 18 chairs in a room that accommodated 300 people and prevented members of the public from entering. The school board passed a tax increase at that meeting. Police prevented Story from entering that school board meeting. According to Story, the school district police forcibly held him back and injured him. The Lawsuit Story filed a lawsuit against Azaiez, the district, five of the seven trustees on the school board, and police officers. Last July, U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra upheld many of Story’s claims, allowing his lawsuit to proceed. Ezra rejected motions to dismiss claims that the school board violated Story’s First Amendment rights by limiting seating capacity in one school board meeting, by retaliating against him for engaging in constitutionally protected speech, and by barring him from a meeting that was open to public participation. The judge also upheld Story’s claim that police violated his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable seizure and false arrest. He upheld Story’s claim that the school board president violated his right to equal protection of law under the 14th Amendment, and that school officials violated the Texas Open Meetings Act. The Protective Order Story referenced a “protective order” to discuss the claims of a woman who identified herself as Azaiez’s girlfriend from September 2018 to December 2020 and then from February to June 2021. In her application for a protective order, the woman claimed that when she told Azaiez that she was pregnant with his child, he demanded that she get an abortion. When she refused, she said, he assaulted her in her home, which put her in danger of miscarrying. The woman also claimed that she overheard Azaiez “plotting” with Weir about hiding certain things from other school board members. In a text message chain about the situation included in the application for the protective order, Azaiez wrote: “For the last time, I am telling you, please get an abortion; you don’t know what you are getting yourself into. I will make you pay this; you will not make me lose everything. … Don’t make me go after you and make you pay the consequences for you and this baby.” Nix, the lawyer representing Azaiez, noted that “all applications for protective orders, including the one to which you refer, contain ‘allegations’ which are unproven and are not ‘facts.’” The school board temporarily suspended Azaiez in 2022 amid a Texas Education Association investigation into the family violence allegations. Investigator Ann Dixon wrote an independent report into Azaiez. Dixon previously told The Daily Signal she stood by her findings and her conclusion, which noted “the divisiveness created in the community by Dr. Azaiez’s behavior and the lack of Dr. Azaiez to be forthcoming” in stating that, in her opinion, he “could not come back into his position and be effective.” Even so, he remains the superintendent since his reinstatement in March 2022. What’s Next? Story told The Daily Signal that Ezra referenced a recent Supreme Court decision in the last hearing regarding Story’s case. In Gonzalez v. Trevino, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Sylvia Gonzalez, a Texas city council member, could sue for retaliatory arrest after authorities arrested her on what she called a “sham charge” in apparent retaliation for gathering signatures to remove the city manager. A lower court ruled that Gonzalez could not sue for retaliatory arrest because authorities had probable cause to suspect she had violated the law. The Supreme Court ruled that the existence of probable cause does not by itself invalidate a legal claim involving retaliatory arrest. According to Story, Ezra “expressed a desire to expedite proceedings, citing the recent Supreme Court ruling in Gonzalez v. Trevino, which supports claims of retaliatory arrest even when probable cause exists.” “This ruling is pivotal for Story’s case, reinforcing the protection of free speech and Fourth Amendment rights against retaliatory actions by government officials,” Story wrote in a news release. It remains unclear when the case will proceed to trial. The post EXCLUSIVE: Texas Dad Arrested for Speaking Up at School Board Meeting Uncovers Evidence of Superintendent’s Malfeasance appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The topic of infertility has received unprecedented attention in national politics since February, when the Alabama Supreme Court held that for the purposes of the state’s wrongful death of a minor statute, frozen embryos are considered persons. Until now, Congress has focused primarily on in vitro fertilization—where egg and sperm are combined to create an embryo in a lab. For many couples, however, one or both persons have suffered many years with reproductive health conditions, which are the leading cause of infertility. On June 13, Republican Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi and James Lankford of Oklahoma introduced the Reproductive Empowerment and Support Through Optimal Restoration Act, which aims to ensure that women (and their doctors) have the tools they need to understand their reproductive health conditions. The RESTORE Act offers a dual approach to reproductive health care in the United States. First, given the lack of research and information about restorative reproductive medicine treatments, the legislation directs the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health to conduct research and provide ongoing reports on the use and effectiveness of restorative reproductive medicine to treat reproductive health conditions and infertility. Second, the RESTORE Act would expand existing grant eligibility under Title X and the HHS Office of Population Affairs to medical students and practitioners who are interested in—or already practice—restorative reproductive medicine. Such grants often exclude or fail to offer medical professionals’ adequate access to training and resources on how to diagnose and treat reproductive health conditions and infertility. Restorative reproductive medicine is an umbrella term that refers to any medical treatments that aim to identify, diagnose, and treat the underlying causes of infertility. Infertility is not a disease in and of itself, but rather, one symptom of reproductive health conditions. Restorative reproductive medicine treats endometriosis, adenomyosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine fibroids, blocked fallopian tubes, hormone imbalances, low sperm count, and low sperm motility. Typically, a couple’s infertility is the result of four or more of these overlapping conditions. The Restore Act is important because the state of restorative reproductive medicine in America today is dismal. Right now, it takes an average of 6 to 12 years for a woman to receive a diagnosis for endometriosis, one of the leading causes of infertility in the United States. Polycystic ovary syndrome affects about 15% of all women and a much higher percentage of women with a diagnosis of infertility. These women are often prescribed oral contraceptives that suppress, rather than heal, the disease. Similarly, researchers estimate that 1 in 4 women with a diagnosis of infertility have blocked fallopian tubes, rendering it difficult or impossible to conceive and gestate a child. These are only three of the most common conditions, and yet, few women (or men) are even aware of them, much less empowered with the tools that they need to understand and treat these reproductive health conditions. It’s time for that to change. Restorative reproductive medicine shouldn’t be a partisan issue. In the post-Dobbs abortion landscape, the RESTORE Act represents a rare opportunity for Republicans and Democrats to work together to support women and the babies they are eager to bring into the world. Editor’s note disclaimer: The author co-wrote model legislation on which the bill mentioned is loosely based. The post Women’s Reproductive Health Shouldn’t Be a Partisan Issue appeared first on The Daily Signal.

'Circumstances Have Now Changed': Merchan Partially Lifts Gag Order on Trump

The AP's Analysis of This Week's Debate is Really... Something

At first glance, hyraxes might be mistaken for rodents, given their size, shape, and continuously growing incisors. Their small, furry bodies and nimble movements contribute to this misconception. However, the surprising truth is that hyraxes are more closely related to elephants and sea cows than to rodents. This connection might seem odd, but it’s a... The post Adorable critter that looks like a ‘furry potato’ is an evolutionary marvel appeared first on Animal Channel.

It was a quiet day in Monrovia, California, until Tina Herzog discovered an unexpected visitor had taken up residence in her crawl space. This visitor wasn’t a stray cat or a raccoon but a full-grown bear. This particular bear, known affectionately by locals as Samson, had decided that Tina’s cozy crawl space was the perfect... The post Woman finds bear living under her home and schemes clever way to evict him appeared first on Animal Channel.

Monday June 24, 2024 marked the two year anniversary of the Dobbs decision when the Supreme Court of the United States decided to overturn Roe v. Wade. On Monday, both pro-lifers and pro-aborts gathered in front of the Court to share their opinions. The pro-aborts, in partnership with the Women’s March, put on an event called DC Women’s Strike. They demanded that abortion was part of "reproduction" and "healthcare." MRCTV spoke to some attendees. They insisted that those who thought abortion was murder, who know that life begins at conception and who care about both babies and their moms are the ignorant ones. On the other side, pro-lifers emphasized that there are two-lives at stake when it comes to abortion and that both need to be loved, protected and respected. It was rather comical to see the pro-aborts get caught up in their words and confused when challenged. It really seems that they’re just walking bumper stickers with no actual knowledge of what happens during an abortion but, what’s new!? Check out the video!

Congressional representatives working on the future of social media regulations have seemed completely oblivious to the groundswell of support for protecting free speech on the internet. Media Research Center Vice President of Free Speech America Dan Schneider has issued a call for them to wake them up.  In an exclusive Op-Ed for The Washington Times published Monday, Schneider called out House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and House Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) for not prioritizing the free speech rights of Americans. The two presided over a May 23 hearing on Section 230 that ignored free speech concerns and featured three pro-censorship witnesses. These included the Executive Director of an organization funded by Big Tech giant Google and a plaintiff’s lawyer. Finally, the committee heard from Organization for Social Media Safety CEO Marc Berkman, a former Democratic staffer who shamelessly belittled the concerns of any members who did speak up for free speech.  In this article, Schneider covers the state and future of the battle for free speech in Congress and across the nation from the perspective of a participant who has fought and testified to defend the right to free speech. A link to the article can be found here.