Broadcast legend and ‘king of talk’ Larry King dies at 87

WASHINGTON—Larry King, who quizzed thousands of world leaders, politicians and entertainers for CNN and other news outlets in a career spanning more than 6 decades, has died at age 87, CNN reported on Saturday, citing a source close to the family.

King had been hospitalized in Los Angeles with a COVID-19 infection, according to several media reports. He had endured health problems for many years, including a near-fatal stroke in 2019 and diabetes.

He had been hospitalized at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for more than a week, CNN reported.

King's official Twitter account also confirmed the development.

Millions watched King interview world leaders, entertainers and other celebrities on CNN's "Larry King Live", which ran from 1985 to 2010.

Hunched over his desk in rolled-up shirt sleeves and owlish glasses, he made his show one of the network's prime attractions with a mix of interviews, political discussions, current event debates and phone calls from viewers.

Even in his heyday, critics accused King of doing little pre-interview research and tossing softball questions to guests who were free to give unchallenged, self-promoting answers. He responded by conceding he did not do much research so that he could learn along with his viewers. Besides, King said, he never wanted to be perceived as a journalist.

"My duty, as I see it, is I'm a conduit," King told the Hartford Courant in 2007.

“I ask the best questions I can. I listen to the answers. I try to follow up. And hopefully the audience makes a conclusion. I'm not there to make a conclusion. I'm not a soapbox talk-show host.

“So what I try to do is present someone in the best light."

PRESIDENTS AND PRIME MINISTERS

King's guests included U.S. presidents dating back to Gerald Ford, international leaders such as PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, and entertainers ranging from Bob Hope to Snoop Dogg.

King never hid his old-fashioned proclivities and liked to reminisce about performers such as Frank Sinatra and Arthur Godfrey. In 2006 he admitted to a guest that he had never searched the internet, saying: “What do you do, punch little buttons and things?"

But by 2012 King was on the internet himself with his "Larry King Now" show on Ora TV, and later Hulu's streaming service.

He also was a regular presence on Twitter, promoting his interviews and tossing out random thoughts - "I have no desire to eat an artichoke," "My favorite flavor of Jell-O is lime" and "I love to say 'sacre bleu!'" — in what was essentially an online version of the column he had once written for USA Today.

King was an established radio talk-show host when he made his first television broadcast for CNN from Washington on June 3, 1985, five years after Ted Turner started the network.

"Larry King Live" would become one of CNN's highest-rated shows. He left CNN amid falling ratings in 2010 after 25 years with the news network, but stayed busy with his Ora TV show.

"I've known a lot of people who were experts in six or 12 things but Larry seems to be an expert in everything," Don Hewitt, creator of "60 Minutes", told the Hollywood Reporter.

"He's also never confrontational, which is majorly important. In an age when so many people are miserable, he seems to be one of the happy ones."

MIAMI RADIO BEGINNINGS

King was born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger on Nov. 19, 1933, in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. He said at age 5 he knew he wanted to be on the radio and in 1957 he moved to Miami, which he had been told had a burgeoning radio market.

King started doing odd jobs at a Miami station and one day was asked to fill in for an announcer who walked off the job. Before he went on the air, the station manager urged him to change his last name to King because it was easier to pronounce and less ethnic than Zeiger.

King became a fixture in Miami but as his reputation grew, so did his troubles.

In 1971 he was arrested on a grand larceny complaint filed by Miami financier Lou Wolfson, who had been in trouble with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Wolfson allegedly paid King in hopes of gaining influence on the administration of then-U.S. President Richard Nixon.

The charge against King was dropped because the statute of limitations had expired, but the scandal knocked him off the air for some three years. He did public relations work for a Louisiana racetrack until station WIOD in Miami hired him.

King rebounded and the Mutual radio network gave him a nationwide audience in 1978. He relocated to Washington, a move that led to the CNN job.

He suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery in 1987, prompting him to start the Larry King Cardiac Foundation a year later. He had surgery in 2007 to clear a blocked artery, was treated for prostate cancer in 2010 and said in 2017 that he had been treated for lung cancer.

King was married eight times to seven women, most recently to singer Shawn Southwick, who was 26 years younger. He had five children, two of whom died in 2020. (Reporting by Susan Heavey, Scott Malone and Bill Trott; Editing by Dave Gregorio, Rosalba O'Brien and Alex Richardson)

-reuters-

WATCH: CNN's Anderson Cooper reveals he's a father

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper has finally become a father after welcoming his first child, Wyatt Morgan, via surrogate.

He made the announcement on Thursday (US time) while on air, saying his son was born three days ago, weighing 7.2 pounds.

"On Monday, I became a father. I've never actually said that before out loud and it still kinds of astonishes me. I'm a dad. I have a son, and I want you to meet him," he said.

Cooper continued: "This is Wyatt Cooper. He is three days old. He's named after my dad who died when I was 10 years old. I hope I can be as good a dad as he was. My son's middle name is Morgan, which is a family name on my mom's side. I know my mom and dad like the name Morgan because while I was going through her things recently, I found a list they'd made 52 years ago when they were trying to think of names for me. Morgan was on the list. So that's Wyatt Morgan Cooper, my son."




Cooper went on to share photos of his son, describing him as "sweet, and soft, and healthy."

He also took the opportunity to thank the surrogate who carried Wyatt, as well as the doctors and nurses involved in his son's birth.

"As a gay kid, I never thought it would be possible to have a child, and I'm so grateful for all those who paved the way," he said.

"I do wish that my mom and dad and my brother, Carter, were alive to meet Wyatt, but I'd like to believe they can see him. I imagine them all together, arms around each other, smiling and laughing and watching, looking down on us, happy to know that their love is alive in me and in Wyatt, and that our family continues. New life and new love," he ended.

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CNN offices evacuated after bomb threat, says network

NEW YORK - CNN's New York offices were evacuated Thursday night after a bomb threat, the network said, recalling a similar evacuation in October after an explosive device was discovered.

Fire alarm bells rang inside the newsroom to signal an evacuation shortly after 10:30 pm, CNN said on its website, as the network went to pre-taped programing.

An hour later the network was broadcasting from Skype.

"People just tuning in wondering why you're seeing me on Skype, why there's such technical difficulties, it's because we have been taken off the air because a bomb threat was called in to CNN," said host Don Lemon.

"We were evacuated and we know as much as you do."

"Due to a police investigation at Columbus Circle, West 58th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue is closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic," the New York Police Department tweeted, referring to the address of the news organization's offices. "Please avoid this area. Update to follow."

The bureau was previously evacuated in October after a package with an explosive device was discovered.

ia/dw

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CNN sues White House over revoked credentials of correspondent Reuters

WASHINGTON - CNN filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the Trump administration over the revocation of press credentials for White House correspondent Jim Acosta, whose questions and reporting have been a frequent target of criticism by President Donald Trump.

"We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process," CNN said in a statement. "While the suit is specific to CNN and Acosta, this could have happened to anyone. If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials."

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Robert De Niro urges Americans to vote after bomb plot

Actor Robert De Niro, one of the intended targets of a bomb plot and an outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump, urged Americans on Friday to get out and vote.

"I thank God no one's been hurt, and I thank the brave and resourceful security and law enforcement people for protecting us," De Niro said in a brief statement.

"There's something more powerful than bombs, and that's your vote," the 75-year-old Hollywood star said. "People MUST vote."

The United States is to hold mid-term elections on November 6.

US law enforcement is engaged in a frantic search for the person or persons who sent explosive devices in the mail to De Niro and other people.

Since Monday, crude homemade bombs have been addressed to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, the CNN television network, liberal billionaire donor George Soros and other figures loathed by Trump's supporters.

Packages have been intercepted in New York, Maryland, Florida, Delaware and Los Angeles. So far, no one has been hurt, but the bomb spree has frayed nerves and raised tensions ahead of mid-term elections in less than two weeks.

A suspected explosive device was sent to double Oscar-winner De Niro at his Tribeca Productions company in New York.

De Niro has been a frequent critic of Trump and used an expletive to condemn the president at the televised Tony Awards last June, receiving a standing ovation.

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Manhunt under way after bombs sent to US Democrats, Trump critics

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK - Another suspected bomb was found in New York City on Thursday morning as a manhunt was under way for a serial bomber targeting high-profile Democrats and CNN, less than two weeks ahead of elections that could alter the U.S. political landscape.

The latest device was addressed to actor Robert De Niro, according to CNN.

None of the eight devices went off and no injuries were reported, but some top Democrats called the threats a symptom of a coarsening brand of political rhetoric promoted by President Donald Trump, who also condemned the acts.

All the targets are frequently maligned by right-wing critics, including former U.S. President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder.

Former CIA Director John Brennan, prominent Democratic Party donor George Soros and California Representative Maxine Waters, an outspoken critic of Trump, were also targets.

On Thursday morning, the New York City bomb squad removed a suspicious package addressed to De Niro and similar to the other bombs, CNN reported. After the Oscar-winning actor's expletive-laden attack on the president at the Tony Awards in June, Trump called him a "very low IQ individual."

The bomb packages were sent as the nation prepares for Nov. 6 elections that will decide whether Democrats take control of one or both houses of Congress from Republicans and deny Trump the majority his party now holds in both.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

An FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies "will continue to work to identity and arrest whosoever is responsible for sending these packages," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.

Several politicians, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, described it as an act of terrorism.

Investigators were trying to track down another suspicious parcel they believe was addressed to Obama's vice president, Joe Biden, a federal official told Reuters late on Wednesday.

The CNN bureau in New York received a package addressed to Brennan, who has appeared as an on-air CNN analyst, leading police to evacuate the Time Warner building in a busy Manhattan neighborhood near Central Park.

The package contained an envelope of white powder that experts were analyzing, Police Commissioner James O'Neill said.

Trump told a political rally in Wisconsin on Wednesday his government would conduct "an aggressive investigation."

"Any acts or threats of political violence are an attack on our democracy itself," Trump said. "We want all sides to come together in peace and harmony."

He also said the media had a responsibility "to stop the endless hostility and constant negative and oftentimes false attacks and stories."

Last week, Trump, who has joined other Republicans in accusing Democrats of encouraging "mob" tactics, heaped praise on a Montana congressman who assaulted a reporter in 2017.

At an event in Texas on Wednesday, Brennan faulted Trump for frequent inflammatory rhetoric.

MANILA ENVELOPES

The first package, which turned up on Monday, was addressed to Soros, the billionaire financier and advocate of liberal, open-border values who is a frequent target of right-wing conspiracy theories.

The parcel intended for Holder ended up rerouted to the return address printed on all the packages - the Florida office of U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who formerly chaired the Democratic National Committee, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The FBI said late on Wednesday it had confirmed that two additional packages, similar in appearance to the others, were addressed to Waters.

An FBI statement said the other packages consisted of a manila envelope with a bubble-wrap interior containing "potentially destructive devices". Each bore a computer-printed address label and six "Forever" postage stamps.

Other officials said the devices contained in the envelopes were all similar to one found in the mailbox of the Soros home and later detonated by police. At least one bomb was packed with shards of glass, one federal source said.

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US probes pipe bombs sent to Trump foes Obama, Clinton, CNN

NEW YORK/MOSINEE - US authorities pressed ahead Thursday with an all-out probe into who was behind pipe bombs sent to former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, other top Democrats, and CNN, all of them hate figures for supporters of President Donald Trump.

Trump critics accused him of encouraging violence just days before a bitterly divided America votes November 6 in midterm elections.

Trump reacted to the rapid fire spate of bomb alerts by first calling for unity, but then reverting to attacking the media and its "endless hostility."

CNN is known for its often critical coverage of the Trump administration and has constantly provoked the ire of the president, who succeeded Obama and defeated Clinton in 2016.

The spree began Monday with a device at the New York home of billionaire liberal donor George Soros. "So far the devices have been what appear to be pipe bombs," said FBI agent Bryan Paarmann.

"Whether it's one person or a network, not really sure at this point," New York police chief James O'Neill told CNN, saying he expected those responsible to be identified and arrested within the next few days.

At least seven suspicious packages were sent in New York, Washington and Florida, including to prominent African American Democrats, Obama's attorney general Eric Holder and Maxine Waters, a California lawmaker.

Late Wednesday, police in Los Angeles said another suspicious package had been found at a mail facility, also addressed to Waters. Bomb disposal experts rendered it safe, authorities said. 

The packages were sent in manila envelopes with bubble wrap, marked with computer-printed address labels. Each listed Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, as the sender.

The return address included misspellings of Wasserman Schultz's last name, the Miami Herald and other news outlets reported.

A photo of the device sent to CNN showed it to be a short length of pipe wrapped in black tape, with wires sticking out of either end.

From the White House, Trump initially appealed for unity, saying "acts of political violence" have "no place in the United States."

"Those engaged in the political arena must stop treating political opponents as being morally defective," he later told a campaign rally in Wisconsin, before switching his criticism back to the media.


'FALSE ATTACKS AND STORIES'

"The media also has a responsibility to set a civil tone and stop the endless hostility and constant negative and often times false attacks and stories," he added. "They've got to stop."

#MAGABomber trended as users flooded Twitter with accusations that Trump had incited the attempted attacks and highlighting the toxic remarks he has leveled against the targets in the past.

Liberal and left-wing critics accuse his rhetoric-laden "Make America Great Again" presidency of emboldening right-wing extremists. He has endorsed the body-slamming of a reporter and denounces critical press.

"There is a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media," said CNN president Jeff Zucker.

"Words matter. Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that."

CNN evacuated its New York bureau after the pipe bomb was found in the mailroom together with an envelope containing white powder. A bomb squad secured the device, police said.

The packaging was addressed care of CNN to former CIA director John Brennan, who has appeared on the channel as a guest and is perhaps Trump's toughest critic from the national security community.

The Secret Service intercepted the package addressed to Clinton at the home she shares with her husband, former president Bill Clinton, north of Manhattan on Tuesday, and a second package addressed to Obama's Washington home on Wednesday.

There has been no claim of responsibility and no one was yet known to have been arrested.

Top Democrat lawmakers Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer accused Trump of condoning "physical violence and dividing Americans."

 'EFFORT TO TERRORIZE'

"It's a time of deep divisions, and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together," said Clinton, who has remained an outspoken political force despite her stunning loss to Trump in 2016.

In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned "an effort to terrorize," saying an "atmosphere of hatred is contributing to the choices people are making." 

The Secret Service said the packages were "identified during routine mail screening procedures" and that neither Clinton or Obama were ever at risk of receiving them.

Republican lawmakers followed the White House in issuing condemnations, just over a year after a shooter angry about Trump shot four people at a congressional baseball practice near Washington.

"Violence and terror have no place in our politics or anywhere else," tweeted senior Republican lawmaker Steve Scalise, who was seriously injured at the baseball practice in June 2017.

The top Republican lawmaker, Mitch McConnell, slammed "attempted acts of domestic terrorism."

Soros, the target of the first device, has long been a hate figure for right-wing groups and lives in Bedford, New York, not far from the Clintons.

The 88-year-old is one of the world's richest men and supported Clinton in 2016. He has been accused by nationalists of sponsoring protests and seeking to push a liberal, multicultural agenda.

Trump has accused Soros of paying demonstrators opposed to Brett Kavanaugh, whose nomination to the Supreme Court was almost derailed after he was accused of attempted rape as a teenager.

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Anthony Bourdain dead at 61, CNN says

US celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, host of CNN's food-and-travel-focused "Parts Unknown" television series, has died at the age of 61, the network said on Friday.

Bourdain hanged himself, CNN said. 

He was found dead in a hotel room in Strasbourg, France, where he had been working on an upcoming episode of his program, CNN added.

Bourdain's death was the second suicide this week of a high-profile American figure. 

Designer Kate Spade, who built a fashion empire on her signature handbags, was found dead in her New York apartment of suicide on Tuesday.

Bourdain visited the Philippines twice for his show, “Parts Unknown.”


He first visited Manila in 2016 and returned last year to recruit food vendors who could be part of his street food market in New York.

The celebrity chef was known to be a fan of Filipino food, including lechon, and sisig.

Suicide rates rose in nearly every US state from 1999 to 2016, according to figures released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday.

Editor's note:

A group in the Philippines is dedicated to addressing those who have suicidal tendencies.

The crisis hotlines of the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation aim to make these individuals feel that someone is ready to listen to them.

These are their hotline numbers:

Information and Crisis Intervention Center

(02) 804-HOPE (4673)
0917-558-HOPE (4673) or (632) 211-4550
0917-852-HOPE (4673) or (632) 964-6876
0917-842-HOPE (4673) or (632) 964-4084

In Touch Crisis Lines:

(02) 893-7603 (24/7)
Globe (63917) 800.1123 (24/7)
Sun (63922) 893.8944 (24/7)


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Bill Gates: Billionaires should pay 'significantly' more taxes

WASHINGTON - Bill Gates says he has paid more than $10 billion in taxes over a lifetime but billionaires like him should pay "significantly" more because they benefit more from the system.

The Microsoft co-founder, the world's second richest man after Amazon's Jeff Bezos, was critical of a recent US tax overhaul that slashed corporate taxes and lowered the top bracket for individual income.

"I've paid more taxes, over $10 billion, than anyone else, but the government should require the people in my position to pay significantly higher taxes," he said in an interview Sunday with CNN.

He said the tax overhaul passed in December favors the rich despite Republican claims it will help the middle and working classes.

"People who are wealthier tended to get dramatically more benefits than the middle class or those who are poor, and so it runs counter to the general trend you'd like to see, where the safety net is getting stronger and those at the top are paying higher taxes," he said.

With a sixth of the US population living in what he called "disappointing" conditions, he said US policymakers need to think about rising inequality and ask, "Why aren't we doing a better job for those people?"

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US probe looking at Kushner foreign business contacts: report

WASHINGTON - Special counsel Robert Mueller is probing Jared Kushner's efforts to get foreign investors beyond Russia to provide financing for his company during the presidential transition, including in China, CNN reported Monday.

The probe was previously only said to have focused on the Russia contacts of President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son in law, only with the campaign's data analytics and Kushner's ties with disgraced ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Mueller's team is probing Kushner's conversations during the presidential transition to get financing for the Kushner Companies-backed 666 Fifth Avenue office building in New York after financial setbacks, CNN said, citing people familiar with the investigation.

Kushner's father founded the real estate developer and lender.

CNN said Mueller's investigators have yet to contact Kushner Companies or request interviews with its executives, and the reasons behind the focus on the outreach to foreign investors are unclear.

Kushner played a leading role in the presidential transition team's contacts with foreign governments, and has indicated he spoke during that time with more than 50 contacts from over 15 countries.

One week after Trump's November 8, 2016 election, Kushner met with the chairman and other executives from the Chinese group Anbang Insurance, The New York Times has reported.

Kushner and Anbang chairman Wu Xiaohui were close to finishing a deal for the Chinese conglomerate to invest in 666 Fifth Avenue.

But the talks broke down, the Times said.

Other business dealings targeted by Mueller include negotiations on the same property with Qatar's former prime minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, according to The Intercept. But that deal also failed.

Kushner purchased the building in 2007 for $1.8 billion in a mostly debt deal, but the housing crisis triggered financial setbacks for 666 Fifth Avenue, leading Vornado Realty Trust to take a 49.5 percent stake in 2011.

"In all of Mr Kushner's extensive cooperation with all inquiries, there has not been a single question asked nor document sought on the 666 building or Kushner Co. deals," Kushner attorney Abbe Lowell told CNN.

"Nor would there be any reason to question these regular business transactions."

Kushner also met Sergey Gorkov, chairman of Russian state-run Vnesheconombank, during the transition, but he testified in Congress that the meeting was only for official government purposes. 

However, the bank has said the talks were part of a series of business meetings. And The Washington Post has reported that Mueller is probing that meeting as well.

oh/mdl

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Trump's ex-aide Bannon strikes deal to avoid grand jury testimony: CNN

WASHINGTON—Former White House strategist Steve Bannon has struck a deal to be interviewed by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team rather than appearing before a grand jury, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing sources close to Bannon.

Bannon had been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury in Mueller's probe of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and any ties with President Donald Trump's campaign, according to a person familiar with the matter.

A spokesman for Mueller declined to comment on the CNN report. A lawyer who represented Bannon in an appearance before the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee on Tuesday could not be immediately reached.

Bannon was a close adviser during Trump's campaign and in his first months in office, but he was fired from his White House job in August as the president sought to bring more order to his staff operations.

Earlier this month, Trump attacked Bannon for comments he made to the author of a book highly critical of the president and his family. They included scathing remarks about Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, for meeting during the campaign with a Russian lawyer who was said to have damaging information on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Mueller is investigating allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 campaign to try to tip the vote in Trump's favor, as well as any potential collusion by Trump's campaign with Moscow. Russia denies any attempt to interfere and Trump has denied any collusion.

According to a person familiar with the arrangement, the attorney who represented Bannon for Tuesday's House appearance, William Burck, is not representing him in connection with Mueller's investigation. The person did not believe Bannon had hired a counsel for that yet. (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Additional reporting by Karen Freifeld; Writing by Tim Ahmann; Editing by Frances Kerry)

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CBS, BBC announce global newsgathering tie-up

WASHINGTON - CBS News and the BBC on Thursday announced a new editorial and newsgathering partnership that aims to boost their global strength against rivals such as CNN.

The US and British television news giants will share video, editorial content, and other resources in New York, London, Washington and around the world, according to a joint statement.

"There's never been a more important time for smart, courageous coverage of what's happening in the world," said James Harding, the BBC's director of news and current affairs.

"This new partnership between the BBC and CBS News is designed to bring our audiences -- wherever you live, whatever your point of view -- news that is reliable, original and illuminating. Our ambition is to deliver the best in international reporting on television."

The deal brings together two major television news organizations and comes weeks after US-based NBC finalized a deal to take a 25 percent stake in France-based Euronews to boost its global scale.

CBS News president David Rhodes said his organization "is completely committed to original reporting around the world -- a commitment clearly shared by the BBC."

He added, "There's no better partner to strengthen and extend our global coverage than BBC News."

The two groups sharing of content between CBS News and BBC News will begin immediately and that additional newsgathering elements would be rolled out in the coming months.

BBC News claims to be the largest broadcast news operation in the world with more than 2,000 journalists and 48 newsgathering bureaus, according to its website.

CBS News is part of the large CBS television network with offices around the United States and a handful of overseas locations.

This new partnership replaces the BBC’s current arrangement with Disney-owned ABC News, according to Harding who called that relationship "long and fruitful."

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'True Blood' actor Nelsan Ellis dead at 39

WASHINGTON -- Nelsan Ellis, an actor best known for his role in the vampire series "True Blood," has died. He was 39 years old.

The actor died following complications from heart failure, his manager told CNN.

His portrayal of Lafayette, a gay cook and medium, helped him spring onto the acting scene after his character became a favorite of fans of the HBO drama, which ran from 2008 to 2014.

"We were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis," the HBO network said in a statement Saturday. "Nelsan was a long-time member of the HBO family whose groundbreaking portrayal of Lafayette will be remembered fondly within the overall legacy of True Blood."

"Nelsan will be dearly missed by his fans and all of us at HBO."

As news of his death spread many fans posted a clip from the show where Ellis's character bursts out of his restaurant kitchen to confront a table of homophobic diners.

An alumnus of New York's prestigious Juilliard performing arts conservatory, Ellis's credits include silver screen appearances in 2009's "The Soloist" as well as 2011's Oscar-award winning film "The Help."

"My heart breaks for his kids and his family," wrote his co-star in that film Octavia Spencer in an Instagram post. "He was sooooo funny. I miss him."

The Illinois native also depicted Martin Luther King Jr. in "The Butler," released in 2013.

"True Blood" co-star Joe Manganiello took to Twitter to pay tribute to the late actor: "Crushed today by the loss of my friend and castmate Nelsan Ellis."

"He was a wonderful person, a pioneer, and a one of a kind artist."

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Solenn gets her makeup 'payback,' transforms husband Nico into a woman

Solenn Heussaff got her "payback" for the botched makeup job her husband Nico Bolzico did on her early this month by uploading a video, in which she transformed him into a woman. 

Convinced that Bolzico is the long-lost brother of CNN anchor Natalie Allen, Heussaff made it her mission to prove this to their fans. 

The result, however, is less Allen, and more the Wayans brothers in "White Chicks" when they went undercover as blond, blue-eyed hotel heiresses in the movie, by Heussaff's own admission.

Still, it was hilarious to see Bolzico struggle to go through with the whole gag, saying that he has a reputation to keep in Argentina. 

"I can just imagine my friends watching this video. My image is done," he said.

Heussaff also seems pretty satisfied with the lessons she managed to teach her hubby, writing: "If in the last video I wanted him to understand why girls take so long to get ready every day, and to appreciate what we do, here I wanted him to actually EXPERIENCE the process for himself."

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Russian hackers 'planted false story' behind Mideast crisis

WASHINGTON - US intelligence officials believe Russian hackers planted a false news story that led Saudi Arabia and several allies to sever relations with Qatar, prompting a diplomatic crisis, CNN reported Tuesday.

Qatar minister calls for calm as diplomatic crisis spirals

FBI experts visited Qatar in late May to analyze an alleged cyber breach that saw the hackers place the fake story with Qatar's state news agency, the US broadcaster said.

Saudi Arabia then cited the false item as part of its reason for instituting a diplomatic and economic blockade against Qatar, the report said.

Qatar's government said the May 23 news report attributed false remarks to the emirate's ruler that appeared friendly to Iran and Israel, and questioned whether US President Donald Trump would last in office, according to CNN.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told the broadcaster that the FBI has confirmed the hack and the planting of fake news.

"Whatever has been thrown as an accusation is all based on misinformation and we think that the entire crisis is being based on misinformation," he told CNN.

"It was started based on fabricated news, being wedged and being inserted in our national news agency, which was hacked and proved by the FBI," he added.

If accurate, the allegations would indicate Russian efforts to undermine US foreign policy, building on US intelligence concerns that Russian hackers attempted to influence last year's presidential election, won by Trump. The Kremlin denies meddling.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain announced Monday they were severing diplomatic relations and closing air, sea and land links with Qatar.

They accused the tiny Gulf state of harboring extremist groups and suggested Qatari support for the agenda of Saudi Arabia's regional archrival Iran. Qatar has strenuously denied the allegations.

Although Qatar hosts the largest American military airbase in the Middle East, Trump threw his weight behind the Saudi-led effort to isolate the emirate in a surprise move on Tuesday.

He suggested Qatar was funding extremism.

"So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off," he tweeted in reference to his trip to Riyadh last month.

"They said they would take a hard line on funding... extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!"

The CNN report quoted the Qatari government communications office as saying it was working with the FBI and Britain's National Crime Agency on an ongoing hacking investigation.

adm/grf

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Colorful U.S. sports broadcaster Craig Sager dies at 65

Dapper U.S. television sports broadcaster Craig Sager, who donned flamboyant outfits as he interviewed coaches and players during decades as an NBA sideline reporter and resolutely worked even as he underwent treatment for leukemia, has died at age 65, Turner Sports said on Thursday.

Sager covered an array of sports events, including the Olympics, but was most closely associated with National Basketball Association broadcasts.

While working for Turner Sports, Sager conducted sideline interviews for a quarter of a century with NBA stars including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry and coaches like Gregg Popovich clad in a collection of colorful clothing.

He was diagnosed in 2014 with acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, and underwent bone marrow transplants and chemotherapy. The treatment forced him to miss the 2014-15 NBA season but he returned to work after getting a bone marrow transplant from his son, Craig Jr.

Sager disclosed in March that his cancer had returned and that doctors had told him he had just months to live. He continued to work through the NBA playoffs, including the finals between the eventual champion Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors in June, while undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

"If I didn't do this, I'd just be sitting in some hospital bed somewhere hooked up to some IVs, slowly withering away," Sager told GQ magazine in May. "This keeps me going. This keeps me energized. It gives me hope."

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called Sager "as vital to the NBA as the players and coaches" and "a true original."

"Craig earned widespread respect for his insightful reporting and inspired so many most recently with his courage," Silver said in a statement.

Turner President David Levy said in a statement that while Sager would be remembered for his wardrobe and interviews, "it's the determination, grace and will to live he displayed during his battle with cancer that will be his lasting impact."

His suits, jackets and ties were a sea of canary yellow, fire engine red, aqua, lilac, purple, royal blue, checks, plaids, paisleys, stripes, flower prints and indescribable patterns, sometimes off the rack and sometimes custom made.

"I like lots of color," Sager told GQ. "And when I lay it out on my bed before I pack and go, it looks good. Now, when it gets on TV, sometimes it doesn't match as well as I thought it did in my bedroom."

Sager also covered Major League Baseball, the National Football League, World Cup soccer, college basketball, Wimbledon tennis, the Kentucky Derby, auto racing and more.

"Whenever Craig Sager is covering your game, you know it's a big one," James told Sports Illustrated in April.

He interviewed Hank Aaron on the field after the baseball slugger's record-setting 715th home run in 1974. He slept in a stall next to Seattle Slew the night before the horse won thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown in 1977. He said he talked eccentric NBA star Dennis Rodman out of committing suicide in 1993.

Sager had five children from two marriages. His wife, Stacy, had been a member of the NBA Chicago Bulls dance squad.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

AT&T to buy Time Warner for $85 billion, create telecom-media giant

NEW YORK - AT&T Inc (T.N) said on Saturday it agreed to buy Time Warner Inc (TWX.N) for $85.4 billion, the boldest move yet by a telecommunications company to acquire content to stream over its high-speed network to attract a growing number of online viewers.

The biggest deal in the world this year will, if approved by regulators, give AT&T control of cable TV channels HBO and CNN, film studio Warner Bros and other coveted media assets. The tie-up will likely face intense scrutiny by U.S. antitrust enforcers worried that AT&T might try to limit distribution of Time Warner material.

AT&T will pay $107.50 per Time Warner share, in a combination of cash and stock, worth $85.4 billion overall, according to a company statement. AT&T said it expected to close the deal by the end of 2017.

Dallas-based AT&T said it and Time Warner were determining which Federal Communications Commission licenses, if any, would be transferred to AT&T in the deal.

Several U.S. lawmakers were already worried about cable company Comcast Corp's (CMCSA.O) $30 billion acquisition of NBCUniversal, creating an industry behemoth. They argued for close regulatory scrutiny of the AT&T deal.

U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has complained about media coverage of his campaign, said at a rally on Saturday he would block any AT&T-Time Warner deal if he wins the Nov. 8 election.

"It's too much concentration of power in the hands of too few," said Trump.

Representatives of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

CONTENT PLUS DELIVERY

AT&T, whose main wireless phone and broadband service business is showing signs of slowing, has already made moves to turn itself into a media powerhouse. It bought satellite TV provider DirecTV last year for $48.5 billion.

It had about 142 million North American wireless subscribers as of June 30, and about 38 million video subscribers through DirecTV and its U-verse service.

New York-based Time Warner is a major force in movies, TV and video games. Its assets include the HBO, CNN, TBS and TNT networks as well as the Warner Bros film studio, producer of the “Batman” and “Harry Potter” film franchises. The company also owns a 10 percent stake in video streaming site Hulu. The HBO network alone has more than 130 million subscribers.

The deal is the latest in the consolidation of the telecom and media sectors, coming on the heels of AT&T's purchase of NBCUniversal. AT&T's wireless rival Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) is in the process of buying internet company Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O) for about $4.8 billion.

Time Warner Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bewkes rejected an $80 billion offer from Twenty-First Century Fox Inc (FOXA.O) in 2014.

5G IS COMING
Owning more content gives cable and telecom companies bargaining leverage with other content companies as customers demand smaller, hand-picked cable offerings or switch to watching online. New mobile technology including next-generation 5G networks could make a content tie-up especially attractive for wireless providers.

"We think 5G mobile is coming, we think 5G mobile is an epic game-changer," Rich Tullo, director of research at Albert Fried & Co, said in a research note, adding that mobile providers would be in position to disrupt traditional pay-TV services.

A previous Time Warner blockbuster deal, its 2000 merger with AOL, is now considered one of the most ill-advised corporate marriages on record.

(Additional reporting by David Shepardson, Liana Baker, Malathi Nayak and Diane Bartz; Writing by Bill Rigby; Editing by David Gregorio)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Kim Kardashian held at gunpoint in Paris, reports CNN

Kim Kardashian West was held up by masked men in her Paris hotel room on Sunday, CNN said, prompting her husband, rapper Kanye West, to abruptly end a performance in New York, citing a family emergency.

"Kim Kardashian West was held up at gunpoint inside her Paris hotel room this evening by two armed masked men dressed as police officers," Kardashian West's spokeswoman, Ina Treciokas, said in a statement reported by CNN.

"She is badly shaken but physically unharmed," the statement added.

Kanye West left his set early at the Meadows Festival in New York.

"I'm sorry I have a family emergency, I have to stop the show," West said in video footage posted on Twitter by fans who were filming the performance in the New York borough of Queens.

@themeadowsnyc pic.twitter.com/IUwdaZ5aI9

— Toby™ (@Toby_Hernandez_) October 3, 2016

West had been on stage for just under an hour when he said he had to leave. He did not specify the nature of the emergency.

Kardashian West, as well as her sisters Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian have been in Paris, Billboard magazine reported on its web site, citing their recent Snapchat posts. Kardashian has been a fixture at Paris Fashion Week, which was being held in recent days.

Fan reaction on social media sites to West's departure was mixed, with some saying emergencies can happen to anyone, but others complaining they had paid $300 for tickets and didn't get their money's worth.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'I didn't think it was a big deal,' Clinton says of pneumonia bout

WASHINGTON - Democrat Hillary Clinton said on Monday she could resume presidential campaigning in a couple of days after a bout of pneumonia that she initially had not believed was "that big a deal."

Clinton's health scare after she almost collapsed at an event on Sunday, causing her to cancel some campaign trips, revived concerns about a tendency toward secrecy that has dogged her campaign, and underscored perennial worries about the medical fitness of candidates for one of the world's most demanding jobs.

"Well, it will be in the next couple of days. ... I just want to get this over and done with and get back on the trail as soon as possible," she said in an interview on CNN on Monday night, adding she had ignored doctor's orders to rest.

"I just didn't think it was going to be that big a deal."

Her campaign acknowledged on Monday it may have been too slow disclosing her pneumonia diagnosis after she nearly fainted at a New York memorial ceremony for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. She was diagnosed with the lung infection on Friday.

"I think that in retrospect, we could have handled it better in terms of providing more information more quickly," Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon told MSNBC earlier in the day.

The health problem was the latest blow for the Democratic presidential nominee at a time when Republican rival Donald Trump has erased most of her lead in national opinion polls and is competitive again in many battleground states where the Nov. 8 election is likely to be decided.

Clinton, 68, said she had dealt with similar episodes of dizziness before. "You know, it is something that has occurred a few times over the course of my life. I'm aware of it and usually can avoid it," she told CNN.

Asked if she passed out during the incident on Sunday, she said: "No, I didn't. I felt dizzy and I did lose my balance for a minute. Once I got in. Once I could sit down. Once I could cool off. Once I had some water, I immediately started feeling better."

Her campaign said her husband, former President Bill Clinton, would campaign on her behalf while she rests.

Both Clinton and Trump, 70, said they intended to release more of their medical details in the coming days, as their campaigns gear up for the November election.

'DEEPLY SHOCKED'

Questions about the incident reinforced the perception of Clinton as secretive, a view fueled by the controversy surrounding her use of a private email server while serving as President Barack Obama's secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.

A federal investigation of that issue said she was "extremely careless" in her handling of classified emails, but did not recommend criminal charges.

Trump said on Monday that health was a campaign issue but he did not attack Clinton over her physical condition. "I just hope she gets well and gets back on the trail," he said in an interview with Fox News.

He focused his criticism on comments by Clinton last week in which she dismissed half of his supporters as a "basket of deplorables" of racist, homophobic people. Clinton said she regretted the remark.

Trump has compared the comment with a much-criticized remark by 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney that 47 percent of the electorate was dependent on the government.

"I was deeply shocked and alarmed to hear my opponent attack, slander, smear, demean these wonderful, amazing people who are supporting our campaign by the millions," Trump told a conference of National Guard members in Baltimore.

Trump has himself aroused controversy with comments in which he called some Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists, questioned whether a US-born judge could be fair because of his Mexican heritage and criticized the Muslim parents of an American soldier who died in combat in Iraq.

'SHORT-TERM TURBULENCE'

Clinton's pneumonia disclosure was made public hours after her campaign said she had become "overheated" to explain why, her knees buckling and unsteady, she was rushed from the Sept. 11 ceremony.

"The short-term turbulence will be more about the handling of this than the substance," David Axelrod, a former political adviser to Obama, told Reuters.

"Antibiotics can take care of pneumonia," Axelrod tweeted later. "What's the cure for an unhealthy penchant for privacy that repeatedly creates unnecessary problems?"

Trump had suggested for weeks that Clinton lacked the energy needed to be president. He has raised questions about her stamina, reprising a tactic from the Republican primary campaign when he derided rival Jeb Bush as a "low-energy" candidate.

Democrats said her attendance at events despite her pneumonia diagnosis proved her toughness.

Trump's campaign has issued a short letter from his doctor saying he was in excellent health with "extraordinary" strength and stamina. But the letter did not mention what medicine Trump might be taking or other details typically included in such disclosures.

In July 2015, Clinton released a two-page letter outlining her medical condition that sought to reassure Americans about her health after she fell and suffered a concussion at home in 2012 near the end of her tenure as secretary of state.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Facebook signs celebrities to boost live video

NEW YORK - Facebook said Tuesday it has signed a series of deals to pay celebrities and media companies to produce content for its new live video streaming service.

The test program calls for "a relatively small number partners that includes a broad range of content types from regions around the world" receiving "temporary financial support to encourage experimentation with this new format," Facebook said in a statement.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that the social network had signed at least 140 contracts worth a total of more than $50 million as part of the effort.

The report said Facebook was partnering with media firms including the New York Times, CNN, BuzzFeed and Huffington Post and with personalities including actor Kevin Hart, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and NFL quarterback Russell Wilson.

Facebook did not offer specifics, but a statement from Justin Osofsky, vice president of global operations and media partnerships, said the partners "were chosen based on a variety of different factors," including their ability to produce live content.

This includes "public figure partners who had already demonstrated an early interest in going live" and others "who would have relevant use-cases for live, such as breaking news," Osofsky said.

The Journal said 17 of the contracts were worth at least $1 million and were part of an effort to promote Facebook Live, the new service that allows anyone to stream live content.

It said Facebook has not yet determined how to monetize the new video service but wants to develop a steady stream of content to draw in more viewers.

BuzzFeed, which drew millions to live video of an experiment to explode a watermelon earlier this year, is slated to receive $3.05 million and the New York Times $3.05 million, according to contracts seen by the Wall Street Journal.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com