Celebrities – Winnipeg Free Press

FILE - Kari Lake speaks to supporters at a campaign event, Sept. 4, 2024, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Judge orders restoration of Voice of America, putting hundreds of journalists back to work

David Bauder, The Associated Press 2 minute read 4:55 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to restore the government-run Voice of America's operations after it had effectively been shut down a year ago, putting hundreds of employees who have been on administrative leave back to work.

U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth gave the U.S. Agency for Global Media a week to put together a plan for putting Voice of America on the air. It has been operating with a skeleton staff since President Donald Trump issued an executive order to shut it down.

A week ago, Lamberth said Kari Lake, who had been Trump's choice to lead the agency, did not have the legal authority to do what she had done at Voice of America. In Tuesday's decision, Lamberth ruled on the actions she had taken to respond to Trump's order, essentially shelving 1,042 of VOA's 1,147 employees.

“Defendants have provided nothing approaching a principled basis for their decision,” Lamberth wrote.

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Live Nation ticketing worker regrets calling customers stupid, he says at antitrust trial

Larry Neumeister, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Live Nation ticketing worker regrets calling customers stupid, he says at antitrust trial

Larry Neumeister, The Associated Press 4 minute read 5:26 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A Live Nation Entertainment ticketing employee testified Tuesday at the company's antitrust trial that his private instant messages were “very immature and unacceptable” several years ago when he told a coworker some customers were “so stupid” and boasted of “robbing them blind, baby."

Benjamin Baker, head of ticketing for Venue Nation, which includes the company's amphitheaters, became a key witness in claims over 30 states are pressing against the concert promotion and ticketing giant after a Manhattan federal judge rejected Live Nation's efforts to exclude his messages from the trial.

The Justice Department reached a settlement with Live Nation last week to open up some ticketing and promotional markets to more competition. Federal government lawyers insist the settlement will reduce ticket prices.

All but six of 39 states and the District of Columbia that joined the federal government's lawsuit remain in the case. Many states insist the Justice Department fell far short of a goal of destroying a monopoly and forcing the breakup of Live Nation.

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5:26 PM CDT

How Canadian film ‘Undertone’ became a box-office hit despite public funding rejection

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

How Canadian film ‘Undertone’ became a box-office hit despite public funding rejection

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press 5 minute read 3:00 AM CDT

TORONTO - Personal grief, a potentially haunted house and a sound-driven sense of dread helped turn “Undertone” into one of the year’s most unexpected horror hits.

But the biggest twist? The director says Canada’s public film funders passed on it.

The Toronto-shot film opened to $9.3 million at the North American box office over the weekend — a scary good debut for a movie made on a $500,000 budget.

For director Ian Tuason, his debut feature’s unlikely path to the big screen is also a quiet critique of how Canadian films get financed.

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3:00 AM CDT

Director Ian Tuason, right, and actors Nina Kiri, front, and Adam DiMarco pose for photograph for the new movie

Apple TV app – Top Movies

The Associated Press 1 minute read 10:19 AM CDT

Top Movie Purchases and Rentals (US)

1. Dracula

2. The Housemaid

3. Sentimental Value

US-Apple-Books-Top-10

The Associated Press 2 minute read 10:19 AM CDT

Top Paid Books (US Bestseller List)

1. Judge Stone by James Patterson & Viola Davis (Little, Brown and Company)

2. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi (Atria Books)

3. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Random House Publishing Group)

YouTube makes World Cup deal with FIFA that lets broadcasters show parts of games live

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

YouTube makes World Cup deal with FIFA that lets broadcasters show parts of games live

The Associated Press 2 minute read 8:39 AM CDT

ZURICH (AP) — YouTube made a World Cup deal with FIFA on Tuesday that lets rights-holding broadcasters stream game action live on the video platform that offers global access to young viewers.

FIFA announced a “game-changing partnership” that encourages World Cup rights holders to broadcast the first 10 minutes of games during the June 11-July 19 tournament — in effect an appetizer encouraging young fans then to watch on traditional channels such as network TV.

In addition, broadcasters “will be able to stream a select number of matches in full on their YouTube channel, engaging global audiences and promoting where to watch more of the competition,” FIFA said.

The value of the deal for FIFA was not disclosed.

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8:39 AM CDT

FILE - Argentina's Lionel Messi hoists the winning team replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy during a celebration ceremony for local fans after an international friendly soccer match against Panama at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello, file)

Trump team applying pressure to media: Tell the war’s story the way we see it

David Bauder, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Trump team applying pressure to media: Tell the war’s story the way we see it

David Bauder, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: 3:16 PM CDT

Through lectures, scoldings and outright threats, President Donald Trump and his aides are ratcheting up the pressure on journalists to cover the war in the Middle East the way the administration wants.

The Republican president has fumed on social media about stories he doesn't like and berated a reporter on Air Force One. The government's top media regulator has warned that broadcasters risk losing their licenses if they don't stay away from “fake news.” Trump and his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, have questioned the patriotism of news outlets because of their reporting.

Trump has complained about war coverage in both specific and general ways. In a social media post, he said news reports exaggerated the damage to planes that were attacked by Iran at an airport in Saudi Arabia. He attacked “Corrupt Media Outlets” for falling for AI-generated false reports created by Iran and said the media “hates to report” how well the U.S. military has performed.

All presidential administrations tangle with the press; it's the natural byproduct of journalists' watchdog roles in a democratic society. But the incidents of the past few days speak to a hostility toward the very idea of being questioned — in a way that, some say, scratches up against the First Amendment itself.

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Updated: 3:16 PM CDT

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump speaks to reporters while traveling aboard Air Force One en route from Dover Air Force Base, Del., to Miami, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

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Oscars postmortem: Showrunner on Conan, the tie and biggest moments

Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Oscars postmortem: Showrunner on Conan, the tie and biggest moments

Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press 7 minute read Yesterday at 6:32 PM CDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The day after the Oscars, executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor is feeling a bit exhausted. After preparing for Hollywood’s biggest night for months and months, it can feel a little surreal to realize that it’s over. But he’s also feeling good about what he and hundreds of others put together, not just for the nominees and winners but for the millions watching around the world.

“I feel really good,” Kapoor told The Associated Press on Monday. “It is one of those things where you work so hard on putting something together and the next day you’re absolutely exhausted and can barely talk. But it’s still kind of an amazing feeling.”

And no matter how much they planned, the thing that Kapoor, who won an Emmy for the 96th Oscars two years ago, and fellow producer Katy Mullan know is that there’s only so much control one has when producing a live television show. And they are always expecting the unexpected.

How Kumail Nanjiani handled the tie

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Yesterday at 6:32 PM CDT

Kumail Nanjiani presents the award for best live action short film during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Ontario to allow BYOB at cultural and community outdoor events

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Ontario to allow BYOB at cultural and community outdoor events

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: 1:16 PM CDT

TORONTO - Ontario is expanding tailgating rules beyond sporting events to allow people to bring their own alcohol to cultural or community outdoor events.

Premier Doug Ford said people are already allowed to drink at some outdoor public spaces.

"We're talking about general venues, cultural venues outside, they should be able to have a glass of wine or a beer," he said. "That's not the first time this has happened. It's happened before that certain special occasions we allow people to drink at a festival or in a park, and do it responsibly."

Attorney General Doug Downey said in an announcement Tuesday that starting this spring, organizers of events such as farmers markets, movie screenings, art exhibits and neighbourhood festivals will be able to apply for BYOB permits.

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Updated: 1:16 PM CDT

Doug Ford leaves the Muskoka Craft Beer Festival in Huntsville, Ont. on Saturday, May 19, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

US-Audiobooks-Top-10

The Associated Press 3 minute read 11:04 AM CDT

Audible best-sellers for the week ending March 13:

Nonfiction

1. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins, narrated by the author (Audible Studios)

2. You with the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate, narrated by the author (Little, Brown & Company)

Apple Podcasts – Top New Shows

The Associated Press 1 minute read 10:19 AM CDT

Lukas prizes honor books on homelessness, the US Census and ancient India

Hillel Italie, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Lukas prizes honor books on homelessness, the US Census and ancient India

Hillel Italie, The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: 8:30 AM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Books on homelessness, the U.S. Census and ancient India are among this year's winners of prizes handed out by the J. Anthony Lukas Project, named for the late author and investigative journalist.

The winners were announced Tuesday by the project's administrators, the Columbia Journalism School and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.

Jeff Hobbs' “Seeking Shelter: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America” won the Lukas Book Prize, a $10,000 honor given for exemplifying “literary grace, commitment to serious research and social concern.” The Mark Lynton Prize for history, a $10,000 award for combining “literary grace, commitment to serious research and social concern,” was given to William Dalrymple's “The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World.”

The Lukas Work-in-Progress Awards, for which each winner receives $25,000, went to danah boyd, for “Data Are Made, Not Found: A Story of Politics, Power, and the Civil Servants Who Saved the U.S. Census” and Karim Zidan for “In the Shadow of the Cage.”

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Updated: 8:30 AM CDT

This combination of book cover images show

Len Deighton, author of bestselling spy thrillers, dead at 97

Jill Lawless, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Len Deighton, author of bestselling spy thrillers, dead at 97

Jill Lawless, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 8:31 AM CDT

LONDON (AP) — Len Deighton, a prolific writer whose tough, stylish spy thrillers featured on bestseller lists for decades, has died. He was 97.

Deighton’s literary agent, Tim Bates, said he died Sunday. No cause of death was given.

Deighton’s first novel, “The IPCRESS File,” helped set the tone of cool and gritty 1960s thrillers and was made into a film starring Michael Caine that helped launch both author and actor to long and stellar careers.

“Len was a Titan,” Bates said Tuesday. "He was not only one of the greatest spy and thriller writers of the 20th century but also one of our greatest writers in any genre.”

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Updated: 8:31 AM CDT

FILE - Author Len Deighton, center, poses for a photo with actors Frank Windsor, left and Sam West, who appear in a Radio 4 dramatisation of Len Deighton's book,

Cardi B calls out Hamilton for low ticket sales: ‘Not playing with y’all Banadians’

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Cardi B calls out Hamilton for low ticket sales: ‘Not playing with y’all Banadians’

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 4:08 PM CDT

Cardi B is dragging the Hammer for slow ticket sales.

The Grammy-winning rapper called out Hamilton in a social media video after noticing that ticket sales for her show on March 31 in the city lagged behind other stops.

The "Bodak Yellow" artist, currently on her Little Miss Drama tour, said that while most tour dates are "98 per cent, 99 per cent" sold out, Hamilton was only about "80 per cent sold out."

Ticketmaster shows many seats remain for Hamilton, compared with Toronto, which is nearly sold out for her March 30 show. Tickets in Hamilton start at around $118.

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Yesterday at 4:08 PM CDT

Cardi B watches during the second half of Game 4 in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs between the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics Monday, May 12, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Dick Vitale and Charles Barkley will call their first NCAA Tournament game together

Joe Reedy, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Dick Vitale and Charles Barkley will call their first NCAA Tournament game together

Joe Reedy, The Associated Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 3:00 PM CDT

Dick Vitale previously declined a standing invitation from CBS and TNT Sports to call an NCAA Tournament game.

An assist from Charles Barkley is finally making it happen this year.

Vitale and Barkley will call Tuesday night’s second First Four matchup in Dayton, Ohio, between Texas and N.C. State on truTV with Brian Anderson and Jenny Dell. It will be the second game this season that Vitale and Barkley have worked together, after the Indiana-Kentucky game in December.

“This is happening because he (Barkley) worked a game on ESPN. Now I’m doing back the favor and giving them a game on their network,” Vitale said. “I had been offered chances in the last few years. Sean McManus (the retired chairman of CBS Sports) would call and say, ‘You shouldn’t end your career without doing an NCAA game, and we’ll let you do it on CBS.’ I appreciated it so much, but I told him the one thing I wanted on my resume was that I worked my entire career at ESPN. He was surprised but said he respected that.”

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Yesterday at 3:00 PM CDT

FILE - Charles Barkley, left, and Dick Vitale prepare for their broadcast before an NCAA college basketball game between Kentucky and Indiana in Lexington, Ky., Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/James Crisp, file)

Kennedy Center votes to shut down operations for 2 years and names a new president

Steven Sloan, Hillel Italie And Darlene Superville, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Kennedy Center votes to shut down operations for 2 years and names a new president

Steven Sloan, Hillel Italie And Darlene Superville, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 2:53 PM CDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center's board of directors voted on Monday to shut down operations for two years following this summer's July 4 celebrations. The widely expected decision comes in the wake of numerous resignations and cancellations during President Donald Trump's second term, although Trump himself has cited the need for repairs as a reason for the closure.

“We’re going to ensure it remains the finest performing arts facility of its kind anywhere in the world," Trump told reporters at the White House before the board met Monday.

The board also voted to install Matt Floca as CEO and executive director, replacing Trump ally Richard Grenell, who oversaw far-reaching changes at the venue that prompted an outcry from many artists and exacerbated the operation's financial challenges. Trump praised Grenell on Monday, saying he had been a longtime friend, and wished Floca “good luck with everything.”

The Kennedy Center said the vote was unanimous, though Rep. Joyce Beatty didn't cast a vote. The Ohio Democrat is an ex officio member of the board and sued to preclude the Trump administration from excluding her from Monday's meeting. Over the weekend, a federal judge ruled she was entitled to participate in the meeting but didn't require that the board allow her to vote.

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Updated: Yesterday at 2:53 PM CDT

March 17, 2026

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