What Netflix's new movie deal with Sony means for the streaming wars

Associated Press
Southern Brazil is still reeling from massive flooding as it faces risk from new storms
Authorities in southern Brazil rushed Wednesday to rescue survivors of massive flooding that has killed at least 100 people, but some residents refused to leave belongings behind while others returned to evacuated homes despite the risk of new storms. Heavy rains and flooding in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul since last week also have left 128 people missing, authorities said. Staffers of the state’s civil defense agency told The Associated Press they have been struggling to persuade residents of the city of Eldorado do Sul, one of the hardest hit by the floods, to leave their homes.
Reuters
US Republicans target noncitizen voting, as Trump keeps up false voter fraud claims
U.S. House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a bill to ban noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which is already illegal and rarely occurs, an effort meant to draw more attention to Donald Trump's false claims that U.S. elections are marred by widespread fraud. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has relied on the former president's support to hold off a bid to oust him from leadership by Republican hardliner Marjorie Taylor Greene, said the measure was aimed at preventing noncitizens from voting in November. Republicans say the legislation would provide a needed mechanism to safeguard voting by requiring states to collect proof of U.S. citizenship before registering voters and to purge their voter rolls of noncitizens.
Associated Press
Shopify tumbles on weak outlook after a very strong start to 2024
Shopify plunged Wednesday after the Canadian company that helps retailers with online sales warned of easing revenue growth and thinner margins in the current quarter. Shopify Inc. is predicting that revenue will climb by a high-teens percentage rate for the second quarter, well below the 23% jump in the first quarter. The e-commerce company anticipates quarterly gross margin will decrease by about 50 basis points compared with the first quarter, in which its gross margin was 51.4%.
AFP
Lebanon security source says five killed in Israeli strikes on south
A Lebanese security source said five people including two Hezbollah fighters were killed Wednesday in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, with a Palestinian armed group reporting three fatalities among its ranks.According to the Lebanese security source, "two Hezbollah fighters" were killed in an Israeli air strike on the border town of Adaisseh.
Associated Press
Haley won 1 in 5 Indiana Republican voters in the presidential primary. She left the race in March
The ghost of Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign is ringing up significant support in state primaries despite her withdrawal from the race in March shortly before Donald Trump had clinched the Republican nomination. The backing for Haley — most recently in Indiana, where she grabbed more than 21% of the votes on Tuesday — signals persistent discontent among party voters with the former president. Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador who qualified for the Indiana ballot before she dropped out two months ago, has not endorsed Trump.
Reuters
Reaction to US decision to pause weapons shipment to Israel
U.S. lawmakers reacted to President Joe Biden's decision to suspend delivery of certain munitions to Israel that appeared to be a possible shift in U.S. policy, although the Pentagon said the move was not final. In opening remarks in the Senate, the top Senate Republican harshly criticized Biden as bending "under the heat of domestic political pressure from his party's anti-Israel base and the campus Communists who decided to wrap themselves in the flag of Hamas and Hezbollah." Speaking about the weapons delay in particular, McConnell accused Biden of "creating daylight between America and a close ally," adding that the decision was withheld from Congress and that "we still don't know key facts."
NBC News
FTX customers may get their money back, but no gains from crypto price increases
Some customers of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX could receive the full value of the money they lost if a court approves the company's bankruptcy plan.
The Conversation
What early 2024 polls are revealing about voters of color and the GOP − and it’s not all about Donald Trump
Former President Donald Trump has made some inroads with voters of color by appealing to law and order, conservative social values and mistrust of government.
TODAY
Why I’d never fly without insurance as a travel expert — and 4 other things I’d never do
Travel journalist Mark Ellwood shares 5 travel tips he'd never do when a trip, including travel without insurance and forget to geotag luggage.
Reuters
Colombia National Electoral Council magistrates urge investigation into Petro campaign
Two out of nine magistrates in Colombia's National Electoral Council (CNE) have requested an investigation be opened into Colombian President Gustavo Petro's 2022 campaign over alleged spending violations, two sources said on Wednesday. Magistrates Benjamin Ortiz and Alvaro Hernan Prada also requested an investigation into Ecopetrol chief executive Ricardo Roa, who served as Petro's campaign manager.
NBC News
Mike Braun wins Indiana GOP governor nod, with Jim Banks lined up to succeed him in the Senate
Indiana Republican Rep. Jim Banks won the state’s GOP Senate primary unopposed Tuesday, while Sen. Mike Braun won the nomination for governor.
Reuters
Oklahoma anti-ESG law blocked by state judge
A judge in Oklahoma blocked a state law that prohibits state pension systems from investing with companies that limit investment in the oil and gas industry. Oklahoma County District Court Judge Sheila Stinson on Tuesday issued a temporary injunction blocking enforcement of the law after finding retiree Don Keenan is likely to succeed in his lawsuit filed last year alleging the law violates the state constitution and is too vaguely written. Oklahoma’s 2022 law is among dozens of Republican-sponsored bills across the country that aim to free fossil fuel companies from climate-driven constraints adopted by some Wall Street firms.
CNN
New York Public Schools disciplined at least a dozen staff over alleged antisemitism, chancellor says
Lawmakers on Wednesday will grill the leaders of three school districts in liberal cities about alleged antisemitic incidents, marking the first such Congressional hearing to focus on K-12 schools.
Reuters
Nigeria rejects Binance CEO's bribery claim as 'diversionary tactic'
Nigerian authorities on Wednesday denied allegations from Binance's CEO of soliciting bribes, saying the claim was a "diversionary tactic" and an "act of blackmail" aimed at undermining ongoing criminal charges against the company. Tigran Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen and Binance's head of financial crime compliance, remains in custody while British-Kenyan Nadeem Anjarwalla has fled the country. CEO Richard Teng in a blog post accused unidentified Nigerian officials of demanding a $150 million cryptocurrency bribe to halt the investigations.
Associated Press
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. challenges Donald Trump to debate at Libertarian Convention
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has challenged Donald Trump to a head-to-head debate for when both address a Libertarian convention later this month, a move that comes as the presumptive GOP nominee has ramped up both criticism of Kennedy's independent bid and demands that President Joe Biden meet him on a debate stage. Arguing that he is “drawing a lot of voters from your former supporters,” Kennedy said to Trump in an open letter posted Tuesday to X that the Libertarian convention provides “perfect neutral territory for you and me to have a debate where you can defend your record for your wavering supporters.” Trump has been bullish in calling on Biden to debate him ahead of the November general election but has shied away from other rivals’ previous debate entreaties.
NBC News
Democrats urge Biden to act on immigration as Trump threatens deportations
Immigration advocates and Democrats are urging President Joe Biden to take executive action for undocumented immigrants and the southern border.
NBC News
'Surprisingly' high number of adults, even those as young as 20, at risk of heart syndrome
Nearly 90% of adults over age 20 in the U.S. are at risk of developing heart disease, an alarming new study suggests.
Associated Press
Scores of Syrians return home after years at camp housing people linked to the Islamic State group
AL-HOL CAMP, Syria (AP) — Scores of Syrian women and children linked to the Islamic State group left a sprawling camp in northeast Syria Wednesday and headed home to the eastern province of Deir el-Zour following mediation by tribal leaders. The latest batch of people to leave al-Hol camp, which houses wives, widows, children and other family members of IS militants, came as repatriations by foreign countries have increased in recent months in an attempt to reduce the population of the facility that at its peak five years ago housed 73,000 people. Beginning in the early hours of the day, 254 people from 69 families piled their belongings into trucks before climbing on board and moving south under the protection of members of the local U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led police force to their hometowns in Deir el-Zour.
Associated Press
Slow to expand, internet casino gambling is the future of US betting, industry execs say
Internet casino gambling is legal in only a handful of states, but the industry is convinced it is the future of betting, even as some worry about cannibalizing physical casinos. Speaking Wednesday at the SBC Summit North America, a major gambling industry conference, industry executives acknowledged the difficulty they've had in expanding the legalization of online casino games. “Once you get to millennials, people are comfortable basically running their entire life off their cell phone,” said Elizabeth Suever, a vice president with Bally's Corporation.
Associated Press
Democrats commit $7 million to TV ads in five key state Senate races
Wisconsin Democrats plan to spend $7 million on television ads in five state Senate races they believe are key to regaining control of the chamber. Republicans currently hold a 22-10 supermajority in the 33-seat Senate, but Democrats hope new district boundaries Gov. Tony Evers signed in February will help them chip away at the GOP advantage. Sixteen Senate seats are up in November, including eight currently held by Republicans and four open seats.

Latest Stories