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‘A timely book’November 21 - The Pittsburgh Steelers take on what is typically an unenviable task -- traveling on a short week for a Thursday night primetime game. However, a few things are playing in Pittsburgh's favor as Week 12 of the NFL regular season kicks off. Namely, the "trip" to Cleveland is a little more than two hours by road and when the Steelers arrive there, they'll be facing a backup quarterback at the helm of a massively underwhelming 2-8 Browns team. The Steelers (8-2) are coming off a huge win over Baltimore to stay atop the AFC North. And Pittsburgh is beginning to set its sights on potential home-field advantage come playoff time. The Steelers are a consensus 3.5-point favorite. That includes at BetRivers, where they have been backed by 80 percent of the spread-line money. Pittsburgh's -195 moneyline to simply win the game has been even more popular, drawing 95 percent of all money wagered. The Browns enter Thursday night having failed to cover the spread in nine of their past 12 games. Meanwhile, the Steelers have covered the spread in every game during their five-game win streak. The 37.0 total points line has seen the Over backed by 65 percent of the money and 70 percent of the total bets. Each of Cleveland's past eight November home games has gone under the total points line. --Steelers WR George Pickens Over 50 Receiving Yards (-195 at DraftKings): Russell Wilson has thrown six touchdowns in the four games since he took over as the starting quarterback. Two of those have gone to Pickens, who has at least 74 receiving yards in each of those games. There is some concern that Pittsburgh gains a big early lead and turns to a run-heavy attack, but Wilson throws an excellent deep ball and that plays into Pickens' strength. This is the most popular player prop at the book. --Steelers RB Najee Harris Anytime TD (+100 at BetRivers): That potential for a run-heavy approach should benefit Harris, who found the sledding tough against Baltimore with 63 yards on the ground. He was also held out of the end zone for the second time in three games. Keep in mind that Cleveland has allowed only three touchdowns on the ground all season, but the Browns have allowed 12 through the air. Harris has a trio of scores on the ground and receiving through 10 games. The Browns have won the first quarter in five consecutive home games against the Steelers. The Steelers have certainly been locked in. They are currently riding a five-game winning streak, most recently edging the Baltimore Ravens 18-16 on Sunday. Chris Boswell booted six field goals against Baltimore, while Wilson completed 23 of 36 passes for 205 yards and an interception. Meanwhile, Cleveland continues to go through the wringer. The Browns ended up on the wrong end of a 35-14 blowout while facing the host New Orleans Saints on Sunday, marking their seventh loss in the past eight games. Cleveland now has to go up against one of the most unforgiving defenses in the league. Browns quarterback Jameis Winston is determined to direct a fundamentally sound performance against Pittsburgh, which allows the second-fewest points per game in the NFL (16.2). "It's precision passing. Getting the ball out on time. Elite operation and just doing our job. It's the simple things," Winston said. "This team (the Steelers) is not going to try and fool you. They're going to line up and say, 'Give us your best, we're going to give you our best.'" Winston threw for 395 yards and two touchdowns on 30-for-46 passing in the setback against New Orleans, with Jerry Jeudy hauling in six catches for 142 yards and a score. Star running back Nick Chubb continued to struggle since his return from a knee injury that cut his 2023 season short, finishing with 50 yards on 11 carries. The Browns could be without standout defensive end Myles Garrett, who missed practice on Tuesday because of a hip injury. Wide receiver Elijah Moore (shoulder), guard Joel Bitonio (pectoral) and cornerbacks Denzel Ward (ribs/ankle) and Greg Newsome II (shoulder) were among those limited during the session. Linebacker Alex Highsmith is dealing with an ankle issue and was ruled out by the Steelers along with cornerback Cory Trice Jr. (hamstring). Wilson is starting to feel like he might be part of something special, but he also doesn't want Pittsburgh to get ahead of itself. "I definitely think that we have a chance (to make a deep playoff run)," said Wilson, who has played in two Super Bowls. "I think the biggest thing for us is continuing to just take each week as the most important week of it all. "I think that it's not really even just the week, it's just the day, it's just the moments in between. I think the greatest teams, the greatest players, in any sport, especially the teams I've been on, is the moment -- it's never too far away. It's right here, right now. And you're just locked into that." Divisional road games on short weeks typically shape up as a daunting task. That's not the case for the Steelers, who will be hyper-focused to put this one out of reach early before enjoying 10 days ahead of a trip to Cleveland. With a second game against the Browns before a huge game at Philadelphia, this is not an under-manned opponent Pittsburgh will look past. --Steelers 27, Browns 19 --Field Level Media Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tabTrump's Republican Party is increasingly winning union voters. It's a shift seen in his labor pick
The UConn men’s basketball program has been in conversations with fellow blue-blood Kansas about a potential home-and-home series, coach Dan Hurley revealed on a Zoom call with local reporters on Saturday, as the Huskies prepare to meet Texas on the road Sunday evening. The news came after Hurley was asked about a clip from CBS Sports’ “Eye on College Basketball” podcast that went viral this week, where reporter Matt Norlander said that after UConn visited Kansas last year in the Big East-Big 12 Battle, “the idea was that Kansas would do the return trip to UConn this season, but that didn’t happen.” He went on to say Kansas was seeking a different game, potentially less travel time, because of its rivalry matchup at Missouri this weekend, and that Baylor was slotted in as UConn’s opponent instead. Kansas, ranked No. 1, went into Omaha and was taken down by Creighton in the Battle on Wednesday, 76-63. “I was never told I was playing Kansas,” Hurley clarified Saturday. “We were told, I think, or we were assuming, that we would play a Baylor or a Kansas, or – one of the top teams from the Big 12, a Houston. ... That was never something that we were told and then they flipped it on us, at least from my standpoint.” Hurley has been vocal about future nonconference scheduling, most recently saying that he does not want to participate in any three-game MTEs and would only schedule home-and-home series and “single-game events in big-time arenas” going forward. The program has been trying to set up home-and-homes with other blue bloods. “We are in conversations with Kansas to do a two-year, potentially, or a four-year home-and-home type of thing,” he said. “They’ve been communicating pretty openly with us about potentially doing that. I don’t think that they tried to avoid the game.” The 69-65 loss at historic Phog Allen Fieldhouse last season was UConn’s fourth all-time meeting with Kansas, which has a 4-0 advantage in the series. The programs have only met in Connecticut once: Jan. 19, 1997, a 73-65 Kansas victory at the Hartford Civic Center. It has been reported that the Big East-Big 12 Battle will come to an end after the 2024-25 season. This home-and-home series, if agreed on, could start as soon as next year.None
Google on Monday showed off a new quantum computing chip that it said was a major breakthrough that could bring practical quantum computing closer to reality. A custom chip called "Willow" does in minutes what it would take leading supercomputers 10 septillion years to complete, according to Google Quantum AI founder Hartmut Neven. "Written out, there is a 1 with 25 zeros," Neven said of the time span while briefing journalists. "A mind-boggling number." Neven's team of about 300 people at Google is on a mission to build quantum computing capable of handling otherwise unsolvable problems like safe fusion power and stopping climate change. "We see Willow as an important step in our journey to build a useful quantum computer with practical applications in areas like drug discovery, fusion energy, battery design and more," said Google CEO Sundar Pichai on X. A quantum computer that can tackle these challenges is still years away, but Willow marks a significant step in that direction, according to Neven and members of his team. While still in its early stages, scientists believe that superfast quantum computing will eventually be able to power innovation in a range of fields. Quantum research is seen as a critical field and both the United States and China have been investing heavily in the area, while Washington has also placed restrictions on the export of the sensitive technology. Olivier Ezratty, an independent expert in quantum technologies, told AFP in October that private and public investment in the field has totaled around $20 billion worldwide over the past five years. Regular computers function in binary fashion: they carry out tasks using tiny fragments of data known as bits that are only ever either expressed as 1 or 0. But fragments of data on a quantum computer, known as qubits, can be both 1 and 0 at the same time -- allowing them to crunch an enormous number of potential outcomes simultaneously. Crucially, Google's chip demonstrated the ability to reduce computational errors exponentially as it scales up -- a feat that has eluded researchers for nearly 30 years. The breakthrough in error correction, published in leading science journal Nature, showed that adding more qubits to the system actually reduced errors rather than increasing them -- a fundamental requirement for building practical quantum computers. Error correction is the "end game" in quantum computing and Google is "confidently progressing" along the path, according to Google director of quantum hardware Julian Kelly.Saint Bonaventure wins 65-55 over Buffalo
BEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents' stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday with news that they had reached the gates of the capital and that government forces had abandoned the central city of Homs. The government was forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The loss of Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base. The pro-government Sham FM reported that government forces took positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. The capture of Homs is a major victory for insurgents, who have already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama , as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said Homs falling into rebel hands would be a game-changer. The rebels' moves around Damascus, reported by the monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. For the first time in the country’s long-running civil war, the government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad's government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. The rapid rebel gains, coupled with the lack of support from Assad's erstwhile allies, posed the most serious threat to his rule since the start of the war. The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad's chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.” In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria's border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.” It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution. Assad's status Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine . Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad's forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015, and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria. In a statement issued late Saturday, the participants affirmed their support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis “that would lead to the end of military activity and protect civilians.” They also agreed on the importance of strengthening international efforts to increase aid to the Syrian people. The insurgents' march Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a “salvation government” to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama , the country’s fourth largest city. Opposition activists said Saturday that a day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra including the main Baath City, activists said. Syrian Observatory said government troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces. The Syrian army said in a statement that it carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists." The army said it was setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area,” apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011. Diplomacy in Doha The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatar's top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there is a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity.” He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process. ____ Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad; and Josef Federman and Victoria Eastwood in Doha, Qatar, contributed to this report. Bassem Mroue And Zeina Karam, The Associated PressPresident-elect Donald Trump tore into the felony criminal cases that had been filed against him by special counsel Jack Smith, calling them “empty and lawless,” after Smith requested to drop the cases Monday due to Trump soon taking office. In a two-part post on Truth Social , Trump slammed the indictments against him related to his handling of classified documents and the 2020 election’s certification as a waste of taxpayers’ money. “These cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought. Over $100 Million Dollars of Taxpayer Dollars has been wasted in the Democrat Party’s fight against their Political Opponent, ME,” he wrote . “It was a political hijacking, and a low point in the History of our Country that such a thing could have happened, and yet, I persevered, against all odds, and WON,” he continued. A Trump spokesperson also separately hailed the Justice Department’s decision as a “major victory for the rule of law.” “The American People and President Trump want an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country,” Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, said in a statement . Smith did not conclude that Trump is innocent of the charges against him as his reason for requesting the two cases to be dismissed. Instead, he cited the Justice Department’s long-standing policy not to prosecute a sitting president, which Trump will be following his inauguration in January, as his reason for requesting the indictments be dropped. Don't let this be the end of the free press. The free press is under attack — and America's future hangs in the balance. As other newsrooms bow to political pressure, HuffPost is not backing down. Would you help us keep our news free for all? We can't do it without you. Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. Smith said his department consulted with its Office of Legal Counsel before coming to its decision and that despite the dismissal, the federal government continues to stand “fully behind” the merits of its original prosecution against Trump. “The government’s position on the merits of the defendant’s prosecution has not changed,” he said. “But the circumstances have.” Both cases were requested to be dismissed “without prejudice,” meaning that the charges could be refiled against Trump once he leaves office. Related From Our Partner
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Labour plans to make spiking a specific offence and has laid out plans for venue staff to be trained in relation to spiking, with a pilot to begin within weeks before a wider rollout next year. Ms Davies-Jones, asked about why it was worthwhile to make spiking a new offence when it is already illegal, said: “Spiking is a crime already. “A lot of people don’t realise that it is a crime already, which is part of the problem.” She said there were around 6,000 reports of spiking last year but that because it is an underreported crime, it is not clear how big of a problem it is. “Part of the problem we’ve got is around the data collection, so you don’t know if you’ve been spiked with a drink, a needle, a vape, for example,” she told Politics Hub on Sky News. Modernising the offence and giving police the tools to get accurate data allows a clearer picture of where, how and how often spiking is happening, she said. It is about “clarifying it, modernising it, making sure that people know exactly what this is...the law isn’t quite, it isn’t up to date. “It isn’t modern enough.” Sir Keir Starmer earlier said he hopes the change will give people “the confidence to come forward”, in a meeting of police bosses, transport figures and hospitality executives in Downing Street. Ms Davies-Jones and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper were among the attendees at the round-table discussion on Monday morning. Labour pledged in its manifesto to introduce a new offence for spiking, but there was no detail in the King’s Speech this year about a specific crime, though it promised to ensure an improved police response to cases. According to information published by the Metropolitan Police, spiking offences are currently covered by more than one law, but most come under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Sir Keir told the meeting: “There are a number of measures that we are setting out this morning – we want to talk it through with you. “The first is to make spiking a specific offence so that it counts, it’s reported.” He said that such a measure would mean that it “enables everybody to have the confidence to come forward” and also “it allows perpetrators to know that it’s a specific offence”. Detailing the training scheme, he went on: “We’re beginning the piloting of training for staff in venues.” He said the scheme would be “partly to spot what’s happening, but also to know what to do in the event that there is an incident in a venue”. “That will start in December with a pilot then it will be rolled out from March of next year,” Sir Keir added. He also said that the “final” point of discussion for the morning was “police indexing – (the) way that we count it across different police forces”. Sir Keir added: “At the moment it’s quite hard to get your arms around the pure numbers.” Plain clothes officers are being deployed in areas around bars and clubs to spot predatory behaviour. The text-to-report number, 61016, that allows women to contact British Transport Police to report harassment on the train, is due to be relaunched. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Spiking is a disturbing and serious crime which can have a damaging and long-lasting impact on victims. “That’s why today we are taking decisive action to prevent this devastating crime and to crack down on perpetrators, by introducing a new criminal offence for spiking and launching specialist training for thousands of bar staff nationwide. “People shouldn’t have to worry about the safety of their drinks on a night out. “These changes are about giving victims greater confidence to come forward, and ensuring that there is a robust response from the police whenever these appalling crimes take place.”Climate Change Don't miss out on the headlines from Climate Change. Followed categories will be added to My News. Australia’s delegation to the COP29 climate change conference has been labelled a “complete farce” after one speaker opened her remarks with an Indigenous Acknowledgment of Country — for an event in Azerbaijan. The two-week 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which wraps up on Friday, was held in the tiny former Soviet republic straddling eastern Europe and western Asia. Despite the fact that the capital Baku is more than 13,000 kilometres from Sydney, that did not stop Dr Clare Anderson from paying respects to Australia’s traditional owners, as is now customary before most corporate, government and sporting events. Dr Anderson, director of sustainability performance at engineering and professional services firm Worley, was speaking before a nearly empty crowd for the opening panel session at the Australian pavilion in Baku. Australia’s delegation to the COP29 conference in Baku. Picture: X “I’m very delighted to be here today,” she said. “To start, I might ... whilst we’re not on Australian lands, I’d still like to start with acknowledging the traditional owners of Australia and the Torres Strait Islands and pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging.” A clip of the moment was shared on X by former Australian MP Craig Kelly . “What a complete farce — here’s a video from the ‘Australian Pavilion’ at the climate wankfest at Baku — funded by Australian taxpayers,” he wrote. “Imagine, all that coin to pay for constructing an exhibition stand, flying a delegation half way around world, setting up video facilities to record it all — and they get five people to attend.” He added that “I wonder if this would pass muster if we had an Australian DOGE”, referring to US President-elect Donald Trump’s Elon Musk-headed Department of Government Efficiency. Dr Clare Anderson, director of sustainability performance at Worley. Picture: Supplied The video sparked bemusement among many viewers. “Why are Australian government officials doing a welcome to country in Azerbaijan,” Nationals Senator Matt Canavan asked. “Welcome to Country ... in Baku,” said Freelancer chief executive Matt Barrie. One-time Liberal candidate Katherine Deves, who unsuccessfully ran for former Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s northern beaches seat of Warringah in 2022, said, “Australia is an outpost. No one cares.” Several X users labelled it a “joke”. “Cancel the return flight, the credit cards and disavow. That will save lots of planet and our money,” one wrote. “We are not a serious country,” another said. After the failure of the Voice to Parliament referendum last year, some commentators have suggested the Welcome to Country and Acknowledgment of Country — now found everywhere from bus announcements and school assemblies to job interviews and pilates classes — should be scaled back. Shadow Indigenous Australians Minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said earlier this year the overuse of the Welcome to Country in Australian public life could actually make people feel unwelcome in their own country. Ms Price told Sky News Australians should not be “confronted with it at every single opportunity”. In September, One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson called for ceremonies to be banned , saying Australians were “sick and tired of them”. “They are sick of being told Australia is not their country, which is what these things effectively do,” she wrote on X. frank.chung@news.com.au More Coverage Pauline calls for Welcome to Country ban James Dampney Kids told to repeat ‘always Aboriginal land’ Frank Chung Originally published as ‘Complete farce’: Australian delegate performs Acknowledgment of Country at COP29 in Azerbaijan Join the conversation Add your comment to this story To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout More related stories Breaking News ‘Suspicious’: Huge twist in bushfire chaos A chaotic bushfire which destroyed at least one home and burned through 1000ha of land may have been deliberately lit, authorities have revealed. Read more Breaking News ‘Not safe to return’ as Vic fires rage At least one home has been destroyed as fires tore through more than 2000 hectares of bushland, with authorities warning of “challenging” conditions yet to come. Read more
As “ ” gets ready to take theaters by storm this weekend, many online are pointing to the Hollywood adaptation of the hit broadway musical as having an added political significance just 18 days after Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris in the Presidential election. While he was a guest on an upcoming episode of IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, “Wicked” director acknowledged the politics of the story of the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West ( ), joking, “A charismatic leader who gaslights a community that this woman is wicked just because she’s standing up for a marginalized group of people in the society, how could that be [political]?” Chu embraces that his movie will take on a new layer of meaning for many audience members after the re-election of Trump, but noted that impact is in part because politics has been baked into “Wicked” since its inception. Gregory Maguire’s 1995 book “Wicked” is a meditation on resisting fascist movements, a not-so-subtle theme that carried into its musical adaptation by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman. A major underlying storyline of “Wicked” is how leaders, who claim to have the people’s best interest at heart, attack the educated — represented by professor Dr. Dillamond, a talking goat voiced by Peter Dinklage — as they try to rewrite the history of animals and humans co-existence in an effort to strip the animals of their rights, and demonize them as the source of the people’s problems. Through this lens, Chu acknowledged his film is prophetic, but only because the underlying IP is prophetic. Chu argued the original “ ” movie — released on the heels of the 1930s Dust Bowl (the drought-stricken storms of the Depression), during the rise of fascism, and on the eve of World War II — has always spoken to America in a time of transition. He personally experienced it at two very different political moments that “Wicked” entered his life. “When I saw it in 2002, I was in college, so I was still growing up,” said Chu while on the podcast. “I was seeing the world for the first time a year after 9/11, we’re going into war, America’s in transition, and everything is scary all around. And when in scary situations, people go towards strongmen who just take the reins.” Chu first saw the original staged musical in the Bay Area, where he grew up, before it hit Broadway to become a $6 billion global sensation. It would come back around to him 18 years later, now a successful Hollywood director being approached about helming its big screen adaptation. “I got this movie when we were in [COVID] lockdown,” said Chu. “So at that moment, those words ‘Defying Gravity,’ [Elphaba’s gravity-defying musical number after learning the truth about the Wizard], when she says, ‘Something has changed within me, something’s not the same, I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game,’ to me, I felt like the whole world feels like this.” Chu does see “Wicked” through the eyes of being the son of immigrants. Chu’s mother was born in Taiwan, his father in Sichuan, China. He brings this perspective to all of his projects, and it’s a big reason Lin-Manuel Miranda selected the “ ” director to adapt “ ,” a musical about Miranda’s Dominican and Puerto Rican immigrant neighborhood of Washington Heights. “The American fairy tale, they always say it’s put together with American parts: Resilience, self-reliance, and optimism, and I love that as the starting point [for ‘Wicked’],” said Chu, who personally draws inspiration from Elphaba’s “Defying Gravity” musical and metaphysical response to learning the truth about the Wizard at the end of the first movie, but part of what he finds moving about it is the underlying hard question of that moment. “The storyteller has been unveiled and now the story we’re sitting in, we’re wondering, ‘Was this ever true?’ Is the yellow brick road that my parents talked to us plenty times about in the ‘Wizard of Oz,’ when I was growing up as immigrants, was that a real thing? Or maybe it was never made for us?” For Chu, Elphaba’s discovery that there is no wizard who is going to fix all our problems naturally leads to an important realization: “We’ll have to fix them ourselves.” Chu went on to explain, “It’s not even about the truth... It’s when you find out the truth, when you wake up, what are you going to do? What’s your decision? Are you an Elphaba, or are you a Glinda (Ariana Grande)?” That that’s where the first of two “Wicked” movies leaves off will feel eerily prescient for many in the audience, who Chu knows will feel as if we are politically at the same crossroads as the two best friends just days after the election. “I’ve thought a lot about this, the timeless thing about it, that never ends, is the resilience of human beings and what we can do, and what we can get through. Because when the path doesn’t seem like ours, we always rise above and sometimes we even find that we could fly,” said Chu. “That is what we need now more than ever. I didn’t know that that’s what was happening, but that is kind of the process and tradition of freedom.” In acknowledging the film will play differently for many after the election — and likely knowing the film will need both red and blue state audiences to embrace its universal messages to — Chu said he thinks Glinda and Elphaba, the two roommates who hate each other before forming a sisterly bond, only to be forced apart by the politics of Oz — could serve as a model. “Technology has brought us all into the same dorm room,” Chu said, drawing an analogy. “We’re suddenly all roommates, and we are not alike, and that person’s messy, and that person smells, and that person does this, and ‘holy shit, we have to get along.’ And now it’s like college, the only way to actually find peace between us is maybe yell at each other, maybe say the things that we need to say, and actually forgive each other and give some grace, because the only way out is through, and so this has so many ties to where we’re at right now. 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Young men swung to the right for Trump after a campaign dominated by masculine appealsSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Marquel Sutton scored 23 points as Omaha beat Sacramento State 70-60 on Saturday night. Sutton added eight rebounds for the Mavericks (4-7). Tony Osburn scored 15 points and added five rebounds and three steals. JJ White had nine points and went 4 of 5 from the field. Jacob Holt led the way for the Hornets (2-7) with 15 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Mike Wilson added nine points and six rebounds for Sacramento State. Chudi Dioramma had seven points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Omaha's next game is Friday against Northern Iowa on the road, and Sacramento State hosts UC Davis on Saturday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
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