Of the many dark gifts Showtime’s eerie hit series “Yellowjackets” serves up for us, the juiciest this season is by far the music. The show – which bounces between a troupe of teen soccer players trapped in the 1990s Canadian wilderness after a plane crash and the survivors’ corresponding adult selves in the present day – embraces nostalgia, incorporating long-cherished tunes from the tail end of ...
Of the many dark gifts Showtime’s eerie hit series “Yellowjackets” serves up for us, the juiciest this season is by far the music. The show – which bounces between a troupe of teen soccer players trapped in the 1990s Canadian wilderness after a plane crash and the survivors’ corresponding adult selves in the present day – embraces nostalgia, incorporating long-cherished tunes from the tail end of last century, with staples from Tori Amos, early Smashing Pumpkins, Massive Attack, Veruca Salt and much more. In Sunday’s episode of “Yellowjackets,” alt-rock queen Alanis Morissette will debut a version of the show’s theme song, “No Return,” and has already released it as a single. One of the most unexpected and successful uses of throwback music came in the first episode of Season 2 last month, when Warren Kole’s Jeff had a moment to himself in the car after an intense tryst with wife Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) – during which he rocks out hard to Papa Roach’s “Last Resort” (sure, the track actually came out in 2000, but that doesn’t take away from its retro vibe). In an interview with CNN, the show’s music supervisor, Nora Felder, explained that the Papa Roach song selection was scripted, and “served as a perfect physical outlet for Warren whose anxious feelings were riding high while sitting alone in his garage.” Other standout moments in the script, however, are hers to interpret, and Felder relishes the opportunity to match those moments with the right songs from the period. “I re-immerse myself into the show’s era and spirit of the times as I start to build my playlists for the show,” she said. “The main thing I try to keep in mind is to just stay true to the story and let it tell me what it might need musically.” Case in point, from the same episode – the placement of Amos’s signature track “Cornflake Girl,” off her groundbreaking 1994 sophomore album “Under the Pink.” The song – which appropriately has the lyric “Things are getting kind of gross” just as teen Shauna ...
At some middle and high schools in the United States, 1 in 4 teens report they’ve abused prescription stimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder during the year prior, a new study found. “This is the first national study to look at the nonmedical use of prescription stimulants by students in middle and high school, and we found a tremendous, wide range of misuse,” said lead author Sea...
At some middle and high schools in the United States, 1 in 4 teens report they’ve abused prescription stimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder during the year prior, a new study found. “This is the first national study to look at the nonmedical use of prescription stimulants by students in middle and high school, and we found a tremendous, wide range of misuse,” said lead author Sean Esteban McCabe, director of the Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. “In some schools there was little to no misuse of stimulants, while in other schools more than 25% of students had used stimulants in nonmedical ways,” said McCabe, who is also a professor of nursing at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. “This study is a major wake-up call.” Nonmedical uses of stimulants can include taking more than a normal dose to get high, or taking the medication with alcohol or other drugs to boost a high, prior studies have found. Students also overuse medications or “use a pill that someone gave them due to a sense of stress around academics — they are trying to stay up late and study or finish papers,” said pediatrician Dr. Deepa Camenga, associate director of pediatric programs at the Yale Program in Addiction Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. “We know this is happening in colleges. A major takeaway of the new study is that misuse and sharing of stimulant prescription medications is happening in middle and high schools, not just college,” said Camenga, who was not involved with the study. Wide range of abuse Published Tuesday in the journal JAMA Network Open, the study analyzed data collected between 2005 and 2020 by Monitoring the Future, a federal survey that has measured drug and alcohol use among secondary school students nationwide each year since 1975. In the data set used for this study, questionnaires were given to more than 230,000 teens in eighth, 10th and 12th grades in a nationally represe...
The Fulton County District Attorney’s office said some fake electors for Donald Trump have implicated each other in potential criminal activity and is seeking to disqualify their lawyer, according to a new court filing. The district attorney’s office is requesting that attorney Kimberly Bourroughs Debrow be disqualified from representing a group of 10 Republicans who served as electors for the for...
The Fulton County District Attorney’s office said some fake electors for Donald Trump have implicated each other in potential criminal activity and is seeking to disqualify their lawyer, according to a new court filing. The district attorney’s office is requesting that attorney Kimberly Bourroughs Debrow be disqualified from representing a group of 10 Republicans who served as electors for the former president in Georgia – a state Trump lost to President Joe Biden. The DA’s office also accused the lawyer of failing to present an immunity deal to her clients last year, according to the filing. The new filing offers the latest indication that immunity offers could still be in the works months after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis suggested charging decisions were “imminent.” It notes that investigators interviewed some of the fake GOP electors this month and there is jockeying behind the scenes ahead of the announcement on who, if anyone, will face charges in the long-running probe into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. “The statement of some of her clients that directly implicate another client in additional crimes shows that Ms. Debrow’s continued participation in this matter is fraught with conflicts of interest that rise to the level of her being disqualified from this case in its entirety,” the district attorney’s office wrote in the filing. During the April 2023 interviews, “some of the electors stated that another elector represented by Ms. Debrow committed acts that are violations of Georgia law and that they were not party to these additional acts,” according to the filing. Amid a fight last year to compel the fake electors to testify, the court instructed two attorneys, including Debrow, to inform their clients with potential immunity deals. The attorneys told the court that they spoke to their clients and none of the clients were interested, according to filing. Now the DA’s office is claiming those offers...
A 13-year-old in Ohio has died after “he took a bunch of Benadryl,” trying a dangerous TikTok challenge that’s circulating online, according to a CNN affiliate and a GoFundMe account from his family. Jacob Stevens was participating in a TikTok challenge with some friends at home when he ingested the antihistamine, the family donation account states. Jacob was on a ventilator for almost a week befo...
A 13-year-old in Ohio has died after “he took a bunch of Benadryl,” trying a dangerous TikTok challenge that’s circulating online, according to a CNN affiliate and a GoFundMe account from his family. Jacob Stevens was participating in a TikTok challenge with some friends at home when he ingested the antihistamine, the family donation account states. Jacob was on a ventilator for almost a week before he died, according to WSYX. CNN has not independently confirmed his cause of death. Overdosing on Benadryl can result in “serious heart problems, seizures, coma, or even death,” the US Food and Drug Administration said in a 2020 warning to the public about the deadly “Benadryl Challenge” on TikTok. Video Ad Feedback CNN takes over a 14-year-old's TikTok account. 17 minutes in, this is what we saw 7:18 • Source: CNN Business CNN takes over a 14-year-old's TikTok account. 17 minutes in, this is what we saw CNN Business 7:18 Jacob’s grandmother is doing anything she can “to make sure another child doesn’t go through” with the challenge, she told CNN affiliate WSYX. In a statement to CNN, TikTok said, “Our deepest sympathies go out to the family. At TikTok, we strictly prohibit and remove content that promotes dangerous behavior with the safety of our community as a priority. We have never seen this type of content trend on our platform and have blocked searches for years to help discourage copycat behavior. Our team of 40,000 safety professionals works to remove violations of our Community Guidelines and we encourage our community to report any content or accounts they’re concerned about.” The maker of Benadryl, Johnson & Johnson, has called the challenge “dangerous.” “We understand that consumers may have heard about an online ‘challenge’ involving the misuse or abuse of diphenhydramine,” the undated online statement reads. “The challenge, which involves ingestion of excessive quantities of diphenhydramine, is a dangerous trend and should be stopped immediately. BENADRYL® ...
The US has sensitive nuclear technology at a nuclear power plant inside Ukraine and is warning Russia not to touch it, according to a letter the US Department of Energy sent to Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy firm Rosatom last month. In the letter, which was reviewed by CNN and is dated March 17, 2023, the director of the Energy Department’s Office of Nonproliferation Policy, Andrea Ferkile, t...
The US has sensitive nuclear technology at a nuclear power plant inside Ukraine and is warning Russia not to touch it, according to a letter the US Department of Energy sent to Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy firm Rosatom last month. In the letter, which was reviewed by CNN and is dated March 17, 2023, the director of the Energy Department’s Office of Nonproliferation Policy, Andrea Ferkile, tells Rosatom’s director general that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar “contains US-origin nuclear technical data that is export-controlled by the United States Government.” Goods, software and technology are subject to US export controls when it is possible for them to be used in a way that undermines US national security interests. The Energy Department letter comes as Russian forces continue to control the plant, which is the largest nuclear power station in Europe and sits in a part of the Zaporizhzhia region that Russia occupied after its invasion of Ukraine last February. The plant has frequently been disconnected from Ukraine’s power grid due to intense Russian shelling in the area, raising fears across Europe of a nuclear accident. While the plant is still physically operated by Ukrainian staff, Rosatom manages it. The Energy Department warned Rosatom in the letter that it is “unlawful” for any Russian citizens or entities to handle the US technology. CNN has reached out to Rosatom for comment. Video Ad Feedback Satellite images show changes Russia are making to occupied nuclear plant 3:36 • Source: CNN Satellite images show changes Russia are making to occupied nuclear plant 3:36 “It is unlawful under United States law for non-authorized persons, including, but not limited to, Russian citizens and Russian entities,” the letter says, “such as Rosatom and its subsidiaries, to knowingly and willfully access, possess, control, export, store, seize, review, re-export, ship, transfer, copy, manipulate such technology or technical data, or direct, or autho...
Wilmington, Delaware — Fox News reached a last-second settlement with Dominion Voting Systems on Tuesday as the case raced toward opening statements, paying more than $787 million to end a colossal two-year legal battle that publicly shredded the right-wing network’s credibility. Fox News’ $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems is the largest publicly known defamation settlement in...
Wilmington, Delaware — Fox News reached a last-second settlement with Dominion Voting Systems on Tuesday as the case raced toward opening statements, paying more than $787 million to end a colossal two-year legal battle that publicly shredded the right-wing network’s credibility. Fox News’ $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems is the largest publicly known defamation settlement in US history involving a media company. The deal was announced hours after the jury was sworn in at the Delaware Superior Court. Rumors of a settlement swirled in the courthouse when, after a lunch break, the proceedings dramatically ground to a halt for nearly three hours with no explanation, while the parties apparently hammered out an accord. Attorneys representing Dominion Voting Systems, leave the New Castle County Courthouse in Wilmington, Del., after the defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News was settled just as the jury trial was set to begin, Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Julio Cortez/AP “The parties have resolved their case,” Judge Eric Davis said, before dismissing the 12-member jury, crediting them with giving the parties an impetus to reach a settlement, effusively praising the lawyers from both sides, and gaveling out the so-called media “trial of the century” before it could even begin. The groundbreaking settlement “represents vindication and accountability,” Dominion lawyer Justin Nelson said. “For our democracy to endure for another 250 years, and hopefully much longer, we must share a commitment to facts… Today represents a ringing endorsement for truth and for democracy.” The right-wing network said in a statement that it “acknowledge[s] the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false,” referring to Davis’ recent ruling that 20 Fox News broadcasts from late 2020 contained blatantly untrue assertions that Dominion rigged the presidential election. But Fox won’t have to admit on-air that it spread lies about Dominion...
The 84-year-old White man accused of shooting a Black teenager who rang his doorbell in Kansas City turned himself in Tuesday and was later released on bail, authorities said. Andrew Lester, who faces two felony charges – assault in the first degree and armed criminal action – in the April 13 shooting of Ralph Yarl, will be arraigned Wednesday afternoon, according to Yarl family attorney Lee Merri...
The 84-year-old White man accused of shooting a Black teenager who rang his doorbell in Kansas City turned himself in Tuesday and was later released on bail, authorities said. Andrew Lester, who faces two felony charges – assault in the first degree and armed criminal action – in the April 13 shooting of Ralph Yarl, will be arraigned Wednesday afternoon, according to Yarl family attorney Lee Merritt. CNN has reached out to prosecutors to confirm the information. Lester turned himself in at a detention center Tuesday then hours later was released on bail. The conditions of his $200,000 bond prohibit him from having any type of weapon and cannot have direct or indirect contact with Yarl or his family, according to Clay County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sarah Boyd. Ralph, 16, was shot in the head and arm after he went to the wrong address to pick up his siblings. He has been released from a hospital but faces an arduous road to recovery, his family said. Lester has told police he and the teen did not exchange words before he fired at him through a locked glass door. This booking photo of Andrew Lester was taken after he turned himself in to authorities Tuesday. Clay County, Missouri, Sheriff's Office CNN has not been able to reach the homeowner. CNN has yet to determine whether Lester has an attorney. The criminal charges have brought a bit of comfort to Ralph’s family – but long roads lie ahead, both with Ralph’s recovery and the quest for justice, his aunt Faith Spoonmore told CNN. “It’s not as simple as turning a page,” Spoonmore said Tuesday. “It’s a little better that he is – hopefully – going to get part of what of he deserves.” But questions remain over why Lester was initially detained but released a few hours after the April 13 shooting. “I share the outrage and concern of many in asking why,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas told CNN. “In Missouri, you can have a 24-hour hold. It is clear here that this was two or three hours, where they questioned the susp...
High speed trains have proved their worth across the world over the past 50 years. It’s not just in reducing journey times, but more importantly, it’s in driving economic growth, creating jobs and bringing communities closer together. China, Japan and Europe lead the way. So why doesn’t the United States have a high-speed rail network like those? For the richest and most economically successful na...
High speed trains have proved their worth across the world over the past 50 years. It’s not just in reducing journey times, but more importantly, it’s in driving economic growth, creating jobs and bringing communities closer together. China, Japan and Europe lead the way. So why doesn’t the United States have a high-speed rail network like those? For the richest and most economically successful nation on the planet, with an increasingly urbanized population of more than 300 million, it’s a position that is becoming more difficult to justify. Although Japan started the trend with its Shinkansen “Bullet Trains” in 1964, it was the advent of France’s TGV in the early 1980s that really kick-started a global high-speed train revolution that continues to gather pace. High-speed train revolution Passengers prepare to board a Shinkansen bullet train in Kyoto, Japan. Issei Kato/Reuters But it’s a revolution that has so far bypassed the United States. Americans are still almost entirely reliant on congested highways or the headache-inducing stress of an airport and airline network prone to meltdowns. China has built around 26,000 miles (42,000 kilometers) of dedicated high-speed railways since 2008 and plans to top 43,000 miles (70,000 kilometers) by 2035. Meanwhile, the United States has just 375 route-miles of track cleared for operation at more than 100 mph. Many Americans have no concept of high-speed rail and fail to see its value. They are hopelessly stuck with a highway and airline mindset. William C. Vantuono, editor-in-chief of Railway Age “Many Americans have no concept of high-speed rail and fail to see its value. They are hopelessly stuck with a highway and airline mindset,” says William C. Vantuono, editor-in-chief of Railway Age, North America’s oldest railroad industry publication. Cars and airliners have dominated long-distance travel in the United States since the 1950s, rapidly usurping a network of luxurious passenger trains with evocative names such as “Th...
A 34-year-old man was arrested Tuesday evening in connection with the killings of four people who were found dead earlier in the day at a Bowdoin, Maine, home, authorities said. The killings appeared to be connected to a series of nearby highway shootings that left three drivers injured – including one critically – shortly after the four bodies were discovered, state police have said. The man arre...
A 34-year-old man was arrested Tuesday evening in connection with the killings of four people who were found dead earlier in the day at a Bowdoin, Maine, home, authorities said. The killings appeared to be connected to a series of nearby highway shootings that left three drivers injured – including one critically – shortly after the four bodies were discovered, state police have said. The man arrested was identified by Maine State Police as Joseph Eaton. Eaton was taken to Two Bridges Regional Jail and will make an initial court appearance later in the week, state police said in a Tuesday evening news release. State police did not say as of late Tuesday night that he was being held in connection with the highway shootings. CNN has not yet been able to identify an attorney for Eaton. “Investigators will be working throughout the night processing multiple scenes and continuing to interview people involved with this incident,” state police said in the news release. Police have not shared details about a possible motive in the two incidents and did not share details about the four people found dead in the home. In a statement on Twitter, Maine Gov. Janet Mills said, “Like people across Maine, I am shocked and deeply saddened – acts of violence like we experienced today shake our state and our communities to the core.” Vehicles ‘hit by straight gunfire’ Maine State Police responded Tuesday morning to the Bowdoin home, where they found the four deceased victims inside, state police Lt. Randall Keaten said in a news conference earlier Tuesday. Shortly after, authorities received reports of several vehicles getting hit by gunfire on I-295 in the area of Yarmouth, which is about 40 minutes from Bowdoin. Three people were shot while driving and were taken to the hospital, state police said. At least one of those three was in critical condition Tuesday, authorities added. “We’ve got vehicles that have been hit by straight gunfire all across that we’re getting reports on, so if...
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who has been cleared to resume football activities, said Tuesday his cardiac arrest during an NFL game in January was caused by commotio cordis. Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after making a tackle and appearing to be hit with a helmet in his chest during the first quarter of the Bills’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2. Commotio cordis can occur ...
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who has been cleared to resume football activities, said Tuesday his cardiac arrest during an NFL game in January was caused by commotio cordis. Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after making a tackle and appearing to be hit with a helmet in his chest during the first quarter of the Bills’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2. Commotio cordis can occur when severe trauma to the chest disrupts the heart’s electrical charge and causes dangerous fibrillations. “I died on national TV in front of the whole world,” Hamlin said in his first session with reporters since the injury. “I lost a bunch of people in my life. I know a bunch of people who lost people in their lives. I know that feeling. That right there is the biggest blessing of it all – for me to still have my people and my people to still have me.” The 25-year-old has been at the Bills’ practice facility in Orchard Park, New York, participating in voluntary offseason workouts this week, according to the team. “He is fully cleared,” Bills General Manager Brandon Beane told reporters. “He’s here.” Hamlin said he was blessed to have a wonderful medical staff who “treat me with the care of their children.” The safety said his heart is still in the game and he was announcing his comeback to the NFL. “I just want to show people that fear is a choice. You can keep going at something without having the answers and without knowing what’s at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “You might feel anxious – you might feel any type of way – but you just keep putting that right foot in front of the left one and you keep going. I want to stand for that.” Beane said that Hamlin had seen three separate specialists over the offseason, who all agreed that the player “is clear to resume full activities just like anyone else who was coming back from an injury.” “(Hamlin’s) in a great headspace to come back and make his return,” Beane added. Hamlin attends an event with lawmakers to introduce th...
Republicans on Tuesday formally blocked a request from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to temporarily replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee, something Democrats hoped to do in order to advance stalled judicial nominations. Senate Democrats are seeking to temporarily replace Feinstein on the powerful panel that processes judicial nominees as the California Democrat remains a...
Republicans on Tuesday formally blocked a request from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to temporarily replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee, something Democrats hoped to do in order to advance stalled judicial nominations. Senate Democrats are seeking to temporarily replace Feinstein on the powerful panel that processes judicial nominees as the California Democrat remains absent, recovering from shingles. Senate Republicans, however, have made clear that they have been prepared to block Democratic efforts to replace Feinstein on the committee, ratcheting up pressure on the 89-year-old California Democrat to resign or return quickly. Feinstein’s return date is still unclear and she asked just last week to be “temporarily” replaced on the committee as she recovers. Schumer introduced his motion on Tuesday by talking about his friendship with Feinstein, and highlighting her accomplishments. “Today, I am acting not just as Leader but as Dianne’s friend, in honoring her wishes, until she returns to the Senate,” Schumer said. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, objected to Schumer’s request, though he also praised the California Democrat. He argued that Schumer’s move is to get more judges confirmed. “She’s a dear friend and we hope for her speedy recovery and return back to the Senate. With all due respect, my colleague, Senator Schumer, this is about a handful of judges that you can’t get the votes for,” Graham said. Democrats could still force a vote to replace the Feinstein, but that would require the support of 10 Republicans and it’s unlikely they would use a lot of valuable floor time for something with little chance of success. Feinstein, who has already announced she’s not seeking reelection, initially said she expected to return to Washington “by the end of the March work period,” but that her return got “delayed due to continued complications related to my diagnosis.” She recently said she plans...