Latest news with #Butler
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pat Riley Sends Strong Message to Jimmy Butler on Friday
The 2024–25 Miami Heat season will be remembered more for the drama than the basketball. Star forward Jimmy Butler was suspended three times for "conduct detrimental to the team" and for "intentionally withholding services," a situation that quickly spiraled into a full-blown distraction. Tension had been building since the offseason, when Butler didn't receive the contract extension he wanted from team president Pat Riley. From that point on, the relationship between Butler and the organization seemed beyond repair. Advertisement Meanwhile, the constant lineup changes left the rest of the roster scrambling to find consistency on a nightly basis. Riley ended up trading Butler to the Golden State Warriors at the NBA trade deadline in a deal that brought the Heat Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Davion Mitchell (via the Toronto Raptors), and a first-round pick. On Friday, Riley spoke to the media and had a message for Butler, saying he wishes him well and hopes "deep down in his heart somewhere, he wishes us well too." "I've been through those kinds of situations before, even with this team, a couple times, uh, and so it's over," Riley said. "He's done. I wish him well, good luck to him, and I hope deep down in his heart somewhere, he wishes us well too." Miami Heat president Pat Riley and Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler.© Jim Rassol | © Bruce Kluckhohn Without Butler, the Heat limped to the end of the regular season as the No. 10 seed, but managed to claw their way into the playoffs as the No. 8 after winning both Play-In Tournament games. Their run didn't last long—the Cleveland Cavaliers swept them in the first round. Butler and the Warriors are now tied 1-1 in a second-round playoff series. Related: Jimmy Butler, Buddy Hield Send Stern Warning to Wolves Fans After Game 1 Antics
Los Angeles Times
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
How HBO keeps ‘The White Lotus' on our minds — and screens
In the age of binge-watching, HBO's hit series 'The White Lotus' is demonstrating the power of weekly appointment viewing. Most viewers streamed the darkly comic anthology series from Mike White, set each season at a new luxury resort where the worst instincts of the privileged guests are unleashed. But the weekly rollout of the latest eight-episode season on Sundays — the night that HBO established as the gathering point for prestige television in the pre-Netflix era — is turbocharging the show's cultural impact and viewing levels. Season 3 of 'The White Lotus,' which premiered in February, averaged 19 million viewers across traditional TV and streaming platforms, according to Max (soon to be known again as HBO Max). About one-fifth of that audience, 4 million, watched on HBO proper the night the episodes aired. HBO saw the audience for the show grow each week, with the finale drawing 6.2 million viewers on April 6 — 51% higher than the Season 2 finale and more than twice the viewership for the series premiere. Such boosts over a single season are rare, according to Jason Butler, senior vice president of global content and strategy for Max. The growth indicates that viewers felt compelled to watch sooner rather than later in order to participate in the public discourse about the show. 'There's this really symbiotic relationship between recurring weekly viewership and burgeoning buzz, as you would expect,' Butler told The Times. Butler added that Max is seeing the same pattern for its Emmy-winning comedy 'Hacks' and its high-octane medical drama 'The Pitt,' which are also rolled out weekly. He noted that Max's biggest shows, such as 'The White Lotus,' are driving 50% more social media conversations during the course of a season compared with series that drop all of their episodes at once for binge-viewing. It helps that 'The White Lotus' offers up signature moments and catchphrases that are meme-worthy. This season, Parker Posey's Southern wine mom Victoria Ratliff did the heavy lifting ('Piper, nooo!'), generating nearly 28,000 videos on TikTok. HBO has seen the phenomenon in previous seasons with, 'What are you doing? Texting' and Jennifer Coolidge's legendary line, 'These gays, they're trying to murder me,' which can be found on a variety of T-shirts and baseball hats sold on Etsy. HBO also effectively flooded the zone with stories in the days between episodes, with Monday morning recaps and video interviews in the Hollywood trades, having the cast members dissect their characters. The Los Angeles Times turned out nearly 20 pieces while the New York Times served up 10 stories on Season 3. Tabloid websites latched on as well. 'The White Lotus' star Aimee Lou Wood's negative reaction to the 'Saturday Night Live' parody of the series became a clickbait-driven saga for a week. Max sees plenty of binge-watching after the final episode runs too. Viewing of previous seasons of 'The White Lotus' surged by 15 times once the third edition launched. (HBO has already ordered a fourth season.) Nielsen data showed viewers streamed the entire series more between 800 and 900 million minutes a week during the third-season run. Max doesn't release data linking a series to subscriber growth. But during the first quarter of 2025, the direct-to-consumer streaming service added 5.3 million customers. The sustained conversation around 'The White Lotus' has also driven consumer behavior in travel and fashion. At the recent Warner Bros. Discovery presentation to advertisers in New York, the company's ad sales chief Robert Voltaggio noted how the show generated a significant boost in tourism to Maui, Sicily and Thailand, the locales featured in the series' first three seasons, respectively. Website visits to the Four Seasons locations where the show is set saw triple-digit growth as well. And of course, there is Victoria Ratliff's caftan. 'The sales for that fashion brand spiked by almost seven times,' Voltaggio said. No word on any spike in Lorazepam prescriptions.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Republican senator responds to uproar after telling constituents 'we're all going to die'
A Republican senator has responded to critics after telling a town hall that 'we're all going to die' after being challenged about Medicaid. Iowa's Joni Ernst, known for her unwavering loyalty to President Donald Trump, issued the deadpan response during a town hall on Friday in the town of Butler. Constituents had pleaded with the senator to reconsider proposed cuts to Medicaid, warning that 'people will die.' 'People are not - well, we're all going to die,' Ernst's responded dismissively. But on Saturday, Ernst emerged with an apology of sorts - though it was far from contrite. Standing before a row of weathered headstones in a local cemetery, Ernst addressed the camera in a video statement dripping with sarcasm and evangelical fervor. 'Hello everyone,' she began. 'I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for a statement that I made yesterday at my town hall.' She recounted how a 'distraught' woman had screamed from the back of the auditorium: 'People are going to die!' 'I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that, yes, we are all going to perish from this earth,' Ernst said with a thin smile. 'So I apologize. And I'm really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy as well.' Pivoting seamlessly, Ernst then turned the moment into a sermon. 'For those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life,' she declared, her voice lifting, 'I encourage you to embrace my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.' The setting, a graveyard, the final resting place of countless Iowans, was not lost on viewers for slammed the senator for being callous. 'If you missed it, she's walking through a cemetery and smugly laughing about killing Americans,' wrote one viewer. 'Using Jesus' name to make fun of the needy is evil,' said another. 'She's evil. And I'm saying this as a conservative,' tweeted a third. 'A woman yells 'People are going to die' at Joni Ernst's town hall. Her response? Sarcasm about the Tooth Fairy and a plug for Jesus. This isn't leadership. Disgusting!' raged a fourth. Her 'non-apology' came after Friday evening's clip of the exchange at the town hall went viral with critics accusing Ernst of trivializing the real consequences of the Republican-backed 'One Big Beautiful Bill'. The sweeping legislative package includes nearly $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid. The bill, passed by the House by the slimmest of margins and now awaiting action in the Senate, demands that able-bodied adults without dependents complete 80 hours of work, education, or community engagement per month to maintain Medicaid eligibility. Verification would be required twice a year, and immigrants living illegally in the US would also be purged from the program. In Iowa, more than one in five residents are on Medicaid, but the measure, celebrated by the GOP as fiscal responsibility and decried by Democrats as cruelty, will not take effect until 2029, after Trump leaves office. Embedded in the 1,000-page bill are $5 trillion in tax cuts, partially funded by rolling back the Biden-era clean energy tax credits. Opponents warn the cuts will leave millions without healthcare or food assistance. The 'Big Beautiful Bill' is intended to be an encompassing piece of legislation to allow President Donald Trump to move forward with much of his agenda, with policies ranging from tax cuts to immigration. Trump is pictured alongside Ernst in August 2016 Video of Ernst's comment started making the rounds among Democratic elected officials and candidates. Ernst is up for reelection in 2026. 'This morning, Joni Ernst said the quiet part out loud,' said Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, in a statement. He added that Republicans do not care 'about whether their own constituents live or die as long as the richest few get richer.' The Congressional Budget Office estimates 8.6 million fewer Americans would have health insurance under the plan, and 3 million fewer would receive SNAP benefits monthly. Republicans argue the bill will rein in waste and fraud while spurring economic growth. 'There's only two certainties in life: death and taxes,' a spokesperson for Ernst told the Daily Mail. 'And she's working to ease the burden of both by fighting to keep more of Iowans' hard-earned tax dollars in their own pockets and ensuring their benefits are protected from waste, fraud, and abuse.' Ernst herself has refused to walk back her support of the bill, doubling down on her defense during the now-infamous town hall. 'Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, we will protect,' she insisted. 'Medicaid is extremely important here in the State of Iowa.'
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
SAS witch hunts have led to recruitment crisis, former officer warns
The SAS is currently at the centre of an inquiry into allegations during the war in Afghanistan SAS witch hunts have damaged morale and led to a recruitment crisis within the elite regiment, says a former commanding officer. Brigadier Ed Butler, who commanded the SAS in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and led the regiment in Afghanistan in 2001, said it's 'not surprising' the Hereford-based unit is also failing to retain experienced troops. 2 Brigadier Ed Butler has warned morale in the SAS is low and faces a recruitment crisis Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Special forces sources have said that since the start of a series of so-called witch hunts against troops who served on operations in Northern Ireland 30-years ago the number of soldiers attempting SAS selection has fallen. They also claim that more troops are leaving the elite organisation in disgust at the treatment of veterans. Brigadier Butler, one of the SAS's most highly decorated and distinguished officers, told The Sun on Sunday: 'The politicians are happy to ask our Special Forces to prosecute government and foreign policies, in the most challenging and dangerous of conditions, to protect our democratic values and freedoms but are not prepared to stick up for them when the witch hunts start. 'Hardly surprising that morale is low, retention is a problem and now potential recruits are not trying SAS selection as they and their families are worried what might happen to them 10 or 20 years after fighting on the front line. You can't have it both ways.' The SAS is currently at the centre of an inquiry into allegations that members of the special forces routinely murdered civilians during the war in Afghanistan. Up to 20 SAS veterans, who served in Northern Ireland and shot dead armed IRA terrorists, are facing murder charges, according to senior members of the SAS regiment. The SAS Association have said: 'It is certainly true that there is real concern and extreme unease amongst SAS soldiers and commanders. "They operate on the front line, often in extreme danger, sometimes at the murky edges of the law. 'There is genuine and justifiable concern that an SAS man may bravely and legally do his duty today, and then, in decades time, be persecuted for it if some revisionist government moves the goal-posts in retrospect.' Figures relating to staffing levels for the SAS are kept secret but sources say there's been a 'noticeable and significant percentage drop'. SAS legend who stormed the Iranian Embassy forced to launch public appeal to pay crippling care home costs
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
SAS witch hunts have led to recruitment crisis, former officer warns
SAS witch hunts have damaged morale and led to a recruitment crisis within the elite regiment, says a former commanding officer. Brigadier Ed Butler, who commanded the SAS in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and led the regiment in Afghanistan in 2001, said it's 'not surprising' the Hereford-based unit is also failing to retain experienced troops. Advertisement 2 Brigadier Ed Butler has warned morale in the SAS is low and faces a recruitment crisis Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Special forces sources have said that since the start of a series of so-called witch hunts against troops who served on They also claim that more troops are leaving the elite organisation in disgust at the treatment of veterans. Brigadier Butler, one of the SAS's most highly decorated and distinguished officers, told The Sun on Sunday: 'The politicians are happy to ask our Special Forces to prosecute government and foreign policies, in the most challenging and dangerous of conditions, to protect our democratic values and freedoms but are not prepared to stick up for them when the witch hunts start. 'Hardly surprising that morale is low, retention is a problem and now potential recruits are not trying SAS selection as they and their families are worried what might happen to them 10 or 20 years after fighting on the front line. You can't have it both ways.' Advertisement READ MORE ON THE SAS The SAS is currently at the centre of an inquiry into allegations that members of the special forces routinely Up to 20 SAS veterans, who served in Northern Ireland and shot dead armed IRA terrorists, are facing murder charges, according to senior members of the SAS regiment. The SAS Association have said: 'It is certainly true that there is real concern and extreme unease amongst SAS soldiers and commanders. "They operate on the front line, often in extreme danger, sometimes at the murky edges of the law. Advertisement Most read in The Sun 'There is genuine and justifiable concern that an SAS man may bravely and legally do his duty today, and then, in decades time, be persecuted for it if some revisionist government moves the goal-posts in retrospect.' Figures relating to staffing levels for the SAS are kept secret but sources say there's been a 'noticeable and significant percentage drop'. SAS legend who stormed the Iranian Embassy forced to launch public appeal to pay crippling care home costs 2 The SAS Association says there are fears troops could be prosecuted decades on for what was legal at the time Credit: AFP
