Latest news with #Whac-A-Mole
Politico
5 days ago
- Business
- Politico
‘A ton of tradeoffs': Thune acts fast to cut deals and move Trump's megabill
John Thune is wasting no time moving President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' through the Senate. The Senate majority leader laid out a rat-a-tat tempo for the coming weeks in an exclusive interview with POLITICO that he hopes will culminate in final passage of the party-line megabill by Republicans' July 4 deadline. Senate committees will fully release revised text of the bill by the end of next week, Thune said. Panel markups where that text might be debated and potentially amended will be highly optional. And he is already in close consultation with Trump about targeting key senators who will need to be persuaded to back the sprawling legislation. 'He's been very engaged,' the South Dakota Republican said. 'I think he would do that whether we asked [or not], but we tried to give him some direction, yeah.' Thune laid out the detailed timeline after POLITICO first reported Monday that some Senate panels will start releasing their tweaks this week — starting with the Armed Services Committee Tuesday night. Next week, panels writing the trickiest and most substantial parts — including the Senate Finance Committee — will release text. Trump will meet with other Republican members of the tax-writing panel at the White House Wednesday and 'lay out kind of what he wants to see,' Thune said. Now five months into his longtime dream job, Thune is tasked with shepherding his party's biggest legislative priority to fruition with little margin for error. Republicans need to figure out how to corral nearly all their members while bridging internal divides on thorny issues such as the size of spending cuts, the future of social safety net programs and the architecture of major tax policies. 'It's striking the right balance,' Thune said. 'Without getting into the particulars, there are a ton of tradeoffs you have to make.' He compared trying to lock down the bill to playing a game of Whac-A-Mole but added that he believes he has 'a handle on what the dials are and how they can be turned and what the various options are to try to get to 51.' Thune has at least one guaranteed 'no' vote in Sen. Rand Paul, with the Kentucky Republican vowing to oppose the bill as long as an increase in the debt ceiling is included. Thune noted that he's spoken extensively with Sen. Ron Johnson, a deficit hawk whom leadership views as their second-most-likely opponent. Meeting the Wisconsin Republican's public demands of trillions of dollars in additional spending cuts will be a tall order, Thune acknowledged. 'I never give up,' Thune said, and leaders are 'doing everything we can to move the bill in a direction that he would be more predisposed to be for. But, you know, he's made some fairly strong statements out there.' 'At the end of the day, everybody's going to have to make a decision about whether or not this is better than the status quo, and, do I really want to take this down?' he added. Trump has already started calling some senators who will be Thune's toughest votes to lock down, with Thune calling him 'the closer.' It's not just conservative hard-liners who need attention: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters on Tuesday that she has spoken with administration officials about her concerns about the potential impact on rural hospitals. Trump also called Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who has raised concern about the House's changes to Medicaid. Thune and Hawley have met to discuss his position. Thune is also trying to coordinate with Speaker Mike Johnson, who has urged the Senate to make as few changes as possible to the House bill. But Thune said that was an unrealistic expectation — particularly on the state-and-local-tax deduction, an especially tough issue in the House. 'It would be very, very hard to get the Senate to vote for what the House did' on SALT, Thune said. 'We've just got some people that feel really strongly on this.' Other areas that could see changes include SNAP, the nutrition program formerly known as food stamps. Thune acknowledged 'a concern among some of our members' about the House's plan to require states to carry some of the program's cost. Thune met with Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) Tuesday, and leadership has given the panel a list of potential savings options that would not require shifting costs to the states. The process of tweaking the bill will largely happen behind closed doors in the coming weeks. Thune said it will be up to each Senate committee to decide whether to hold votes on their piece of the bill. While he said he believes some will, no panel has yet announced it will do so. After the Finance panel — which has jurisdiction over both the tax and Medicare provisions — releases its text sometime next week, Senate Republicans will 'fine tune' the bill, Thune said, during the third week of the month to ensure it can get 51 votes — possibly including a tie-breaker from Vice President JD Vance. 'Probably in the last two weeks of [June], we really start homing in on, you know, getting ready to get it to the floor the last week,' he said.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tobias Iaconis & Mikki Daughtry Tapped To Script Monarch Media's ‘A Walk To Remember' Reboot
EXCLUSIVE: Mikki Daughtry & Tobias Iaconis (Five Feet Apart) have been set as the writers for A Walk to Remember, Monarch Media's Nicholas Sparks reboot on which we were first to report in February. A seminal coming-of-age romance, published in 1999, A Walk to Remember follows a rebellious high school senior who falls for a quiet, faith-driven girl after being forced to participate in a school play, discovering the transformative power of love, forgiveness and the beauty of living each day with purpose. More from Deadline HBO Nabs 'Baby Queen' Drama For Development From Alex Metcalf, Jessica Rhoades & Media Res Mattel & TriStar Pictures Teaming On Whac-A-Mole Movie Ryan Murphy Sets 'The Shards' Series Adaptation At FX With Kaia Gerber Starring, Max Winkler Directing Warner Bros previously adapted the book in 2002, with leads Shane West and Mandy Moore breaking out off of their lead performances. The Adam Shankman pic remains one of the most popular in the modern rom-com canon, even if it made less than $48 million in theaters. Steve Barnett, Alan Powell and Vicky Patel are producing the reboot through Monarch Media, along with the original film's producers Denise Di Novi and Hunt Lowry, as well as Margaret French-Isaac through Di Novi Pictures and Patty Reed through Lowry's Roserock Films. Best known for writing Lionsgate's hit YA romance Five Feet Apart, starring Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse, Daughtry and Iaconis were also behind the Netflix family adventure film Nightbooks and Warner Bros' horror flick The Curse of La Llorona. Daughtry is also a New York Times bestselling author, having penned All This Time, and co-authored, with Iaconis and Rachael Lippincott, the #1 bestseller Five Feet Apart — which was adapted from Daughtry and Iaconis' screenplay of the same name. Daughtry's next novel, Time After Time, is slated for release through Putnam Young Readers next week. She and Iaconis are repped by Verve, Lit Entertainment Group, and McKuin, Frankel, Whitehead. Best of Deadline Every 'The Voice' Winner Since Season 1, Including 9 Team Blake Champions Everything We Know About 'Jurassic World: Rebirth' So Far 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mattel Is Making a Whac-A-Mole Live-Action and Animation Hybrid Movie, Apparently
The MCU is adding another movie to its franchise. No, not the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We mean the Mattel Cinematic Universe, which is bizarrely a thing after the big success of the Barbie movie. The power of Margot Robbie knows no bounds. We know that there are over a dozen films in the works, many of which we've detailed in this very handy post. But there's yet another one to add. Mattel and TriStar Pictures are developing a live-action and animated hybrid movie about Whac-A-Mole. (Thank you Variety for bringing news to our attention that we truly did not see coming.) For those who are reading this and aren't familiar, Whac-A-Mole is a simple game. It involves a surface, whether on an arcade game or a smaller version for your desk, that has about 4-8 holes in it. The player takes a large mallet and, as little moles pop out of the hole, attempts to hit as many as possible until time runs out. The more moles ya whack, the more points ya get. For the Whac-A-Mole movie from Mattel, we assume that the moles are the animated part and the humans whacking at them are the live-action portion. RELATED ARTICLE After BARBIE, Mattel's Cinematic Universe Is Ready with 15 Movies We don't know what the storyline could be or what's going on in Hollywood these days. But we do know that Mattel Films president Robbie Brenner is stoked about this new film. 'Whac-A-Mole is more than a game — it's a laugh-out-loud battle of reflexes that has brought joy and a little chaos to families for five decades,' said Brenner. 'We're beyond excited to team up with TriStar Pictures to turn the iconic experience into a wild, action-packed ride for the big screen.' So yeah, there's your weird news for the day. Have a good one!
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mattel, TriStar to Develop Film Based on Whac-a-Mole
With films based on 'Masters of the Universe' and Matchbox toy cars already in development, Mattel Films is adding a live-action/animated hybrid movie based on the classic game Whac-a-Mole to their production slate with TriStar as its partner. 'Whac-A-Mole is more than a game — it's a laugh-out-loud battle of reflexes that has brought joy and a little chaos to families for five decades. We're beyond excited to team up with TriStar Pictures to turn the iconic experience into a wild, action-packed ride for the big screen,' Mattel Films president Robbie Brenner said. Whac-a-Mole was first created as an arcade game by the Japanese company TOGO in 1975, challenging players to hit toy moles that popped out of a series of holes with a soft mallet before they fell back down. The game became a cultural touchstone, often used to refer to futile tasks. Mattel acquired the trademark to the game in 2008 and has released a home version with moles that light up instead of popping out of holes. The film will be overseen by Elizabeth Bassin and Steve Spohr for Mattel Films, and by Shary Shirazi and Kelseigh Coombs for TriStar Pictures. 'Mattel continues to create impact with their films, and Whac-A-Mole is no exception – a brand that has been in culture for generations,' added TriStar president Nicole Brown. 'We look forward to partnering with them to bring audiences a fresh, unexpected take on this absolute classic.' Since scoring the highest grossing film of 2023 with Warner Bros. and Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie,' Mattel has begun searching through its catalog of toys and games for more potential film adaptations. 'Masters of the Universe,' which is currently shooting in the U.K., will be based on the classic 80s toy line and animated series 'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe,' with Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man and Alison Brie, Camila Mendes, Jared Leto and Idris Elba rounding out the cast. 'Bumblebee' and 'Kubo and the Two Strings' filmmaker Travis Knight is directing, with a release set by Amazon MGM for June 5, 2026. The studio is also producing a movie based on the classic Matchbox die-cast toy car series starring John Cena and Jessica Biel. Skydance and Apple are co-producing the film for a release in fall 2026. The post Mattel, TriStar to Develop Film Based on Whac-a-Mole appeared first on TheWrap.
New York Post
21-04-2025
- New York Post
Teens are using AI to create fake nudes of their classmates — as a new form of bullying
They've turned tech into a weapon — and no one's safe from the scandal. Teens are using artificial intelligence to whip up disturbingly realistic nude images of their classmates — and then share them like digital wildfire, sending shockwaves through schools and leaving experts fearing the worst. The AI-powered tools, often dubbed 'nudify' apps, are as sinister as they sound. With just a headshot — often lifted from a yearbook photo or social media profile — these apps can fabricate explicit deepfake images that appear scarily real. And yes, it's already happening in schools. 3 AI 'nudify' apps are fueling a disturbing trend among teens: generating fake nude images of classmates and spreading them with devastating consequences. Getty Images These hyper-realistic images — forged with AI tools — are turning bullying into a high-tech nightmare. 'We're at a place now where you can be doing nothing and stories and pictures about you are posted online,' Don Austin, superintendent of the Palo Alto Unified School District, told Fox News Digital. 'They're fabricated. They're completely made up through AI and it can have your voice or face. That's a whole other world.' This is a full-blown digital crisis. Last summer, the San Francisco City Attorney's office sued 16 so-called 'nudify' websites for allegedly violating laws around child exploitation and nonconsensual images. Those sites alone racked up more than 200 million visits in the first half of 2023. 3 This trend is a full-blown digital crisis. Getty Images But catching the tech companies behind these tools? That's like playing a game of Whac-A-Mole. Most have skated past current state laws, though some — like Minnesota — are trying to pass legislation to hold them accountable for the havoc they're wreaking. Still, the tech moves faster than the law — and kids are getting caught in the crossfire. 3 AI apps are making bullying disturbingly easy — no skills needed, just a face and a few taps to create shockingly real fake nudes. Getty Images/iStockphoto Josh Ochs, founder of SmartSocial — an organization that trains families on online safety — told Fox News Digital that AI-generated nudes are causing 'extreme harm' to teens across the country. 'Kids these days will upload maybe a headshot of another kid at school and the app will recreate the body of the person as though they're nude,' Ochs revealed to the outlet. 'This causes extreme harm to that kid that might be in the photo, and especially their friends as well and a whole family,' he noted. He said parents need to stop tiptoeing around their children's digital lives — and start laying down some boundaries. 'Before you give your kids a phone or social media, it's time to have that discussion early and often. Hey, this is a loaner for you, and I can take it back at any time because you could really hurt our family,' Ochs said. In February, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill to criminalize publishing — or even threatening to publish — nonconsensual AI deepfake porn. It now awaits further action. Austin said the only way to get ahead of the curve is to keep talking — with parents, teachers, students, and anyone else who will listen. 'This isn't going away,' he warned. 'It's evolving — and fast.'
