Americans

Adam Sandler was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at a gala Sunday hosted at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Sandler, 56, received the honor for his decades of creative entertainment on television, music and film, according to a release from the Kennedy Center. Celebrities such as Conan O’Brien, Jennifer Anniston, Dana Carvey, Drew Barrymore, Luis Guzman, Rob Schneider and Steve Buscemi presented Sandler with the award, testifying to his sometimes imperfect creative output and habit of casting his friends in movies, The Associated Press (AP) reported . Tim Herlihy, Sandler’s longtime production and writing partner, joked that together, the duo had created “31 motion pictures with a combined Rotten Tomatoes score of 59,” The AP reported. Sandler’s former roommate-turned entertainment heavyweight Judd Apatow spoke to Sandler’s youthful confidence and talent. Sandler told The AP that the award was a “huge surprise,” in an interview shared … [Read more...] about Adam Sandler Receives Mark Twain Prize For American Humor

BIOGRAPHY OF X, by Catherine Lacey The narrator of “Biography of X,” the new Catherine Lacey novel, is a journalist named C.M. Lucca who worked for a Village Voice-like newspaper in New York City during the 1980s. C.M. has a cool tone and a lonely intelligence; she’s a solitary spirit. Her voice is clear but worn, like beach glass. There’s some early Renata Adler in it, and some Janet Malcolm. C.M. was married, when young, to a sculptor named Henry. “Never love an artist,” Patricia Highsmith reports being told. “When it comes time for them to work, they’ll look at you as though they didn’t know you, and kick you out into the cold.” Henry never kicked C.M. into the cold, literally or metaphorically. But when C.M. leaves him and marries X — a polarizing, multi-hyphenate female performance artist — the heartbreak and indignities mount. C.M.’s voice, with its withdrawn quality and intimations of ruin, is an odd one to preside over a novel this sprawling and ambitious, this … [Read more...] about ‘Biography of X’ Rewrites a Life Story and an American Century

(CNN) Five former Memphis Police Department officers pleaded not guilty Friday at their arraignment on criminal charges connected to the January death of Tyre Nichols , whose brutal beating after a police traffic stop was seen on video. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr. each face charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Second-degree murder in Tennessee is considered a Class A felony punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison. The former officers are due back in court on May 1. Their attorneys entered not guilty pleas on their behalf. Members of Nichols' family sat in the rear of the courtroom with their attorney Ben Crump. After the pleas in Shelby County Criminal Court, Judge James Jones urged both sides to be patient as the case may take some time. What we know about the public servants involved in Tyre Nichols' death "We … [Read more...] about 5 former Memphis police officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death plead not guilty

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 11 DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Teri Patrick bristles at the idea she wants to ban books about LGBTQ issues in Iowa schools, arguing her only goal is ridding schools of sexually explicit material. Sara Hayden Parris says that whatever you want to call it, it's wrong for some parents to think a book shouldn't be readily available to any child if it isn’t right for their own child. The viewpoints of the two mothers from suburban Des Moines underscore a divide over LGBTQ content in books as Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds pushes an especially sweeping crackdown on content in Iowa school libraries. The bill she's backing could result in the removal of books from school libraries in all of the state's 327 districts if they're successfully challenged in any one of them. School boards and legislatures nationwide also are facing questions about books … [Read more...] about School library book bans are seen as targeting LGBTQ content

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is opening mostly higher after regulators pushed together two huge banks over the weekend to build confidence in the struggling industry. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% shortly after the opening bell Monday. The Dow added 0.6% and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.3%. Much of the attention was still on banks, which may be cracking under the pressure of the fastest series of interest rate hikes in decades. Swiss banking giant UBS is buying rival Credit Suisse for almost $3.25 billion in a deal quickly put together by regulators. U.S. bank First Republic fell again after another credit rating downgrade. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets sank Monday after Swiss authorities arranged the takeover of troubled Credit Suisse amid fears of a global banking crisis ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting to decide on more possible interest rate hikes. Hong Kong's main index slid 2.7%. London, Frankfurt and … [Read more...] about Wall Street opens mostly higher with banks still in focus

0 This post is sponsored and contributed by Personal Finance If you're a homebuyer with little to no credit history, a government-backed FHA loan may be able to quickly and easily help you buy a house. New American Funding , Brand Partner Posted Reply If you are a homebuyer with little to no credit history, a government-backed FHA loan may be able to quickly and easily help you buy a house. FHA loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration, this allows them to have different standards than other, conventional loans. The more flexible financial requirements for this loan type make it one of the more suitable options offered for those who have debt or other personal financial issues. This can make FHA loan programs easier to obtain than traditional loans, allowing more people to become homeowners. However, an easier loan application does not necessarily mean less serious; preparing yourself beforehand is important to avoid … [Read more...] about How To Get An FHA Loan With Lower Credit