United Methodist Church To Debate LGBTQ Clergy And Same-Sex Weddings
United Methodist Church leaders are meeting in St. Louis beginning Saturday to decide whether to lift a ban on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex weddings. The topic has become increasingly contentious in recent years, as more United Methodist clergy have come out as gay. United Methodists are among the last mainline Protestant denominations to address the issue, and some worry it could cause a major rift in the church. "It's a little nerve wracking for a group of people you don't really know to make...
Chloë Grace Moretz Wants To 'Fear The Next Step'
In the new horror-thriller film Greta , Frances and the titular Greta find each other in a time-honored old movie way: Frances sees a woman's handbag in a seat on the New York subway. This nice young woman, who has just come to New York, does a nice thing. She opens the bag, finds a wallet, ignores the money, and returns the bag to its owner, who turns out to be an elegant older woman full of conspicuous kindness and courtesy. They seem happy to find each other. "I don't get many visitors...
Among The Oscar Contenders For Best Original Song: Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar
Among the Oscar contenders this year for Best Original Song are a ballad and pop rap from two of the biggest movies of the year A Star Is Born and Black Panther. Lady Gagas Shallow from A Star Is Born became a hit outside of the film, going platinum. Jon Burlingame ( @jonburlingame ) , who teaches at the Thornton School of Music at USC, tells Here & Nows Jeremy Hobson the immensely powerful song is a favorite among critics and Oscar-watchers. In this case its a key turning point in the...
Trump Administration Proposes Sweeping Changes To Federal Family Planning Program
The Trump administration has issued its final draft of a rule that makes sweeping changes to Title X, the federal program that provides birth control and other reproductive health services to millions of low-income Americans. Under the new rule , posted Friday by the federal Department of Health and Human Services Office of Population Affairs, any organization that provides or refers patients for abortions is ineligible for Title X funding to cover STD prevention, cancer screenings and...
A Sprawling Blueprint For Protest Music, Courtesy Of The Jazz Duke
This story is part of American Anthem, a yearlong series on songs that rouse, unite, celebrate and call to action. Find more at NPR.org/Anthem . What makes a jazz anthem? NPR's American Anthem series has spanned pop, rock, folk and more, but in most cases the songs are catchy, sing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs hits we all know and love. Less obvious is how an anthem grows out of a genre that is primarily instrumental and rarely crosses over into the pop charts these days. Luckily, we have an...
Florida Police: Robert Kraft, Owner Of Patriots, To Face Solicitation Charges
Updated at 4:45 p.m. ET A Florida police chief has announced that Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, will face charges of soliciting prostitution after he was caught on surveillance video allegedly in the midst of a sexual act. Jupiter Police Chief Daniel Kerr announced the charges on Friday as part of a sting on a local spa suspected of human trafficking and potential money laundering. Kraft is one of dozens to face similar charges. Kerr says he is being charged with two...
Judge Rules Against State Department In Same-Sex Couple's Citizenship Lawsuit
Andrew and Elad Dvash-Banks have twin sons, born four minutes apart. The U.S. State Department has maintained that one is a U.S. citizen and one is not. The same-sex couple has been fighting the U.S. government in federal court for citizenship rights for their young child. On Thursday, a judge ruled that the child, Ethan, is indeed a U.S. citizen because his parents were married at the time of his birth, and therefore the State Department misapplied the law. "This two-year nightmare is...
Breakdancing In The Olympics? Paris 2024 Organizers Say, 'Oui, Garçon!'
The world's best breakdancers could compete for Olympic gold medals at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, if the event's organizers succeed in getting the hip-hop dance style recognized as an Olympic sport. As Paris organizers proposed adding breakdancing to the roster, the International Olympic Committee said the idea fits with its goal of making the Olympics "gender-balanced, more youth-focused and more urban." Breakdancing was part of the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires 2018, with...
Your Oscars-Watching Guide For 2019
Don't leave! Are you the person who didn't read past that headline and left the comment saying, "I would never watch the Oscars! Who cares? NPR, I am so disappointed in you!"? I hear you. I have heard you. Welcome. Sometimes, the awards ceremony seem hugely separate from the movies people actually went out to see, and even the ones people you know may have enjoyed. But this year, there are a lot of popular — even beloved — movies up for awards. Black Panther ! Bohemian Rhapsody ! The...
Dominick Argento, Literature-Loving And Pulitzer Prize-Winning Composer, Dead At 91
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Dominick Argento died on Wednesday in Minneapolis, Minn., after a short illness; his death was announced by his family He was 91. Argento was best known for his lyrical and astringent music for the human voice – he wrote 13 operas, as well as song cycles and choral works. As he told the late Mary Ann Feldman in a 2002 interview , "My interest is people. I am committed to working with characters, feelings and emotions." Argento was born on Oct. 27, 1927 in York,...
She Designed Wakanda — And Might Win An Oscar For It
Marvel's Black Panther is up for seven Academy Awards this Sunday. It could be the first superhero movie to win for best picture. Its costume designer Ruth Carter is an Oscar nominee. The film is nominated for best original score and best original song. One Oscar nomination has already made history: Hannah Beachler is the first African-American ever nominated for the award in production design. She helped create the cinematic world of Wakanda. The Black Panther is T'Challa, king of Wakanda, a...
After Delay, Michael Cohen To Testify On Capitol Hill Next Week
Updated at 9:20 p.m. ET President Trump's former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, is set to appear on Capitol Hill next week to give highly anticipated testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The hearing was originally scheduled for earlier in the month but was delayed after Cohen cited "threats" from the president and attorney Rudy Giuliani. "I am pleased to announce that Michael Cohen's public testimony before the oversight committee is back on, despite efforts...