Bradley Cooper, Patricia Clarkson and Alessandro Nivola

06/09/2015 AT 04:05 PM EDT

might just have the ultimate bromance.

The Tony-nominated pals and costars of Broadway's

last weekend to take in some tennis – and some of Nivola's friends gave him some grief about it.

"He's got this apartment in Paris, which is just incredible, and we went down and had front-row seats to watch

, who's his buddy. And there we were just watching tennis, and a couple days later, I'm told by some friends that Bradley is now my new lover," Nivola, 42, told PEOPLE at the 69th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday.

to actress wife Emily Mortimer since 2003, Nivola quips, "If I were gay, he'd be the guy, I'm tellin' ya." (Most recently, Cooper's been

The actor had nothing but good things to say about Cooper, 40.

"He's the greatest actor to be on stage with because it's just different every night," says Nivola, 42. "We've done the show 115 times, and every night, it's different, and that's because he's just so super free, and we play off of each other that way, and we're determined not to let it get boring and stale and dead, and it's thanks to his commitment that way – his talent."

And Nivola isn't the only costar smitten with Cooper: Patricia Clarkson wasn't shy about to heap on the praise.

"Oh, [Bradley]'s very sexy. And so is Alessandro Nivola – they're the sexiest men alive, oh my god," says the actress, 55, who was also up for a Tony Sunday night.

As it turns out, Nivola also spends time with Clarkson offstage.

"I just have such close relationships with both of them, in different ways. Patty got me into

," adds Nivola. "She's obsessed, and now I'm obsessed, too. We used to sit together and drink bourbon and watch

Summary: The actor joked about a rumor Cooper was his "new lover" after they were photographed at the French Open


Ed Sheeran (center) with the Rolling Stones

06/28/2015 AT 01:15 PM EDT

England rocked America on Saturday as

teamed up for an unforgettable performance in Kansas City, Missouri.

Sheeran, 24, took a break from his

tour, to join the Stones at their Missouri concert stop and surprise fans with a joint performance of the band's hit, "Beast of Burden."

The "Thinking Out Loud" singer expressed his excitement at the opportunity over social media on Saturday, Tweeting "Amazing night playing with @RollingStones, what a moment."

Amazing night playing with @RollingStones, what a moment - https://t.co/vANFcXcmUr

During the Zip Code tour show at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium, the talented crew, which included

, 71, even took a

"Just sung a song on stage with these ladz," Sheeran wrote.

In a later photo, Sheeran is seemingly in deep discussion with guitarist Keith Richards, writing "Learning how to be led astray."

Prior to the performance, Mick Jagger and Sheeran joked in a backstage video about performing Fetty Wap's 2015 hit "Trap Queen," which Sheeran has

In the short clip, posted to Jagger's official

, Jagger says he thinks the rap tune will "work in Kansas City."

"It's one of the favorite songs of this group, and so we're bashing away at the piano, it's been fun," he jokes.

The band thanked the singer for joining the performance through their

, while Ronnie Wood expressed his appreciation through yet another selfie.

"Great show tonight in #KansasCity thanks to @edsheeran for joining us," he Tweeted.

Great show tonight in #KansasCity thanks to @edsheeran for joining us @RollingStones pic.twitter.com/8gvejk6z0y

Summary: The British crooner performed "Beast of Burden" with the iconic rock band


LAUNDRETTE Stephen Frears’s 1985 film about working-class whites and culturally displaced Pakistani entrepreneurs in South London is astonishingly fresh, immediate, gritty, and ruefully funny. Daniel Day-Lewis, in one of his first film roles, gives a tour de force performance as a gay skinhead. Extras: conversation between Frears and producer Colin MacCabe, interview with writer Hanif Kureishi, trailer. (Criterion Collection, $29.95; Blu-ray, $39.95)

JAUJA Argentine director Lisandro Alonso’s stark mind-boggler starts in Patagonia in the late 19th century and ends somewhere between the Twilight Zone and Jorge Luis Borges’s “Ficciones.” The inimitable Viggo Mortensen (below) plays a Danish engineer working with the Argentine Army who, after losing his daughter in the desert, proceeds to lose himself. Extras: Alonso short, trailer, Alonso and Mortensen press conference. (Cinema Guild, $29.95; Blu-ray, $34.95)

KING OF THE GYPSIES Writer-director Frank Pierson offers this lyrical 1978 tribute to the Gypsy subculture. Eric Roberts, making his movie debut, shines as a Travolta-ish hero who wants to surmount his family origins. The great Sterling Hayden gives a virtuoso performance as ruler of the Gypsies. (Olive Films, $24.95; Blu-ray, $29.95, available now)

ALBINO ALLIGATOR This 1996 hostage drama set in New Orleans marked Kevin Spacey’s film-directing debut. Heading a starry cast are Matt Dillon, Joe Mantegna, Gary Sinise, Faye Dunaway, Viggo Mortensen, and Skeet Ulrich. (Lionsgate, $14.99; Blu-ray, $14.99)

HERE IS YOUR LIFE Jan Troell (“The New Land”) made his feature directing debut with this 1966 coming-of-age drama set in the Swedish countryside in the World War I era. Extras: introduction by director Mike Leigh, interview with Troell, 1965 Troell short starring Max von Sydow. (Criterion Collection, $29.95; Blu-ray, $39.95, available now)

STREET SMART Christopher Reeve, as a reporter, and Kathy Baker, as a prostitute, are top billed. But this 1987 drama belongs to Morgan Freeman. His fierce performance as a murderous pimp earned him a best supporting actor Oscar nomination, and put him on the map. (Olive Films, $24.95; Blu-ray, $29.95, available now)

Summary: New releases this week include “My Beautiful Laundrette” and “Jauja.”


Despite the flop, they're back in one market as McDonald's continues giving more power to regions to decide what works in each market as part of its ongoing turnaround effort.

"Mighty Wings performed very well in the Detroit market, so they brought them back for an encore by popular demand. At this time, Detroit is the only market that has chosen to bring the Mighty Wings back as a local market menu option," said Kristen Wells, a McDonald's spokeswoman in an email.

Read MoreMcDonald's quietly changes its Quarter Pounder size

In its latest iteration, McDonald's toned down the spice level by 25 percent even as rival Burger King bets on heat with its spicy chicken fries launch earlier this month.

Pricing is determined by franchisees, but prices at locations CNBC called ranged from about 89 cents to about a buck each, depending on the size ordered.

Summary: McDonald's Mighty Wings largely disappointed the brand when they first launched in 2013. They're now back in one market.


But will this be seen by the markets as any worse than the possible consequences of a Conservative-led government?

In particular, the promise of a referendum on membership of the European Union by 2017 – assuming the Conservatives can convince their governmental partners to include this in a coalition agreement – could have negative consequences for both investment and sterling.

After all, the U.K. is the second most important destination in the world for inward investment after the U.S. Whatever the result of the referendum itself, its announcement would mean two years of uncertainty over whether the U.K. remains in the single market. This would undoubtedly present a serious test of the resilience of foreign direct investment, and would likely depress the currency as a result.

With many different political configurations possible after this election, the probability distribution of the various outcomes is exceptionally flat. There is a good chance that the electorate vote for "none of the above" – that the distribution of parliamentary seats among the parties renders it impossible for any grouping to form a stable government.

While the Fixed Term Parliaments Act introduced in 2011 makes fresh elections more difficult, this remains a real possibility resulting in a period of potentially prolonged volatility in the U.K.'s financial markets. In short, if the polls stay where they are, it's easy to see why there may be no good market outcomes of this general election.

George Buckley is chief U.K. economist at Deutsche Bank.

Summary: With the U.K. general election less than a month away, the outcome could be negative for markets, according to Deutsche Bank's chief UK economist.


Hill, a British national, who was appointed in the position last year, is looking to push the "capital market union" agenda to harmonize capital markets across the whole of the EU.

One of the problems, Hill said, was that European firms were going to the U.S. in search of funding. This is a particular theme seen in the technology sector where European start-ups go to the States with the view of raising larger funding rounds at higher valuations.

Hill said that looking at boosting areas such as crowdfunding and venture capital in Europe could stop this, but the EU would have to be careful not to over-regulate and stymie growth.

"I think that it would be good if we could get more of those sources of funding coming from within Europe. So that's why we'll be making a priority of looking at venture capital," the commissioner said.

"I think crowdfunding is an interesting area, still small, and there my instinct with crowdfunding is this is something that's emerging rapidly…and I think we've got to be careful not to regulate too soon on something like that, that might actually have the unintended effect of choking off that growth," he said.

Businesses are increasingly turning to non-bank lending. Non-bank lenders recorded 195 deals in the U.K. and mainland Europe last year, up 43 percent from 136 in 2013, according to Deloitte. And in Europe, venture capital firms poured $10.5 billion into companies in 2014, up 27 percent on the year before, according to an EY study.

Summary: The European Union's financial services commissioner on Saturday urged the need to wean firms off being too reliant on traditional bank money.


The Energy Information Administration on Wednesday said gasoline stocks last week rose by 811,000 barrels, compared with expectations for a 500,000-barrel decline. Inventories of diesel and other distillates rose 709,000, half of what was expected. The build in gasoline added to a negative tone for oil futures.

West Texas Intermediate futures settled down 1.3 percent at $45.15 per barrel, and Brent lost 40 cents to $49.59 per barrel. WTI is down 7.5 percent in the past week.

Lipow said gas stations in Ohio and Texas are already selling gasoline for under $2 a gallon, but California, which has seen refining problems, is still averaging $3.69 per gallon.

Read MoreOil retreats into the close

"We have ample inventories in gasoline. A slight downtick in demand should occur here with summer ending and conventional gasoline coming on the market in October. There are all the elements for much lower prices at the pump," said John Kilduff of Again Capital.

The oil industry has become gloomier this earnings season, and its outlook now is that low prices will stretch on for longer. But at the same time, refiners have been meeting high demand for gasoline with a record high level of production, and that should help send gasoline prices lower.

"It's a glut in crude oil. Crude is on sale, so there's margin for refiners to operate at high utilization levels," said Lipow.

The Energy Information Administration said refining inputs exceeded 17 million barrels a day in each of the past four weeks, the highest level since the EIA began publishing data in 1990.

Read MoreThis'll be 'best investment in the world': Rubenstein

Lipow said the refining industry has been adding capacity incrementally. The U.S. exports gasoline and distillates, as well as imports some gasoline for markets on the East Coast. "Come 2016, Valero will add a significant amount of crude capacity at Houston and Corpus Christi," said Lipow.

Summary: The national average for unleaded gasoline could fall by another 15 to 20 percent by the end of the year, and in some states even more.


This suggests that special education experts, doctors and other medical specialists are choosing to designate more conditions as autism — possibly because of wider awareness about and acceptance of the condition.

"For quite some time, researchers have been struggling to sort disorders into categories based on observable clinical features, but it gets complicated with autism because every individual can show a different combination of features," Girirajan said in a statement.

"The tricky part is how to deal with individuals who have multiple diagnoses because, the set of features that define autism is commonly found in individuals with other cognitive or neurological deficits."

Read MoreWhere we stand on autism

Autism spectrum disorder can range from mild symptoms to profound mental retardation, debilitating repetitive behaviors and an inability to communicate. Genes have a strong influence and autism runs in families.

There's no cure, but experiments with early treatment suggest it might be possible to help children overcome some difficulties.

"Every patient is different and must be treated as such," said Girirajan.

Summary: A new study suggests the idea that more kids are being diagnosed with autism due to reclassification of the issue, NBC reports.


Resist the urge to overleverage yourself (i.e., borrow or purchase on credit). Instead, use cash to make priority purchases. With respect to spending, individuals often feel it helps to make one splurge purchase upon coming into newfound wealth. To conquer the itch to spend, buy a few "must-haves" and then return to more disciplined spending practices.

5. Have a game plan with your spouse. A prenuptial agreement for a spouse-to-be can be put in place for mutual understanding. For married couples, a post-nuptial agreement can be an effective tool to clarify joint and individual estate plans, as well as to protect both parties.

Read MoreDon't leave Uncle Sam your money

6. Protect your blind side. Securing the proper insurance means having life, health, disability, property and casualty and liability insurance in place. Execute a comprehensive estate plan, which will include a will and, typically, a revocable trust, as well as powers of attorney, medical directives and guardianship appointments, as appropriate.

The plan should also address your goals, where applicable, of passing wealth efficiently to family members and future generations.

Summary: This year's NFL draft will mint scores of new millionaires, but many who get rich quick lose it just as fast. Here are 8 tips to stay rich.


09/24/2015 AT 09:20 PM EDT

Thousands of Big Apple natives crowded the streets to get a glimpse of

On Wednesday, the people's Pontiff made his entrance to New York City riding in the popemobile (with protective glass removed) after making his

at Capitol Hill and spending days in Washington with President

Among the welcoming party was

, who waved from Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue joined by son

Soon after, the 69-year-old Republican front-runner took to the streets addressing the crowds by waving his arms in the air with a beaming grin on his face.

Trump wasn't able to meet Pope Francis in person but he will have a

chance to meet another celebrity foreigner, Russian President

Pope Francis was escorted by a motorcade of Secret Service and police to St Patrick's Cathedral where he dedicated his sermon to the families of Muslim pilgrims killed in a stampede during Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia the same day.

Following his appearance, he forgoed lunch with politicians to break bread with the homeless. He concluded his day by getting driven to his temporary residence at the Vatican Mission to the United Nations on East 72nd Street.

Among the many scheduled N.Y.C. visitations, the holiness' road trip includes stops to the United Nations, Ground Zero, Central Park and Madison Square Garden.

Summary: The Republican front-runner joined the thousands to welcome the people's Pontiff for the first time in New York City


Crude oil futures swung higher on Monday after falling on concerns that U.S. demand for gasoline may fade after a strong stretch and in worries about the potential fallout from the Greek debt crisis.

U.S. crude closed up 7 cents, at $59.68 a barrel, ahead of the expiry of the front-month July contract.

Brent crude for August delivery was up 46 cents at $64.23 a barrel, after falling nearly 2 percent on Friday over worries about a potential Greek debt default.

The contracts spent most of the session in negative territory despite data from market intelligence firm Genscape suggesting a big draw on the week on stockpiles at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery point for U.S. crude futures.

Gasoline and diesel's proxy, heating oil, fell by 1 percent or more, leading the oil complex lower, as traders and investors cut the products prices from their recent peaks. Gasoline hit near 8-month highs last week.

Read MoreCrude nearing key inflection point: Technician

"One of the biggest supporters of the U.S. crude rally has been the products markets. But there's concern we may have overproduced gasoline lately, just like how we've been doing with crude," said Matthew Perry at Kronenberg Capital Advisors, an energy-focused hedge fund in Oreland, Pennsylvania.

On the Greek front, euro zone finance ministers welcomed new Athens proposals for a cash-for-reform deal but said it would take more work to avert a default.

Summary: Crude oil futures fell for a second straight session on Monday on concerns that U.S. demand for gasoline may fade after a strong stretch.


* Ukraine is seeking a writedown on its debt

* Next big repayment due in September

* Seen making repayments until then

* Bondholders say haircuts will compromise future market access

* TABLE on Ukraine 2015 bond/coupon payments

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - Ukraine is likely to pay all bond coupons falling due over the summer but a $500 million maturity in September could mark a halt to debt repayments if a restructuring deal has not been reached by then.

War-ravaged and on International Monetary Fund life support, Ukraine has threatened to suspend payments if bondholders fail to accept demands for a 40 percent writedown, or "haircut", in the face value of its sovereign bonds.

Kiev has so far honoured all debts, recently paying $500,000 and $75 million in coupons, the latter on a Eurobond held entirely by Russia. But the moment of reckoning is approaching: September's $500 million payout will be a major challenge for a country with less than $10 billion of hard currency reserves.

"It's not usually a comfortable position to call a moratorium because it then becomes a hard default," said Gabriel Sterne, head of global macro at Oxford Economics.

Like most analysts he expects Kiev to honour coupons due over the summer, including a $120 million payment on July 25.

"(A moratorium) wouldn't be worth doing, for example, for the sake of $70 million. There has to be a pain threshold, a hard constraint ... and for Ukraine that will be the September $500 million bond," Sterne added.

Not making that payment would tip Ukraine into full-fledged default, with associated reputational and financial damage. It would also allow bondholders to demand immediate repayment on the country's entire stock of bonds.

The bondholders have rejected haircuts, saying that their restructuring proposal, based on extending debt maturities, will provide the needed savings. They also argue, not unreasonably, that Ukraine's other creditors including the IMF are owed far more money, yet are not taking any writedowns.

But because Ukraine's crisis was partly triggered by Russian interference, it enjoys the backing of Western lenders and governments -- the IMF has said it will lend to Ukraine even if it halts debt payments

That leaves creditors with relatively few cards.

"The government and the IMF are likely to continue pushing for a reduction of coupons and face value, potentially creating risks of a hard default in September," said Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, predicting a fall of up to 20 cents in bond prices from current levels near 50 cents per dollar.

A default might even work to Kiev's advantage.

Debt restructurings conducted after a default typically led to an average 48 percent haircut in net present value terms (NPV), Sterne said, citing a 2007 IMF analysis of emerging market workouts conducted between 1998 and 2005. NPV refers to the worth of future bond interest payments in current terms.

But the study showed that NPV haircuts after voluntary restructurings averaged 8 percent.

The bondholders are led by Franklin Templeton's Michael Hasenstab, who after a string of successful bets on troubled credits such as Ireland and Hungary, bought up over a third of Ukraine's outstanding sovereign bonds.

The group, which includes T Rowe Price, BTG Pactual and TCW holds $8.9 billion, or almost half the bonds targeted for a haircut.

They are calling on Ukraine to restructure debt in such a way that it stays in investors' good books, noting that a key plank of the IMF's plan is a return by Kiev to capital markets to raise $7 billion between 2017 and 2020.

"Imposition of a haircut, not to mention a debt default, would further reduce an already narrow universe of Ukrainian debt investors and make such financing impossible not only in 2017 but well beyond," the committee said in a statement.

Research shows an investor-friendly restructuring does tend to ensure a speedier return to bond markets.

According to a 2013 paper by economists Juan Cruces and Christoph Trebesch, sovereign bond yield spreads were still about 127 basis points (bps) above pre-default levels four to five years after the imposition of a 40 percent haircut.

"Higher creditor losses are associated with significantly higher post-restructuring spreads and longer periods of market exclusion," the paper said.

But an IMF paper from 2007 concluded that lower debt ratios and economic policies that improve creditworthiness are probably more important considerations when a country returns to markets after default.

That study also noted that "if creditors concluded that the default reflected exogenous factors, the sovereign's reputation as a trustworthy borrower would remain untarnished."

Duke University law professor Mitu Gulati, who has closely followed Ukraine's debt saga, rates bondholders' chances of escaping haircuts at "zero" and says Kiev should not worry about future bond market access at the moment.

"I think Ukraine is in a bad enough financial condition that it is not going to be able to borrow any time soon," Gulati said. "Plus, we know that the sovereign debt markets are quite forgiving -- particularly if Ukraine is making the right financial decision, given its economic realities."

Summary: *Ukraine is seeking a writedown on its debt. LONDON, June 23- Ukraine is likely to pay all bond coupons falling due over the summer but a $500 million maturity in September could mark a halt to debt repayments if a restructuring deal has not been reached by then. War-ravaged and on International Monetary Fund life support, Ukraine has threatened to suspend payments...


Steven Rhodes, a former U.S. bankruptcy judge who oversaw the Detroit bankruptcy case, said Monday that the island needs the ability to restructure under Chapter 9. "It can no longer pay its debts, it will soon run out of cash to operate, its residents and businesses will suffer," Rhodes said.

Puerto Rico, however, legally can't declare Chapter 9 bankruptcy and restructure its debt, since it is a U.S. territory rather than a state.

Last February, Pierluisi, introduced HR 870, a bill that would let its municipalities and public corporations declare bankruptcy under Chapter 9. The bill, however, is unlikely to pass.

Read MoreHow the US Is Helping to Sink Puerto Rico

"The perception is that, if you give Puerto Rico the authority to file for bankruptcy, that's the equivalent of a federal bailout, and that taxpayers in Iowa, in Texas and Alaska are authorizing federal funds to be spent to bail out Puerto Rico," Frank Shafroth, a professor specializing in municipal bankruptcy at George Mason University, said at a June 15 conference.

In his Monday speech, García Padilla urged Congress to turn the bill into law, as it was the only way for the island to crawl out of its fiscal hole.

Nevertheless, Luis Fortuño, Puerto Rico's former governor who lost an election to García Padilla in 2012, said Tuesday that the current governor's remarks further dissipate the bill's chances of passing.

—Reuters contributed to this report.

Summary: With Puerto Rico saying it can't pay its $72 billion debt, bond investors worry whether bond insurers can cover a looming default.


Unemployment in Youngstown, which topped out at 12.7 percent during the recession, is now 5 percent—well below the national average. But just as the resurgence of Youngstown gains steam, there is a potential roadblock. Plunging oil prices are changing the economics of fracking, practically on a daily basis. While there has been no official talk about scaling back the steelmaking expansion, officials are watching the situation closely.

"Right now it's a little bit too early to tell exactly what's gonna happen," said Vallourec Star President M. Judson Wallace in an interview. "If it's a fairly short-lived deal, I don't think we'll see much of an effect."

Read MoreA Rust Belt city rehab plan designed in medicine

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, whose economic record could be a factor in a rumored 2016 presidential bid, said he is taking a long view on the future of energy production in the region.

"I don't worry about falling oil prices when it comes to the shale revolution," he told CNBC. "I mean, things will come a little bit faster or a little bit slower, but at the end of the day, there's gold in them thar hills, and these companies are in here."

That may be true, but with shale operations going on across the country, companies have a choice of where to expand.

Summary: This Ohio Rust Belt town only has a population of 65,000. The hope is that the fracking boom will ignite a rebound in its steel industry.


(For HIGHLIGHTS of the plans, please click )

SEJONG, South Korea, July 3 (Reuters) - South Korea proposed on Friday a stimulus package worth 16.1 trillion won ($14.31 billion) to jump-start Asia's fourth-largest economy as it fights to overcome the twin challenges of weak domestic and global demand.

The government set an 11.8 trillion won supplementary budget, which included new spending plans of 6.2 trillion won, and 5.6 trillion won to cover a tax shortfall, the finance ministry said in a statement.

It also confirmed a separate financial package totaling 9.9 trillion won.

Even though the additional spending will put a strain on the government's fiscal position, the ministry said Seoul's immediate priority is to revive an economy reeling from a collapse in exports and the spread of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus.

"Our fiscal soundness will worsen temporarily, but we have decided it is more important to make the economy recover early on and create a sturdy fiscal foundation," said Vice Finance Minister Bang Moon-kyu told an embargoed briefing.

The government is targeting gross domestic product growth of 3.1 percent this year, though analysts doubt it could be achieved even with the additional spending - the finance ministry expects the total stimulus to boost economic growth by 0.3 percentage points.

The ministry said it plans to sell 9.6 trillion won in new treasury bonds to fund the bulk of the supplementary budget, with the remainder funded by other means such as existing public funds.

The financial support package include plans to increase the amount of credit guarantees and trade financing, and has no direct bearing on the budget.

The outbreak of MERS in late May - the largest outside of Saudi Arabia with 33 deaths and 184 cases reported so far - has scared off tourists and kept South Koreans off cinemas, restaurants and shopping areas.

Confidence among consumers and manufacturing companies slumped to multi-year lows, recent surveys showed, highlighting why policymakers had to move quickly to prop up the ailing economy.

The government's fiscal deficit would now reach 3.0 percent of the annual gross domestic product this year, higher than a 2.1 percent deficit projected earlier.

The debt-to-GDP ratio will also rise to 37.5 percent this year from the previous target of 35.7 percent projected, the ministry said. This is still far lower than the world average of 57.7 percent in 2014, according to the CIA's World Factbook.

The central bank cut the policy interest rate by 25 basis points to a record low of 1.50 percent last month, citing the impact of MERS on domestic demand. Some analysts say the Bank of Korea will have to cut the rate again in coming months.

The government will move the supplementary budget to parliament on July 6 for approval.

(Editing by Choonsik Yoo & Shri Navaratnam)

Summary: SEJONG, South Korea, July 3- South Korea proposed on Friday a stimulus package worth 16.1 trillion won to jump-start Asia's fourth-largest economy as it fights to overcome the twin challenges of weak domestic and global demand. The government set an 11.8 trillion won supplementary budget, which included new spending plans of 6.2 trillion won, and 5.6 trillion...


Before he became Britain's most controversial film director with Women In Love in 1969, and long before he gained a burst of brief late notoriety by joining – and storming out of – the 2007 Celebrity Big Brother house, Ken Russell was a freelance photographer. He began taking photographs in 1951, aged 23, having abandoned his ambition to be a dancer, and for six years his work appeared regularly in publications such as Illustrated Magazine and Picture Post.

Now 82, Russell's memories are hazy and his patience limited. "I had lots of time on my hands back then," he tells me. "I used to wander the streets around Notting Hill, where I lived, until something caught my eye. Plus, I had friends who were dancers and I used to do studio portraits of them with props that I had borrowed."

One such portrait, which hints at the surrealism that would punctuate his later films, features a ballerina called Frances Pidgeon, wearing a hip bath. The caption on the TopFoto website, where Russell's work now appears, notes that the image is from a series "based on alternative uses of the hip bath". The young photographer, like the film-maker he would become, was nothing if not inventive.

"I wanted to be a fashion photographer but it was too early for my kind of style. So I began to freelance. I'd suddenly think of an object. A hip bath, for example, and all the things you could do with it. It could be a lady's hat or a pram or a window box, and I'd spend hours exploring all the possibilities in a series of absolutely unbankable photographs."

Russell's photographs remained unseen for 50 years. The agency he worked for, Pictorial Press, was taken over by TopFoto in the late 1970s but Russell's archive was not discovered until 2005. The following year his house in Lymington burned down and, with it, all his original scripts for films such as Women in Love, The Music Lovers, The Devils, The Boyfriend and the rock opera Tommy. Safe in TopFoto's vaults, the original photographs survived.

A selection will inaugurate the new Lucy Bell Gallery of Photography, opening in St Leonards, East Sussex, this week. They are intriguing. When not indulging in a gentle surrealism that has dated somewhat – men on penny-farthing bikes, children dressed in adults' clothes – Russell operated well within the tradition of low-key British documentary photography. He was one of the first photographers to capture fledgling youth culture in London, in a series he called The Last of the Teddy Girls. It often features a striking 14-year-old called Jean Rayner who looks extraordinarily contemporary compared to the teddy boys that lurk or lark about in the background.

"She had attitude by the truckload," remembers Russell. "No one paid much attention to the teddy girls before I did them, though there was plenty on teddy boys. They were tough, these kids, they'd been born in the war years and food rationing only ended in about 1954 – a year before I took these pictures. They were proud. They knew their worth. They just wore what they wore."

Another series from the mid-50s features the regular clientele of the long-gone Cat's Whisker coffee bar in Soho. They are dancing the hand jive to the beat of a skiffle group. "I went along a few times," says Russell. " It was incredibly hot, in a basement, and the kids seemed to have invented hand-jiving simply because there was no space to do anything else. It was really strange to see a room full of people dancing with their hands, everyone doing it, but it was inventive and highly rhythmic and it caught on. I used to join in – it was something anyone could do."

Russell lived for a time on Portobello Road and, in his wanderings around Notting Hill, also captured one of London's first immigrant communities. "It was about six years after the Empire Windrush brought the first West Indians over. Where I lived, there was a racial mix that I caught almost by accident. I was just looking for local interest photographs really, anything I could sell to scrape out a living at the time. Photography was not the well-paid job it would later become." One photograph shows the rent man calling on a tenant while children play oblivious on the street. In its mix of the serious and the playful, it recalls the work of the great Mancunian documentary photographer Shirley Baker.

Unsurprisingly, given the tenor of his later film work, Russell had a keen eye for the eccentric. He photographed the three private eyes that made up the mysteriously named Mask Agency, and the results are part Alfred Hitchcock, part Conan Doyle, with a dollop of visual surrealism thrown in for good measure in the form of a giant eye from an optician's sign.

He was drawn, too, to strong, indefatigable women. One of his subjects, Helen May, was a former ballerina who had danced with the great Anna Pavlova. By the time Russell photographed her, she was living in a house surrounded by old ballet costumes and posters. She, too, featured in the hip bath series, and is pictured "dressed to the nines and waving a watering can" over his favourite prop.

Russell was captivated by an eccentric 72-year-old called Zora Raeburn who lived in a cluttered flat near the British Museum, where she wrote fiction and practised the cello. For 30 years she sent her novels to the publishers to no avail. Russell befriended her and, in his striking portraits, rechristened her Zora the Unvanquished. One unforgettable image captures her standing on a ladder in front of a brick wall papered with her countless rejection letters.

"She was amazing, this woman," says Russell. "She didn't get a single acceptance and she never gave up. She busked to raise funds with a sign saying: 'Dear audience, though I cannot play the cello… ' I think she eventually published one of her books herself."

For all the eccentricity and the occasional whimsy, Russell's photographs are fascinating as artefacts from a particularly austere period in postwar Britain. They hint at, rather than anticipate, his later career. He calls them "still films" and acknowledges that they taught him the value of composition. Even then, though, he was a rule-breaker. One of his most powerful shots is called Feeding Time. It captures a long row of women, some pushing prams, entering what looks like a somewhat austere rest home. It is, in fact, a women's prison. The women are returning to their cells after a day's work in the gardens and chicken runs. The photograph is taken from behind and above and, even though you cannot see the faces of the women, it captures the melancholy and regimentation of their lives. "I like to experiment," he says, "but most of the time I just trusted my instinct."

His real instinct, though, was for film-making. In 1958 a short film he made, entitled Amelia and the Angel, secured him a job at the BBC. The rest, as they say, is history: a series of acclaimed documentaries leading to a series of increasingly controversial feature films. In 1959 he set aside his Rolleicord and never picked up a stills camera again. Did he ever miss it? "No, not really. I just moved on. It was a natural progression."

Looking now at the often restrained atmosphere Russell's photographs exude, it's hard to believe they are a product of the same feverish imagination that created The Devils and Tommy. I have to say I prefer Ken Russell the quiet photographer, although the world of postwar British cinema would have been an immeasurably more mundane place without the louder, more outrageous director.

Summary: Sean O'Hagan: Before he became Britain's most controversial film director, Russell forged a career as a photographer, capturing the great eccentrics of his youth for posterity


Malcolm-Jamal Warner (left) and Bill Cosby

10/09/2015 AT 01:05 PM EDT

As more than 50 women claim

drugged and raped them, the man who played his son on his beloved sitcom says he worries the allegations have "tarnished" its ground-breaking legacy.

"My biggest concern is when it comes to images of people of color on television and film, no matter what ... negative stereotypes of people of color, we've always had

to hold up against that," star Malcolm-Jamal Warner told the

"And the fact that we no longer have that, that's the thing that saddens me the most because in a few generations the Huxtables will have been just a fairy tale."

Warner, 45, played Theo Huxtable on the family comedy from 1984-1992. He has since appeared in

He would not tell the AP if he has spoken to Cosby but called the controversy "a bad situation all around – for him, for his family, the women, their families, the legacy of the show."

The accusations against Cosby, 78, resurfaced this year, and more and more women have joined Temple University staffer Andrea Constand, who first

to PEOPLE in 2006, in going public with their stories.

This week, model Chloe Goines

against Cosby, saying he attacked her at the Playboy Mansion in 2008. He is scheduled to be deposed Friday in a separate suit by Judy Huth, who claims he molested her at the Mansion when she was 15.

Cosby's lawyer Marty Singer has said the accusations "about alleged decades-old events are becoming increasingly ridiculous."

Summary: Malcolm-Jamal Warner played Theo Huxtable on the family comedy from 1984-1992


* China's imports shrink for 10th straight month

* Apple biggest boost to the S&P, Nasdaq

* Fitbit rises after broker upgrade

* Indexes up: Dow 2.2 pct, S&P 2.2 pct, Nasdaq 2.4 pct

Sept 8 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rallied more than 2 percent in the late afternoon on Tuesday, bouncing after losses last week and as hopes increased for more stimulus measures from the Chinese government.

The gains followed a late rally in Chinese shares and losses of at least 3 percent last week in each of the major U.S. stock indexes.

Gains were broad-based, with all of the 10 major S&P sectors higher.

China said late on Monday it would remove a tax on dividend incomes for investors who hold stocks for more than a year in an effort to encourage longer-term investment.

Data on Tuesday showed that China's imports shrank far more than expected in August, falling for the 10th straight month, bolstering hopes of more stimulus measures from the Chinese government.

"We had some nice buying opportunities with the selloff in August, and I think people are starting to take advantage of that and put money to work," said Larry Peruzzi, senior equity trader at Cabrera Capital Markets Inc in Boston.

"In China it seems like there is a willingness to continue with stimulus, so hopefully those markets will stabilize."

At 3:20 p.m., the Dow Jones industrial average was up 350.18 points, or 2.17 percent, at 16,452.56. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 42.36 points, or 2.20 percent, at 1,963.58. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 111.99 points, or 2.39 percent, at 4,795.90.

Global financial markets have been rattled in recent weeks by fears that China's slowdown could drag on already sluggish global growth, prompting some investors to bet that the U.S. central bank will delay a hike until the end of the year.

Wall Street capped a tough week on Friday, with a mixed August jobs report doing little to quell uncertainty about whether the Federal Reserve will increase interest rates at its Sept. 16-17 meeting.

Apple shares were up 1.6 percent at $111.02, a day before the iPhone maker is expected to unveil new offerings. The stock gave the biggest boost to the S&P and the Nasdaq.

Fitbit was up 10.7 percent at $35.28 after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock to "overweight."

Media General fell 1.7 percent to $10.96 after it said it would buy diversified media company Meredith Corp for about $2.34 billion to create the third-largest local TV station owner in the United States. Meredith was up 9.3 percent at $50.21.

Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by 2,423 to 619, for a 3.91-to-1 ratio on the upside; on the Nasdaq, 2,177 issues rose and 637 fell for a 3.42-to-1 ratio favoring advancers.

The benchmark S&P 500 index posted 1 new 52-week high and no new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 42 new highs and 23 new lows.

(Additional reporting by Tanya Agrawal; Editing by Dan Grebler)

Summary: *China's imports shrink for 10th straight month. *Fitbit rises after broker upgrade.  "We had some nice buying opportunities with the selloff in August, and I think people are starting to take advantage of that and put money to work," said Larry Peruzzi, senior equity trader at Cabrera Capital Markets Inc in Boston.


Richard Somerville, right, research professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, unveils an updated version of the Doomsday Clock during a press conference in Washington, Jan. 22, 2015.

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, which was created in 1945 by scientists who developed the atomic bomb while researchers for the Manhattan Project, first debuted the Doomsday Clock in 1947 on its magazine cover to alert the public about the dangers of nuclear proliferation. Since then, it has ranged from two minutes before midnight in 1953 to 17 minutes before midnight in 1991.

The last time the clock was at three minutes to midnight was in 1983, in the depths of the "iciest" relations between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Read MoreOil fields at risk: Where the slowdown has begun

Once again, the BAS is concerned about conflict with Russia and the amount of money nuclear powers are spending on their arsenals, after years of cautious optimism that world governments were pulling back on nuclear spending.

"The disarmament process has ground to a halt, with the United States and Russia embarking on massive programs to modernize their nuclear triads—thereby undermining existing nuclear weapons treaties—and other nuclear weapons holders joining in this expensive and extremely dangerous modernization craze," said the BAS board in a statement.

Summary: An association of top scientists has moved the hand of the symbolic Doomsday Clock, over the threats of nuclear weapons and warming climates.


WeWork Companies Inc., the shared office space company popular with start-up companies and tech workers, has settled a two-month dispute with its janitorial staff and the Service Employees International Union.

The company said it agreed to hire a unionized cleaning contractor to maintain its larger facilities in New York and Boston in exchange for the union dropping a charge it filed with the National Labor Relations Board. In August, workers and union members protested at the company’s co-working space near South Station.

In Boston, union janitors will be hired to clean WeWork spaces on Atlantic Ave. and the company’s other location in Fort Point. Unionized cleaners in Boston make $17.30 an hour plus benefits, according to Eugenio Villasante, an SEIU organizer. Any current janitors who don’t get hired by the new cleaning contractor will be paid severance out of a $250,000 pot set aside by WeWork.

“We pride ourselves on being great partners and we are pleased that we were able to develop a win-win partnership with 32BJ SEIU,” said Artie Minson, WeWork’s president and chief operating officer, in a statement.

WeWork said it would directly hire “community support” staff in New York and Boston to fulfill “member-facing” roles, such as stocking pantries and delivering packages to clients that pay WeWork for office space and business services. The community support workers also will clean the company’s smaller locations in New York.

Summary: After the SEIU mounted protests, the co-working company said it agreed to hire union cleaners at its larger locations.


Australia has beaten Argentina 29-15 to set up a clash with the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup final.

Adam Ashley-Cooper scored a hat-trick of tries as the Wallabies ended Argentina's hopes of a first final appearance the win at Twickenham this morning.

The Wallabies will now face defending champions New Zealand, 20-18 winners over South Africa on Saturday, in next weekend's final.

Australia and New Zealand, the only two unbeaten teams at this tournament, will be bidding to win the World Cup for a record third time.

Australia led 19-9 at half-time after Rob Simmons' early intercept try was followed by two from Ashley-Cooper.

The valiant Pumas, who came from 14-0 down to beat Australia 21-17 last year for their first win in the southern hemisphere Rugby Championship, soon narrowed the gap.

Argentina hit back with two more penalty goals in the second half to Australia's one, but Ashley-Cooper sealed the win, and Australia's spot in a fourth World Cup final, with his third try with eight minutes remaining, when he cashed in on a brilliant run by fellow winger Drew Mitchell.

Fly-half Nicolas Sanchez kicked all of the Pumas' points with five penalties, in front of an 80,025 crowd that included Argentina football great Diego Maradona.

Defeat meant Argentina, also beaten semi-finalists in 2007, will now face South Africa in Friday's third-place play-off.

Argentina recalled centre Marcelo Bosch, back from suspension, in their only change to the side that overwhelmed Ireland 43-20 in the quarter-finals.

Australia made three changes with the fit-again full-back Israel Folau and No. 8 David Pocock returning in place of Kurtley Beale and Ben McCalman respectively.

Pocock, badly missed at the breakdown by Australia in their nailbiting 35-34 quarter-final win over Scotland forced several turnovers this morning.

A dry day made conditions ideal for running rugby and it took Australia just 68 seconds to score the game's first try when lock forward Simmons intercepted Sanchez's inside pass.

Bernard Foley added the easy conversion and Australia led 7-0.

Fly-half Foley was then involved at the other end when, after Argentina exploited a huge gap in Australia's cover, he made a try-saving tackle on Bosch.

But an offence in the build-up led to an easy penalty for Sanchez.

Thoughts of an immediate Argentina revival were dashed when Australia scored their second try in the ninth minute.

A knocked-on tap and go from Pumas scrum-half Martin Landajo led to an Australia scrum, much improved under he guidance of former Argentina hooker Mario Ledesma, before Foley's miss-pass freed left wing Ashley-Cooper for a try in the corner.

Foley kicked a tricky conversion and Argentina, who scored two early tries against Ireland, now found themselves on the receiving end with Australia in charge at 14-3.

The Pumas suffered another setback when in-form wing Juan Imhoff went off injured in the 18th minute.

Argentina forced a 23rd-minute scrum penalty and Sanchez, becoming the tournament's leading points scorer as he passed the 79-point tally of Scotland's Greig Laidlaw and South Africa's Handre Pollard, cut Australia's lead to 14-6.

Argentina, however, found themselves a man down in the 26th minute when lock Tomas Lavanini was sent to the sin-bin by English referee Wayne Barnes for a 'no-arms' tackle on Folau. The sheer speed as much as anything else prevented a fair challenge.

Things got worse for Argentina when influential skipper and hooker Agustin Creevy went off on the half hour mark.

Wallaby lock Rob Simmons runs away for the first try of the match. (Getty)

Australia were now encamped in Argentina's 22 and the pressure told when another long-range pass, this time from centre Matt Giteau, sent in Ashley-Cooper for his second try.

Foley did not convert, but Australia were 19-6 up before Sanchez's third penalty cut their lead to 10 points.

That was how the match stayed until the break but it could have been so different had the Pumas scored a try in the closing moments of the half.

Argentina wing Santiago Cordero broke clear and offloaded to Juan Martin Hernadez but, in sight of the line, the centre's pass went behind full-back Joaquin Tuculet and the chance was lost.

Worringly for coach Michael Chieka was a suspected flare up of an ankle injury to star fullback Folau, who left the field midway through the second half of the bruising encounter.

Summary: The two-time world champion Wallabies take on Argentina in the second World Cup semi-final today, aiming for a historic first final against old rivals New Zealand.


Read MoreThis is a ticking time bomb for banks

Similarly, Darrell Issa, a California representative who is the chairman on the committee of oversight and government reform released a staff report, which states:

"Operation Choke Point was created by the Justice Department to 'choke out' companies that the Administration considers a 'high risk' or otherwise objectionable, despite the fact that they are legal businesses …

"The Department lacks adequate legal authority for the initiative."

These two representatives are beginning to understand that there is something seriously wrong with bank regulation and litigation in the United States today. In 2010, Congress gave the regulators dramatically expanded authority to regulate banking in this country. The banking regulators have acted upon the wishes of Congress and established a series of new rulings that have recast the structure of financial services in America. Everything from originating mortgages, handling credit- and debit-card payments, the use of bank deposits, the structure of bank capital, and literally hundreds of other changes have been mandated and put in place.

Read MoreBlankfein: I 'never imagine leaving'

The Department of Justice has similarly acted upon the supposed will of the people to fine, punish, and otherwise castigate the industry. There has been no restraint on any of its activities because the people support its actions and the banks have refused to take any of these issues to court. The banks have refused to do this because they run the risk of being further fined or sued if they do so. Plus, they could literally lose their banking charters should the Justice Department and the regulators decide to take these charters away.

Summary: There is something seriously wrong with bank regulation and litigation in the US today, says bank analyst Dick Bove.


11/19/2015 AT 03:00 PM EST

That question has been at the center of

's second season, and show creator

promises fans will finally get some answers in Thursday's winter finale.

In an an exclusive sneak peek at the episode, Annalise Keating (

) is heated and rightfully so, because Michaela (

) and Caleb (Kendrick Sampson) have tampered with

key piece of evidence – the murder weapon – forcing Annalise to find a way to get around this latest challenge.

In the meantime, everyone is waiting to find out who is responsible for Annalise's potentially fatal gunshot wound. PEOPLE caught up with Nowalk for a few more details about the scene in question – and whether his

star enjoys lying on the floor in a pool of fake blood.

"I have never asked her actually," Nowalk tells PEOPLE regarding the latter question. "What always floors me about her is I'm like, 'Ugh, she has to lie on the floor, how interesting is that for this

, Oscar-nominated, Tony Award-winning actress?' But then you watch how she does it and it's so different than I imagined, it feels so real. It's like she has been shot and she knows exactly how it is. Every moment, even when I'm making Viola Davis lie on the floor and bleed, like, 'Gah, she's going to hate me,' she just goes and owns it and makes it feel so epic. You would have to ask her. I'm sure there's been better acting opportunities for her, but hopefully we balance them out."

Speaking of balance, Nowalk teases a dramatic winter finale that will both satisfy fans' burning questions

"It's very exciting," he promises. "I never like to say that because I feel, 'Oh people are going to hate it,' but I'm very proud of it. I'm proud of all the writers, the actors are amazing in it and it's like an opera."

Nowalk also notes that, while several big questions will be answered, a few new ones will arise.

"I think it's probably 80 to 90 percent answers and then there will be a new questions raised here or there," he says. "To me it's totally in the formula of the show, this new question – and it's one people have been dying to find out about. What we like to say is within our questions we give answers. So people are not totally annoyed. Watch [the finale] if you want to know exactly what happened that night."

airs Thursdays (10 p.m. ET) on ABC.

Summary: HTGAWM creator Peter Nowalk dishes on the ABC whodunnit's midseason finale


Keith Hanson and Kirsten Vangsness

is ready to "mush" up next to the man of her dreams – forever!

"He's the perfect partner for me and I feel like we evolve," the

star, 43, tells PEOPLE of her engagement to actor/writer Keith Hanson. "When you're so into somebody and you get to just mush up next to them – that's the best part of it."

The actress' future hubby only popped the question a couple of weeks ago surrounded by family and friends, but she's already comparing wedding planning to her everyday task of producing plays (it takes about six weeks for her to do so), and she's questioning, "how hard can it be?"

"He's more particular than I am, which is going to be fine, but he has many more requirements than I do," Vangsness says of her hopeless romantic fiancé. "It might take a little while longer, but it's a quality problem."

Vangsness says that she has started planning

aspects of her fairytale day, but rather than narrowing down her ideas, she says she's going to try to incorporate everything!

"The only thing I know I think I want is that I want to spray paint dinosaurs gold and use them as table markers, so that you could be like, 'you're at stegosaurus,' but I might try to merge all my favorite things, so it would be like a

wedding," she jokes. "I asked [Keith] what he thought about getting a horse and putting a horn on it and everyone could take pictures with a unicorn."

And with a very unique wedding comes an even more unique dress.

"I want a plaid dress that's so cool I could wear it to something else," says Vangsness. "I want to wear my wedding dress and then when I get nominated for my first big award I want to wear that, so people could be like, 'she wore her wedding dress!'"

It's clear that Vangsness could not be more excited about her future, but there is one thing she wants to clear up for her fans, who may not know the circumstances surrounding the end her previous engagement to Melanie Goldstein, to whom she became engaged in

after two and a half years of dating.

"I was so in love with her, but in terms of life growth, what we were both doing separately was just pulling us apart, not sexually, but in all other ways in terms of what your dreams are and what you want to go after and all that," says Vangsness, who will be attending the Film Noir Festival in Paris later this month to promote her new film

. "Growth takes people in weird paths and all of the sudden our relationship wasn't able to sustain what I wanted to do and in terms of what she wanted to do, so we kind of had to call it."

Though she has been engaged to both a man and a woman, Vangsness says she doesn't identify as bisexual.

"I guess I never understood the term of being bisexual because once I let myself come out ten or 12 years ago, I was like, 'Oh, okay I'm gay,' and I was perfectly okay with that, but then I was like, 'Wait, nothing changed in me,' " says Vangsness. "I don't feel any different."

She continues, "The person I'm with, I can tell you, is very, very special and the right person for me. I was not expecting it to be a guy, but everyone has his or her own intricate stories. If I were straight, I would say I was, but I don't totally understand it myself. I don't want to have an answer to something that I don't really have an answer to."

Summary: The Criminal Minds actress was last engaged to a woman in 2009, but she's now fallen madly in love with a man


12/08/2015 AT 10:25 AM EST

is fitting right in – so well, in fact, that she's already hopped into the shower with one of her cast mates!

: "[Megan] and I got to do a lot of work together against the boys, which is always fun and then by the end of the episode, they threw us in the shower together."

Simone, 35, revealed to PEOPLE at

's 100th Episode Cake-Cutting Celebration in Los Angeles last Wednesday that "Megan's character and my character have a romantic history" – and it's apparently not so squeaky clean.

Naturally this news sends Schmidt (

), the fiancé of Simone's character Cece, "into a massive spiral," teases the actress. "He doesn't think that's hot or exciting. It's just like, 'Oh my God. Panic attack.' So that was really fun."

As for Fox – who has been

for a portion of the fifth season during

– jumping right in has been a blast.

"I've had fun from day one," Fox, 29, told PEOPLE. "I wasn't sure how it was going to be because when you walk on to somebody else's set, a tone is already in place, and you never know how you're going to fit into that."

Happily, the love has been mutual. Costar

said the actress has "been so funny on the show and so good."

"It has been a very pleasant surprise," continued

, 37. "She's also ego-less in a way, that doesn't mean she's not confident, but she doesn't bring any extra stuff to a set. Without having known her personally at all that was a very welcomed thing to see, and our cast and crew have all really appreciated it."

returns to Fox for season 5 on Jan. 5.

Summary: Simone tells PEOPLE she and Fox "got to do a lot of work together against the boys, which is always fun"


American Crime 10 p.m., ABC

The tone of John Ridley’s anthology series is heavy and heavy-handed, as it explores the intersection of victims, perpetrators, and a flawed criminal justice system. It’s all a little too emotionally heated-up for me, lacking in the kind of ordinary moments that can make the dramatic scenes more powerful. Big statements about class, race, and gender are at every corner, along with excessive stylistic flourishes including many, many penetrating close-ups of the actors. In other words, “American Crime” is not very subtle. That said, the acting is aces this season, with a story about a boy raped by male athletes at an elite private school. I’m particularly transfixed by Felicity Huffman as the stonewalling headmistress. Her eyes are as cold and unseeing as marbles. And Connor Jessup is deeply affecting as the introverted victim who’d rather pretend nothing ever happened.

Nova: Himalayan Megaquake 9 p.m., WGBH 2

This episode looks into the quake that rocked Nepal in April 2015. It includes eyewitness footage, scientists talking about why this earthquake was so devastating, and a look at the rebuilding process.

Man Seeking Woman 10:30 p.m., FXX

Pawn Stars 10 p.m., History

Duck Dynasty 9 and 9:30 p.m., A&E

Summary: The tone of John Ridley’s “American Crime” anthology series is heavy and heavy-handed, as it explores the intersection of victims, perpetrators, and a flawed criminal justice system.


Bob Brown has mountains of old textbooks in a warehouse. He also has a dream: to put them in the hands of schoolchildren in Africa.

Heâs 80 years old, still working tirelessly toward that dream, and has been for the last 30 years. Heâd like to see it continue for at least 30 more.

On a trip to South Africa in 1985, a friend took Brown to the public library in Soweto, a large urban settlement near the city of Johannesburg. The library consisted of a few sparsely stocked shelves of booksâhardly enough for 100 people, much less 1.3 million residents. Brown, who visited South Africa often and was a close friend of Nelson Mandela, was appalled.

âSomething just came over me,â Brown says. âI was angry. I was disgusted. I grew up in the segregated South, and our books were old and torn up. But at least we had some books.â

He was especially worried about the children and how they were being affected after learning that local schools were no better off than public libraries. Many schools only had a few copies of each textbook, shared among thousands of students. Having been an advisor to Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement, he believed wholeheartedly that everyone deserved an opportunityâand literacy was a key.

So began his mission: Upon returning home to North Carolina, Brown started collecting books and lugging boxes of them to Africa when he travelled.

He reached out to a friend back homeâa school principalâabout getting textbooks, and learned that many U.S. schools throw out or recycle old editions when they get new ones. It didnât take long before thousands of textbook donations poured in. âThey just kept coming,â Brown says. âIt was unbelievable.â

He eventually procured a warehouse to store them. Once he collects enough books to fill a shipping containerâ40,000 to 50,000âhe sends them on a truck to ports in Norfolk, Virginia; New Orleans; and Wilmington, North Carolina, where they get shipped to Malawi, South Africa, Nigeria, and other English-speaking countries in Africa. Friends and associates on the ground help him identify schools in need and ensure the books arrive at the right locations.

Book donations have grown significantly over the years. As word of Brownâs project grew, more schools in North Carolina and around the U.S. began sending him their unneeded textbooks. In 1999, Brown formalized his efforts by creating a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the International BookSmart Foundation.

Managing the collection and distribution of so many books became a significant logisticalâand financialâchallenge. Each shipment costs about $12,000. Various companies and nonprofits have covered shipping costs over the years, but Brown estimates heâs covered about half out of his own pocket. When he canât afford shipments, books pile up, often in disarray.

UPS learned about Brown in 2014 through Mary Singletary of the National Council of Women of the United States, helping her fulfill her own wish of delivering books to the children of Malawi. Seeing the organizational challenges of his endeavor, UPS offered to help Brown make his warehouse and shipping operations more efficient. He was provided with large warehouse shelves to store his books and increase floor space for sorting and operations, as well as a new forklift to load books into the shipping containers. Volunteers were sent to organize and renovate the warehouse and a new inventory management system was supplied that scans and tracks books once they arrive.

UPS also pledged to cover the costs of one shipment of books to Africa per year for the next three years.

Brown says UPSâs assistance will help him bring the International BookSmart Foundation to a new level. âItâs unbelievable,â he says. âWhole teams of people are reorganizing our warehouse. Itâs not only a major thingâitâs a wonderful thing. Because of UPSâs help, we will continue to have a positive change in the lives of millions of young people in Africa.â

To learn more about UPS Wishes Delivered, visit www.ups.com/wishes.

The Wall Street Journal news organization was not involved in the creation of this content.

Summary: Bob Brown has a dream of donating textbooks to schoolchildren in Africa.


Courtesy Mount Prospect Police Department

02/05/2016 AT 11:35 AM EST

A police lieutenant at Northwestern University has been arrested on child pornography charges for allegedly taking sexually explicit photos of a young family friend and sending inappropriate social media messages to her, according to authorities.

Ronald Godby, 53, of Mount Prospect, Illinois was charged with felony counts of manufacturing and possessing child pornography as well as grooming, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.

Godby, who works in the police investigations division of the Evanston, Illinois university, has been placed on administrative leave and banned from campus, according to a statement from NU. Spokesman Bob Rowley declined to tell PEOPLE how long Godby worked there or what his duties entailed.

Godby, who also runs a photography business out of his home, has known the young girl since she was a child, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. In 2013, when the girl was 13 years old, Godby did a photo shoot with her, driving her to "a remote location" and guiding her to pose in provocative positions, prosecutors say. Though she wasn't aware of it at the time, he zoomed in and

of her genitals while she was wearing shorts, according to the

He later allegedly began communicating with the girl, now 17, on Facebook and Snapchat, including trying to set up another photo session, sending her sexually suggestive images of women and a pornographic picture of a penis, prosecutors say.

Police on Monday raided Godby's house, vehicles and police office at Northwestern University, turning up pornographic images of the girl when she was 13, Mount Prospect police spokesman Greg Sill tells PEOPLE. During the search, Godly reportedly told detectives, "If you have enough for a search warrant, I'm [expletive]," Sill says.

News of the arrest prompted concern among some Northwestern students. "I was really shocked and grossed out," freshman Megan Beach, 19, tells PEOPLE. "It made me uneasy. I was worried something had gotten past Northwestern. What was he still doing here?"

Another student, Jamie Spain, 18, said, "It makes me kind of nervous," she tells PEOPLE. "Both the hiring of someone like that and that someone in that position thinking that's okay to do."

The university said they were cooperating with the police investigation, adding in the statement, "There is no indication of any risk to the Northwestern community from this individual at this time."

Godby appeared in court on Wednesday, where his bond was set at $100,000. Neither Godby nor his attorney returned PEOPLE's calls for comment.

Summary: Lt. Ronald Godby took explicit photos of young family friend and communicated with her on Snapchat, police say


Jennifer Aniston; (inset) Justin Theroux

02/15/2016 AT 01:30 PM EST

visited the Eiffel Tower recently, but he only had eyes for a very different scene-stealer to rival the iconic Parisian landmark: his wife,

On Valentine's Day – the newlyweds' first as

actor posted a glowing photo showing Aniston sitting inside the famed restaurant at the towering structure as he sent a simple message.

"#eiffeltower," he hashtagged the pic, adding an emoji of a rose.

A photo posted by @justintheroux on Feb 14, 2016 at 3:32pm PST

The snap offers a rare Instagram appearance by Aniston, who also popped up on her husband's social media page (albeit from behind) in December in a

Theroux had seemed to play down his plans for Valentine's Day,

premiere in New York, "I want to get into some sweatpants because I feel like I've been in a suit forever. So we've done, like, I don't know, six cities now. We're tired. So yeah, I'm going to get cozy and watch some HBO Go."

Justin Theroux and Jennifer Aniston

Aniston joined Theroux, 44, in New York last week, where, aside from

red carpet, they caught a performance of the Broadway smash

she wanted to "quietly celebrate.")

with costar Ben Stiller in front of the Eiffel Tower – before the troupe hightailed it to a slew of other European cities, including Madrid, Berlin and London.

Summary: The Zoolander 2 star sent a sweet message to his wife during their first Valentine's Day together as newlyweds


02/18/2016 AT 02:45 PM EST

, the 19-year-old whose body was discovered Tuesday night in a wooded area in Alabama days after he phoned his mother saying someone was trying to kill him, died from a single gunshot wound, police tell PEOPLE.

Walker County Sheriff James Underwood did not say where on his body Underwood was hit, but tells PEOPLE investigators are exploring leads as they work to establish a motive for the murder.

On Saturday night, Hawkins – whose brother tells PEOPLE was an aspiring musician – phoned his mother and said, "Someone is trying to kill me."

Hawkins' car was found on Sunday in the driveway of a friend's house, according to Underwood.

Hawkins' remains were discovered at an illegal dump site, wrapped in a blanket and covered with debris, says Underwood, who tells PEOPLE an arrest in the case could come as early as today or tomorrow.

"This is still very much an active investigation and a lot of different things are being looked at with lots of evidence still being collected," Underwood says.

He adds: "We're having discussions with the district attorney's office and taking care of a lot of the preliminary things. We've got a lot of positive things going on in this investigation, but I can't tell you when we're going to file charges. I hope it's soon.â

Underwood confirms that his department has detained a person of interest in the Hawkins case, but adds no formal charges have been filed for Hawkins' death against that person: 21-year-old Joshua Adam Reese.

Underwood tells PEOPLE Reese and Hawkins "knew each other," but said the two weren't friends.

Officials confirm Reese was arrested early Tuesday morning on a felony failure to appear warrant out of Walker County. Meanwhile, court records show Reese is awaiting trial on attempted murder charges, stemming from a 2013 incident in which heâs alleged to have struck a man over the head with a gun he then tried shooting him with. (He has pleaded not guilty.)

It was not immediately known Thursday is Reese has legal representation.

Talking to PEOPLE on Wednesday, Jacob Hawkins described his younger brother as "an amazing person" who "played guitar and wrote music." Jacob says Hawkins was "a fun-loving, free spirit" who was "kind, generous, and humble."

A candlelight vigil was held Wednesday night for Hawkins.

Summary: Walker County Sheriff James Underwood tells PEOPLE charges could be filed today in 19-year-old's homicide


Source: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson/Instagram

updated 02/22/2016 AT 02:00 PM EST

•originally published 02/23/2016 AT 12:00 AM EST

all ready to suit up and hit the beach, as filming begins on the upcoming movie based on the popular '90s TV show.

cheered on his tanned and toned castmates

on Sunday, sharing a photo of a table read for the film.

"Like a proud papa silverback, just look at this talented cool/hot #Baywatch cast.. @ilfenator, @alexannadaddario, @zacefron, @priyankachopra, @kellyrohrbach, @thejonbass and some tatted up, bald brown man with a large head," Johnson, 43, wrote.

He continued, "This squad has been working extremely hard for months for these roles – the time has come – we start shooting TOMORROW. Let's roll and bring the world some beach fun. #BAYWATCH #LifeguardsOnDuty #AndZacHasNiceT---."

In the image, the faux lifeguards sat around a coffee-cup-littered table and laughed as they looked over their scripts. Efron, seated next to Johnson, was wearing a sweatshirt that appeared to read "Bae Watch."

's iconic CJ Parker, also shared the

, writing, "here we go..."

"We have such a hilarious and cool cast, amazing location, talented crew, writers, director, producers," she wrote. "It's gon' be off the chain. Get ready for a wild ride!"

The film's other leads include

's Priyanka Chopra – who only

the production to play the villain Victoria Leeds – and

Johnson has been welcoming the beach bums to the cast through Instagram, sharing

with his new castmates in the months since the adaptation was announced.

Summary: Priyanka Chopra, Alexandra Daddarrio and Kelly Rohrbach will also appear in the film


Hotel prices are up 5 percent overall for the first four months of 2014, but savvy consumers can still find deals by buying in the right window. For both the average domestic and average international hotel, the best time to buy is about a month out, according to Adobe's data.

Hotels know that if a customer is booking very early, they're interested in a particular location and don't need to be lured through the door with discounts. As it gets closer to the day of the booking, full hotels drop out of the market and other hotels will lower prices to fill vacancies.

Read MoreLoews: Hotels poised for good summer, but face dollar headwinds

"Hotels try to capitalize on the supply and demand curve," said Gaffney. "It's way more pronounced when you look at major holidays, because those are the times they figure they're going to get full occupancy anyways, so they wait longer to push the prices down."

The data indicate that when more bookings happen early, there is less price volatility. That may be why Memorial Day bookings, which tend to be more last-minute and opportunistic than other holidays, fluctuate more in price than other summer holidays, said Gaffney.

For economy hotels ($120 or less per night), the biggest average discounts show up 40 days out. For more expensive hotels, you can get a slightly below-average rate 30 days out. The window can also shift for certain cities: For Las Vegas, Seattle or Boston, the best time to book is over 100 days out, but for New York and Honolulu the best time is around 30 days before the trip.

Summary: Hotel and flight prices are lower during the sweet spot around 90 days out. Buying too early can cost you.


The Richmond Dispatch and Enquirer of the 6th inst., which have been received, contain several items of interest. The Dispatch states that the gunboat Indianola, recently captured from the Yankees, was blown up last Tuesday night by the rebels, and her guns fell into the hands of the Federals. The Queen of the West left in such a hurry as to leave part of her crew on shore.

A later dispatch states that the Indianola is not destroyed, and that they are raising her. The following telegram, however, seems to sustain the first assertion:

The Jackson Mississippian says the destruction of the Indianola was a most unnecessary and unfortunate affair. The turreted monster proved to be a flatboat, with sundry fixtures to create deception. She passed Vicksburgh Tuesday night, and the officers, believing she was really a turreted monster, blew the Indianola up, but the guns fell into the hands of the enemy.

Commodore PORTER has proclaimed that any parties firing on unarmed vessels shall be hanged; also, persons burning cotton or levying contributions.

The National gunboats are making great destruction on Lake Providence.

An attack is daily expected on Port Hudson by Gen. BANAS' force.

The Jackson Mississippian's correspondent says there are but 2,000 Union troops in Arkansas. Rebel Gens. HOLMES and HINDMAN are at Little Rock, and there is a demand among the rebel troops for their removal, and for fighting Generals to be put in their places.

The Federals attacked VAN DORN March 1, at Thompson's, near Franklin. He drove them back, and captured 2,200 officers and men. The rebel loss is not yet reported.

The Chattanooga Rebel of the 27th ult. says there were rumors from the front that ROSECRANS has been massing large reinforcements through Kentucky, in the Counties of Summer and Wilson. If this be true, his intention is to advance upon Tullahoma. The troops at Nashville will probably make a feint upon Shelbyville. The entire strength of the army at Murfreesboro is estimated at 50,000, and the reinforcements 30,000. The other bodies of Union troops under ROSECRANS swell the amount to nearly 100,000.

A special dispatch, dated McMinnville, yesterday, says Maj. AUSTIN, of MORGAN's brigade, with 1,500 men, passed around the Murfreesboro and Nashville Railroad, tearing up the track, and running a train of soldiers over the embankment.

The Enquirer has an article on the loss of the Princess Royal. She was fitted out by a Manchester firm, to whom the rebels are under many obligations for past favors. It publishes a manifest of her cargo, which foots up £70,308.

The Post Commissary has been ordered to impress all the extra superfine flour at Petersburgh, allowing the owners $19 50 per barrel. All the superfine flour had been previously impressed.

A Fredericksburgh correspondent of the Enquirer gives the following prices there: Coffee, $5 per pound; sugar, $1 50 per pound; candles, $1 50; beef, 75 cents per pound peas, $16; butter, $3. All are on half rations.

In the rebel Senate, on the 3d, a resolution was adopted to inquire into the expediency of repealing the resolutions declaring that a neutral flag covers enemies' goods, with the exception of contraband of war.

In the House, a resolution was offered to suspend all business until the Currency and Tax bills are acted upon.

A bill has been introduced into the rebel Senate to place all telegraphic lines under the control of the Postmaster-General.

Somewhere in the South is published a paper called the Southern Union, and this sheet, which the Atlanta Confederacy declares is "diminutive in size, circulation and influence, has had the audacity to propose a restoration of the old Union." The Confederacy proceeds to rail at the "diminutive" concern as follows:

"We advise the editor, Mr. MURRAY, to go to New-England, believing him to be unfriendly to the country in which he lives, and that Massachusetts is the only suitable place for him. He is unworthy of a residence in the Confederacy. The sooner he goes, the better for him. Better leave at once and be consistent, before being invited to go. In Massachusetts he will be welcomed by great numbers of people of his own way of thinking, and be made a hero of. He will be feted and feasted, and find out his real consequence. The 'Conservatives' whom he loves, and not the 'Abolitionists' whom he affects to despise, will do all this for him. There are fewer Abolitionists in Massachusetts than Reconstructionists in Georgia. Massachusetts is the very place for him, far more congenial than any Cotton State."


05/13/2016 AT 11:45 AM EDT

has finally reached a settlement in the

's 2014 death, but she's still deeply mourning the loss of her mother.

"I'm not quite in the healing phase," Rivers told PEOPLE just days before the settlement became final.

"I think it's coming. I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel," she says, "but I am not quite there yet."

Joan was undergoing throat surgery at Yorkville Endoscopy Center in August 2014 when she

and later died Sept. 4 in a New York hospital.

"The lawsuit concerning my mother's death has been settled. In accepting this settlement, I am able to put the legal aspects of my mother's death behind me and ensure that those culpable for her death have accepted responsibility for their actions quickly and without equivocation," she said in a statement Thursday.

against the clinic in Jan. 2015 calling it, "one of the most difficult decisions I've ever had to make."

"Moving forward, my focus will be to ensure that no one ever has to go through what my mother, my son Cooper and I went through and I will work towards ensuring higher safety standards in out-patient surgical clinics," Melissa's statement continued. "I want to express my personal gratitude to my legal team for their wise counsel and prompt resolution of this."

Summary: "I am able to put the legal aspects of my mother's death behind me," Melissa said a statement on Thursday


Comedy Central is stepping up to defend new Daily Show host Trevor Noah after a series of potentially offensive messages were dug up from the comedian’s Twitter account.

“Like many comedians, Trevor Noah pushes boundaries; he is provocative and spares no one, himself included,” Comedy Central said in an emailed statement. “To judge him or his comedy based on a handful of jokes is unfair. Trevor is a talented comedian with a bright future at Comedy Central.”

Just hours after Noah was named the successor to Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show, old jokes he made on Twitter began circulating widely online. Some of the tweets making fun of women and Jewish people attracted wide criticism, with some Twitter users declaring they would not watch The Daily Show if Noah hosted. Noah himself made an oblique reference to the controversy Tuesday morning, writing, “Twitter does not have enough characters to respond to all the characters on Twitter.” The tweet was quickly deleted.

Summary: The network called Trevor Noah a "talented comedian"


Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has directed that her private server be turned over to the Department of Justice as part of a continuing probe into the handling of potentially classified information on her email account, her campaign announced Tuesday.

According to spokesman Nick Merrill, Clinton directed that the server stored in her Westchester, NY home and a thumb drive in the possession of her attorney—both of which contained copies of emails from her time as Secretary of State—be transferred to the Justice Department. On Monday, Clinton signed an affidavit swearing under penalty of perjury that she had turned over all copies of potential government records from her time in office.

The revelation earlier this year that Clinton exclusively used the private account rocked Washington and her nascent presidential campaign, leading to an erosion her poll numbers and a majority of Americans to view her as untrustworthy. At the time, Clinton denied that her server contained any classified information.

Clinton turned over 55,000 pages of work emails to the Department of State last year, which are under review for release by the agency and the subject of multiple Freedom of Information Act requests. The first batch of emails released included a section of an email retroactively marked as top secret—one of at least dozens of instances of information included on the server that have since been marked as “confidential,” “secret” or “top secret.”

Last month, the inspector general for the U.S. intelligence community sent a security referral to the Justice Department warning that Clinton’s server and the thumb drive may contain classified information outside of the government’s control.

“These emails were not retroactively classified by the State Department; rather these emails contained classified information when they were generated and, according to IC classification officials, that information remains classified today,” the Inspectors General for the State Department and Intelligence Community in a joint statement in July. “This classified information should never have been transmitted via an unclassified personal system.”

Clinton “directed her team to give her email server that was used during her tenure as Secretary to the Department of Justice, as well as a thumb drive containing copies of her emails already provided to the State Department,” Merrill said in a statement. “She pledged to cooperate with the Government’s security inquiry, and if there are more questions, we will continue to address them.”

State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement that the intelligence community has concurred with the inspector general that at least two messages should be upgraded to “top secret” classification.

“The State Department takes seriously its obligations to protect sensitive information, holding its employees to a high standard of compliance with regulations and procedures,” he said. “Department employees circulated these emails on unclassified systems in 2009 and 2011 and ultimately some were forwarded to Secretary Clinton. They were not marked as classified.” The State Department is now working with the Director of National Intelligence to resolve the discrepancy in classification, Kirby added.

Summary: She'll also turn over a thumb drive with emails


A recent study reported that wine and spirits can leach lead from crystal, and while no one is suggesting that $150 lead crystal goblets or $2,000 decanters be discarded, the Food and Drug Administration is recommending that people rethink the way they use lead crystal containers for food and beverages.

Lead is a chronic hazard that can damage the nervous system, the kidneys and bone marrow. Fetuses and small children are particularly sensitive to lead.

Jerry Burke, the director of the F.D.A.'s Office of Physical Science, made these recommendations:

* Do not use lead crystal every day. Occasional use is all right, but if you have a daily glass of wine, don't drink it from a crystal goblet.

* Don't store foods or beverages for long periods in crystal. This is particularly true for acidic juices, vinegar and alcoholic beverages. Mr. Burke defines a week or two as long. Others say overnight is the maximum.

* Women of child-bearing age should not use crystal ware.

* Don't feed children from crystal bottles or tumblers.

The current Federal limit for lead in water is 50 micrograms per liter, but that is expected to drop to 20 micrograms later this year.

There are no Federal standards for the amount of lead that is permitted to leach from crystal, but the F.D.A. says that standards for ceramic ware can be used as a benchmark for crystal. A large piece of ceramic holloware -- one that will hold 1.1 liters or more -- is permitted to leach 2,500 micrograms per liter in a 24-hour period when it contains a solution similar in acidity to white distilled vinegar. Smaller holloware pieces can leach 5,000 micrograms per liter. The F.D.A. is reviewing changes in the standards for large ceramic pitchers that would drastically reduce the permissible lead to 100 micrograms.

In the study, recently published in The Lancet, a British medical journal, Dr. Joseph H. Graziano and Dr. Conrad Blum at Columbia University discovered large amounts of lead in wine that had been stored in crystal decanters. Many but not all of the crystal pieces leached lead.

They also found that tiny amounts of lead begin to migrate to wine from crystal goblets and decanters within minutes of contact. After four months of storage in crystal decanters, the lead levels ranged from 2,162 to 5,333 micrograms per liter.

Mr. Burke suggests that people test their crystal with the Frandon Lead Alert Kit. "At this stage of the game it is a conservative measure," he said. The Frandon kit is available for $29.95, plus $3.50 shipping, from Frandon Enterprises, P.O. Box 300321, Seattle, Wash. 98103; (800) 359-9000.


Deal of the century -- some mystery buyer just purchased the massive engagement ring

... for a fraction of the original $90,000 price tag.

Sources tell TMZ, the unidentified bidder won

this morning -- bidding $38,000 for the 3.39 carat circular-cut diamond. With taxes and fees, the final bill was $47,500.

Shockingly, the ring actually exceeded auctioneer expectations -- because it was only supposed to sell for $20 -$30k.

Hugh reportedly shelled out the full $90k for the ring when he proposed to Crystal less than a year ago -- but Crystal

Summary: Deal of the century -- some mystery buyer just purchased the massive engagement ring Hugh Hefner gave to Crystal Harris ... for a fraction of the original…


The software is able to identify a person calling the bank within 15 seconds, just by their voice, with more than 90 percent accuracy, Sharir said.

A customer service representative wouldn't even necessarily have to ask your name, as the bank would be able to identify you after just a few seconds, she said.

Read MoreThis may be the next dangerous hacker playground

She declined to identify any companies now using the technology, but said that "several global financial services" were currently using it, as well as a few telecommunications companies.

In addition to helping prevent fraud, the technology is designed to improve customer experience, and make call centers more efficient, she said.

--By CNBC's Matt Hunter. Follow him @MattMHunter

Summary: You may never have to remember your mother's maiden name, your first pet, or the name of your first concert again.


Every month another company, it seems, announces plans to build a factory in Nevada to churn out the future of energy technology.

A year and a half ago, Tesla TSLA started building a massive battery factory, dubbed the Gigafactory, just outside of Reno. It has since been joined by a number of other high-tech companies involved in battery recycling, a futuristic transportation system, and electric cars.

Nevada, known mostly for gambling, turns out to have a unique set of characteristics like a low cost of doing business, large incentives, an ability to move quickly, and ample clean energy resources that make it attractive to companies developing innovative energy technologies. It’s slowly become a hub for manufacturing for energy storage, clean energy and greener transportation that could one day be as important as Silicon Valley is to Internet and software startups.

This week it was secretive Tesla-rival Faraday Future that put its sights on Nevada. The company said it planned to build a $1 billion electric car factory outside of in North Las Vegas early next year if legislators approve a package of incentives and tax breaks. The startup, backed by Chinese Internet billionaire Jia Yueting, aims to build a three million square-foot factory on a 900-acre site that will churn out electric vehicles.

Earlier this week, Nevada made the news again when Hyperloop Technologies said it planned to start testing an ultra-fast transit system known as a hyperloop next year on 50 acres of Nevada desert. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has popularized the hyperloop idea, which involves pods riding around on an air cushion through reduced-pressure tubes.

Last month, yet another company, Aqua Metals AQMS , a battery recycling startup, said it would build its first battery recycling factory on a site near Tesla’s Gigafactory. Aqua Metals, which recently closed on a loan to fund project, has developed a more energy efficient process to recycle lead acid batteries—the kind that start up gas-powered cars—than traditional methods (Tesla uses lithium-ion batteries for its cars).

In addition to the arrival of the energy tech companies, Nevada is at the forefront of clean energy projects including solar, wind, and geothermal farms. Apple built a data center outside of Reno, and has been building a solar farm about 70 miles away to help power its operations.

A geothermal startup called AltaRock Energy bought a geothermal plant earlier this year about a hundred miles east of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. The company is using its novel technology to enhance the well and help the struggling site pay back a loan backed by the Department of Energy.

Nevada’s attraction is that it has one of the lowest costs of doing business in the West. The state doesn’t have a lot of taxes (no corporate income tax, minimal employer payroll tax) and land is relatively cheap. At the same time, it’s within a few hours drive of the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, enabling employees from companies like Tesla to quickly travel there from their headquarters around San Francisco.

Because of the way the state operates, Nevada’s environmental and regulatory bodies can move more quickly than many other states. The political mindset is that government should get out of the way of business — a laissez faire ideology that explains the rise of gambling and the sex industry in the state.

When Tesla’s Musk went looking for a home for the Gigafactory, he wanted a location where he could immediately start building the massive structure. He didn’t want to wait years for environmental reviews and regulations.

For years, Nevada politicians have wanted to stimulate its economy and move away from its dependence on gambling. As a result, the state economic development agency has aggressively offered companies like Tesla big incentive packages to build their factories in Nevada. Tesla was able to achieve $1.4 billion in tax breaks, free land, and other benefits from the state, Fortune previously reported.

The state’s abundance of clean energy—from solar, wind and geothermal farms—also makes it attractive to some companies like Tesla. Eventually, Tesla hopes to operate its battery factory entirely on clean energy, which would be difficult to do in other states that lack enough production.

Even excluding clean energy, Nevada is home to low cost and reliable energy, from natural gas. Such sources are necessary for energy-intensive factories.

Furthermore, Nevada is rich in minerals that are critical to some clean tech companies. For example, the state has one of the nation’s few lithium mines, which produces a critical ingredient for batteries. Tesla plans to buy lithium from a mining project that’s under development 200 miles from its battery factory.

With a growing mass of energy tech companies, Nevada is now has an ecosystem that invites more to move in. Construction companies are building roads throughout the sparse, rural areas around the Gigafactory to bring in supplies and employees. Construction workers at the Gigafactory can continue onto other projects like the Hyperloop test track or Faraday Future’s car factory.

All of this is mostly good news for Nevada’s smaller cities like Reno. For years, it has been economically depressed and dependent on gambling and tourism. But now the city is morphing into an area with highly-skilled manufacturing jobs. And significant part of those jobs are coming from the future of energy technology.

To learn more about how Nevada won the Tesla Gigafactory deal, watch this Fortune video:

Summary: It's not just about Tesla. The state has unique characteristics that make it ideal for this growing industry.


U.S. solar company SunEdison sune is at “substantial risk” of bankruptcy, unit TerraForm Global said, sending SunEdison’s shares down more than 40% Tuesday.

TerraForm Global, citing SunEdison’s liquidity issues, said it would join its parent and fellow SunEdison “yieldco” TerraForm Power terp in delaying its annual report for the year ended Dec. 31.

TerraForm Global’s annual report was due by March 30.

However, TerraForm Global said it did not rely substantially on SunEdison for funding or liquidity and that it would have sufficient liquidity to support its operations even if its parent sought bankruptcy protection.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission was looking into SunEdison’s disclosures to see if it exaggerated its liquidity last year when it said it had more than $1 billion in cash.

SunEdison said on March 16 it had delayed filing its annual report for the second time after identifying “material weaknesses” in its financial reporting, which it said related primarily to problems with a newly implemented IT system.

Summary: Shares are down 40%.


In a cautionary tale illustrating the complex challenges of integrating renewable energy into the electrical grid, spot electricity prices in Chile have dropped to zero in some places on 113 days so far this year. Solar production in the country has expanded rapidly in recent years, but a lack of transmission lines is leaving the energy stranded where it’s not needed, forcing prices down.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Bloomberg reports that one basic problem is the division of the country into separate central and northern grids, which are currently not interconnected at all. The highest concentration of solar installations was built in the north, where the country’s copper mines were expected to drive energy demand, but are now facing a slowdown.

The Chilean government is working to connect the two regions so the excess energy can move, as well as to improve connections within grid zones. But in the meantime, Bloomberg says solar investors are losing money, and the chaos could cast a pall on funding for future projects.

For more on energy, watch our video.

Chile is Latin America’s biggest producer of renewable energy, with solar capacity quadrupling since 2013 to 770 megawatts. New projects funded before the current slump will continue to drive up capacity over the next year, and number of days of ‘free electricity’ this year—for those who happen to be in the right place— is on track to beat last years’ total of 192 days by a wide margin.

But between overcapacity and the mining slump, those projects could be the last for some time.

Summary: Electricity is free - and that's not good.