was a mile high during his concert in Colorado Thursday night ... so wasted the cops had to step in.

The concert started out well ... the opening acts were great. But things went South when Ralphie tried to take the stage ... he was so slow it took forever.

When he got the mic things got worse. Audience members tell us he couldn't string a sentence together, couldn't finish jokes, couldn't remember what he had just said.

Audience members started yelling at him to start telling jokes, then demanded refunds. Some die-hard supporters yelled back at the hecklers and

Ralphie finished the show, but by then cops had come to maintain order.

Ralphie's camp tells TMZ ... "He was like a kid in a candy store, being in Colorado for the first time since pot became legal." They add, "We believe in conspiracy theories, we think Cosby snuck in and drugged him. We're pressing charges because we're within the statute of limitations."

We're told what really did Ralphie in ... edibles.

Summary: Ralphie May was a mile high during his concert in Colorado Thursday night ... so wasted the cops had to step in.The concert started out well ... the…


BELFAST — It was nothing less than a supernatural gor-easter.

After years of anticipation, winter finally came roaring onto “Game of Thrones” Sunday, ripping through the series with an epic, eye-popping battle that devolved into frozen holocaust: a blizzard of blood and for many, fates worse than death. In an unexpected and sudden attack, the mysterious, human-hating White Walkers, led by their thorn-skulled “Night’s King,” unleashed a sorcerous storm of ice, wind and snow that tore through the huge free-folk settlement of Hardhome, where more than 100,000 hard-bitten humans had gathered.

MORE: 'GAME OF THRONES; SEASON 5, EPISODE 8 RECAP: JON SNOW BATTLES THE WHITE WALKERS IN 'HARDHOME' The icy demons arrived in its wake slaughtering men, women and children to presumably recruit into their ghoulish army of undead warriors. “What happens here is dark, very dark,” Kristofer Hivju, who plays the flame-haired wildling general Tormund Giantsbane, told the Daily News on the Belfast set of the HBO series . “I can only imagine how this will all end,” he said.

The sudden loss of about 95,000 people was something new, even for a show in which favorite characters frequently suffer horrible, unexpected deaths. Caught in the middle of the invasion was Night’s Watch Lord Commander Jon Snow (Kit Harington) who found himself crossing swords with a vicious, inhuman foe. “Jon is one of the best fighters in the kingdom,” Harington said, during a break while filming the scene.

“We've seen him win these incredible fights in the past, but against this thing, he just stands no chance — he tries to fight and he's just thrown around like a cat with a f----ing mouse.” During the duel, Snow was grabbed, shoved and swatted by the hulking, supernatural swordsman. “This Walker was playing with him,” says Harington.

“It becomes a sort of survival thing with him, Jon gets beaten up and manages to just make it out alive — and we find that there’s another thing that can kill White Walkers besides “dragon glass”: Jon with his (Valyrian steel) sword.” Harington says the roiling battle was a shot of adrenaline up a season that has been heavy on dialogue. “There's been a lot of politics and talk this season and I was getting antsy,” he admits. “I kept wondering ‘when do I get to do some fighting?’ and then this sequence came up and of course it is incredible.”

The breathtaking sequence was shot last fall in Magheramorne quarry near Belfast and took nearly a month to film. Teams of technicians transformed the old cement quarry into an icy wasteland — bordered by a sea, by painting the towering stone walls of the quarry white. Later, in post production, powerful computers were used to create the storm, many of the White Walkers and the sprawling scale of the icy, remote location. The same special effects wizards transformed about 200 extras (all recruited from Belfast) into the White Walkers’ 100,000 victims. “It’s a stunning sequence,” says Harington. “Like nothing that we have done before.”

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Summary: Winter finally came roaring onto “Game of Thrones,” ripping through the series with an epic, eye-popping battle.


Curren$y did NOT nearly die on Lil Wayne's tour bus after mistakenly downing Weezy's strong sizzurp concoction -- but he did sleep for 18 hours.

Curren$y tells TMZ he was just joking around with rapper N.O.R.E and DJ EFN on their podcast this week when he recounted the "near-death experience." He told them he thought the beverage was just purple Hawaiian Punch, and downed it during a tour stop in New Orleans.

The rapper says he doesn't mess with the stuff, so it hit him hard ... and he woke up 18 hours later in Miami. As for his claim Wayne left him on the bus because they thought he was going to die -- he says that's 100% jokes, and if it were true he and Wayne wouldn't still be friends.

Curren$y, a former Young Money artist, says they're like brothers.

Weezy OD'd on lean in 2013, about the time Curren$y says this all went down, and was spotted earlier this year with his signature cup back in his hands.

Summary: Curren$y did NOT nearly die on Lil Wayne's tour bus after mistakenly downing Weezy's strong sizzurp concoction -- but he did sleep for 18 hours.…


Ken Howard, the current national president of SAG-AFTRA who came to fame as the supportive inner-city high school basketball coach on the 1970s CBS drama The White Shadow, died Wednesday. He was 71.

Howard, who got laughs as Hank Hooper, the CEO of Kabletown, the cable company that buys NBC from General Electric, on the sitcom 30 Rock, died at his home near Los Angeles, the guild said. No cause of death was announced.

Howard won a supporting actor Emmy Award in 2009 for portraying the absent father Phelan Beale (the uncle of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis) in the HBO telefilm Grey Gardens. He accepted his trophy four days before winning the Screen Actors Guild presidency.

The imposing 6-foot-6 actor played lawyer Garrett Boydston on the ABC primetime soap Dynasty and its spinoff, The Colbys, in the 1980s and was the retired police detective father of a forensic pathologist (Jill Hennessy) on the 2001-05 NBC drama Crossing Jordan.

In 1970, Howard received a Tony Award for best featured actor in a play for his performance as a phys-ed teacher at a Catholic boarding school for boys in Robert Marasco's long-running thriller Child's Play.

Most recently, he appeared in two 2015 films -; as the father of the bride (Kaley Cuoco) in The Wedding Ringer and as a mop executive in David O. Russell's Joy.

READ MORE: Ken Howard Reelected as SAG-AFTRA President, Challengers Win Secretary-Treasurer Slot and More

On The White Shadow, Howard starred as Ken Reeves, an NBA player who suffers a career-ending knee injury and takes over as head basketball coach at Carver High, a fictional school in South Central Los Angeles.

The MTM Enterprises hourlong series ran for three seasons, from 1978 through 1981, and remains notable as one of the longest-running U.S. network series with a predominantly African-American cast.

Growing up on Long Island, Howard had been the only white player on his high-school basketball team and was given the nickname "The White Shadow." He pitched his idea for the series to the late writer-producer Bruce Paltrow, the husband of a friend, actress Blythe Danner.

CBS was interested but wanted the series to be funny in the vein of Welcome Back, Kotter and to avoid such serious issues as teens dealing with sex, drugs and crime.

"And we said, 'Why do you think we are doing the show? That's all the stuff that is out there, the demons, that these kids are dealing with,'" Howard recalled in a 2005 interview. "And we were figuring out what we wanted to do as we were confronted with this stuff. ...; So the next thing you know, we are breaking all kinds of ground. I mean, we were dealing with [venereal disease] and teenage pregnancy and drugs and gambling ...; we figured, why not?"

A stockbroker's son, Howard was born on March 28, 1944, in El Centro, Calif., and raised in the town of Manhasset, N.Y. After high school, he captained the basketball team at Amherst College and was a member of an a capella group before attending the Yale School of Drama.

He left school after two years and made his Broadway debut in 1968 in the original production of Neil Simon's Promises, Promises. He soon was appearing in such productions as the Tony-winning musical 1776 (as Thomas Jefferson), Child's Play and as the neighbor Tom in Alan Ayckbourn's Norman Conquests trilogy.

His first onscreen appearance came opposite Liza Minnelli in Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970). He reprised his role as Jefferson for the 1972 film version of 1776 and later appeared, often as authority figures, in such films as Oscar (1991), Clear and Present Danger (1994), At First Sight (1999), Michael Clayton (2007) and The Judge (2014).

Howard was elected the 25th and final president of SAG in September 2009 and, after pushing for a merger with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, was re-elected in September 2011.

"Although AFTRA was a good union, SAG was the dominant union, and Labor Law 101 is that you don't have two unions representing the same workers because employers will exploit the divide -; and they did," Howard remarked in a 2012 interview.

"There were some who wanted a war of sorts between the unions, but I always thought unions were stronger when they joined forces -; look at the AFL-CIO. When unions work out their differences, they become more united, more monolithic and do a better job of representing their interests."

Actors overwhelmingly approved the merger in March 2012. Howard became co-president of SAG-AFTRA, then won re-election campaigns in August 2013 and August 2015.

In 1986, Howard took a break from the industry to lecture about acting at the American Repertory School at Harvard University, and he authored the book Act Natural, published in 2003.

Survivors include his wife, retired stuntwoman Linda Fetters.

He earlier was married to actress Louise Sorel (Days of Our Lives) and Margo Howard, the daughter of Eppie Lederer, who dispensed advice as the syndicated newspaper columnist Ann Landers. Both marriages ended in divorce.

Check out the video below of Carol Burnett receiving this year's SAG Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Summary: Ken Howard, the current national president of SAG-AFTRA who came to fame on the 1970s CBS drama The White Shadow, died Wednesday.


Not every sketch that makes it onto an episode of Saturday Night Live is a winner — but it also turns out that not every winning sketch makes it into an SNL episode, either. Last week, a pitch-perfect parody of Love Actually was regrettably cut for timing purposes. This got us thinking — what other gems never made it to your DVR?

Here are the 10 best unaired SNL sketches from 2014:

This spoof captures the true essence of one of the creepiest scenes in one of the most beloved Christmas movies, Love Actually.

This powerful sketch shows anchors for a Ferguson, Mo. morning talk show (played by Cecily Strong and Kenan Thompson) having a little bit of difficult maintaining upbeat chatter following the grand jury’s decision not to indict Darren Wilson for the death of Michael Brown.

Cut for time, this hilarious sketch shows what happens when you reach your 10,000th tweet. (It involves musical accolades by Barack Obama, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and God. No big deal.)

Nasim Pedrad as Aziz Ansari

The comedian — perhaps most famous for her spot-on impression of Kim Kardashian — told Conan O’Brien, “The producers were always like, ‘Hey, what about this week you play a pretty gal?’ and I was always like, ‘Or, what if I play another small man?'”

SNL created a promo for a new series that merges Ted Talks and Def Comedy Jam.

For everyone who ever complained about VH1’s inane countdown shows, this one is for you.

Kenan Thompson — who appeared in Nickelodeon’s real 1990’s shows All That and Kenan and Kel — now appears in a spot-on parody of an SNL-imagined Nickelodeon show called Zap! The secret to the children’s peppiness? Speed.

“Are you sick and tired of Santa? Well, now you can catch him.”

Jim Carrey makes an appearance in this upsetting unaired sketch about the most terrifying beings to walk the earth: Children.

If Gossip Girl took place in a mining town, it would look something like this. (Starring a very giggly Bill Hader.)

READ NEXT See the Exciting Life of Santa Claus, AKA the Most Interesting Man in the World

Listen to the most important stories of the day.

Summary: Who knew scenes left on the cutting room floor could be this funny?


Suppose you placed a baby in a room with a snake and a spider. Would they play with these creatures or leave them well alone?

This is not a hypothetical question. Researchers in the study of fear are actively looking into it.

It is already well-known that babies find live animals much more interesting than stuffed ones. Research has found that this interest persists even if those animals are snakes and spiders.

Studies like this are giving new insights into the nature of fear itself, and just how and when it is acquired.

A fear of snakes is one of the most common and intense fears in the world, according to fear researcher Judy DeLoache of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, US, who was not involved in the new study.

The team set out to startle the babies to see how they would react

The simplest view, and one that many people would assume is true, is that we are innately scared of them. The idea is that, because some snakes are deadly, we have evolved to react to them all with fear.

Seemingly in line with that, 11-month-old infants were shown images of a snake paired with either a fearful or happy voice. The babies looked at snakes for longer when a fearful voice was presented than when a happy voice was heard.

Another study found similar results when using fearful versus happy faces, suggesting that young infants associate fear with snakes.

However those studies were not hard proof, and we can't ask babies if they are actually scared of snakes.

A new study re-assesses how babies react to snakes. Its authors are seeking to overturn the idea that babies – and therefore us - are innately scared of them.

The team measured babies' physiological responses as they watched videos of snakes and elephants, paired with both fearful and happy voices.

They then set out to startle the babies to see how they would react. They presented them with a "startle probe", which in this case was an unexpected bright flash of light as they watched a video.

A startle like this would be more intense if the babies were already scared: just like when we watch scary films, and jump more if we are already tense.

"What we found is that their startle responses were not bigger when watching a video of a snake, even when paired with a fearful voice," says co-author Vanessa LoBue at Rutgers University in New Jersey, US.

The findings have been published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology.

The babies' startle response was actually lower. Their heart response was also lower, which also indicates that babies were not scared.

In other words, though the babies paid more attention to the snakes, this did not invoke fear.

LoBue expected this result. Both human babies and monkeys are known to be more interested in snakes than other animals, suggesting that snakes are somehow special.

It is this heightened interest in snakes that can more easily be turned into fear in certain circumstances.

Children do not have an innate fear of snakes, agrees DeLoache. "Rather, they have a predisposition to detect and respond rapidly to snakes." For example, studies have shown that young children will quickly detect the presence of a snake in a photo among many other non-snake photos.

Far from this fear being hard-wired, for LoBue it is now clear that fear of snakes and spiders is culturally conditioned.

"While we find differential responses to snakes early on, meaning they are special, it doesn't seem to be related to fear early in development," she says. "It's possible that paying more attention to something might make fear learning easier later on. It facilitates fear learning."

LoBue says it is a good thing that we have not evolved an inborn fear of certain things. "It's not adaptive to have any hard-wired fear," she says, because it would limit a young infant's desire to explore new things.

Instead, we have evolved to quickly learn to be afraid of something if it turns out to be dangerous.

Summary: Many snakes are deadly, so it seems to make sense that we would have an innate fear of them. But a new experiment adds to the evidence that young babies are not frightened of snakes


Donald Trump's controversial comments towards women go back decades. In an interview with first wife, Ivana, they sat down with Oprah in 1988.

Read: Fox News: Donald Trump Has a 'Sick Obsession' With Anchor Megyn Kelly

"We get along very well and there's not a lot of disagreement because ultimately Ivana does exactly as I tell her to do," he said.

As the audience laughed, Ivana then called him a "male chauvinist."

Oprah then asked her: "He's not a chauvinist, is he?"

"Oh, he's the worst," she replied.

Donald Trump on the campaign trail:

Trump told Oprah in 1988 interview: Ivana does exactly as I tell her

CHARLESTON, WV - MAY 05: Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during his rally at the Charleston Civic Center on May 5, 2016 in Charleston, West Virginia. Trump became the Republican presumptive nominee following his landslide win in indiana on Tuesday.(Photo by Mark Lyons/Getty Images)

Donald Trump, president and chief executive of Trump Organization Inc. and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, gestures to attendees during a campaign event in Evansville, Indiana, U.S., on Thursday, April 28, 2016. Trump said he's campaigning hard to win Tuesday's presidential primary in Indiana and that if he prevails, his party's nomination contest will be 'over.' Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

TAMPA, FL - MARCH 14: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a town hall meeting on March 14, 2016 at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa , Florida. Trump is campaigning ahead of the Florida primary on March 15. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

CINCINNATI, OH- MARCH 13: Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses his campaign supporters during a campaign rally at the Savannah Center March 13, 2016, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Trump continue to campaign before Ohio March 15th primary day. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)

PALM BEACH, FL - MARCH 15: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a primary night event at the Mar-A-Lago Club's Donald J. Trump Ballroom March 15, 2016 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump won the state of Florida and Ohio Gov. John Kasich won the state of Ohio. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

HICKORY, NC - MARCH 14: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, talks with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, right, during a campaign rally at Lenoir-Rhyne University March 14, 2016 in Hickory, North Carolina. The North Carolina Republican primary will be held March 15. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

BLOOMINGTON, IL - MARCH 13: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pulls Alex Stypik from a crowd of supporters to show off his shirt during a rally at the Central Illinois Regional Airport on March 13, 2016 in Bloomington, Illinois. The Trump campaign cancelled a recent rally in Chicago after learning hundreds of demonstrators were ticketed for the event. Illinois voters go to the polls on March 15. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

JUPITER, FL - MARCH 08: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds up his book after holding a press conference at the Trump National Golf Club Jupiter on March 8, 2016 in Jupiter, Florida. Trump is projected to win the Republican Presidential primaries in Mississippi and Michigan. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

GREENVILLE, SC - FEBRUARY 15: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally held in the TD Convention Center in Greenville, SC on Monday Feb. 15, 2016. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

MANCHESTER, NH - FEBRUARY 09: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets people as he visits a polling station as voters cast their primary day ballots on February 9, 2016 in Manchester, New Hampshire. The process to select the next Democratic and Republican Presidential candidates continues. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

US Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks to the crowd during a rally February 8, 2016 in Manchester, NH. US presidential candidates, including billionaire Donald Trump and under-pressure Democrat Hillary Clinton, criss-crossed snowy New Hampshire in a final frantic bit to win over undecided voters before Tuesday's crucial primary. / AFP / Don EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)

HOLDERNESS, NH - FEBRUARY 7: Patrons reach out for photos and signatures from republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as he greets people after speaking at a campaign rally at Plymouth State University in Holderness, NH on Sunday Feb. 07, 2016. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign stop at Farmington High School, Monday, Jan. 25, 2016, in Farmington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

MARSHALLTOWN, IA - JANUARY 26: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally on January 26, 2016 in Marshalltown, Iowa. Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the anti-immigration sheriff from Maricopa County, Arizona, today announced his support for Trump's presidential bid. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, left, endorses Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a rally at the Iowa State University, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

WINTERSET, IA - JANUARY 19: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the John Wayne Birthplace Museum on January 19, 2016 in Winterset, Iowa. Trump received the endorsement of Aissa Wayne, John Wayne's daughter. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waves to supporters after meeting with volunteers at the local Pizza Ranch restaurant, Friday, Jan. 15, 2016, in Waukee, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump stands on the stage before the Fox Business Network Republican presidential debate at the North Charleston Coliseum, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC - JANUARY 14: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump participates in the Fox Business Network Republican presidential debate at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center on January 14, 2016 in North Charleston, South Carolina. The sixth Republican debate is held in two parts, one main debate for the top seven candidates, and another for three other candidates lower in the current polls. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign stop at the Flynn Center of the Performing Arts in Burlington, Vt., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE - Emmy Award-nominated 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' airs every weeknight (11:35 p.m. - 12:41 a.m., ET), packed with hilarious comedy bits and features a diverse lineup of guests including celebrities, athletes, musicians, comedians and humorous human interest subjects. The guests for Wednesday, December 16 included Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump and musical guest Gary Clark Jr. (Photo by Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images) DONALD TRUMP, JIMMY KIMMEL

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - DECEMBER 21: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to guests at a campaign rally on December 21, 2015 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The full-house event was repeatedly interrupted by protestors. Trump continues to lead the most polls in the race for the Republican nomination for president. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

MESA, AZ - DECEMBER 16: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to guest gathered during a campaign event at the International Air Response facility on December 16, 2015 in Mesa, Arizona. Trump is in Arizona the day after the Republican Presidential Debate hosted by CNN in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)

ORLANDO, FL - NOVEMBER 13: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waves as he is introduced during the Sunshine Summit conference being held at the Rosen Shingle Creek on November 13, 2015 in Orlando, Florida. The summit brought Republican presidential candidates in front of the Republican voters. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reacts to a reporter's question in the spin room following the Republican Presidential Debate hosted by Fox Business and The Wall Street Journal November 10, 2015 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. AFP PHOTO / JOSHUA LOTT (Photo credit should read Joshua LOTT/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 03: Donald Trump attends a press conference for the release of his new book 'Crippled America' at Trump Tower on November 3, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/WireImage)

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks during a press conference during a event to launch his new book 'Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again' at Trump Tower on November 3, 2015 in New York. Donald Trump published a book about the ills of America to another media frenzy Tuesday, signing copies for fans, insulting his rivals on the campaign trail and telling Americans to elect him president. 'Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again,' offers the everyday reader his take on the problems facing the country and why they should elect him to the White House to fix them. AFP PHOTO/Kena Betancur (Photo credit should read KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets supporters during a rally, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015 in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Jason Hirschfeld)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump looks out from his car window as he leaves after speaking at a town hall meeting at the Atkinson Country Club in Atkinson, N.H., Monday, Oct. 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)

RICHMOND, VA - OCTOBER 14: Republican presidential candidate and front-runner Donald Trump walks out on stage during a campaign rally at the Richmond International Raceway October 14, 2015 in Richmond, Virginia. A New York real estate mogul and reality television star, Trump is now in a statistical tie with retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson in a Fox News survey of likely Republican voters released Tuesday. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds up a cap that he signed for a supporter during a rally at the Expo Hall of the Richmond International Raceway on October 14, 2015 in Richmond, Virginia. AFP PHOTO/MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

RICHMOND, VA - OCTOBER 14: Republican presidential candidate and front-runner Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at the Richmond International Raceway October 14, 2015 in Richmond, Virginia. A New York real estate mogul and reality television star, Trump is now in a statistical tie with retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson in a Fox News survey of likely Republican voters released Tuesday. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 28: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives to give a speech outlining his vision for tax reform at his skyscraper on Fifth Avenue on September 28, 2015 in New York City. Under the plan there would be four tax categories, with people earning less than $25,000 per year paying 0% tax. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 23: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to the media before a campaign event September 23, 2015 in Columbia, South Carolina. Earlier today, Trump tweeted 'FoxNews has been treating me very unfairly & I have therefore decided that I won't be doing any more Fox shows for the foreseeable future.' (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

DALLAS, TX - SEPTEMBER 14: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets supporters during a campaign rally at the American Airlines Center on September 14, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. More than 20,000 tickets had been distributed for the event. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gives a national security speech aboard the World War II Battleship USS Iowa, September 15, 2015, in San Pedro, California. AFP PHOTO /ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

DALLAS, TX - SEPTEMBER 14: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the American Airlines Center on September 14, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. More than 20,000 tickets have been distributed for the event. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds his pledge during a news conference, at Trump Tower in New York, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015. Trump ruled out the prospect of a third-party White House bid and vowed to support the Republican Party's nominee, whoever it may be. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, center, stops to take a photograph with Jim Tranz, of Port Charlotte, Fla., as he walks with a crowd during the final round of play at The Barclays golf tournament Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Edison, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, second left, applauds play as he walks with a crowd during the final round of play at The Barclays golf tournament Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Edison, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Donald Trump, president and chief executive of Trump Organization Inc. and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, greets attendees during a rally at Grand River Center in Dubuque, Iowa, U.S., on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015. President Barack Obama's top business ambassador dismissed Trump's call for a wall along the Mexico border, saying the U.S. is focused instead on expanding business with one of its biggest trade partners. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A woman with her baby shows excitement when the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets them after he speaks at a campaign pep rally, Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

MOBILE, AL- AUGUST 21: U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump introduces Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions (R) Mobile during his rally at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on August 21, 2015 in Mobile, Alabama. The Donald Trump campaign moved tonight's rally to a larger stadium to accommodate demand. (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate businessman Donald Trump speaks during a campaign pep rally, Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

UNITED STATES - August 15: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets fairgoers as he visits the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, August 15, 2015. (Photo By Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)

DES MOINES, IA - AUGUST 15: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets fairgoers while campaigning at the Iowa State Fair on August 15, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa. Presidential candidates are addressing attendees at the Iowa State Fair on the Des Moines Register Presidential Soapbox stage and touring the fairgrounds. The State Fair runs through August 23. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets the crowd at the Iowa State Fair Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015, in Des Moines. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump talks to the media after arriving by helicopter at a nearby ballpark before Trump attended the Iowa State Fair Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015, in Des Moines. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump appears before addressing a GOP fundraising event, Tuesday, Aug, 11, 2015, in Birch Run, Mich. Trump attended the Lincoln Day Dinner of the Genesee and Saginaw county Republican parties. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Real estate tycoon Donald Trump flashes the thumbs-up as he arrives on stage for the start of the prime time Republican presidential debate on August 6, 2015 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. AFP PHOTO/MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

AYR, SCOTLAND - JULY 30: Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump visits his Scottish golf course Turnberry on July 30, 2015 in Ayr, Scotland. Donald Trump will answer questions from the media at a press conference where reporters will be limited to questions just about golf. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Presidential contender Donald Trump poses for the media during the third day of the Women's British Open golf championship on the Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, Saturday, Aug. 01, 2015. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)

Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump drives a golf buggy during his visits to his Scottish golf course Turnberry on July 30, 2015 in Ayr, Scotland. Donald Trump answered questions from the media at a press conference held in his hotel. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Presidential contender Donald Trump, right, does a high five with Jonathan Lynch, during the second day of the Women's British Open golf championship on the Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, Friday, July 31, 2015. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)

FILE - In this July 25, 2015 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Trump, widely believed to the be the wealthiest American ever to run for president, is nowhere among the ranks of the countryâs most generous citizens, according to an Associated Press review of his financial records and other government filings. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 22: Donald Trump greets supporters, tourists and the curious after taping an interview with Anderson Cooper at a Trump owned building in mid-town Manhattan on July 22, 2015 in New York City. Trump, who is running for president on a Republican ticket, has come under intensifying criticism for his behavior on the campaign trail. The billionaire's most recent comments on Senator John McCain's war record in Vietnam have resulted in almost universal criticism from fellow candidates. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

LAREDO, TEXAS - JULY 23: Republican Presidential candidate and business mogul Donald Trump talks to media from his car wearing a, 'Make America Great Again,' hat during his trip to the border on July 23, 2015 in Laredo, Texas. Trump's recent comments, calling some immigrants from Mexico as drug traffickers and rapists, have stirred up reactions on both sides of the aisle. Although fellow Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry has denounced Trump's comments and his campaign in general, U.S. Senator from Texas Ted-Cruz has so far refused to bash his fellow Republican nominee. (Photo by Matthew Busch/Getty Images)

LAREDO, TEXAS - JULY 23: Republican Presidential candidate and business mogul Donald Trump talks to the media at a press conference during his trip to the border on July 23, 2015 in Laredo, Texas. Trump's recent comments, calling some immigrants from Mexico as drug traffickers and rapists, have stirred up reactions on both sides of the aisle. Although fellow Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry has denounced Trump's comments and his campaign in general, U.S. Senator from Texas Ted-Cruz has so far refused to bash his fellow Republican nominee. (Photo by Matthew Busch/Getty Images)

AMES, IA - JULY 18: Republican presidential hopeful businessman Donald Trump fields questions at The Family Leadership Summit at Stephens Auditorium on July 18, 2015 in Ames, Iowa. According to the organizers the purpose of The Family Leadership Summit is to inspire, motivate, and educate conservatives. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks before a crowd of 3,500 Saturday, July 11, 2015, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

PHOENIX, AZ - JULY 11: Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses supporters during a political rally at the Phoenix Convention Center on July 11, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. Trump spoke about illegal immigration and other topics in front of an estimated crowd of 4,200. (Photo by Charlie Leight/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pauses as he speaks before a crowd of 3,500 Saturday, July 11, 2015, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waves to the crowd as he arrives to speak at a rally before a crowd of 3,500 Saturday, July 11, 2015, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Donald Trump gestures while speaking surrounded by people whose families were victims of illegal immigrants on July 10, 2015 while meeting with the press at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, where some shared their stories of the loss of a loved one. The US business magnate Trump, who is running for president in the 2016 presidential elections, angered members of the Latino community with recent comments but says he will win the Latino vote. AFP PHOTO / FREDERIC J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump smiles as he leaves after speaking at a news conference about immigration, Friday, July 10, 2015, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Donald Trump gestures while speaking surrounded by people who's families were victims of illegal immigrants on July 10, 2015 while meeting with the press at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, where some shared their stories of the loss of a loved one. The US business magnate Trump, who is running forpPresident in the 2016 presidential elections, angered members of the Latino community with recent comments but says he will win the Latino vote. AFP PHOTO / FREDERIC J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 06: Donald Trump attends the 2015 Hank's Yanks Golf Classic at Trump Golf Links Ferry Point on July 6, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump talks with reporters after speaking to members of the City Club of Chicago, Monday, June 29, 2015, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Real estate mogul Donald Trump announces his bid for the presidency in the 2016 presidential race during an event at the Trump Tower on the Fifth Avenue in New York City on June 16, 2015. Trump, one of America's most flamboyant and outspoken billionaires, threw his hat into the race Tuesday for the White House, promising to make America great again. The 69-year-old long-shot candidate ridiculed the country's current crop of politicians and vowed to take on the growing might of China in a speech launching his run for the presidency in 2016. 'I am officially running for president of the United States and we are going to make our country great again,' he said from a podium bedecked in US flags at Trump Tower on New York's Fifth Avenue. The tycoon strode onto the stage after sailing down an escalator to the strains of 'Rockin' In The Free World' by Canadian singer Neil Young after being introduced by daughter Ivanka. His announcement follows years of speculation that the man known to millions as the bouffant-haired host of American reality TV game show 'The Apprentice' would one day enter politics. Trump identifies himself as a Republican, and has supported Republican candidates in the past. But in his announcement speech he did not explicitly say if he was running for the party's nomination or as an independent.AFP PHOTO/ KENA BETANCUR (Photo credit should read KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 16: (L-R) Eric Trump, Lara Yunaska Trump, Donald Trump, Barron Trump, Melania Trump, Vanessa Haydon Trump, Kai Madison Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Donald John Trump III, and Ivanka Trump pose for photos on stage after Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the U.S. presidency at Trump Tower on June 16, 2015 in New York City. Trump is the 12th Republican who has announced running for the White House. (Photo by Christopher Gregory/Getty Images)

Photo by: Dennis Van Tine/STAR MAX/IPx 6/16/15 Donald Trump announces his Candidacy for President of The United States of America at Trump Tower. (NYC)

PHOENIX, AZ - JULY 11: Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses supporters during a political rally at the Phoenix Convention Center on July 11, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. Trump spoke about illegal immigration and other topics in front of an estimated crowd of 4,200. (Photo by Charlie Leight/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 16: Business mogul Donald Trump gives a speech as he announces his candidacy for the U.S. presidency at Trump Tower on June 16, 2015 in New York City. Trump is the 12th Republican who has announced running for the White House. (Photo by Christopher Gregory/Getty Images)

DES MOINES, IA - MAY 16: Businessman Donald Trump speaks to guests gathered for the Republican Party of Iowa's Lincoln Dinner at the Iowa Events Center on May 16, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa. The event sponsored by the Republican Party of Iowa gave several Republican presidential hopefuls an opportunity to strengthen their support among Iowa Republicans ahead of the 2016 Iowa caucus. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

DES MOINES, IA - MAY 16: Businessman Donald Trump speaks to guests gathered for the Republican Party of Iowa's Lincoln Dinner at the Iowa Events Center on May 16, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa. The event sponsored by the Republican Party of Iowa gave several Republican presidential hopefuls an opportunity to strengthen their support among Iowa Republicans ahead of the 2016 Iowa caucus. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 16: Business mogul Donald Trump arrives at a press event where he announced his candidacy for the U.S. presidency at Trump Tower on June 16, 2015 in New York City. Trump is the 12th Republican who has announced running for the White House. (Photo by Christopher Gregory/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 16: Business mogul Donald Trump arrives at a press event where he announced his candidacy for the U.S. presidency at Trump Tower on June 16, 2015 in New York City. Trump is the 12th Republican who has announced running for the White House. (Photo by Christopher Gregory/Getty Images)

Ivana Trump now says she supports her ex's run for the White House and current wife, Melania, says Donald is not a chauvinist.

Melania told MSNBC earlier this year: "He treats women the same as men."

An NBC / Wall Street Journal poll reveals that 47 percent of Republican women "could not imagine themselves voting for Trump.

Read: Cruz Hits Back at Trump For Criticizing His Wife: 'Real Men Don't Attack Women'

An estimated 75 percent of women have an unfavorable opinion of him, according to a Washington Post poll.

During a rally in October, he said: "I respect women incredibly. I had a woman in charge of building Trump Towers and she did a fantastic job."

Watch: Lawyer: Trump Called Me 'Disgusting' When I Needed to Pump Breast Milk


Al Jazeera Media Network has reportedly laid off a bunch of employees.

The 20 year old cable news network has fired about 500 people, Bloomberg reports. Most of the layoffs occurred at Al Jazeera’s headquarters in Doha, Qatar, the country’s capital. This comes as the state-funded broadcaster, which is funded in part by Qatar’s ruling family, the House of Thani, is redirecting its focus on digital operations.

The network’s acting director-general Mostefa Souag told Bloomberg in a statement that the restructuring began a few months ago and he is “confident this is an important decision to improve [Al Jazeera’s] competitiveness.”

Earlier this year Al Jazeera announced plans to shut down its U.S. branch after failing to find an audience, a move that Fortune reported could result in as many as 700 people losing their jobs. According to executives, the shutdown should be complete by April 30. The announcement came soon after baseball players Ryan Zimmerman and Ryan Howard filed defamation lawsuits against the network.

Al Jazeera has offices in upwards of 70 cities and says that it will continue to expand digital operations and establish new platforms in the U.S.

Summary: Amid restructuring efforts.


In just a little under three months, Hewlett Packard will officially split into two separate companies, with one (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise) focusing on enterprise technology, including data center hardware, and the other (HP Inc.) selling personal computers and printers.

At a recent HP conference in June, CEO Meg Whitman detailed the way she envisions Hewlett Packard Enterprise to serve potential customers in a service-oriented line of business. Whitman emphasized the idea that HP HPQ could help companies build out hybrid cloud infrastructure, in which companies can access both data centers hosted by public cloud providers like Amazon as well their own internal cloud data centers.

HP, along with other legacy tech companies like IBM IBM , has made it clear it sees the cloud as key to rebuilding the new enterprise-focused company. At the same time, HP is also counting on data analytics as a way to distinguish itself, and as HP software vice president and executive council member Robert Youngjohns told Fortune, data analytic services will be another key part of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise’s business.

Like many enterprise companies, HP sees the rise of big data as something that’s been radicalizing the industry over the past three to five years, Youngjohns explained.

What is different today is that businesses now have tremendous volumes of data being generated from everything from sensors loaded into cars to the multitude of emails that a company might produce on a given day, he said. There’s also an explosion of new data technology available on the market that seemingly can go out of vogue as the latest and greatest new tech wins the favor of engineers and operations staff.

HP wants to capitalize on this burgeoning market, and is hoping to have Hewlett-Packard Enterprise work as a sort of consulting business for companies looking to streamline their existing data and update their infrastructure with technology that suits their purposes.

Youngjohns said HP’s data business is different than IBM’s take on data analytics in that IBM seems to be focusing on big problems that affect the world, like how it’s positioning the company’s Watson supercomputer to be a leader in helping physicians combat diseases.

HP instead wants to target customers with more pragmatic problems, he insisted, as in the case of helping financial customers analyze emails to detect instances of fraud.

He also wants HP to stand out as a company whose data technology serves the business side of a company as opposed to merely the data scientists. Youngjohns said that companies need to formulate a data strategy rather than just rely on a specific tool, like the Hadoop open-source big data framework.

Of course, HP is also touting how its own lineup of data analytics technology will be important for companies as they formulate a data strategy, and the company will announce several updates to its products on Tuesday, such as its HP Vertica database. HP reportedly bought the database management company Vertica in 2011 for $350 million.

As a way to make its data platform play nicely with new technology on the market, HP is making Vertica compatible with hot open-source data tech like Apache Spark, a technology that IBM is also betting big on.

The company is also boasting that its custom servers are tailored to handle big data tasks, indicating that HP is trying to offer an all-in-one package to potential clients that includes software and hardware.

“We are no longer the PC/printer company,” said Youngjohns in regards to the change HP is undergoing. “It is the services, hardware, and software.”

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Summary: Big data and data analytics will be big for HP as it prepares for its split into two separate companies.


06/03/2016 AT 11:15 AM EDT

was making an statement when she posted a

of herself and her costar

– but did she ask permission?

"No," Kirke told PEOPLE. "She knows I don't mind. She just did it."

Kirke, who revealed that her unborn son in the photo is now 3 years old, explained during cocktails at the Chanel fine jewelry dinner to celebrate treasures from the New York Public Library: "It was from

. It's a scene from the show."

She continued, "Jesse Peretz, the director, took it between takes, because I was pregnant, and we were hiding that – we were hiding the belly from the camera."

Kristina Bumphrey / StarPix / REX / Shutterstock

Dunham, 30, and Kirke, 31, have been pals in real life since childhood, and Kirke says she didn't feel uncomfortable hanging out with the

"I imagine it is the way models feel when they change backstage for a show," she said. "They have no choice, it's work. Do it. Get the f---ing outfit on."

And yet Kirke stands behind Dunham and her use of the image to make a point. "It brings some attention, yes," she pointed out. "The woman is allowed to use anything she wants of me. There is no need to ask, especially if it's for something like that."

Summary: Kirke reveals whether her Girls costar and close friend asked permission to share the nude pic


Some other big Wall Street firms have been defending themselves against complaints of discrimination over the last eight years. Merrill Lynch and Smith Barney have paid more than $200 million combined to women who worked in their brokerage operations. A panel of arbitrators recently found that Merrill had engaged in sexual discrimination and awarded $2.2 million to one of its former brokers.

Elizabeth Grossman, the lead trial lawyer for the commission, said outside the courthouse yesterday that ''discrimination is very much a problem'' in the securities industry today. ''I expect that we will hear more from women on Wall Street and from racial minorities on Wall Street,'' she said.

Morgan Stanley officials have fervently denied accusations of harassment and unequal treatment of women in its operations. But some Wall Street executives and lawyers said Morgan Stanley did not want to take the chance that the commission could persuade the jury that some of the allegations were valid.

''I don't think Morgan Stanley would have settled unless there was an element of truth there,'' said Muriel Siebert, a longtime brokerage executive who was the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. ''There had to be something there or they wouldn't come up with $54 million.''

Ms. Siebert said the outcome should cause directors of all Wall Street firms to question whether their employees are facing discrimination, but she acknowledged that $54 million would not do much financial harm. To Morgan Stanley, which earned more than $1 billion last quarter, that amount is ''nothing,'' Ms. Siebert said.

''It may spill off their coffee cups in the morning,'' she said.

The $54 million settlement is the second-biggest sex discrimination settlement with the E.E.O.C. behind the $81 million that Publix Super Markets agreed to pay in 1997.

At least $12 million of the money to be paid by Morgan Stanley will go to one woman, Allison K. Schieffelin. Ms. Schieffelin, 42, was a successful bond saleswoman for Morgan Stanley, earning more than $1.3 million a year, when she first complained that she had been denied a promotion to managing director because of her sex. The commission took up her cause, eventually filing suit against the company on Sept. 10, 2001, under federal civil rights laws. The commission is charged with enforcing those laws in the workplace.

Ms. Schieffelin, who said in interviews with The New York Times in 2002 that she had sacrificed her personal life to get ahead at Morgan Stanley, was scheduled to testify first for the commission. She was eager to tell of the treatment she had endured and witnessed on the trading floor at Morgan Stanley's headquarters near Times Square, followed by the testimony of more than 20 other women with similar complaints, some involving behavior that could have proved embarrassing to the company.

In one instance, Ms. Schieffelin said, she arranged a group dinner with an important client at an exclusive restaurant in New York, only to be escorted into a cab afterward while her male co-workers took the client to a strip club. Ms. Schieffelin, who contacted the commission in 1998 to complain, was fired in 2000.

She contended that the firing was a retaliatory act, but Morgan Stanley officials countered that Ms. Schieffelin was fired for insubordination after turning hostile and disrespectful toward her supervisor, a woman who had recently received the promotion Ms. Schieffelin sought.

Other women who had worked in the division were prepared to recount more salacious tales, according to court filings. Some senior executives of the division were also expected to take the witness stand. As the prospect of that public spectacle approached, Morgan Stanley officials grew keener to settle.

On Sunday, Mr. Purcell called Ms. Dominguez, a commission spokesman said. They talked twice by phone in the evening, with the second conversation lasting until almost midnight, the spokesman said.

Lawyers continued the negotiation into early morning and told the judge of a prospective agreement about 9:30 a.m. The consent decree was signed in a room behind the judge's bench about 1 p.m., the time Ms. Grossman and Morgan Stanley's lead lawyer, Emily Nicklin, were scheduled to make their opening statements.

Judge Berman thanked Mr. Purcell and Ms. Dominguez for becoming involved. After he announced the terms of the settlement to a crowd of more than 120 people in a courtroom that seats about 75, Ms. Grossman and Ms. Nicklin stood elbow to elbow fielding questions from reporters. Ms. Grossman repeatedly said that Morgan Stanley would become ''a much better place for women to work.''

Without granting that Morgan Stanley had treated women unfairly, Ms. Nicklin, a partner in the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis, said, ''Diversity is always enhanceable.''

Ms. Dominguez, who twice appeared in court, along with Mr. Purcell, in earlier attempts to reach a settlement, praised the firm in a prepared statement. ''With this settlement, Morgan Stanley has taken an important leadership step in adopting progressive programs to promote diversity that should serve as a model for the financial services industry,'' it said.

The settlement ended the first phase of resolving the disputes between the company and women who worked in the division since 1995, including Ms. Schieffelin. Of the $54 million, $40 million will be set aside for women who qualify to make claims under the consent decree.

Morgan Stanley will have 10 days to contact all of the women who have worked in the division since 1995 and invite them to make claims. Lawyers in the case said they could not estimate how many of about 340 eligible women might file claims.

Those claims will be considered by a special master, Abner Mikva, who is a former federal judge. After hearing them all, he will decide how much of the $40 million, if any, each woman will receive.

Ms. Schieffelin will file a claim in that process, her lawyer, Wayne N. Outten, said. He would not say how much of the $40 million she would seek, but an actuary Mr. Outten hired in preparation for trial estimated her lost income to be $33 million to $72 million.

Ms. Schieffelin declined to comment yesterday beyond praising the agreement as ''a great settlement that's good for everybody.''

Donald Kempf, Morgan Stanley's chief legal officer, made it clear that the company did not think she should get any of the money. It was the commission's decision to give $12 million to Ms. Schieffelin, he said.

''We had zero input,'' Mr. Kempf said, standing in the courtroom long after the judge, the jury and the crowd had dispersed.

Summary: Morgan Stanley agrees to pay $54 million to settle sex discrimination case rather than stand trial on EEOC accusations that it denied equal pay and promotions to women in division of its investment bank; settlement would cover as many as 340 women, with at least 12 million going to Allison K Schieffelin, lead plaintiff; Morgan Stanley, which does not admit to any wrongdoing, agrees to spend $2 million on diversity programs overseen by outside monitor to improve chances that women will succeed there; must also provide antidiscrimination training for managers and employees in division that deals with stock trading for institutional clients; Shieffelin photo (M)


06/04/2016 AT 10:25 AM EDT

joined others across the world in mourning

– though they knew him "just for a while."

"But we're also grateful to God for how fortunate we are to have known him, if just for a while; for how fortunate we all are that The Greatest chose to grace our time," the president and the first lady said in a Saturday statement.

Ali died Friday after being hospitalized earlier this week for respiratory complications, according to his family. The Obamas are among many public figures speaking out,

Barack Obama in his Chicago campaign office on July 22, 2004, working near a photo of a victorious Muhammad Ali standing over his challenger, reads through the keynote address he will deliver to the Democratic National Convention.

M. Spencer Green / AP

The president, who said he kept a pair of Ali's gloves on display in his White House study, paid particular tribute to Ali as a man of great strength and conviction, but also contradictions and occasional carelessness.

But it was his "wonderful, infectious, even innocent spirit" which "ultimately won him more fans than foes," POTUS said.

"Maybe because in him, we hoped to see something of ourselves."

Quoting Ali, he said, "I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me – black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own. Get used to me."

Muhammad Ali (left) and Michelle and Barack Obama

Dan Grossi / AP; BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP / Getty

"That's the Ali I came to know as I came of age – not just as skilled a poet on the mic as he was a fighter in the ring, but a man who fought for what was right," the president said. "A man who fought for us. He stood with [Martin Luther King Jr.] and [Nelson Mandela]; stood up when it was hard; spoke out when others wouldn't.

"His fight outside the ring would cost him his title and his public standing. It would earn him enemies on the left and the right, make him reviled, and nearly send him to jail.

"But Ali stood his ground. And his victory helped us get used to the America we recognize today."

"Later, as his physical powers ebbed, he became an even more powerful force for peace and reconciliation around the world," POTUS continued.

"We saw a man who said he was so mean he'd make medicine sick reveal a soft spot, visiting children with illness and disability around the world, telling them they, too, could become the greatest."

Former President George W. Bush shared the Obamas' sentiments in his statement, calling Ali "an iconic and historic figure who thrilled, entertained, influenced, and inspired millions."

"Americans will always be proud to have been in his corner and called him one of our own," Bush said. "Laura and I send our heartfelt condolences to Muhammad Ali's family and friends."

This is what Ali's long life and career came down to, according to the Obamas: "Muhammad Ali was The Greatest. Period. If you just asked him, he'd tell you."

He "shook up the world," Barack said. "And the world is better for it."

Summary: The president said in a statement to PEOPLE that he kept a pair of Ali's boxing gloves in his White House study


IN the history of paper, playing cards predate the widespread use of printed currency. So it is with the Internet, where a fantasy card game called Sanctum is incubating a myth-inflected form of electronic commerce.

Developed by Digital Addiction, a software company based in Maryland, Sanctum is a two-player strategy game. The object is to capture the other guy's fortress by marching your minions across a board and casting tactical spells. Each turn, the opponents cast fresh spells and draw new virtual cards from their respective decks. Based on the cards in hand, a player might decide to summon an army of zombies or cast a cannibalism spell (one of the enemy's minions starts eating the others) or a complacency spell (enemy minions stop following orders) or weaken the opponents' defenses (''Armor to Meat? Body Rot? Decisions, decisions. . . .'') or heal the player's own fallen soldiers. It's a combination of hearts, gin rummy and chess, dressed up in chain mail with supernatural powers.

In this respect, Sanctum is not unlike Magic: The Gathering, a paper-based collectible-card game that has become a global phenomenon. Wizards of the Coast, which publishes the game, started selling Magic cards in 1993. The first 10 million cards, sold in $9 starter packs of 60 and $3 booster packs of 15, flew off the shelves in six weeks. Since then, more than two billion Magic cards have been sold, in nine languages, to an audience of millions. New cards are continually released. Old ones are periodically phased out, giving them instant status as collectibles to be bought, sold and traded in hobby stores and on the Internet.

Basically, Sanctum is an on-line version of Magic. Instead of sitting across a table, you log onto a Web site (www.digitaladdiction.com), download the game free, register as a player, find an opponent in the chat room and go at it. The game comes with a starter pack of 60 cards, which is adequate for beginners. If you want more -- there are 250 digital spells in all -- you have to buy them. A pack of 15 costs $1 to $3, depending on how many you buy. The transaction takes place via credit card on a secure area of the site, and the cards are registered to your account.

As with any system of trading cards, there are common cards (garden-variety bread-and-butter spells), uncommon cards (more idiosyncratic sorts of magic) and rare cards (highly specialized, highly sought, one per pack). The more cards you buy, the more tactics you have at your disposal and the greater your chances of adding something really exotic to your necromantic arsenal.

Essentially, Digital Addiction is giving away Sanctum and then selling ways to extend and enhance it -- tools that give the player a competitive advantage and a more complex experience. These digital objects are useful and scarce and therefore valuable. (Stored on site, they can't be copied off line.) You can play with them. You can ante them. And you can trade them.

That is where it gets really interesting. Because in this game space, which is also a marketplace, people are trading virtual objects that are worth real money. Inevitably, new cards will be introduced, and old ones will be phased out. Anyone who has seen Beanie Babies blossom into an on-line commodity knows that collectibles need no inherent value to fetch ever-increasing prices. Early Magic cards -- five-year-old pieces of paper -- are worth hundreds of dollars each. And thanks to the Internet, they are fairly easy to unload.

Except with Sanctum, the commodities are virtual to begin with. They don't need to be appraised. There are no transportation hassles. There are no transaction costs. On the Sanctum site, cards are the only medium of exchange. ''But if people want to promise each other money off the server and trade cards inside,'' said James Harvey, chief executive of Digital Addiction, ''that's none of our business.'' Already, third parties have struck deals with the company to set up digital storefronts to buy and resell cards from players for cash, although it is far from clear that strategy game fans used to trading directly on the Internet will bother dealing with middlemen.

Collectible trading-card games are an ideal test bed for this sort of virtual economy for two reasons. The first is that the people who play games like Magic are highly wired, and they are fanatic about their games. They're ''M.I.T. students,'' Mr. Harvey said. ''Computer geeks. Wall Street geeks. People in their 20's spend most of the money. They earn $45,000, single, no kids, no mortgage, and they spend the lion's share of their techie salaries on entertainment.'' If there was ever an audience that could support an on-line market for virtual toys, this group is it.

The second reason is that cards, unlike other sorts of collectibles, are low-touch items. Their value is not based on their material characteristics -- their tactile appeal or patina or even their visual quality. They are not generally fondled or displayed. They are kept in binders and boxes. The value of a given card is based on how many were produced, when it was discontinued and what that card refers to -- the career of a sports star, for example. But none of these factors have anything to do with the physical object. The card is just a placeholder. The most important things about it are the fact that you own it and the information printed on it. In a sense, trading cards are already virtual.

And collectible-card games are even more so because each card refers to an act, rather than to an object. The image on the card doesn't represent a star baseman. It represents the right to take some kind of action -- to cast a spell -- at a given time in a given context. It's not a noun. It's a verb. It's like a dollar bill, which represents the right to buy a cup of coffee at the convenience store.

Currency is, after all, just another kind of playing card.

Photos: WIZARDS, START YOUR ENGINES -- Sanctum players are given their first set of 60 on-line cards free.


The Republican effort to derail Donald Trump’s presidential bid is in the hands of voters in Wisconsin, who on Tuesday were lining up to decide whether the billionaire would arrive at the GOP convention in Cleveland as the undisputed nominee, or whether conservative Texas Sen. Ted Cruz could earn a Heartland win and deny his rival the requisite delegates.

Both campaigns were bracing for results that were closer than suggested by polls, which showed Cruz ahead. The state’s primary allowed all voters—not just Republicans—to cast ballots. In previous states, that rule has given Trump a consistent advantage.

Democrats, meanwhile, were watching front-runner Hillary Clinton face a tough challenge from populist Bernie Sanders. Clinton has the advantage among delegates and is on track to be the nominee, even though Sanders, too, has found an upper hand in states where primaries are not limited to party loyalists, or caucuses. Sanders has won five of the last six contests.

Ahead of polls closing at 9 p.m. Eastern, the four major candidates were trying to manage expectations for a state that is among the more sophisticated in America. Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s three campaigns in four years—his election, his re-call and his re-election—have left Wisconsinites savvy when it comes to candidates. It also made Walker a deeply popular figure among the state’s conservatives (though loathed by liberals). Trump oddly made criticizing Walker a central part of his campaign, perhaps hoping to siphon off moderates to his camp in the southern tier of the state.

A fifth candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, all but abandoned Wisconsin as he shifted his campaign to friendlier territory in New York, where voters cast ballots on April 19. Kasich cannot mathematically capture the required 1,237 delegates needed to become the nominee, yet his advisers are betting party insiders turn to him if Trump and Cruz also come up short.

Even if Clinton loses as expected, it was unlikely to set her too far back in her chase of the Democratic nomination. Wisconsin awards its 86 delegates proportional to vote tallies. Sanders would have to win roughly two-thirds of the remaining delegates to have a shot; he so far has earned only about one-third.

That left the spotlight on the Republicans, who were heading toward chaos under the party’s byzantine nominating rules that could still be changed before activists assemble in Cleveland this summer.

After Wisconsin, the race heads East. New York votes in two weeks, followed a week later by Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

Wisconsin, which gives 3 Republican delegates to the winner of each of 8 congressional districts and another 18 delegates to the overall winner, lacked the numbers to shuffle a race that has seen Trump’s top status remain durable. Even so, those states combined offered a combined 267 delegates, and only Delaware was set to give all 16 of its delegates to the winner. The remainder apportioned the delegates based on local outcomes.

Indeed, it was increasingly plausible that no candidate would arrive at the GOP convention in Cleveland with sufficient delegates to claim a win. That could send the party into a tailspin of backroom trading, rule rewriting and activist rage—exactly the type of insider dealing that is routinely disparaged by Trump, who rails against the Establishment elites’ clutch on power.

Heading into balloting on Tuesday, Trump had won 47% of delegates. To secure the required number of delegates, Trump would need to win 55% of the remainder. It is a tough climb, especially with Cruz’s team successfully picking off delegates here and there at state conventions.

Cruz, however, faces an even tougher climb. He showed no signs of relenting, however, and kept up hopes that the party will wise up to Trump’s recent stumbles. “Tuesday is a decision point—a decision point that resonates across Wisconsin and across the country,” Cruz said ahead of polls closing.

A Cruz win on Tuesday would leave Trump wounded after a brutal two weeks of voter and media scrutiny, and perhaps signal a shift in the race. Trump’s answers on NATO, nuclear policy, immigration, abortion and executive privilege combined to leave many observers scratching their heads about how a President Trump would behave. Cruz is hoping that a win could give the party leaders a moment to reconsider their opposition to him as the nominee. Cruz is among the most disliked people in the GOP, but he is predictable and represents the Establishment’s best chance to derail Trump’s march to Cleveland.

This article was originally published on Time.com.

Summary: Frontrunners face risk of faltering.


In the richer neighborhoods of Mexico City, armored S.U.V.'s and sedans have become almost commonplace. A decade ago, the only people driving around the city in armored passenger cars were members of Mexico's established business oligarchy — families like the Slims and the Azcárragas, who have long played a leading role in the country's politics as well as its economy. But now the custom has percolated down from the superrich to the merely well heeled. And with good reason: in recent years Mexico's sprawling capital has become one of the most dangerous cities in the world for the poor and the prosperous alike. "People here lead gated lives" was the way one acquaintance recently put it to me.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who was the mayor of Mexico City from 2000 to 2005 during the great upward spike in crime, is now running in next month's elections as the presidential candidate of the left-wing P.R.D. (Party of the Democratic Revolution). Yet the city's problems — the increasing dereliction of its physical infrastructure as well as the deterioration of personal security — seem to have done nothing to dent his enormous popularity among residents of Mexico City and, more widely, among Mexico's poor. To them, he is a hero, the man who as mayor provided desperately needed pensions for the elderly and who tried, at long last, to address Mexico City's traffic gridlock by adding a second level of roadways to the major highways in the capital. When he left office last year, polls showed that more than 80 percent of the city's residents approved of the job that he had done, an unprecedented level of support for a Mexico City mayor.

His supporters also seem untroubled by the scandals that punctuated his tenure as mayor. His finance chief, Gustavo Ponce, who was often spotted at the casino at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, was accused of involvement in the disappearance of $3 million of municipal funds, while López Obrador's erstwhile personal secretary and close adviser, René Bejarano, was caught on videotape accepting $45,000 from a Mexico City businessman (bribery charges were later dropped). López Obrador suffered no political damage. If anything, his supporters tended to see in these scandals efforts by López Obrador's enemies — in the business establishment and in the Mexican federal government — to discredit him.

López Obrador, who is 53, has often seemed to share his followers' paranoia. When the Ponce and the Bejarano scandals broke — the latter revealed on the TV program of the Mexican journalist Víctor Trujillo, who used to present his spiciest revelations dressed as a clown named Brozo — López Obrador cried conspiracy. Only later did he backtrack to the position that he had known nothing about what his close aides were up to. He has a point, though, when he says that he has been a target of political adversaries who often use questionable methods. In 2004, for example, he was charged with a misdemeanor for ignoring a court order during a land dispute while he was mayor; under Mexico's convoluted election law, that could have barred him from further involvement in politics. The basis for the charge was flimsy at best, but his enemies hoped it might forestall a presidential run by López Obrador, which even then seemed almost inevitable. The accusation provoked mass citizen rallies in support of López Obrador, which effectively forced the authorities to bring the investigation to a premature and inconclusive close.

The devotion that Mexico's poor display for López Obrador, whether merited or not, is one of the principal facts of Mexican politics today. Most of Mexico's underprivileged, who make up nearly half the country's population, believe that Nafta, the North American Free Trade Agreement, has led to hardship rather than to the prosperity they were promised, and these voters view López Obrador almost as a Messianic figure, a savior.

There is a populist groundswell in Latin America at the present moment, and it has swept into power a new generation of leaders, including Néstor Kirchner in Argentina, Evo Morales in Bolivia and Hugo Chávez in Venezuela. For all the differences among these figures, the thread that binds them is a bitter disenchantment with the fruits of globalization and a rising hostility to what, in Latin America, is usually derided as neoliberalism. In some cases, notably that of Hugo Chávez, this discontent has largely found its expression through anti-American vitriol. But there are variants — Kirchner in Argentina is an obvious example — in which Washington plays a secondary role and in which the real animus is toward local elites who, according to the populist indictment, are to blame for their countries' poverty.

López Obrador is the latest and, because of Mexico's political, strategic and economic position, arguably the most significant of all the new Latin American populists. If he succeeds in his presidential bid — a very big "if" as the July 2 elections draw nearer — his victory would cap one of the most important global developments of the past five years: the rapid ascension to power of the left in Latin America. Already it is clear that a serious challenge has arisen to the norms of the modern globalized economy. Even if López Obrador loses, the leftist tide is unlikely to begin to recede anytime soon. Both candidates in the second round of Peru's presidential election were left of center, and in Ecuador, populist policies are increasingly taking hold. But whether Mexican voters realize it or not, their decision on July 2 will serve as a kind of referendum on how far this revolt is going to go. Will it turn out, in retrospect, to have been just a few rogue Latin American countries challenging the global system? Or is this a rebellion that will stretch all the way to the Rio Grande?

Thus the stakes in the Mexican presidential elections are very high, not only for Mexico but for the United States as well. The opening up of the once largely closed Mexican economy has been touted as a great Latin American success story in both Mexico and the United States: the peso is stable, agricultural exports are up and foreign investment is booming. But López Obrador is challenging that story. In fact, he insists, the model has not worked, and he vows that if he is elected, he will pursue a very different set of policies, ones that serve the poor rather than the rich.

As the Mexican historian Enrique Krauze has pointed out, López Obrador's emphasis on his loyalty to the poor connects him, in the mind of much of the Mexican general public, to "the core ideals of the Mexican Revolution." It is common at campaign rallies to see people holding placards with slogans like "López Obrador: For all Mexicans, but first for the humble" and "They will not rob us of our dreams."

To his supporters, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, or AMLO, as he is popularly known, is simply doing his patriotic duty by running for president, shouldering a necessary burden. To his detractors, he is a politician with a Messiah complex. He wants to push Mexico back 30 years, they say, into the era of President Luis Echeverría, who played upon the left-wing, populist founding traditions of the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party). The PRI ruled Mexico unchallenged from the 1920's until 2000, when Vicente Fox of the right-wing PAN (National Action Party) was elected president. Echeverría made extraordinary promises to the poor, just as López Obrador is doing, and in trying to carry them out, he almost bankrupted the country. Those who oppose López Obrador fear that he will do the same.

López Obrador himself scoffs at these fears. "Change is possible," he told me when we spoke in April on the patio of his home in the gated community of Galaxia in Villahermosa, the capital of his native state of Tabasco. "Of course I understand that globalization is a fact and that one has to act within its parameters. But this does not mean that we here in Mexico have to continue as we have been doing. This country is immensely rich. Its problems are problems of maladministration — above all, of corruption." And he added, "The point is that the Washington consensus" — as the neoliberal model of development is known — "was applied more rigidly here, by successive Mexican governments, than it ever was in the U.S. and Europe, where there are many protected sectors, above all agriculture."

In private, López Obrador speaks with a calm self-confidence that seems almost serene. Nothing in his manner suggests the hard-nosed party politician that he, in fact, is. He began his political career in the 1970's in Tabasco, the hardest of hard-line PRI states, where he emerged as the protégé of the party's leading lights. But in 1988 he bolted from the PRI, which was increasingly dominated by U.S.-educated technocrats, and later joined the nascent Party of the Democratic Revolution, then establishing itself as a left-wing alternative to the PRI. He rose to become the leader of the P.R.D. in 1996. In our conversation, though, questions of political party rarely came up. Instead, López Obrador spoke, as he often does, of his own personal role, which he sees as pivotal. "People expect a great deal of me," he told me, "but I am up to this.

"People say that I am promising too much. But we're talking about a society where 20 million people — 20 million! — live on $2 a day. So when, for example, I talk about giving food aid to the poor, I'm talking about 20 pesos each" — the equivalent of about $2. "And that money — those $2 — would double what these 20 million get and radically change their lives. What the people of Mexico need is not that much, you know."

As he spoke, his tone was almost lyrical. One of López Obrador's early mentors in Tabasco was Carlos Pellicer, a PRI senator who was also a well-known and admired Mexican poet, and there is often the hint of a poet's diction in even López Obrador's most fiery statements. His rhetorical skill no doubt accounts for some of the extraordinary hold he has on the collective imagination of Mexico's poor. When I spoke recently to Jorge G. Castañeda, who served as foreign minister in the first years of Vicente Fox's government and who supports López Obrador's main rival, the National Action Party candidate, Felipe Calderón, Castañeda said that López Obrador's main advantage is simply that "people believe him." While accusing López Obrador of "playing to people's ignorance," Castañeda added that the reason "he has done so well so far is that people believe he believes what he says. He has a way of transmitting his own conviction."

AMLO was the overwhelming front-runner in the first few months of the presidential race. Calderón, who is 43, was a lackluster, uncharismatic campaigner who had not been expected to win even his party's nomination. (The PRI's candidate, Roberto Madrazo, is the scion of a famous Tabasco political dynasty and a former opponent of López Obrador's in Tabasco. Though Madrazo is both experienced and intelligent, he has seemed unable to gain any traction with the Mexican electorate.) In the last two months, however, Calderón has staged an astonishing comeback. He hired new consultants, who, after an internal debate, urged him to "go negative." Ever since, his campaign has been one more demonstration that attack ads work — particularly when the victim fails to answer the attack, as AMLO did. In March and April, the Calderón campaign ran a series of TV spots comparing AMLO with Hugo Chávez, the president of Venezuela, and warning Mexican voters that a López Obrador victory would represent "a danger to Mexico." The spots were withdrawn after the López Obrador campaign lodged a formal complaint with the Mexican electoral commission, but the damage was done. The polls now show Calderón with a lead of about 3 percent — a big turnaround for a campaign that trailed by 10 points as recently as late March.

López Obrador's response to Calderón's attacks has been, on the one hand, to refuse to answer, blandly telling the news media that his only retort to these calumnies will be "peace and love" and, on the other, to campaign even more frenetically across Mexico. It is a killing schedule, substantially more intense than Calderón's (let alone Madrazo's). In a caravan of a half-dozen S.U.V.'s (all of them unarmored), López Obrador has now made at least three stops in every Mexican state, from the impoverished south, where he is overwhelmingly popular, to the Calderón-supporting National Action Party strongholds in the prosperous north-central part of the country.

To follow López Obrador on the campaign trail is to be swept up in something for which the word "populist" seems insufficient. The López Obrador phenomenon seems particularly impressive given how new Mexican democracy is. After all, it was only six years ago that the election of Fox broke the 70-year stranglehold of the PRI. Yes, there were presidential elections during the decades that the PRI ruled Mexico, but the results were always a foregone conclusion. And when a challenger from an opposition party got close, or even received enough votes to win, the results were falsified by the PRI. (Most Mexican observers believe that Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, one of López Obrador's main political mentors and the left's standard bearer in the presidential election of 1988, actually won that election, though he was officially declared the loser.) Sitting Mexican presidents, all of them PRI until 2000, were limited by the Mexican constitution to one sexenio, a six-year term. But, in fact, they had virtual carte blanche to anoint a successor.

Everything changed when Fox, the PAN candidate, won the 2000 elections and the PRI government of Ernesto Zedillo did not try to invalidate the results. But in the minds of many Mexicans, perhaps even a majority, this political transformation was not matched by economic progress. The middle class unquestionably expanded during Fox's term, and along with it grew rates of homeownership and, in certain regions of the country, disposable incomes. But in other parts of the country, the Nafta years were ones of falling incomes and rising joblessness. A result was mass emigration to the United States, enormous even by already-high past standards. "It's not a migration; it's an exodus" was the way one of López Obrador's aides described it. Or, as one Mexican writer put it to me, Fox did create 10 million jobs for Mexicans — unfortunately, they were all in the United States.

Summary: Can the mayor of Mexico City ride the Latin American anti-globalization wave all the way to his country's presidency?


''We're very pleased to be doing this,'' Antonio Burr said, ''because it will give us a chance to promote Aaron Burr,'' a Revolutionary War hero, United States senator and one-time vice president.

The association's Web site lists 10 reasons that members revere his name. He was, for instance, devoted to his wife. He believed in equality for women and stood up for the common man. And he founded an investment firm known as the Manhattan Company -- later known as the Chase Manhattan Bank -- a competitor of the Bank of New York, which, as luck would have it, was founded by Hamilton.

If you think the shots that rang out on that morning 200 years ago settled the matter between Burr and Hamilton, think again. After all, the duel took place in a county where politicians to this day are loath to forgive and forget personal slights and political grievances. Antonio Burr, while conceding that Hamilton was ''a brilliant man,'' believes that history has been far too willing to take his side in the dispute.

''Hamilton was a rather immoderate character,'' he said. ''He was prone to very impulsive attacks on personal character. He insulted Aaron Burr for 15 years and stood in his way, obstructing his political and military career at every step.''

Antonio Burr, 51, is a psychologist who lives in Manhattan and has a practice there and in Hoboken. He is descended from Robert Burr, a cousin of Aaron Burr, who left the United States in 1840 and settled on the island of Chileo.

''It rains there 250 days a year,'' said Dr. Burr, clearly glad to have exchanged one island's rain for another's humidity. The Burr family prospered in Chileo, establishing a lumber business and supplying sailing ships that made their way around Cape Horn.

Antonio Burr was born in Washington when his father, a diplomat, was posted in America. The family left Chile after Gen. Augusto Pinochet overthrew Salvadore Allende on Sept. 11, 1973. He studied at the University of Maryland and then earned a doctorate in psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

''The story of Aaron Burr was always in the back of my mind,'' he said. ''As an adolescent, of course, you don't care about the past, but later on, when I discovered the Aaron Bur Association I became interested again in this seminal moment in American history -- in world history. Here was this fascinating character, Aaron Burr, who made a big mistake when he never told his story in his own words.''

Dr. Burr and other members of the association have taken it upon themselves to make up for that loss to history. The group meets annually, often in New Jersey, where 53 of the group's 150 members live.

Burr's biography and the story of Revolutionary-era New Jersey are, as Stuart Fisk Johnson, a Maryland resident and president of the Aaron Burr Association, put it, ''intimately connected.'' Burr's father was the second president of Princeton (then called the College of New Jersey), and Burr himself graduated from the school in 1773. He married a New Jersey woman and fought at the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.

Mr. Johnson edits the group's newsletter, and woe to the historian who does Burr wrong. ''We write letters,'' Dr. Burr said, and ''try to engage historians.''

Today, the association prefers engagement over vitriol at 10 paces. On Saturday, the day before the re-enactment, the group will be addressed by the historian Thomas Fleming, who wrote ''The Duel,'' an even-handed and dramatic account of the gunfire in Weehawken and the personal hatred that led to it.

''It will be a delicate assignment,'' Mr. Fleming said. ''I'm sympathetic to Burr, but it is not an unqualified sympathy.''

Mr. Fleming does not agree with Burr supporters who believe that Hamilton foiled Burr's candidacy for governor of New York in 1804. Mr. Fleming has a more provocative theory to explain Burr's loss: Thomas Jefferson wanted Burr -- his vice president -- stopped. ''The Jeffersonians called Burr every name in the book,'' he said. ''It was one of the most unbelievable verbal beatings that any candidate has ever experienced.''

Passions figure to be slightly less inflamed during the bicentennial ceremonies in Weehawken. In fact, the roughly 60 people from the Hamilton side and the 40 members of the Burr Association made a point of booking rooms at the same hotel. ''We'll be wearing name tags, and they'll be wearing T-shirts,'' Mr. Johnson said.

As he said: ''We recognize that Aaron wasn't perfect, but we're happy that we're getting along well with the Hamiltons now.''

Summary: Article on 200th anniversary of fatal duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, which will be re-enacted in Weehawken, New Jersey; Dr Antonio Burr, psychologist who lives in Manhattan, will play role of duel's survivor, first time that Burr descendants have been invited to participate in annual commemoration; drawing (M)


David Cameron’s campaign to keep the UK in the EU appears to be working as Conservative voters switch to the remain camp, the latest Opinium/Observer referendum poll suggests.

With a month to go before voters decide whether Britain should stay in or leave the EU, Opinium puts remain four points ahead on 44%, with leave on 40% and 14% undecided. At the beginning of April, leave had a four-point lead.

Remain now has a substantial lead among Conservative voters with 48% of Tory backers saying they want to stay in the EU, compared with 41% who want to leave.

This is a considerable turnaround since the first Opinium/Observer referendum poll in early April, which showed 44% of Conservative voters in favour of leaving against 39% who backed staying in.

Adam Drummond, of Opinium Research, which carried out an online poll of 2,008 adults between 17 and 19 May, said: “There does seem to have been some move towards staying in the EU, particularly given that ours is an online methodology which typically shows a closer race than polls conducted on the phone. The change comes mainly from Conservative voters who have moved from narrowly backing Brexit at the end of April to a large lead for remain.”

Related: Third of Tories could defect to Ukip if UK stays in EU, says Farage

Drummond said the change appeared to be significant though it could in part be the result of hardline pro-Brexit Tories now identifying themselves as Ukip supporters. This would mean that the proportion of pro-Brexit Tories would drop in the figures.

When asked how important the referendum was, more than half (54%) said they believed it was more important than a general election while 39% thought it was about the same level of importance.

Two-thirds (67%) of those planning to vote leave thought it was more important than a general election against 47% of those planning to vote to remain.

Three-fifths of respondents (61%) said they had discussed the referendum with family members and 54% had done so with friends. Ukip supporters discussed the referendum most, with 76% of party supporters saying they had raised it with family and 70% with friends.

While the lead for remain is still narrow, more than twice as many respondents said they expected the UK to remain in the EU (52%) as those who thought it would vote to leave (23%). Of remain supporters, 76% think their side will win while only 46% of leave’s backers are expecting success.

Opinium also asked what effect people thought Brexit would have on their financial security, with 31% saying they thought their household would be less financially secure if Britain voted to leave, while 17% believed it would be more secure.

Almost nine in 10 (87%) of respondents say they are definitely registered to vote, while a further 6% think they are. However, only 70% of 18 to 34-year-olds say they are definitely registered to vote compared with 97% of those aged 55 and over.

Related: Polls show Tory voters are pushing Britain towards staying in EU

• Opinium Research carried out an online survey of 2,008 UK adults aged 18+ from 17 to 19 May 2016. Results have been weighted to nationally representative criteria.

Summary: Opinium/Observer poll shows 48% of Tory voters want to stay, up from 39%, while remain now has a four-point overall lead


A California-based food distributor has enacted a recall of ready-to-eat sandwiches that had been distributed to schools and foodservice distributors across the U.S., pulling the products because of worries of Listeria contamination.

In a recall that was triggered by a routine Food and Drug Administration sampling which found Listeria on multiple food contact surfaces where the food items were produced. The company, called Integrated Food Service, says it is working with the FDA and independent food safety experts to determine the root cause.

Importantly, no illnesses have been reported.

Integrated Food Service, also known as Let’s Do Lunch Inc., also outlined in a separate press statement which schools had received the project tied to the recall that were sold directly by the company – and not from foodservice distributors. Schools from California, Texas and 12 other states were on that list. The foodservice distributors, meanwhile, were located in 29 states. No retail products were affected by the Integrated Food Service recall.

Due to the fact that many schools are in summer session, the company is recommending that districts use this lull time to send any food in frozen storage that is subjected to the recall gets sent back to Integrated Food Service.

Summary: Ready-to-eat sandwiches were recalled.


Sarah Jessica Parker (as Frances) in Divorce

06/22/2016 AT 02:25 PM EDT

that we all love is back!

star took to Instagram to share a trailer for the HBO comedy

. She captioned the clip: "A long time coming. And a great thrill that my friends @hbo allowed me to share with you the official FIRST look and just a wee appetizer of #DivorceHBO."

Parker, 51, plays the role of Frances, a woman who in the midst of a life crisis, surprises her husband Robert (

) by asking for a divorce. The troubled couple wind up going to counseling where Frances accuses her estranged husband of having an "emotional affair."

"It was never an affair because it was never physical," Robert rebuttals in the clip, which is then followed by a series of awkward events between the two. Interestingly enough, both hope things will eventually mend between them.

The teaser ends with Robert asking Frances where it all started to go wrong in her eyes: "Perhaps when you got the mustache," she responds.

's Talia Balsam as Parker's best friends on the show.

premieres on HBO this fall.

Summary: In Divorce, Parker plays Frances, a woman whose life crisis sends her into panic mode and on the fast track to divorce