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Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage from the conference was aired on state-run TV

 North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's youngest son, Kim Jong-un, has been appointed a general, amid rumours he is being anointed as successor.

 State television said the elder Kim had been re-elected as leader, at the start of a meeting of the ruling party.

 The Workers' Party has not met for decades and observers believe Kim Jong-il may be cementing the family dynasty.

 The succession is being closely watched because of the North's nuclear programme and hostility with the South.

 Kim Jong-il and the handover of power Aged 68, Kim Jong-il is said to be frail

 Groomed as successor to father, Kim Il-sung, from mid-1970s

 Given military role and position in Workers' Party secretariat in 1980

 Finally became leader in 1994 on father's death Guide: Secretive 'first family'

 Lack of experience

 The announcement about Kim Jong-un is his first mention by name in state media and is reminiscent of his father's rise to prominence which began in the mid-1970s.

 Little is known of him other than that he was educated in Switzerland and is around 27 years of age.

 He is being elevated to the post of four-star general without military experience and despite being Kim Jong-il's third and youngest son.

 His elder brother and half-brother appear to have been ruled out of the running for the succession.

 The state television announcer was quoted as saying that his father had been reappointed as general secretary of the Workers' Party as an "expression of absolute support and trust".

 She said a "crucial" development was under way but gave no further details.

 The state news agency said the leader had been re-appointed with "the unanimous will and wishes" of North Koreans.

 The statement described Kim Jong-il's "immortal exploits" and said they would "shine long in the history of the country" as he developed the ruling party of his late father, Kim Il Sung.

 Kim Jong-il's sister, Kyong-hui, has also been named a four-star general, announced the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Kyong-hui is married to Chang Song-taek, seen by some analysts as North Korea's second-most powerful leader.

 A long-time aide to the Kim family, Choe Ryong-Hae, was also appointed a general.

 Ill health

 Analysis With Kim Jong-il visibly frail and sick, speculation has been mounting that this meeting is designed to officially anoint Kim Jong-un as his chosen successor. The theory is given added weight because Kim Jong-il himself was anointed in this way by his own father, the country's first and now "eternal" president, during the last major party event in 1980. If Kim Jong-un is now given a senior party position to complement his newly-bestowed military rank it will be a strong sign that the authoritarian state really does intend to continue its quasi-religious leadership cult for another generation. Final confirmation would come if the enigmatic young man's portrait appears alongside that of his father and grandfather in every home and workplace. Will Kim name successor?

 Kim Jong-il, 68, is reported to be suffering from several illnesses. He is believed to have had a stroke two years ago, and has travelled to China for treatment.

 Neither Pyongyang nor Beijing have publicly commented on rumours surrounding his health.

 A US official said it was too soon to tell what was happening inside North Korea's leadership, but the United States was watching developments "carefully".

 Reports from South Korea on Monday suggested that the military had nominated Kim Jong-un as a delegate for the conference.

 The Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted an unnamed North Korean source as saying a propaganda campaign had already begun to raise Kim Jong-un's profile.

 Rumours emerged last year from the secretive state that he was his father's chosen successor.

 Analysts say taking over his father's job would be a huge task for someone with so little experience.

 'Eternal president'

 Images released by the North's state media on Monday showed orderly lines of delegates - some wearing suits, others in military uniform - arriving in Pyongyang.

 The Associated Press reported that the capital was decorated with flags and placards announcing the meeting.

 One poster read: "Warm congratulations to the representatives meeting of the Workers Party of Korea."

 KCNA reported that party delegates visited the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang on Monday to pay respects to North Korean founder Kim Il-sung, father of Kim Jong-il.

 Kim Il-sung is known as the "eternal president", while Kim Jong-il has styled himself the "dear leader".

 Kim Jong-il became leader when his father died in 1994.

 Under Kim Jong-il, the country's isolation from the outside world has become entrenched.

 Mr Kim has built up a personality cult around his family, while North Korea's economy has all but ceased to function and its people suffer from frequent food shortages. ||||| North Korea's Kim Jong Il made his elusive youngest son a four-star general in a major promotion seen Tuesday as confirmation that he is slated to become the country's next leader.

 In this image made from 1980 file television footage, delegates gather at the Workers' Party of Korea convention, in Pyongyang, North Korea. The ruling Workers' Party held a historic political convention... (Associated Press)

 In this 1966 image made from file television footage, delegates clap at North Korea's Congress of Workers' Party of Korea, in Pyongyang, North Korea. The ruling Workers' Party held a historic political... (Associated Press)

 In this image made from 1980 file television footage, then North Korean leader Kim Il Sung addresses delegates at the Workers' Party of Korea convention, in Pyongyang, North Korea. The ruling Workers'... (Associated Press)

 In this photo released by Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service, delegates to the ruling Worker's Party meeting make their way upon arriving at Pyongyang station, North Korea, on Monday Sept.... (Associated Press)

 In this image made from 1980 file television footage, Kim Jong Il applauds while attending the Workers' Party of Korea convention, in Pyongyang, North Korea. The official Korean Central News Agency announced... (Associated Press)

 The announcement appeared in state media hours before a historic Workers' Party meeting Tuesday where Kim, 68 and apparently in deteriorating health, was expected to grant son Kim Jong Un and other family members top posts in plans to take the communist dynasty into a third generation.

 The North Korean capital was in a festive mood, with banners and placards celebrating the meeting, the communist country's biggest political gathering in 30 years.

 It was state media's first mention of Kim Jong Un, who has remained so well hidden from the outside world that not even his face or exact age can be confirmed. He is believed to be 27 or 28, and is said to have been schooled in Switzerland and educated at Kim Il Sung Military University in Pyongyang.

 However, it is clear that "Kim Jong Un's promotion is the starting point for his formal succession to power," said Kim Yong-hyun, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University.

 "It's clearly the biggest news we've had from North Korea since the death of Kim Il Sung," said Peter Beck, a Council on Foreign Relations-Hitachi research fellow at Keio University in Tokyo.

 "I think it clearly demonstrates that Kim Jong Il is committed to maintaining control of the country within his family," he said.

 The appointment also appears aimed at putting the son at the helm of his father's "songun," or military-first, policy. He is expected to take up other top military jobs such as commander of the 1.2 million-member military, analyst Cheong Seong-chang of the private Sejong Institute think tank said.

 The secrecy surrounding the succession process is typical of the communist country, and reminiscent of Kim Jong Il's own rise to power.

 Kim Jong Il was 31 when he won the No. 2 post in the ruling Workers' Party in 1973, an appointment seen as a key step in the path to succeeding his father, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung.

 The following year, Kim was formally tapped as the future leader but state media did not reveal that to the outside world until the landmark 1980 convention, the last big political meeting in North Korea.

 He took over as leader in 1994 when his father died of heart failure in what was communism's first hereditary succession.

 It's not known what kind of party position Kim Jong Un might be granted. Some predict he'll win the same post his father took 37 years ago: party secretary authorized to supervise party members and appoint top party, government and military officials.

 However, the younger Kim may not have the benefit of 20 years of training like his father.

 Kim Jong Il, said to be suffering from diabetes and a kidney ailment, reportedly had a stroke in August 2008, sparking fears about instability and a possible power struggle in the nuclear-armed country if he were to die without anointing a successor.

 Kim has two other sons but the youngest is said to be his favorite.

 However, with Kim Jong Un still in his 20s and politically inexperienced, Kim Jong Il may tap his sister to oversee an eventually transfer of power, experts say.

 Sister Kim Kyong Hui, 64, was among six people promoted to general along with Kim Jong Un, and her name was listed ahead of Kim Jong Un's in the Korean Central News Agency report.

 "There is a possibility that she could play the role of a coordinator to make sure the power succession goes smoothly," analyst Cheong said.

 She and her husband, Jang Song Thaek, appointed vice chairman of the all-powerful National Defense Commission in June, also are expected to win key political appointments that would allow them to act as advisers to the young Kim during his rise to power.

 In a brief announcement Tuesday, a North Korean news reader said "crucial developments" were taking place at the political convention under way in Pyongyang and that Kim Jong Il was re-elected to the party's top position of general secretary to delegates' cheers of "Hurrah."

 "His re-election is an expression of absolute support and trust of all the party members, the servicepersons and the people in Kim Jong Il," KCNA said, calling it a "historic" event.

 The convention, initially set for early September, appears to have been delayed by several weeks amid speculation that Kim's health or damage from flooding and typhoons may have forced the postponement.

 "This meeting of the delegates is an important occasion for further strengthening the solidarity of our army, our party, and our people, who are rallying behind the great Gen. Kim Jong Il," Kim Chang Gyong, an assistant professor at North Korea's Academy of Social Sciences, told broadcaster APTN.

 ___

 Associated Press writers Kelly Olsen, Kwang-tae Kim and Jean H. Lee contributed to this report. |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– North Korea-watchers say Kim Jong Il has sent his clearest signal yet that he intends for his youngest son to lead the country after his death. State media announced the promotion of Kim Jong Un to four-star general today as the country's biggest political summit in 30 years began, the BBC reports. Dear Leader also made his sister a general, a move observers say suggests he feels his Swiss-educated son, believed to be around 27, needs a mentor. The younger Kim had never before been officially mentioned in North Korean state media. The promotion "is clearly the biggest news we've had from North Korea since the death of Kim Il Sung," a Council of Foreign Relations analyst tells the AP. "I think it clearly demonstrates that Kim Jong Il is committed to maintaining control of the country within his family."


– The New York City Fire Department is mourning firefighter Michael Davidson, who died fighting a massive blaze that broke out on a film set in Harlem Thursday night. The fire started in a building being used to film Motherless Brooklyn, a 1950s-set drama directed by Ed Norton and starring Bruce Willis, the New York Daily News reports. "This is an awful night. We've lost an NYC firefighter," tweeted City Hall spokesman Eric Phillips. "Sick to my stomach." The FDNY says the five-alarm blaze broke out in the basement of the building around 11pm and was under control by around 2:30am, reports NBC New York. The building where the fire broke out was the former home of the historic St Nick's Jazz Pub, which shut down in 2011, the Daily News reports. Commissioner Daniel Nigro says two other firefighters are in serious condition with burns, and two other people were injured, the AP reports. The FDNY hasn't commented on possible causes. Davidson, 37, is survived by his wife and four children. He is "the 1,150th member to make the Supreme Sacrifice while serving our city," the department said in a Facebook post. It has been a tough month for the FDNY: Two of its firefighters were among seven Americans killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq last week.

Expand this summary.

It is with deep regret that FDNY announces the death of Firefighter Michael R. Davidson. Firefighter Davidson, 37, was assigned to Engine Company 69 and bravely served the Department for 15 years. He was cited for bravery on four separate occasions. Firefighter Davidson was critically injured while fighting a 5-alarm fire in Manhattan. He was transported to Harlem Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

 Firefighter Davidson is survived by his wife, Eileen, and four children. He is the 1,150th member to make the Supreme Sacrifice while serving our city. ||||| New York is a city in mourning after FDNY firefighter Michael Davidson was killed in a movie set blaze in Harlem. Marc Santia and Erica Byfield report.

 What to Know A 15-year veteran of the FDNY died from his injuries he suffered while battling a massive fire at a movie set for an Ed Norton film

 Michael Davidson leaves behind his wife and four young children after he died in the blaze on St. Nicholas Avenue in Harlem, the FDNY says

 Two other firefighters suffered serious burns and are being treated at an area hospital, according to Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro

 A decorated FDNY firefighter and father of four young children died when a fire erupted in a Harlem apartment building where a star-studded movie directed by Edward Norton had a shoot overnight, officials say.

 Michael R. Davidson, a 37-year-old Floral Park resident who has been with the FDNY for 15 years, died from his injuries while battling the fire at a five-story building on St. Nicholas Avenue and 149th Street, the FDNY said early Friday.

 The blaze broke out on the set of "Motherless Brooklyn," which, according to IMDB, is being directed by Norton and stars Bruce Willis, Willem Dafoe, Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Leslie Mann.

 Dramatic Images Show Inferno at Ed Norton Harlem Film Shoot

 An NBC 4 New York photographer spoke to one of the actors, who said they had just finished filming for the day when they smelled smoke while they were breaking down. They called the fire department around 11 p.m. Thursday.

 Davidson was the nozzleman, meaning his job was to run the hoseline of Engine 69, which was the first to arrive at the five-alarm scene. The crew rushed to the basement, but the FDNY said once they got down there, the fire got worse, forcing the firefighters to retreat from the building. Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said Davidson somehow got separated from his group "inside the rapidly deteriorating fire conditions."

 'We Have a Missing Member!' Fire Radio Shows Film Set Horror

 In FDNY audio from a deadly fire in Harlem Thursday night, firefighters can be heard reporting a fellow member missing. Warning: audio may be distressing to some. (Published Friday, March 23, 2018)

 They turned back to search for him. When firefighters found him, he was unconscious. He later died of critical injuries sustained while battling the blaze.

 Officials said two other firefighters suffered serious burns in the blaze. Those injured firefighters are being treated at an area hospital's burn center. Three other civilians suffered minor injuries.

 Davidson, who has been cited for his bravery and life-saving actions four times during his career, leaves behind his wife and four young children -- three daughters, ages 7, 3, and 1, and a 6-year-old son. He comes from a long line of firefighters. His father, Robert, who is now retired worked in the same firehouse as Davidson. His brother, an 11-year veteran, works at Engine 88 in the Bronx.

 107 Years Later: The Sweatshop Fire That Changed NYC Forever

 Funeral arrangements are pending. A procession of FDNY trucks escorted his body to a funeral home on Long Island Friday afternoon. Local FDNY trucks and firefighters stood on overpasses on the route, solemnly saluting Davidson's procession as it passed.

 Mourners filed to Davidson's firehouse throughout the day Friday; some cried, others left flowers outside.

 Emotional Procession Through NYC for Fallen Firefighter

 The body of fallen firefighter Michael R. Davidson is loaded onto an FDNY EMS truck before being taken escorted by a procession on Long Island Expressway to a funeral home on Long Island. (Published Friday, March 23, 2018)

 “Our entire department, our entire city, mourns this horrific loss of a very brave firefighter," Nigro said. "Our hearts and our prayers go out to the family and may God rest his soul."

 Mayor de Blasio cut short a trip to return to New York City and toured the scene of the deadly fire along with Nigro Friday evening.

 Davidson is the 1,150th firefighter to die in the line of duty in the FDNY's 153-year history. His death comes about a week after two FDNY firefighters, who were also members of the 106th Rescue Wing of the Air National Guard based in Westhampton Beach, died in a U.S. helicopter crash in Iraq.

 Floral Park neighbor Peggy Healy was devastated to learn of his death. She said the beloved firefighter had just shoveled their snow a day ago.

 "I yelled across and said, 'Thank you, Michael!' And he said, 'Oh, you're very welcome,'" said Healy. "He was such kind man, such a kind man. It's just devastating."

 She said Davidson doted on his young children, and she'd always see him takng the kids to the bus stop and picking them up.

 "He was always walking his beautiful little children, always walking and taking care of them," she said in tears.

 The St. Nicholas Avenue building where the fire started is the old St. Nick’s Pub, according to a witness who lives nearby. The witness also told News 4 New York that the film has been shooting there for weeks.

 The crime and drama film, which is set to be released next year, is about a lonely detective afflicted with Tourette syndrome, working to solve the murder of his only friend, according to IMDB. The movie is set in 1950 and is based on a novel by Jonathan Lethem.

 Four'easter: See the Wrath of March's Latest Snowstorm

 The producers of "Motherless Brooklyn" said in a statement that they immediately notified the fire department once they noticed smoke coming into the set and started alerting residents of the building so that they could get out.

 "To our great sorrow, we now know that a NYC firefighter lost his life battling the blaze that grew, and our hearts ache in solidarity with his family. New York City firefighters truly are the bravest in the world," the statement said. "We watched firsthand with astonishment as they charged into the smoke to make sure all were safely out and then fought to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading, putting their lives on the line as they do every day. The FDNY are real life super-heroes and have our boundless admiration and gratitude.”

 The FDNY said the fire was under control around 2:30 a.m. Friday, more than three hours after it broke out. It’s not clear what may have sparked the blaze.

 Spelman Beubrua was led, gasping and choking, out of his smoky apartment by firefighters. He lost all of his possessions in the fire. He broke down when he said the only reason he was alive was because of the FDNY.

 "I'm here talking to you, it's because of them," Beubrua said behind tears. "Then to come here and find out that one of them did not make it. It hurts. It hurts."

 Top News Pics: Bush Presents Leadership Medal to U2's Bono ||||| HARLEM, N.Y. (AP) — A New York City firefighter has been killed after a massive fire broke out at a building in Harlem where a movie directed by Edward Norton was being shot.

 New York Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the blaze erupted in the basement of an unoccupied residential building about 11 p.m. Thursday. Nigro said two other firefighters suffered burns and were in serious condition, and three other people were injured.

 FDNY officials identified the firefighter killed as 37-year-old Michael R. Davidson, a 15-year department veteran. They say Davidson is survived by a wife and four children.

 Eric Phillips, Mayor Bill de Blasio's press secretary, tweeted: "This is an awful night."

 The blaze broke out on the set of "Motherless Brooklyn," starring Norton, Bruce Willis, Willem Dafoe and Alec Baldwin. ||||| "Despite the best efforts of the members of our fire fighting forces, EMS and here at the hospital, they were unable to revive Michael and he perished." As fire crews sprayed water on the smoldering parapet, two firefighters dropped down to one knee and stared blankly at the burned-out husk of the building. Neighbors said the crew lined the block with cars and trucks from the 1950s, and turned the old pub into a set, hanging a new sign for the "King Rooster Jazz Club" about two weeks ago. |||||


Here is a news article: Published on Dec 25, 2015

 "It's a very very very hard thing to do." George Lucas explains why he had to "break up" with Star Wars so that he and 'The Force Awakens' could both move on. ||||| LOS ANGELES (AP) — George Lucas has apologized for criticizing Disney's handling of "Star Wars" and saying he had sold his characters to "white slavers" in a recent interview with Charlie Rose.

 FILE - In this April 17, 2015 file photo, George Lucas attends the Tribeca Talks: Director Series during the Tribeca Film Festival at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, in New York. Lucas has apologized... (Associated Press)

 In a statement issued Thursday, Lucas says he misspoke and used a "very inappropriate analogy." It's not clear what he meant, and Rose didn't ask a follow-up question on his PBS show that aired Dec. 24.

 The "Star Wars" creator sold Lucasfilm to the Walt Disney Co. in 2012 for $4.06 billion, and the studio developed "The Force Awakens" with J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy.

 Lucas discussed his decision to stay out of the new installment in the hourlong interview with Rose and criticized Disney's retro, fan-centric approach to the sequel.

 In the statement, Lucas says Disney is moving the franchise in exciting directions. ||||| George Lucas, right, speaking with Charlie Rose. YouTube/Charlie Rose In a recent interview with Charlie Rose, George Lucas let some of his true feelings for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and Disney slip.

 Lucas, who created the "Star Wars" saga, said he was against making the new movie "for the fans" and felt he sold the company he created, Lucasfilm, to "the white slavers," referring to Disney. [UPDATE: Lucas has issued an apology for his remark to Disney.]

 This is somewhat surprising because Lucas has previously seemed supportive of "The Force Awakens." It's even been said that he liked the movie and attended its premiere.

 When Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion in 2012, it gave Disney ownership of the "Star Wars" franchise. At the time, Lucas had some ideas for how "Episode VII" could be told. But it seems once the papers were signed, Disney told Lucas to take a hike.

 "They looked at the stories and they said, 'We want to make something for the fans,'" Lucas said. "I said, 'All I want to do is tell a story'… They decided they didn't want to use those [my] stories, they decided they were going to do their own thing. They weren't that keen to have me involved anyway — if I get in there, I'm just going to cause trouble, because they're not going to do what I want them to do. And I don't have the control to do that anymore. All I would do is muck everything up. And so I said, 'OK, I will go my way, and I'll let them go their way.'"

 Lucasfilm But it seems Lucas hasn't been able to let go.

 "It's a very, very, very hard thing to do," Lucas said about letting go of the franchise, as well as another Lucasfilm property that is now Disney's, "Indiana Jones." "You have to say, 'I have to move on,' and everything in your body says, 'Don't. You can't.' These are my kids."

 Rose then said, "Those were your kids … and you sold them."

 "I sold them to the white slavers that take these things and, and …" Lucas then stopped himself and laughed, probably realizing he was about to get himself into some hot water.

 So it's obvious that while "Star Wars" fans love "The Force Awakens" and it's a box-office juggernaut, the "remakequel" style it's in wouldn't have been the path Lucas would have taken if he were still at the helm.

 Getty Images So why did George Lucas sell Lucasfilm?

 "There are three more stories," Lucas told Rose, referring to episodes "VII," "VIII," and "IX."

 "To do it right would be 10 years, and I said, 'I'm 70 — I don't know whether I'll be here when I'm 80,' every 10 years the odds get less, and I want to do [other films], so I have to make the decision on my own that it's time for me to move on."

 Watch a clip with the above quotes in the embed below. Watch the entire interview here. ||||| Do you prefer to be called Leo or Leonardo?

 Either one is fine. Most people call me Leo.

 Didn’t an agent try to make you change your name?

 Yeah, when I was 11 years old, when I first wanted to be an actor professionally. We went to an agent and they wanted to change my name to Lenny Williams.

 That’s not cool...

 Not really. They felt my name was too ethnic and I wouldn’t get as many jobs. So that thwarted me from being an actor for a number of years. I tried again two years later when I was 13 and got an agent to accept me with my name.

 You earned an Oscar nomination soon after. How does that feel when you’re 19?

 For Gilbert Grape, yeah. And I absolutely didn’t know how to react to any of it. I remember coming out of a screening and somebody telling me how great they thought my performance was and that there was a potential for me to be nominated. I’d never heard anything like that before. It was all completely confusing. I didn’t understand how hard it is to accomplish something like that.

 When was the last time you saw What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?

 Couple of years ago.

 Do you recognise yourself?

 That and This Boy’s Life, especially, both those films I get quite nostalgic about. It’s sometimes emotional watching them because I feel like I’m that kid again. Really just incredibly happy to have gotten a shot. So I remember a lot of those moments on set like they were yesterday, especially working with people like De Niro and (Johnny) Depp at that age. It was like winning the lottery.

 Do you ever think ‘Leo-mania’ was too much too soon?

 I’ve thought about that question a lot. A lot of people may look at what I’ve done career-wise and say that there was a period in which I tried to possibly become a movie star, per se, (and) tried to go for much bigger pictures.

 Any truth in that?

 The truth of the matter is, there was a period of time, very early on, when I started watching films and having heroes in the industry, actor-wise. But I feel I’ve been consistent about my dreams and what I wanted to be as an actor.

 Did that include playing Robin in Batman Forever? There’s a rumour you screen-tested for it...

 I never screen-tested. I had a meeting with Joel Schumacher. It was just one meeting and, no, I didn’t end up doing it.

 Did you actually want the role?

 Er, I don’t think I did, no (laughs). As I recall I took the meeting, but didn’t want to play the role. Joel Schumacher is a very talented director but I don’t think I was ready for anything like that.

 Do you feel like you dodged a bullet?

 (Laughs.)

 Were you in talks to play Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels?

 I did have a meeting with George Lucas about that as well, yes.

 What happened?

 Same scenario (laughs).

 He wanted you, but you didn’t fancy it?

 Um, right. Exactly.

 Why?

 Again, just didn’t feel ready to take that dive. At that point.

 How close did you come to playing Spider-Man before your friend Tobey Maguire took the part?

 Er, that was another one of those situations, similar to Robin, where I didn’t feel ready to put on that suit yet. They got in touch with me.

 Would you like to play a superhero?

 You never know. You never know. They’re getting better and better as far as complex characters in these movies. I haven’t yet. But no, I don’t rule out anything.

 Inception, by Chris Nolan, is pretty mindblowing. How highly do you rate Nolan?

 Only one or two other filmmakers would be able to accomplish this film. It’s certainly not something you come across very often. And it really is all Chris Nolan.

 Being honest, did you understand the script when you read it?

 Well, it wasn’t that the script was incomprehensible. Here you have a man who’s part of a black-market organisation of dream-infiltration and is also haunted by his own subconscious nightmares that keep infiltrating his network and sabotaging the ideas. |||||
A summary of this is?

– Leonardo DiCaprio almost played Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels, he revealed in a recent Shortlist interview. "I did have a meeting with George Lucas about that," he says, but he didn't want the role: "Just didn’t feel ready to take that dive. At that point." It's the same reason, he explains, that he met with Joel Schumacher about playing Robin in Batman Forever but didn't actually take the part. "As I recall, I took the meeting, but didn’t want to play the role," he says. "Joel Schumacher is a very talented director but I don’t think I was ready for anything like that." And the same thing happened again with Spider-Man, a role Tobey Maguire eventually took: "That was another one of those situations, similar to Robin, where I didn’t feel ready to put on that suit yet. They got in touch with me." In other revealing, Star Wars-related interviews, George Lucas let slip in a recent interview with Charlie Rose what he really thinks about the new movies, Business Insider reports. He sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012 partially because there were three more Star Wars movies he felt should be made, and "to do it right would be 10 years, and I said, 'I'm 70—I don't know whether I'll be here when I'm 80' ... and I want to do [other films], so I have to make the decision on my own that it's time for me to move on." He did have ideas for Episodes VII, VIII, and IX—but Disney "looked at the stories and they said, 'We want to make something for the fans.' I said, 'All I want to do is tell a story.' ... They decided they didn’t want to use those [my] stories, they decided they were going to do their own thing. They weren’t that keen to have me involved anyway." He also added, offhandedly, that he sold the franchise "to the white slavers." He's since apologized for that.


After emerging from a lengthy closed-door meeting with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic leaders late Sunday afternoon, Reid (D-Nev.) was asked whether he expects a vote on the deal tonight.

 “I hope so,” he told reporters.

 But sources in both parties said all sides were close to signing off on the emerging agreement except House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). While the reason for the hangup was not immediately clear, the framework has the potential to trigger big cuts in the defense budget. Defense cuts are likely to be problematic for many of the veteran Republicans Boehner will need to push a compromise through the House. A Boehner spokesman did not immediately respond to questions.

 Meanwhile, as expected, the Senate failed to break the 60-vote threshold to end debate on a bill by Reid’s (D-Nev.) bill to raise the debt ceiling by $2.2 trillion in an early afternoon vote on Sunday as the outlines of the deal between Senate leaders and the White House began to take shape. Fifty senators voted to end debate on Reid’s bill and 49 opposed stopping it.

 The winds began shifting towards a deal shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday night when Reid announced that talks between McConnell (R-Ky.) and Vice President Biden had made significant progress, prompting Reid to delay a vote that had been scheduled for 1 a.m. Sunday on his own debt-limit measure.

 “Relief” is the way Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) described the mood on Capitol Hill on CNN’s State of the Nation Sunday morning. “Default is far less of a possibility now then it was even a day ago, because the leaders are talking and talking in a constructive way.”

 But, Schumer added, “There are lots of things that are not filled in.”

 On the same show, McConnell echoed that “we had a good day yesterday” and the parties “were very close” to crafting a deal framework that he could “soon” recommend that Senate Republicans support.

 “We’re not going to have default,” McConnell stated.

 “There are negotiations going on at the White House to avert a catastrophic default on the nation’s debt,” Reid said, after announcing that the vote had been pushed back to 1 p.m. Sunday. “There are many elements to be finalized, and there is still a distance to go before any arrangement can be completed. But I believe we should give everyone as much room as possible to do their work.”

 He added: “I’m glad to see this move toward cooperation and compromise. I hope it bears fruit.” ||||| Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is in active negotiation with the White House on a debt ceiling deal, and Democrats agreed late Saturday night to postpone a partisan-tinged cloture vote to give time for both sides to find a compromise.

 “There are many elements to be finalized, and there is still a distance to go before any arrangement can be completed,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. “But I believe we should give everyone as much room as possible to do their work.”

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 “I’m glad to see this move toward cooperation and compromise. I hope it bears fruit.”

 Just hours before Reid had sparred on the floor with McConnell over the seriousness of his efforts, and Reid’s change of tone — and tactics — suggested that real progress had been made. “We’re getting close,” said one GOP leadership aide, with knowledge of the discussions.

 “In the category of getting serious, I have spoken to both the president and the vice president within the last hour,” McConnell had told reporters earlier in day in a joint appearance with Speaker John Boehner. “We are now fully engaged, the speaker and I, with the one person in America out of 307 million people who can sign a bill into law. I’m confident and optimistic that we’re going to get an agreement in the very near future and resolve this crisis in the best interests of the American people.”

 Boehner echoed McConnell’s statement, saying he believed that “we are going to be able to come to some sort of agreement.” But the speaker appears to have had no contact himself with President Barack Obama Saturday, while McConnell spoke to the president and reached out to Biden, after which the two men engaged in at least four back-and-forth phone calls through the day.

 The biggest two outstanding issues are the Republicans’ insistence on “dollar-for-dollar” deficit reductions –without new tax revenues—to match any increase in the Treasury’s borrowing authority. And second, what enforcement mechanism is best to ensure that a new joint House-Senate committee will be able to come up with an estimated $1.6 trillion in savings by the end of this year.

 Boehner has said that if the panel fails to meet its target, Obama can’t raise the debt ceiling— a concession that the president refuses to make since it only means more instability six months from now. The White House wants to substitute some alternative trigger that would still be action-forcing but not a threat to the whole economy. Biden is exploring options with McConnell, but even if a compromise is found, the cuts demanded by Boehner now are far larger than what the speaker had been willing to accept from Obama just last week.

 One trigger option that has gained favor would impose across-the-board cuts on spending with the idea of inflicting enough pain that both parties would have an interest in meeting the joint committee's deficit target. Since Republicans have opposed any such sequester impacting revenues, the compromise now is likely to include deep defense cuts, a second priority for the GOP and therefore something of a lever.

 Democrats are fearful that their own priorities—more revenues and fewer Medicare savings—will get lost in the process. And Reid didn’t hide his skepticism after returning from a 90 minute meeting with Obama, Biden and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi at the White House.

 “Boehner won’t even negotiate and McConnell is going backward,” said one aide close to the situation. And Reid bluntly accused McConnell of engaging more for show that real compromise.

 “The Republican leader says he’s engaged,” Reid said ruefully. “Fortunately, members of his caucus, at least as far as I’m concerned, are more engaged than he is. There are meaningful talks going on with some of his members with my senators.”

 McConnell shot back, “I actually cut short a conversation with the vice president” to come to the floor.

 The Democrats bigger worry is Boehner, who shows signs of simply running-out-the-clock, playing hard-to-get with Obama and hoping the White House will give into his demands. ||||| The vote was 246-173. It was a pre-emptive vote in the high-stakes political fight as the Senate still hasn't voted on the measure from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The measure would raise the debt limit by $2.4 trillion while cutting spending by $2.2 trillion.

 The vote could set the stage for negotiations on a compromise just three days before the Treasury says it will be unable to pay all the nation's bills.

 Debate on the measure was often testy and reflected the growing frustration among lawmakers. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi pleaded for an end to "this theater of the absurd" and said "it's time for us to get real." |||||

Write a summary.

– It's Harry Reid's turn to hit legislative turbulence. The House today rejected the Senate leader's plan to raise the debt ceiling in a move seen largely as symbolic, reports AP. The real fight, however, is taking place in the Senate, where GOP Minority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered a letter to Reid signed by 43 Republicans vowing to oppose his plan when it comes up for a vote set for 1am EST Sunday. Those numbers guarantee that Reid would not be able to fend off a filibuster, reports the Washington Post. “It isn’t going to pass,” said McConnell, who demanded that the White House rejoin negotiations. “Let’s get talking to the administration.” The big hope to avoid a default is that Reid and McConnell can somehow forge a bipartisan compromise, but the two were mainly sniping at each other today, notes Politico. “We welcome compromise,” Reid said. “As recently as yesterday, I asked my friend, the Senate minority leader, to help make this Senate compromise more palatable, but we have heard very little from Republicans.”


Article:
Donald Trump did not invent the lie and is not even its master. Lies have oozed out of the White House for more than two centuries and out of politicians’ mouths — out of all people’s mouths — likely as long as there has been human speech.

 But amid all those lies, told to ourselves and to one another in order to amass power, woo lovers, hurt enemies and shield ourselves against the often glaring discomfort of reality, humanity has always had an abiding respect for truth.

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 In the United States, born and periodically reborn out of the repeated recognition and rejection of the age-old lie that some people are meant to take dominion over others, truth is as vital a part of the civic, social and intellectual culture as justice and liberty. Our civilization is premised on the conviction that such a thing as truth exists, that it is knowable, that it is verifiable, that it exists independently of authority or popularity and that at some point — and preferably sooner rather than later — it will prevail.

 Even American leaders who lie generally know the difference between their statements and the truth. Richard Nixon said “I am not a crook” but by that point must have seen that he was. Bill Clinton said “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” but knew that he did.

 “ He targets the darkness, anger and insecurity that hide in each of us and harnesses them for his own purposes. ” Share this quote

 The insult that Donald Trump brings to the equation is an apparent disregard for fact so profound as to suggest that he may not see much practical distinction between lies, if he believes they serve him, and the truth.

 His approach succeeds because of his preternaturally deft grasp of his audience. Though he is neither terribly articulate nor a seasoned politician, he has a remarkable instinct for discerning which conspiracy theories in which quasi-news source, or which of his own inner musings, will turn into ratings gold. He targets the darkness, anger and insecurity that hide in each of us and harnesses them for his own purposes. If one of his lies doesn’t work — well, then he lies about that.

 If we harbor latent racism or if we fear terror attacks by Muslim extremists, then he elevates a rumor into a public debate: Was Barack Obama born in Kenya, and is he therefore not really president?

 An ‘extremely credible source’ has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2012 Libya is being taken over by Islamic radicals—-with @BarackObama's open support. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2011

 If his own ego is threatened — if broadcast footage and photos show a smaller-sized crowd at his inauguration than he wanted — then he targets the news media, falsely charging outlets with disseminating “fake news” and insisting, against all evidence, that he has proved his case (“We caught them in a beauty,” he said).

 If his attempt to limit the number of Muslim visitors to the U.S. degenerates into an absolute fiasco and a display of his administration’s incompetence, then he falsely asserts that terrorist attacks are underreported. (One case in point offered by the White House was the 2015 attack in San Bernardino, which in fact received intensive worldwide news coverage. The Los Angeles Times won a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on the subject).

 If he detects that his audience may be wearying of his act, or if he worries about a probe into Russian meddling into the election that put him in office, he tweets in the middle of the night the astonishingly absurd claim that President Obama tapped his phones. And when evidence fails to support him he dispatches his aides to explain that by “phone tapping” he obviously didn’t mean phone tapping. Instead of backing down when confronted with reality, he insists that his rebutted assertions will be vindicated as true at some point in the future.

 Trump’s easy embrace of untruth can sometimes be entertaining, in the vein of a Moammar Kadafi speech to the United Nations or the self-serving blathering of a 6-year-old.

 “ He gives every indication that he is as much the gullible tool of liars as he is the liar in chief. ” Share this quote

 But he is not merely amusing. He is dangerous. His choice of falsehoods and his method of spewing them — often in tweets, as if he spent his days and nights glued to his bedside radio and was periodically set off by some drivel uttered by a talk show host who repeated something he’d read on some fringe blog — are a clue to Trump’s thought processes and perhaps his lack of agency. He gives every indication that he is as much the gullible tool of liars as he is the liar in chief.

 He has made himself the stooge, the mark, for every crazy blogger, political quack, racial theorist, foreign leader or nutcase peddling a story that he might repackage to his benefit as a tweet, an appointment, an executive order or a policy. He is a stranger to the concept of verification, the insistence on evidence and the standards of proof that apply in a courtroom or a medical lab — and that ought to prevail in the White House.

 There have always been those who accept the intellectually bankrupt notion that people are entitled to invent their own facts — consider the “9/11 was an inside job” trope — but Trump’s ascent marks the first time that the culture of alternative reality has made its home at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

 If Americans are unsure which Trump they have — the Machiavellian negotiator who lies to manipulate simpler minds, or one of those simpler minds himself — does it really matter? In either case he puts the nation in danger by undermining the role of truth in public discourse and policymaking, as well as the notion of truth being verifiable and mutually intelligible.

 In the months ahead, Trump will bring his embrace of alternative facts on the nation’s behalf into talks with China, North Korea or any number of powers with interests counter to ours and that constitute an existential threat. At home, Trump now becomes the embodiment of the populist notion (with roots planted at least as deeply in the Left as the Right) that verifiable truth is merely a concept invented by fusty intellectuals, and that popular leaders can provide some equally valid substitute. We’ve seen people like that before, and we have a name for them: demagogues.

 Our civilization is defined in part by the disciplines — science, law, journalism — that have developed systematic methods to arrive at the truth. Citizenship brings with it the obligation to engage in a similar process. Good citizens test assumptions, question leaders, argue details, research claims.

 Investigate. Read. Write. Listen. Speak. Think. Be wary of those who disparage the investigators, the readers, the writers, the listeners, the speakers and the thinkers. Be suspicious of those who confuse reality with reality TV, and those who repeat falsehoods while insisting, against all evidence, that they are true. To defend freedom, demand fact.

 This is the second in a series. ||||| It was no secret during the campaign that Donald Trump was a narcissist and a demagogue who used fear and dishonesty to appeal to the worst in American voters. The Times called him unprepared and unsuited for the job he was seeking, and said his election would be a “catastrophe.”

 Still, nothing prepared us for the magnitude of this train wreck. Like millions of other Americans, we clung to a slim hope that the new president would turn out to be all noise and bluster, or that the people around him in the White House would act as a check on his worst instincts, or that he would be sobered and transformed by the awesome responsibilities of office.

 Instead, seventy-some days in — and with about 1,400 to go before his term is completed — it is increasingly clear that those hopes were misplaced.

 Support our journalism Become a subscriber today to support editorial writing like this. Start getting full access to our signature journalism for just 99 cents for the first four weeks.

 In a matter of weeks, President Trump has taken dozens of real-life steps that, if they are not reversed, will rip families apart, foul rivers and pollute the air, intensify the calamitous effects of climate change and profoundly weaken the system of American public education for all.

 His attempt to de-insure millions of people who had finally received healthcare coverage and, along the way, enact a massive transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich has been put on hold for the moment. But he is proceeding with his efforts to defang the government’s regulatory agencies and bloat the Pentagon’s budget even as he supposedly retreats from the global stage.

 “ It is impossible to know where his presidency will lead or how much damage he will do to our nation. ” Share this quote

 These are immensely dangerous developments which threaten to weaken this country’s moral standing in the world, imperil the planet and reverse years of slow but steady gains by marginalized or impoverished Americans. But, chilling as they are, these radically wrongheaded policy choices are not, in fact, the most frightening aspect of the Trump presidency.

 What is most worrisome about Trump is Trump himself. He is a man so unpredictable, so reckless, so petulant, so full of blind self-regard, so untethered to reality that it is impossible to know where his presidency will lead or how much damage he will do to our nation. His obsession with his own fame, wealth and success, his determination to vanquish enemies real and imagined, his craving for adulation — these traits were, of course, at the very heart of his scorched-earth outsider campaign; indeed, some of them helped get him elected. But in a real presidency in which he wields unimaginable power, they are nothing short of disastrous.

 Although his policies are, for the most part, variations on classic Republican positions (many of which would have been undertaken by a President Ted Cruz or a President Marco Rubio), they become far more dangerous in the hands of this imprudent and erratic man. Many Republicans, for instance, support tighter border security and a tougher response to illegal immigration, but Trump’s cockamamie border wall, his impracticable campaign promise to deport all 11 million people living in the country illegally and his blithe disregard for the effect of such proposals on the U.S. relationship with Mexico turn a very bad policy into an appalling one.

 In the days ahead, The Times editorial board will look more closely at the new president, with a special attention to three troubling traits:

 1Trump’s shocking lack of respect for those fundamental rules and institutions on which our government is based. Since Jan. 20, he has repeatedly disparaged and challenged those entities that have threatened his agenda, stoking public distrust of essential institutions in a way that undermines faith in American democracy. He has questioned the qualifications of judges and the integrity of their decisions, rather than acknowledging that even the president must submit to the rule of law. He has clashed with his own intelligence agencies, demeaned government workers and questioned the credibility of the electoral system and the Federal Reserve. He has lashed out at journalists, declaring them “enemies of the people,” rather than defending the importance of a critical, independent free press. His contempt for the rule of law and the norms of government are palpable.

 2His utter lack of regard for truth. Whether it is the easily disprovable boasts about the size of his inauguration crowd or his unsubstantiated assertion that Barack Obama bugged Trump Tower, the new president regularly muddies the waters of fact and fiction. It’s difficult to know whether he actually can’t distinguish the real from the unreal — or whether he intentionally conflates the two to befuddle voters, deflect criticism and undermine the very idea of objective truth. Whatever the explanation, he is encouraging Americans to reject facts, to disrespect science, documents, nonpartisanship and the mainstream media — and instead to simply take positions on the basis of ideology and preconceived notions. This is a recipe for a divided country in which differences grow deeper and rational compromise becomes impossible.

 3His scary willingness to repeat alt-right conspiracy theories, racist memes and crackpot, out-of-the-mainstream ideas. Again, it is not clear whether he believes them or merely uses them. But to cling to disproven “alternative” facts; to retweet racists; to make unverifiable or false statements about rigged elections and fraudulent voters; to buy into discredited conspiracy theories first floated on fringe websites and in supermarket tabloids — these are all of a piece with the Barack Obama birther claptrap that Trump was peddling years ago and which brought him to political prominence. It is deeply alarming that a president would lend the credibility of his office to ideas that have been rightly rejected by politicians from both major political parties.

 Where will this end? Will Trump moderate his crazier campaign positions as time passes? Or will he provoke confrontation with Iran, North Korea or China, or disobey a judge’s order or order a soldier to violate the Constitution? Or, alternately, will the system itself — the Constitution, the courts, the permanent bureaucracy, the Congress, the Democrats, the marchers in the streets — protect us from him as he alienates more and more allies at home and abroad, steps on his own message and creates chaos at the expense of his ability to accomplish his goals? Already, Trump’s job approval rating has been hovering in the mid-30s, according to Gallup, a shockingly low level of support for a new president. And that was before his former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, offered to cooperate last week with congressional investigators looking into the connection between the Russian government and the Trump campaign.

 “ Those who oppose the new president’s reckless and heartless agenda must make their voices heard. ” Share this quote

 On Inauguration Day, we wrote on this page that it was not yet time to declare a state of “wholesale panic” or to call for blanket “non-cooperation” with the Trump administration. Despite plenty of dispiriting signals, that is still our view. The role of the rational opposition is to stand up for the rule of law, the electoral process, the peaceful transfer of power and the role of institutions; we should not underestimate the resiliency of a system in which laws are greater than individuals and voters are as powerful as presidents. This nation survived Andrew Jackson and Richard Nixon. It survived slavery. It survived devastating wars. Most likely, it will survive again.

 But if it is to do so, those who oppose the new president’s reckless and heartless agenda must make their voices heard. Protesters must raise their banners. Voters must turn out for elections. Members of Congress — including and especially Republicans — must find the political courage to stand up to Trump. Courts must safeguard the Constitution. State legislators must pass laws to protect their citizens and their policies from federal meddling. All of us who are in the business of holding leaders accountable must redouble our efforts to defend the truth from his cynical assaults.

 The United States is not a perfect country, and it has a great distance to go before it fully achieves its goals of liberty and equality. But preserving what works and defending the rules and values on which democracy depends are a shared responsibility. Everybody has a role to play in this drama.

 This is the first in a series. |||||Summary:

– It's not unusual for newspaper editorials to criticize a president's policies. But the editorial board at the Los Angeles Times is taking the concept to a new level with a multi-part series called "Our Dishonest President." Part one on Sunday issued a warning that President Trump is "so unpredictable, so reckless, so petulant, so full of blind self-regard, so untethered to reality that it is impossible to know where his presidency will lead or how much damage he will do to our nation." Those traits may have helped him get elected as an "outsider," but hopes that they would be reined in once he entered the White House are fading. The editorial ends with a plea for voters, protesters, members of Congress, state legislators, the courts, the media, etc., to be vigilant about protecting America from its own president. On Monday, part two focuses on Trump's capacity to lie. Plenty of politicians lie, of course, but what Trump "brings to the equation is an apparent disregard for fact so profound as to suggest that he may not see much practical distinction between lies, if he believes they serve him, and the truth." What makes this especially dangerous is that Trump repeats the lies of others, even crackpots. "He gives every indication that he is as much the gullible tool of liars as he is the liar in chief." Verification seems to be a foreign concept to Trump, but it can't be for everyone else, write the editors, who close with advice: "Investigate. Read. Write. Listen. Speak. Think. ... Be suspicious of those who confuse reality with reality TV, and those who repeat falsehoods while insisting, against all evidence, that they are true. To defend freedom, demand fact." Read part one and part two.