Eddie Murphy reclaims his throne in 'Coming 2 America' trailer

Amazon Studios has unveiled the first trailer for “Coming 2 America,” which sees the return of Eddie Murphy as the charming Prince Akeem.

In the upcoming sequel, Prince Akeem, who is set to become the king of the fictional country of Zamunda, finds out he has a son he never knew about — a street-savvy Queens native, Lavelle.

To honor the former king’s dying wish to raise his grandson as the crown prince, Akeem and his younger brother, Semmi, once again leave for America.

The 1988 “Coming to America,” directed by John Landis, introduced Murphy as a young royal who moves to New York City to escape an arranged marriage.

Murphy’s co-stars James Earl Jones and Arsenio Hall will also reprise their roles as King Jaffe Joffer and Semmi, respectively.

At: https://variety.com/2020/film/news/coming-2-america-trailer-eddie-murphy-1234819676/

Still funny after all these years, Arsenio Hall, Eddie Murphy and Clint Smith reprise their roles as the famed Queens barbershop gang in Coming 2 America.

Originally set for release in theaters from Paramount Pictures, the film’s distribution rights were sold to Amazon Studios in October due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Ivanka and Jared Kushner to buy Julio Iglesias' $30 million plot on Florida's 'Billionaire Bunker'

It’s been called the “Billionaire Bunker” and one of the “wealthiest, private, most secure communities in Miami Beach and the world”.

Indian Creek is a village of just 42 people on a tiny private island in Miami’s Biscayne Bay.

Its “Billionaire Bunker” nickname stems from its wildly wealthy and high-profile residents - including billionaire investor Carl Icahn, supermodel Adriana Lima, Spanish singer Julio Iglesias, former Sears CEO Eddie Lampert and car-dealership tycoon Norman Braman.

And now, according to a Page Six report, the island may be getting a new pair of ultra-wealthy and ultra-famous residents: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.

The couple are said to have dropped over US$30 million on a waterfront lot on the exclusive island after Iglesias put it up for sale earlier this year.

At: https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3113503/ivanka-trump-and-jared-kushner-buy-julio-iglesias-us30

The 1.8-acre lot at 4 Indian Creek Island Rd, in Indian Creek Village, FL - recently closed on by Jared and Ivanka Kushner from Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias for a reported $30 million.

Iglesias had purchased the lot in 2014 for $21.6 million - but never had a home built on the site.

Argentina 3Q GDP expanded 12.8% vs 2Q, contracted 10.2% vs year earlier

Argentina's GDP expanded in the third quarter from the second quarter as the economy began to recover from the social-distancing measures that shut down many non-essential businesses earlier in the coronavirus pandemic.

GDP increased a seasonally adjusted 12.8% in the three months through September, and contracted 10.2% from the third quarter of 2019, Argentine statistics agency INDEC said Thursday. The economy had contracted 16% in the second quarter from the first, and 19% from a year earlier.

Fixed investment (machinery and construction) rebounded by 42.9% but remained 11.3% below 3Q 2019. Manufacturing jumped by 21.1% - still 5.3% below year-earlier levels.

The growth in the quarter still left Argentina's GDP 9.2% below where it was before the coronavirus crisis, which slammed economies around the world.

"Argentina has been in recession for three years and the economy is still showing large imbalances," Alberto Ramos, an economist at Goldman Sachs, said.

President Alberto Fernández, who took office in Dec. 2019, has imposed price and capital controls in an effort to hold on to scarce dollars and get inflation (35.8%) under control. Those measures have undermined markets' confidence even after the government successfully restructured $65 billion in debt earlier this year.

Argentina's economy is likely to expand in the fourth quarter from the third quarter, as it continues to recover from measures that shut down businesses - but still faces challenges before returning to healthy growth, Mr. Ramos said.

At: https://www.marketscreener.com/news/latest/Argentina-3Q-GDP-Expanded-12-8-vs-2Q-Contracted-10-2-vs-Year-Earlier--32029181/

Argentine President Alberto Fernández (gray hair) greets workers at the Volkswagen plant in General Pacheco, west of Buenos Aires.

Volkswagen officials recently announced that the plant will soon produce the Tarek crossover for the South American market.

Ford officials likewise announced a similar, $580 million investment to produce the Ranger pickup for the region.

Polls show voters crediting Fernández both for the strong rebound seen since a record contraction in the 2nd quarter, as well as for measures that prevented a public health collapse amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, which has nevertheless claimed over 41,000 lives in Argentina.

Most agree, however, that the country still faces a long recovery from both the Covid crisis and the 2018-19 "Macrisis" inherited from right-wing former President Mauricio Macri.

Legendary former Congressman Earl Hutto died Monday at age 94

Former Congressman Earl Hutto died Monday at the age of 94.

Hutto served Florida’s First District in the U.S. House of Representatives for eight terms, from 1979 to 1995. Previously, he represented District 8 in the Florida House of Representatives from 1972 to 1978 and was a longtime radio and television sportscaster.

He died peacefully at his Pensacola home surrounded by his family on Monday.

Hutto was born on May 12, 1926, to Lemmie and Ellie Mathis Hutto in Midland City, Alabama.

Elected to Congress in 1978, Hutto recognized the importance of the military to the district he served.

Actively involved in military issues, his greatest milestone victory came during his first six months on the Hill with his defeat of the closure of Whiting Field, a helicopter training base.

Hutto was the last Democratic politician to win Northwest Florida's Congressional District, today represented by Matt Gaetz.

At: https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2020/12/16/legendary-former-congressman-earl-hutto-died-monday-age-94/3918993001/

Joe Scarborough, who succeeded Earl Hutto in Congress, reflects on the life of the eight-term former congressman.

Year's only total solar eclipse sweeps across Chile, Argentina today

For stargazers far and wide, Monday marked the astronomic equivalent of the Super Bowl — a total solar eclipse swept across South America, treating a narrow swath of Chile and Argentina to an ephemeral display of unmatched scientific elegance and natural beauty.

While coronavirus restrictions challenged exactly who could view the eclipse — and where — thousands of international visitors were expected to flock to the path of totality in Chile.

Argentina, whose borders are still closed to international travelers, last week made an exception for eclipse viewers staying in the lakeside city of Bariloche.

For those not in Chile or Argentina, NASA TV live-streamed the eclipse.

Clouds and rainfall in Chile limited ideal eclipse viewing there, with better viewing in Argentina.

At: https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/12/14/total-solar-eclipse-chile/

An Argentine newscast airs today's total eclipse from the seaside town of Las Grutas, in Patagonia.

The next total solar eclipse to visit Earth will occur December 4, 2021 - but over Antarctica.

El Paso elects former mayor, defeating GOP incumbent in runoff

El Paso residents have elected a new mayor, handing a defeat to incumbent Mayor Dee Margo in favor of his predecessor, Oscar Leeser, in a runoff race defined by the city’s coronavirus crisis.

Leeser, who was mayor of the West Texas city on the Mexican border from 2013 through 2017, won with an overwhelming 82% of the vote, according to El Paso County's unofficial tally.

He finished first among six mayoral candidates in November - but with less than 50%, forcing Saturday's runoff.

Leeser, 62, pledged Saturday night to bring together the city that has been battered in recent years by overcrowded migrants at the border, a mass shooting at a Walmart and the economic and health crisis brought on by the coronavirus.

Mayoral races in El Paso are nonpartisan, but Margo, a businessman and former state legislator, identifies as a Republican. Leeser, president of a Hyundai dealership, is a Democrat.

At: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/el-paso-elects-mayor-defeating-incumbent-runoff-74701904

El Paso Mayor-elect Oscar Leeser, thanks supporters after winning Saturday's runoff election against incumbent GOP Mayor Dee Margo by a lopsided 82%.

“We're going to unite our voice and we're going to have a plan to make sure our community feels we no longer have a crisis,” Leeser, standing by his wife, said. “I look forward to really starting tomorrow morning.”

Dolly Parton saved her 9-year-old co-star from an oncoming car

When she's not helping fund vaccine research, the monarch of country music Dolly Parton is apparently saving lives in other ways.

Parton, who stars in the new Netflix holiday movie, "Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square," reportedly saved 9-year-old costar, Talia Hill, by pulling her away from the path of an oncoming vehicle.

"We were on set, and I was at the hot chocolate station, and they said 'Go back to your beginning positions,'" Hill said in an interview with Inside Edition. "So, there is a vehicle moving, and I was walking, and somebody grabbed me and pulled me back — and it was Dolly Parton."

Hill said that Parton told her, "Well, I am an angel, you know," a reference to her role in the Netflix film.

At: https://tulsaworld.com/news/national/dolly-parton-saved-her-9-year-old-co-star-from-an-oncoming-car/article_797499cb-4953-554b-90a6-e6ee18b1183d.html

Argentina's lower house passes bill legalizing abortion

Source: NBC News

Lawmakers in Argentina’s lower house on Friday passed a bill that would legalize abortion in most cases, a proposal from President Alberto Fernández in response to long-sought demands from women’s rights activists.

The bill, which needs approval from the country’s Senate in a debate expected before the end of the year, allows for voluntary abortions to be carried out up to the 14th week of pregnancy.

The proposed law was approved in a 131-117 vote with six abstentions after a marathon debate that extended from Thursday into the early hours of Friday morning.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/argentina-s-lower-house-passes-bill-legalizing-abortion-n1250851

https://twitter.com/AgenciaTelam/status/1337352695871639552
Argentine House Speaker Sergio Massa announces the results of today's vote an a bill legalizing abortion rights up to the 14th week of pregnancy.

The bill faces an uphill fight in the Senate, where 33 have declared their support - but 35, their opposition, with 3 undecided senators. A similar bill was defeated on 2018 in the Senate by 38 to 31.

As in 2018, a clear though inconsistent divide emerged between the two major caucuses:

Some 82 of 119 legislators in the center-left Front for All - led by President Alberto Fernández - supported the bill, while only 42 of 115 legislators in the right-wing Together for Change voted in favor.

Michigan AG Dana Nessel to appeal court ruling that companies can refuse service to gay customers

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel plans to appeal a Monday court ruling that found Michigan's civil rights laws do not protect against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

"We intend to submit that all Michigan residents are entitled to protection under the law - regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation - in our appeal to this decision," said Nessel.

Judge Christopher Murray ruled on Monday that Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA), which bans discrimination on the basis of sex, did not ban discrimination against sexual orientation.

According to the ELCRA, discrimination on the basis of "religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status, or marital status" is illegal.

At: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/michigan-ag-to-appeal-court-ruling-that-companies-can-refuse-service-to-gay-customers/ar-BB1bPiPy

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel:

"Michigan courts have held that federal precedent is highly persuasive when determining the contours of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, and federal courts across the country - including the U.S. Supreme Court in Bostock v Clayton Co - have held that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination."

'Friday' star Tommy 'Tiny' Lister dead at 62

Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister, the hulkish character actor whose pro wrestler frame and menacing on-screen disposition highlighted the first two Friday films, Jackie Brown and dozens of other movies, died Thursday at the age of 62.

His manager confirmed the actor’s death to Variety. A cause of death was unknown, but his manager told Variety that he was found unresponsive in his Los Angeles apartment “after displaying symptoms of COVID-19 in recent days.”

The 6-foot-5 actor’s range spanned from Bruno the security guard in Armed and Dangerous (1986), President Lindberg in The Fifth Element (1997), to Adam Sandler’s brother in Little Nicky (2000).

His acting extended beyond the silver screen into two stints as a pro wrestler, with Lister taking on his No Holds Barred co-star Hulk Hogan at multiple WWE events.

But it was his role as the bully Deebo in 1995’s Friday and 2000’s Next Friday that made Lister a star. The series would go on to become stoner cult classics and make Lister a beloved, if intimidating, actor.

At: https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/friday-star-tommy-tiny-lister-dead-at-62/ar-BB1bPMtk

Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister, with co-stars John Candy and Eugene Levy in Armed and Dangerous.