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French President Macron Defends Decision To Call Snap Election, Urges Voters To Defeat The Far-Right
PARIS —French President Emmanuel Macron defended his decision to hold snap elections following his party’s catastrophic defeat in the European legislative election, asserting on Wednesday that voters will ultimately choose the “progressive bloc” against the far right.
A somber-looking Macron said his decision to hold early legislative elections, which will take place in two rounds on June 30 and July 7, demonstrates his “confidence” in the French people. He urged moderate politicians on the left and right to join forces with his centrist alliance to oppose the far-right.
Macron | AP News Image
French President Macron Defends Decision To Call Snap Election, Urges Voters To Defeat The Far-Right
“I think the French are intelligent, they see what’s being done, what’s coherent and what’s not, and they know what to do,” Macron stated. He continued, “I don’t believe the worst is possible. You know, I am an indefatigable optimist.”
The 46-year-old president addressed French voters in a news conference for the first time since his stunning decision on Sunday to dissolve the National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament, following Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party’s victory in the European Parliament election.
Macron sought to allay the fears of those who believed the risky move would result in the French far-right running a government for the first time since World War II.
Since the general elections were announced on Sunday evening, people have gathered daily in Paris and across the country to oppose the National Rally.
Macron was emphatic in his belief that voters would reject the excesses of both major parties. He reassured that he was not succumbing to defeatism and would complete his second presidential term regardless of the outcome of the legislative vote.
Macron explained that his choice is about “allowing political forces chosen by the French to govern.” He also stated that it is “awkward to believe that it must be the extreme right or political extremes. Or perhaps you’ve transmitted the spirit of loss everywhere.”
“If that’s what people are afraid of, it’s time now to take action,” he stated.
Macron rationalized his choice by stating that he couldn’t ignore the new political reality after his pro-European party suffered a humiliating defeat and received less than half the support of the National Rally, led by Jordan Bardella.
Macron | AP News Image
French President Macron Defends Decision To Call Snap Election, Urges Voters To Defeat The Far-Right
Unlike in his recent national addresses, in which Macron focused on Russia’s war in Ukraine and how Europe should forge a common defense policy independent of the United States and strengthen trade protections against China, the French president stuck to internal issues favored by the rising right, such as immigration control, crime prevention, and Islamic separatism in France.
Macron, who has three years left in his second presidential term, thinks that voters can unite to keep the far right at bay in national elections, as they did in European ones. He encouraged “men and women of goodwill who were able to say ‘no’ to extremes on the left and the right to join together to build a joint project” to benefit the nation.
“Things are simple today: we have unnatural alliances at both extremes, who quite agree on nothing except the jobs to be shared, and who will not be able to implement any programme,” Macron stated.
While he appeared to exude the same excitement that helped him win the presidency in 2017, observers believe French voters are more worried about their future and regard Macron as increasingly disconnected from real-life and financial issues.
The French president admitted some flaws in his pro-business centrist party while strongly criticizing some conservatives who have elected to align with Le Pen’s National Rally, which has a history of racism and xenophobia. He scathingly described an alliance established by left-wing groups as “unusual and incoherent” when it included Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s hard-left France Unbowed, which, Macron claimed, “justified anti-Semitic policies” in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war.
“We’re not perfect, we haven’t done everything right, but we have results… and, above all, we know how to act,” Macron said of his Renaissance party, adding that the “far-right (is) the main danger” in the forthcoming elections.
“The question is, who will govern the country tomorrow?” asked the man. “The far right and a few allies, or the democratic, progressive bloc? That is the main question.
Macron | AP News Image
French President Macron Defends Decision To Call Snap Election, Urges Voters To Defeat The Far-Right
Potential alliances and France’s two-round voting procedure in national elections make the outcome exceedingly unpredictable.
Opposition groups on the left and right have been hurrying to create coalitions and field candidates in the early legislative elections.
While major divides between parties persist on both sides of the political spectrum, prominent politicians pushing for a united front appear to have one thing in common: they do not want to work with Macron.
Despite their disagreements, left-wing groups decided late Monday to form an alliance that includes the Greens, Socialists, Communists, and the far-left France Unbowed.
Le Pen attempts to consolidate authority on the right to turn the European triumph into a national one and move closer to grabbing power. Her party will likely win the most French seats in the European Parliament, maybe up to 30 of France’s 81.
NBC is bringing a version of legendary sportscaster Al Michaels back to the Olympics this summer, but with an unexpected twist: his voice will be powered by artificial intelligence.
On Wednesday, NBC said that it will utilize AI software to reproduce Michaels’ voice to offer daily Summer Games summaries to users of its Peacock streaming platform. This marks a significant milestone in the application of AI by a major media firm.
NBC | CTV Image
NBC To Use AI Version Of Announcer Al Michaels’ Voice For Olympics Recaps
The employment of an artificial intelligence voice for the Olympics comes at a time when technology has advanced dramatically, particularly in its ability to generate images, sounds, and text. This has sparked concerns in creative industries, such as journalism, regarding how artificial intelligence may—or should—be utilized.
A new tool, “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock,” will allow subscribers to create 10-minute highlights packages incorporating event updates, athlete back stories, and other related content based on their preferences.
The company stated that the highlights could be packaged in approximately 7 million distinct ways, based on 5,000 hours of live coverage in Paris, thereby making AI (artificial intelligence, not the guy) a far more efficient way to give individualized summaries.
“When I was approached about this, I was skeptical but obviously curious,” Michaels stated in a press statement. “Then I saw a demonstration of what they had in mind. I replied, ‘I’m in.'”
An NBC representative told CNN that Michaels is being rewarded for his participation.
A veteran broadcaster, Michaels is now the play-by-play sportscaster for Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime. He is well noted for his work on earlier Olympic Games broadcasts for NBC and ABC and for announcing the Miracle on Ice Game at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
NBC | Fox Image
NBC To Use AI Version Of Announcer Al Michaels’ Voice For Olympics Recaps
NBC stated that the AI system was trained using previous NBC broadcast audio from Michaels.
The business stated that a team of NBC Sports editors will evaluate all of the content, including audio and footage, to ensure that it is factually correct and that names are pronounced correctly.
Beginning July 27, the highlights tool will be available on Peacock in web browsers and iOS and iPad apps.
SOURCE – CNN
Jamie Foxx has yet to publicly divulge the reason for his hospitalization last year, although he did share further facts during a videotaped encounter.
The Oscar-winning actor was hospitalized in April 2023 due to a health problem while filming the Netflix film “Back in Action” in Atlanta.
In a TikTok video posted this week, Foxx informs an unidentified group of people that he has a “bad headache” on April 11, 2023. He remembers asking his friend for an Advil, and then “I was gone for 20 days.”
Jamie Foxx Shares New Details About Health Crisis That Left Him ‘Gone For 20 Days’
“I don’t remember anything,” he claimed in a video shot on June 29 in Phoenix.
Foxx went on to say in the video that he was told his sister and daughter took him to the doctor, who him a cortisone shot. Another doctor told him something was “going on up there,” as Foxx pointed to his head.
“I won’t say it on camera,” he remarked throughout the video.
The singer is known to be discreet about his personal life, and he disappeared from the spotlight at the time due to what his daughter Corinne Foxx described as a “medical complication” on social media.
In July 2023, the “Ray” star revealed that he chose not to reveal more information because he did not want the public “to see me like that.”
“I want you to see me laughing, having fun, partying, cracking jokes, or performing in a movie or television show. I didn’t want you to see me with tubes coming out of me and wondering if I was going to make it,” he said in a video posted on Instagram at the time, adding that he felt like he had gone “to hell and back.”
Foxx provided another health update on his verified social media accounts in August 2023.
Jamie Foxx | Fox Image
Jamie Foxx Shares New Details About Health Crisis That Left Him ‘Gone For 20 Days’
“You are looking at a thankful man…” “I’m finally starting to feel like myself,” he wrote at the time. “The journey has been unexpectedly dark…” “But I can see the light.”
He added that he was “thankful to everyone who reached out and sent well wishes and prayers.”
According to IMDB, “Back in Action” is now in post-production.
SOURCE – CNN
NEW YORK — Hunter Biden filed a complaint accusing Fox News of illegally distributing sexual photographs of him as part of a streaming series.
The president’s son filed the complaint on Sunday in state court in Manhattan over photos from “The Trial of Hunter Biden,” which will premiere on Fox Nation in 2022. According to the lawsuit, the series included a “mock trial” of Hunter Biden on crimes he has not faced, as well as photos of Biden naked and engaging in sex acts.
Hunter Biden | AP News Image
Hunter Biden Sues Fox News Over Explicit Images Featured In A Streaming Series
The lawsuit argues that the distribution of intimate photographs without his consent violated New York’s so-called revenge porn legislation.
“Fox published and disseminated these Intimate Images to its vast audience of millions as part of an entertainment program in order to humiliate, harass, annoy and alarm Mr. Biden and to tarnish his reputation,” the lawsuit states.
In an emailed statement, a Fox News representative termed it an “entirely politically motivated lawsuit” that was “devoid of merit.” According to the statement, Biden’s attorneys filed a letter demanding its removal from streaming sites in April 2024.
“The program was removed within days of the letter, out of prudence, because Hunter Biden is a public figure who has been investigated several times and is now a convicted felon. According to the emailed statement, Fox News has faithfully covered Mr. Biden’s newsworthy events by the First Amendment, and we look forward to defending our rights in court.
Hunter Biden was convicted last month of three felony charges stemming from the purchase of a revolver in 2018. Prosecutors claimed the president’s son lied on a mandated gun-buy form by claiming he was not unlawfully using or addicted to narcotics.
Hunter Biden | AP News Image
Hunter Biden Sues Fox News Over Explicit Images Featured In A Streaming Series
According to the lawsuit, the series’ simulated trial included bribery claims and inappropriate financial relationships with foreign governments, which Hunter Biden has not faced.
The lawsuit says Fox did not completely remove promotional materials and that the program is still available on some third-party streaming sites.
SOURCE – (AP)
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