Neil Gaiman faces fallout amid multiple sexual misconduct allegations
Fantasy writer Neil Gaiman, known for creating worlds like “The Sandman” and “Good Omens,” is facing allegations of sexual misconduct. A recent Vulture report highlights accusations from multiple women, bringing his personal life and career under scrutiny.
Last summer, Tortoise Media reported accusations of sexual assault against Gaiman by two women who used pseudonyms or only their first names. These allegations were explored in-depth through a six-part podcast series.
One accuser, Scarlett Pavlovich, worked as a nanny for Gaiman and his ex-wife, Amanda Palmer. Pavlovich alleges that Gaiman sexually assaulted her, citing incidents of inappropriate touching and coercion. She recounts one episode where Gaiman allegedly joined her in a bathtub without consent and engaged in sexual acts despite her objections.
Additional accusations emerge
Another woman, identified as Caroline, claims Gaiman’s ex-wife confided in her about marital issues. Caroline later worked as a caretaker in Gaiman’s home, where she alleges Gaiman coerced her into sexual activities, including an incident where he allegedly placed her hand on his genitals while his son was in the same bed.
Gaiman’s representatives deny these allegations, asserting that Caroline initiated the encounters and that no inappropriate behavior occurred in the presence of his son.
NDAs and financial settlements
Both women claim Gaiman offered financial payouts in exchange for signing non-disclosure agreements. Pavlovich reportedly received a five-figure settlement, while Caroline claims she negotiated $300,000. Following the initial reports, six more women have come forward with similar allegations.
Projects impacted by allegations
The fallout has affected several of Gaiman’s projects. The third and final season of “Good Omens” was initially put on hold before Prime Video reduced it to a single episode, with Gaiman stepping back from production.
Netflix canceled “Dead Boy Detectives,” while Disney paused work on “The Graveyard Book.” It’s unclear whether these decisions were directly tied to the allegations.
Gaiman responds to allegations
On Tuesday, Jan. 14, Gaiman released a statement on his website: “Some of the horrible stories now being told simply never happened, while others have been so distorted from what actually took place that they bear no relationship to reality. I am prepared to take responsibility for any missteps I made.”
Gaiman insisted that his interactions with the accusers were consensual and expressed his unwillingness to accept being portrayed as someone he is not.
Amazon eyes news expansion after election night special
Amazon could be making its next big move—into news. After the success of its free-to-stream special, “Election Night with Brian Williams,” the company appears to be exploring new opportunities in the media landscape.
The special, hosted by former NBC correspondent Brian Williams, was available to all viewers, including those without an Amazon Prime Video membership. According to Variety, the broadcast attracted approximately 4 million viewers, signaling strong interest in Amazon’s live news content.
While Amazon explores a potential news outlet, other media companies have faced challenges. Paramount Global laid off 2,000 employees from CBS News at the end of 2024. Meanwhile, BuzzFeed sold its popular series, “Hot Ones,” as part of a cost-reduction process. BuzzFeed announced that it cut over $150 million in debt by the end of 2023.
News wouldn’t be Amazon Prime Video’s only major endeavor. The platform holds an exclusive contract with the NFL to air “Thursday Night Football.” In addition, its new competition series, “Beast Games,” hosted by YouTuber MrBeast, showcases 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million prize.
Amazon told Variety its news plans are in early development. The company is reportedly more interested in creating specials tied to major events rather than building a full-fledged news division.
Production underway on $40M Melania Trump documentary from Amazon
Amazon says filming is underway for a $40 million documentary chronicling the life of incoming first lady, Melania Trump. The documentary, due to stream on Prime Video in mid-2025, will reportedly offer an “unprecedented” perspective on her life.
The announcement follows a recent meeting between Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and President-elect Donald Trump at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, which draws attention to their relationship.
Melania is set to serve as the executive producer of her own limited series and the documentary. Hollywood director Brett Ratner, known for the “Rush Hour” movies and Academy Award-winning “The Revenant,” will direct the projects.
Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, has recently faced scrutiny in politics, such as when he halted the newspaper’s planned endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris just days before the 2024 election.
Bezos said presidential endorsements can create a perception of bias and “do nothing to tip the scales of an election.”
Last week, The Post received additional criticism after a cartoonist resigned. The cartoonist claimed her sketch depicting Bezos and other wealthy figures paying tribute to a statue of Trump was rejected. She said she wanted to hold those in power accountable.
Bezos also made headlines last month for pledging a $1 million donation to Trump’s inaugural fund.
Neither the incoming first lady nor the president-elect have publicly commented on the project.
“Next stop launch,” Bezos said in a post on X that also featured a video of a rocket test.
New Glenn is reportedly set to lift off on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.
The first mission is expected to be launching technology related to its Blue Ring program, which is a business venture that reportedly offers spacecraft to the Pentagon.
Project Kuiper involves deploying more than 3,200 low-orbit satellites over roughly a decade to provide global broadband access. Blue Origin is also working on certifying New Glenn with the U.S. Space Force for the National Security Space Launch program.
Amazon to donate $1 million to Trump inauguration fund
Amazon will make a large donation to Trump’s inauguration fund. And more allegations of sexual assault against entertainer Sean “Diddy” Combs. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Dec. 13, 2024.
Amazon to donate $1 million to Trump inauguration fund
Another big tech company has announced a large donation to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund. Amazon confirmed Thursday night, Dec. 12, it is planning to donate $1 million to the fund.
This marks another sign of tech companies working on forming a closer relationship with Trump than they had during his first term in office. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is reportedly set to visit Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida next week.
The Trump and Bezos relationship has been rocky in the past with the president-elect taking issue with reporting in the Washington Post –– another one of Bezos’ companies.
In addition to the $1 million cash donation, various reports indicate Amazon also offered a $1 million in-kind donation to stream the inauguration on its Prime Video service.
Amazon’s move comes a day after Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced a similar donation. Its founder, Mark Zuckerberg visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago just weeks ago.
Both Zuckerberg and Bezos were among the big tech executives to congratulate Trump on his election win in November.
After ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, President-elect Trump spoke with CNBC’s Jim Cramer on the trading room floor about working alongside major tech companies and their leaders during his second administration.
“Mark Zuckerberg’s been over to see me,” Trump said. “I can tell you that Elon [Musk] is another, and Jeff Bezos is coming up next week. I want to get ideas from them. We want them to do well. We want everybody [to do well] and we want great jobs. Fantastic salaries. We want people to love, and when they wake up in the morning, get up and [say,] ‘I love to go to work.’ We want people working and we want them working for a lot of money.”
Despite their strained history, Bezos in recent weeks has changed his tone when it comes to the president-elect. Last week, during a New York Times conference, he said Trump is “calmer than he was the first time and more confident, more settled.”
Inspector general’s probe finds FBI not involved in Jan. 6 attack
A new report released by the Justice Department inspector general Thursday found no federal agents were directly involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The long-awaited report found no evidence undercover FBI employees were among the thousands of Trump supporters who stormed the building.
The report also found 26 confidential informants for the FBI were among the crowd that day, but only three were assigned by the FBI to attend the rally. The report said none of them were directed by the bureau to “break the law” or “encourage others to commit illegal acts.”
One of the confidential human sources assigned by the FBI to be there was among four sources in total who entered the Capitol building that day. The other two assigned by the FBI entered the restricted area around the Capitol.
Republican Congressman Jim Jordan told Fox News, “The FBI had encouraged and tasked confidential human sources to be at the Capitol that day. Four entered the Capitol and weren’t charged, which is not the same treatment that other Americans received.”
The report said the bureau should have done a better job communicating with field offices nationwide before Congress met that day to certify the 2020 election results.
Trump made immigration and immigration enforcement a centerpiece of his 2024 presidential campaign, vowing mass deportations.
New York is the country’s largest sanctuary city and has laws in place limiting how local agencies cooperate with federal deportation efforts.
While the sanctuary city status is determined by the city council, not the mayor, Adams has said he supports a bill to roll back parts of the city’s sanctuary policies.
“We’re going to protect the rights of immigrants in this city that are hardworking, giving back to the city in a real way,” Adams said after his meeting with Homan Thursday. “We’re not going to be a safe haven for those who commit repeated violent crimes against innocent migrants, immigrants and longstanding New Yorkers.”
We are a city of immigrants, and we will always be true to those roots, but we also have to be honest and be clear that our immigration system is broken and a small number of repeat, violent offenders are taking advantage of that broken system. pic.twitter.com/Rp0ZITJNJt
Adams added, “We’re going to tell those who are here, who are law-abiding, to continue to utilize the services that are open to the city, the services that they have a right to utilize: educating their children, health care, public protection and the things that we have long been proud for in doing so. But we will not be a safe haven for those who commit violent acts.”
After the meeting with Adams, Homan sat down for an interview with TV personality Dr. Phil. Homan said he believes the things he and Adams discussed “may save lives.”
“This isn’t going to be neighborhood sweeps and military vehicles going through the city,” Homan told Dr.Phil. “I’m not asking him to be an immigration officer. I’m not asking NYPD to be immigration officers. I want them to be cops that work with cops to take public safety threats off the streets of New York and make New York safer. Migrant crime is sky high here.”
Just days after winning the election, Trump tapped Homan to serve as border czar. Homan is a former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a proponent of tough border policies, such as rounding up and deporting migrants, who are in the country illegally and have committed crimes.
Adams seemed to agree on Thursday, saying, “it’s important to go after those who are committing serious crimes, particularly those dangerous gangs that have come from Venezuela and now we’re finding them on the streets of our country.”
UN: More than 1.1. million Syrians displaced since fall of Assad regime
More than one million people have been displaced since the fall of the Assad regime in Syria less than a week ago, according to the United Nations. It’s also reporting food shortages are now widespread in Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city.
This weekend, Jordan will host a summit including foreign ministers from Western and Arab nations to discuss ways to support a smooth transition of power after rebels ousted the country’s long-time leader in a coup last Sunday, Dec. 8.
It also comes as the U.N. chief has voiced concerns over the country’s sovereignty after Israel launched hundreds of air strikes and deployed ground troops in Syria. Israeli officials claim they’re trying to prevent arms from falling into “the wrong hands” by destroying military installations and weapons sites.
Meanwhile, a man from Missouri reported missing in Hungary has been found in Syria. Missionary Travis Timmerman, 29, was reportedly found walking the streets of Damascus barefoot Thursday after being held in a prison there for several months. You can read Karah Rucker’s full report here.
3 men accuse Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs of sexual assault
There are new accusations against hip hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Three men accused Combs of drugging and raping them during incidents that took place between 2019 and 2022 at a nightclub and ritzy New York hotels.
One of the men has been identified as a former employee of Combs. Their lawyer, who filed the anonymous lawsuits Thursday night, said Combs used his power and wealth to take advantage of them.
The men are seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.
In a statement, Combs attorneys said the claims are full of lies.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. He remains in federal prison in Brooklyn after being denied bail.
Look up! Geminid meteor shower peaks this weekend
Stargazers, it’s the time of the year again to look up for the Geminid meteor shower. The annual December display will light up the night sky as it peaks this weekend.
Unlike most meteor showers which originate from comets, the Geminids come from an asteroid.
NASA said the Geminid is considered one of the best opportunities for young viewers since it starts around 9 or 10 p.m.
To best view the meteor shower, experts said you should find a dark spot and leave the binoculars at home and just watch with the naked eye. NASA said it may take around 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark before you can see the shower, but the show will last hours, and you will have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.
Warner Bros. Discovery, NBA settle with new deal; ‘Inside the NBA’ to ABC: Reports
Warner Brothers Discovery is back in the game when it comes to the NBA. Though the company will no longer be airing games on its TNT network after this season, The Wall Street Journal and other outlets report the two sides have come to an agreement to keep NBA programming in the Warner Bros. family.
The reports said the new deal will settle Warner Brothers Discovery’s breach of contract lawsuit, which it filed against the league after the NBA signed rights deals with Disney’s ESPN, Comcast’s NBC, and Amazon.
This 11-year agreement will see NBA content remain on Warner Bros. Discovery’s digital platforms Bleacher Report and House of Highlights. It also gives Warner Brothers Discovery the right to distribute games overseas in places such as northern Europe and parts of Latin America, excluding Mexico and Brazil.
Reports said Warner Brothers Discovery also struck a deal with Disney to license its popular TNT show “Inside the NBA,” featuring former-players-turned-commentators Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley starting next season. The show will air throughout the season on ABC and ESPN.
The deals are expected to be officially announced this week.
Amazon is shifting Freevee’s content under its Prime Video platform. The streaming service, which is included with a Prime membership, started showing ads by default in January.
Freevee originally launched in 2019 under the IMDB brand, switching from being called Freedive to IMDB TV a few months later. In 2022, the service was renamed to Freevee.
To deliver a simpler viewing experience for customers, we have decided to phase out Freevee branding.
Amazon Spokesperson
At that time, Amazon said Freevee’s monthly user base had tripled in 2020 to 65 million people.
Along with streaming hundreds of live FAST channels, Freevee had its share of original programming including the Emmy-nominated reality comedy “Jury Duty.”
“To deliver a simpler viewing experience for customers, we have decided to phase out Freevee branding,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline. “There will be no change to the content available for Prime members, and a vast offering of free streaming content will still be accessible for non-Prime members.”
Freevee is leaving a growing division of the streaming industry known as FAST platforms, which include Fox’s Tubi, Paramount’s Pluto TV and the Roku Channel.
According to Nielsen ratings from February 2024, those three FAST platforms alone account for nearly 4% of total TV use. Digital TV Research forecasts global FAST revenue will reach $17 billion in 2029, up from $8 billion last year.
Amazon faces challenges in AI race amid growing competition
Amazon is working to regain its position in the rapidly advancing artificial intelligence landscape as it faces increasing competition from tech giants like Microsoft, Google and OpenAI. While Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant once dominated the market, the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT has reshaped the AI race, leaving the company working to catch up.
Amazon’s AI team has focused on developing large language models and generative AI technology to enhance Alexa and other products. However, the company’s efforts have encountered significant challenges.
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Delays in development, shifting priorities, and tight timelines have slowed progress. As new AI models were integrated into Alexa, the assistant became less reliable for basic tasks, like turning on lights, which it once performed with over 90% accuracy.
Amazon remains optimistic, expecting AI to drive significant revenue growth in the coming years, particularly through its cloud services.
The company has also invested in partnerships and AI startups to bolster its capabilities. Despite these efforts, competitors like Google and Apple have introduced advanced AI assistants, intensifying the pressure on Amazon to innovate.
Amazon is set to reveal an upgraded version of Alexa as early as October, with new conversational abilities and enhanced functionality. However, questions remain about whether the company can close the gap with its rivals in the competitive AI landscape.
MrBeast, Amazon sued for alleged ‘Beast Games’ reality show abuses
A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Amazon and YouTube star MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, by participants of the reality competition show “Beast Games,” citing severe mistreatment and unsafe working conditions. The lawsuit, lodged in Los Angeles Superior Court, involves allegations ranging from insufficient wages and unpaid overtime, to physical injuries and sexual harassment during the show’s production in Las Vegas.
“Beast Games,” designed for Amazon Prime, features contestants engaged in a series of challenges with a chance to win a $5 million prize, marketed as the largest in the history of television and streaming. The show draws on the format that has catapulted MrBeast to internet fame, involving high-stakes stunts and substantial rewards.
According to the lawsuit, the production allegedly failed to meet basic care standards for participants, some of whom were hospitalized due to the show’s extreme physical demands.
The complaint further alleges that the show’s environment perpetuated sexism and allowed sexual harassment to occur unchecked, particularly affecting female contestants. Specific details of these incidents remain under wraps due to confidentiality agreements.
The plaintiffs also claim they were deceived about their odds of winning the grand prize and were compelled to cover their own travel expenses without reimbursement. Moreover, the lawsuit accuses the defendants of providing false information to the State of Nevada to secure unearned tax benefits.
The lawsuit is seeking class-action status to represent all Beast Games contestants, demanding that Amazon and MrBeast’s company cover unpaid wages and other expenses. It also seeks unspecified punitive damages. As of the latest updates, representatives for MrBeast and Amazon have not responded to media inquiries for comments.
In sign of willingness to collaborate, Amazon makes AI changes to Alexa
Amazon’s Alexa is getting an upgrade as reported on Friday, Aug. 30, by Reuters. With the artificial intelligence race still in full swing, the latest move may be a signal that the online retailer is willing to collaborate more to win the competition.
The new Alexa will be released in October and will largely be powered by Anthropic’s Claude AI chatbot. The decision to go with a startup company’s AI technology instead of Amazon’s internal technology comes after in-house AI at Amazon reportedly experienced delayed responses.
The CEO of Anthropic, Dario Amodei, has spoken in the past about why a partnership with Amazon works for both companies.
“Anthropic is a company that focuses on producing AI,” Amodei said. “These other companies that are partnering with the cloud providers, provides something that’s complimentary to us in an economic sense.”
However, the new Alexa isn’t free like the current version, it will cost users $5 to $10 a month. The current Alexa can set alarms, play music and answer simple questions, but Amazon also wanted its users to shop through the device, which hasn’t worked so well in the past as the company failed to make a profit on the idea.
The new version dubbed “Remarkable Alexa” is hoping to change those fortunes, designed in part to inquire about purchases, like which clothes to buy for a vacation. Amazon envisions it as a home “automation hub,” remembering a person’s preferences and acting on them.
Examples include recording a user’s favorite shows or setting their alarms, even if they forget. The company said answers to questions will also evolve as the technology builds on prior conversations with the user.
Amazon invested $4 billion in Anthropic after the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT left Big Tech companies scrambling for better AI software. Analysts predict 10% of around 100 million active Alexa users will opt for the paid version, which would bring in at least $600 million in annual sales.
The new Alexa is expected to be unveiled at Amazon’s annual devices and services event, which is typically held in September.
