Actress America Ferrera praised Hollywood's push for diversity‚ particularly in relation to race‚ in an acceptance speech for an award at the 2024 Critics Choice Awards.The "Barbie" actress was the eighth to receive the "SeeHer Award‚" which was sponsored by a conglomerate of brands with the stated mission of increasing the "representation and accurate portrayal of all women and girls in marketing‚ media‚ and entertainment.""Thank you so much to the Critics Choice Association! Your powerful voices shape how people think about and value the stories we tell. I'm deeply thankful to you for this honor‚" the 39-year-old began‚ before diving into what she felt was the importance of seeing specific races in cinema."Receiving [this award] for my contributions to more authentic portrayals of women and girls is so incredibly meaningful to me because I grew up as a first generation Honduran-American girl in love with TV‚ film‚ and theater‚ who desperately wanted to be a part of a storytelling legacy that I could not see myself reflected in‚" she continued. Ferrera then added that although she could relate to characters she saw on-screen‚ it was more important to her that they share the same ethnicity."Of course‚ I could feel myself in characters who were strong and complex‚ but these characters rarely‚ if ever‚ looked like me‚" she explained. "I yearned to see people like myself on screen as full humans. When I started working over 20 years ago‚ it seemed impossible that anyone could make a career portraying fully dimensional Latina characters‚" she added.The actress then praised Hollywood for being "daring" enough to write content specific to her race."But because of writers‚ directors‚ producers‚ and executives who were daring enough to rewrite outdated stories and to challenge deeply entrenched biases‚ I and some of my beloved Latina colleagues have been supremely blessed to bring to life some fierce and fantastic women. ... Because of that we had the chance to bring through some deeply layered Latina characters. Characters that I could not have seen growing up. But now I can see her‚" Ferrera said‚ seemingly conscious of including the award's tagline.The actress then stated she believes the primary purpose of film and television to be to affirm "humanity" and various identities."To me‚ this is the best and highest use of storytelling: to affirm one another’s full humanity‚ to uphold the truth that we are all worthy of being seen — black‚ brown‚ indigenous‚ Asian‚ trans‚ disabled‚ any body type‚ any gender. We are all worthy of having our lives richly and authentically reflected‚" Ferrera said. I am sobbing. I love America Ferrera so much. — (@) The actress concluded by thanking a number of industry members and even actors like Ryan Gosling — who also starred in the "Barbie" movie — for being "man enough to support women's work."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A driving instructor in California is now in jail and out of a job after he allegedly placed a secret camera inside his vehicle so that he could record himself fondling students during lessons.A little over a year ago‚ Richard Joseph Banks‚ 50‚ began working as a driving instructor for the American Driving School in El Cajon‚ California‚ a city of more than 100‚000 residents about 15 miles east of San Diego. ADS owner Daniel Tackett told KFMB‚ a local CBS affiliate‚ that for much of his time with the company‚ Banks received positive reviews from parents‚ who occasionally even recommended his name to other families.However‚ Tackett claimed he immediately suspended Banks last November after hearing reports that Banks had been molesting some of his underage female students as young as 15.Capt. Mike Holden of the San Diego Police Department‚ which is involved in the investigation‚ painted a harrowing picture of Banks' scheme. According to Holden‚ Banks‚ who is a father‚ secretly installed a recording device inside the vehicle used for driving lessons and angled the device so that it would capture his students' "private areas" as he fondled them."The assaults happened during … driving lessons and while the instructor secretly recorded his young victims‚" Holden said.So far‚ investigators believe that between April and November of last year‚ Banks molested 11 girls‚ though they fear that there may be other victims. Those with information about these or other allegations against Banks are encouraged to contact San Diego PD.Last Thursday‚ Banks was arrested and charged with 32 total counts‚ including six felony counts of using a minor to create obscene material. Other charges include sexual battery and invasion of privacy. He is currently being held without bail at Vista Detention Facility. He is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on Tuesday.ADS owner Tackett‚ who has since fired Banks‚ called the alleged assaults "devastating." "We’ve been doing this for a long time and we take it very seriously so when something like this happens‚ it’s just devastating to us.""We were shocked by the allegations against Joe‚" Tackett also said. "His actions are his alone‚ and they violate the trust and policies of our company and those of the DMV regarding inappropriate behavior. He hasn’t taught any students after SDPD notified us of their investigation. We’ve always encouraged parents to ride on the lessons for observation of our teaching methods. As with all DMV licensed instructors‚ Joe passed a DOJ background check before he was hired."Further reporting from KFMB indicates that Banks was charged for a series of crimes in Texas in the 1990s. The charges against him included commercial burglary‚ forgery‚ and evading arrest. It is unclear whether he was ever convicted or whether those charges appeared in the DOJ background check ADS performed on him.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Biden administration isn’t shy when it comes to boasting about how many jobs it’s created — but maybe it should be. The administration has quietly — and conveniently — deleted 439‚000 jobs from its 2023 job reports. This means that almost a quarter of all jobs added in 2023 didn’t even exist in the first place. Former investment banker Carol Roth cites a saying attributed to Mark Twain in response: “There are three types of lies: lies‚ damn lies‚ and statistics.” “The data is bastardized‚ and I would argue not even relevant to how our country’s economy is run‚” Roth tells Glenn Beck‚ noting that this is all either odd‚ lazy‚ or nefarious. “Those are your three choices‚” she adds. Meanwhile‚ there’s a record-high number of 8.7 million people holding down multiple jobs. “Those are things that would make you scratch your head and say‚ ‘That’s moving in the wrong direction‚’” Roth says. While government jobs make up much of the recent hiring‚ Roth says it's “not sustainable.” “Those don’t have the same level of productivity because they are paid for by our tax dollars and or the printing of money‚” Roth explains. According to Glenn‚ 216‚000 jobs were added in December‚ and 52‚000 of those were government jobs. “Which brought us to an all-time high of 23 million employees for the federal government‚” Glenn says‚ shocked. “It’s an astounding‚ astounding number.” Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling‚ thought-provoking analysis‚ and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

Dawnwalker is the stunning new RPG from ex-Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 developers now at Rebel Wolves‚ a freshly formed studio made up of CD Projekt Red's prior masterminds. While we previously knew to expect some sort of dark fantasy experience from the team‚ we've only just learned that the RPG is called Dawnwalker and have also finally received our first look at the hotly anticipated project. Continue reading Ex Cyberpunk 2077 and Witcher 3 devs reveal new RPG‚ Dawnwalker MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best fantasy games‚ Best RPGs‚ Best story games

Follow along for live updates‚ analysis‚ and on-the-scene coverage from the NR team.

James Madison High School was closed so that migrants could sleep in the school gym during a winter storm.

No injuries or significant damage was reported‚ and the ship sailed on under its own power.

HOT GUN Part Deux: Madison Marsh Wins Miss America 2024

In Alan Wake 2‚ in addition to the story and missions‚ there are also some hidden items for you to find throughout each area. These collectibles serve a purpose‚ whether it's to enhance your game play or allow you to make upgrades. The hidden collectibles found in each area may include various charms‚ the Koskela brother commercials‚ and lunch boxes.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The blood oxygen feature is about to disappear from new Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 devices. While Apple itself has not released a statement or responded to our request for comment‚ both Bloomberg and 9to5Mac are reporting that the feature will be going away and that US Customs and Border Protection has approved the measure‚ which would allow Apple to consider selling both products after their sale was banned last year. The Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 were both banned in the US late last year as the result of a patent dispute with medical device maker Masimo. The International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled that the blood oxygen sensors in both devices infringed on patents from Masimo. Apple pulled the Watch Series 9... Continue reading…