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Film and TV writers — and Michael Eisner — blast Disney for benching Jimmy Kimmel

Film and TV writers — and Michael Eisner — blast Disney for benching Jimmy Kimmel

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NEW YORK — More than 100 members of the Writers Guild of America East and their supporters jammed the sidewalk in front of Walt Disney Co.’s Lower Manhattan headquarters Friday to protest ABC’s decision to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

The late-night program has been dark since Wednesday, when the Disney-owned network announced in a terse statement that it will be “preempted indefinitely.” The move followed decisions by two major owners of ABC affiliates to drop the show because of Kimmel’s remarks about the suspect in the shooting death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

Members of the union, which represents TV and film writers, marched with signs calling the move an attack on free speech and accusing Walt Disney Co. executives of lacking backbone.

Among the messages: “Disney and ABC Capitulation and Censorship,” “Always Be Cowards,” “Absolute Bull— Cowards” and “Disney/ABC Bows to Trump Extortion.” There were chants of “Bring Jimmy back.”

The demonstration reflected anger building in the creative community over Kimmel’s removal, which Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr called for during a podcast interview that aired on Wednesday. read more

Florida-bound Disney Destiny cruise ship leaves shipyard on way to sea trials

Florida-bound Disney Destiny cruise ship leaves shipyard on way to sea trials

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The latest vessel in Disney Cruise Line’s growing fleet left its shipyard home Friday, making the slow 20-mile river trip so it can complete sea trials ahead of a debut from Port Everglades later this year.

Disney Cruise Line's new ship Disney Destiny makes the 20-mile... Disney Cruise Line’s new ship Disney Destiny makes the 20-mile conveyance on the Ems River overnight Friday into Saturday, Sept. 19-20, 2025 as the vessel moved from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany headed for Eemshaven, Netherlands ahead of sea trials. (Courtesy/Disney Cruise Line) Disney Cruise Line's new ship Disney Destiny makes the 20-mile... Disney Cruise Line’s new ship Disney Destiny makes the 20-mile conveyance on the Ems River overnight Friday into Saturday, Sept. 19-20, 2025 as the vessel moved from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany headed for Eemshaven, Netherlands ahead of sea trials. (Courtesy/Disney Cruise Line) Disney Cruise Line's new ship Disney Destiny makes the 20-mile... Disney Cruise Line’s new ship Disney Destiny makes the 20-mile conveyance on the Ems River overnight Friday into Saturday, Sept. 19-20, 2025 as the vessel moved from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany headed for Eemshaven, Netherlands ahead of sea trials. (Courtesy/Disney Cruise Line)

1 of 3 Disney Cruise Line’s new ship Disney Destiny makes the 20-mile conveyance on the Ems River overnight Friday into Saturday, Sept. 19-20, 2025 as the vessel moved from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany headed for Eemshaven, Netherlands ahead of sea trials. (Courtesy/Disney Cruise Line)

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The Disney Destiny, a sister ship to Port Canaveral’s Disney Wish and Disney Treasure, left the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany making its way on the Ems River toward the North Sea.

The inland shipyard requires a tugboat-assisted conveyance of the 1,119-foot-long, 128-foot-wide ship traveling on the river facing in reverse.

A live stream of the conveyance was broadcast by YouTube channel Hamburg Port Live.

The vessel is first headed to Eemshaven, Netherlands, before it heads out for sea trials in the North Sea. The shipyard has a lot of practice getting vessels up the river, traveling at only 3-5 mph over several hours.

In the past, parts of bridges had to be disassembled to allow for a ship’s passing, although Disney Destiny, while the largest in Disney’s fleet along with Treasure and Wish to date, isn’t the biggest transported from Meyer Werft. read more

Citizens Insurance seeing fewer lawsuits from South Florida

Citizens Insurance seeing fewer lawsuits from South Florida

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The share of lawsuits against Citizens Property Insurance Corp. originating from South Florida has declined sharply.

Lawsuits against the so-called insurer of last resort have declined statewide from 6,251 between January and July of 2021 to 3,600 during the same period this year, according to Citizens research.

The percentage of cases filed in state circuit courts against Citizens from Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties declined from 88% in 2020 to 55% during the first seven months of 2025, the research shows.

In addition, the tricounty region was the source of 38% of 1,661 cases sent since 2024 to an arbitration panel that Citizens helps to fund.

And the percentage of notices of intent to litigate against Citizens filed to the Department of Financial Services from the three counties declined from 82% in 2021 to 39% between January and July, Citizens’ figures show.

By comparison, the percentage of lawsuits generated in South Florida remained at about 90% between 2014 and 2022, before the state Legislature enacted reforms in 2022 and 2023 to discourage litigation against insurance companies. read more

NASA selects Blue Origin to take the once-canceled VIPER rover to the moon

NASA selects Blue Origin to take the once-canceled VIPER rover to the moon

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An expensive lunar rover that once had its moon trip canceled has a ride once again.

NASA has selected Blue Origin to help get VIPER, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, to the moon by awarding Jeff Bezos’ company a task order under its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.

VIPER was once supposed to be the primary payload of Astrobotic’s yet-to-fly Griffin lander with a 2023 launch date for under $200 million. But NASA canceled that mission in 2024 after the costs for both the rover construction and adjustments to the Astrobotic contract ballooned to nearly $800 million and the launch date continued to slip.

But now VIPER is back with a ride on Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 robotic lander, which also has yet to fly. NASA’s task order is worth up to $190 million for what would be Blue Origin’s second CLPS contract. The first, also using the MK1 lander is still on the clock to launch to the moon’s south pole with a pair of NASA assets along for the ride later in 2025 on a New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral, according to NASA. read more

Trump to sign proclamation imposing $100K fee for H-1B visa applications, White House official says

Trump to sign proclamation imposing $100K fee for H-1B visa applications, White House official says

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By BARBARA ORTUTAY and SEUNG MIN KIM, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is preparing to sign a proclamation that will require a $100,000 application fee for H-1B visa applications among other changes to the program for highly skilled foreign workers that has come under scrutiny by the administration, according to a White House official.

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The signing could come as early as Friday, the official said. The official was granted anonymity to speak in advance of the proclamation signing. The proposed proclamation was first reported by Bloomberg News. read more