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A28 u.s. news
Diahuebs 8 OctOber 2020

Texas grand jury indicts Netflix for promotion of ‘Cuties’

(AP) — A Texas grand jury has was probable cause to believe it was
indicted streaming giant Netflix criminal,” Lucas Babin said in the re-
for promoting French film “Mi- lease. “If such material is distributed
gnonnes,” or “Cuties,” which the on a grand scale, isn’t the need to
court says depicts lewd visuals of prosecute more, not less?”
children.
Thomas Leatherbury, director of the
The movie received backlash before First Amendment clinic at South-
its release because of a movie poster ern Methodist University, called the
that went viral for its provocative indictment an “unusual test case”
depiction of its young female actors. and said it’s “troubling” when there
The criticism continued after its re- is a “criminal charge related to First
lease in September, including outrage Amendment activity, particularly ex-
from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas pressive activity, like a movie.”
and other politicians, who called for In Texas, a company convicted of a
subscribers to #CancelNetflix. felony can be fined up to $20,000, ac-
The Tyler County grand jury handed cording to the penal code. If the court
down the indictment last month, The finds that the company benefited fi-
Texas Tribune reported. The court described the main character as be- Tyler County District Attorney Lu- nancially from a crime, penalties can
filing claims Netflix knowingly pro- coming “fascinated with a twerking cas Babin, said in a Tuesday press re- increase to twice the amount earned.
moted work that “depicts the lewd dance crew.” lease that the county opted to indict Shannon Edmonds, director of gov-
exhibition of the genitals or pubic The film, which won an award at the Netflix for promoting the film there. ernmental relations for the Texas
area of a clothed or partially clothed Sundance Film Festival, is about an Texas Rangers served a summons to District and County Attorneys As-
child.” 11-year-old Senegalese immigrant Netflix last week, he added. sociation, said it’s unclear, if a court
Netflix did not respond to the news- who joins a dance group. The film’s Lucas Babin is the son of U.S. Rep. determined Netflix made money off
paper’s requests for comment. writer and director, Maïmouna Dou- Brian Babin, who has called the film a crime, whether that would mean
But the streaming service has previ- couré, has said “Cuties” is a critique child pornography. the fine could double the amount
ously apologized for the movie poster of the hypersexualization of young “After hearing about the movie of money earned in Tyler County or
and changed the plot summary that girls. Cuties and watching it, I knew there worldwide.

Busy 2020 hurricane season has Louisiana bracing a 6th time

(AP) — For the sixth time 5,600 people remain in New hardware store in Morgan round of boarding up and were on alert.
in the Atlantic hurricane Orleans hotels because their City, Louisiana, which would planning, said Vermilion "We've had five near misses.
season, people in Louisi- homes are too damaged to be close to the center of the Chamber of Commerce Ex- We need to watch this one
ana are once more fleeing occupy. Trees, roofs and storm's path. ecutive Director Lynn Guil- very, very closely," New Or-
the state's barrier islands other debris left in Laura's "The other ones didn't bother lory. leans Emergency Director
and sailing boats to safe wake still sit by roadsides in me, but this one seems like "I think that the stress is not Collin Arnold said.
harbor while emergency the Lake Charles area waiting we're the target," customer just the stress of the storm Along with getting hit by
officials ramp up com- for pickup even as forecasters Terry Guarisco said as a store this year, it's everything – one Hurricane Laura and escap-
mand centers and consid- warned that Delta could be a employee helped him load thing after another," Guillory ing Hurricane Sally, Louisi-
er ordering evacuations. larger than average storm. his truck with plywood need- said. "Somebody just told me, ana saw heavy flooding June
New Orleans spent a few ed to board up his home. 'You know, we've really had 7 from Tropical Storm Cris-
The storm being watched days last month bracing for In Sulphur, across the Cal- enough.'" tobal. Tropical Storm Beta
Wednesday was Hurricane Hurricane Sally before it casieu River from Lake On Grand Isle, the Starfish prompted tropical storm
Delta, the 25th named storm skirted to the east, making Charles, Ben Reynolds was restaurant planned to stay warnings in mid-September
of the Atlantic's unprecedent- landfall in Alabama on Sept. deciding whether to leave or open until it ran out of food as it slowly crawled up the
ed hurricane season. Fore- 16. stay. He had to use a genera- Wednesday. Restaurant em- northeast Texas coast.
casts placed most of Louisi- Delta is predicted to tor for power for a week after ployee Nicole Fantiny then Tropical Storm Marco looked
ana within Delta's path, with strengthen back into a Cate- Hurricane Laura. planned to join the rush of like it might deliver the first
the latest National Hurricane gory 3 storm after hitting the "It's depressing," Reynolds people leaving the barrier is- half of a hurricane double-
Center estimating landfall in Mexican Yucatan Peninsula said. "It's scary as hell." land, where the COVID-19 blow with Laura, but nearly
the state on Friday. on Wednesday, then weaken By sundown Wednesday, Acy pandemic already devastated dissipated before hitting the
The center's forecasters slightly as it approaches Lou- Cooper planned to have his the tourism industry. state near the mouth of the
warned of winds that could isiana. The National Hur- three shrimp boats locked "The epidemic, the coro- Mississippi River on Aug. 24.
gust well above 100 mph ricane Center forecast an- down and tucked into a Loui- navirus, put a lot of people "I don't really remember all
(160 kph) and up to 11 feet ticipated the storm will come siana bayou for the third time out of work. Now, having to the names," Keith Dunn said
(3.4 meters) of ocean water ashore in a sparsely populated this season. leave once a month for these as he loaded up his crab traps
potentially rushing onshore area between Cameron and "We're not making any mon- storms — it's been taking a as a storm threatened for a
when the storm's center hits Vermilion Bay. ey," Cooper said. "Every time lot," said Fantiny. She tried to fourth time this season in
land. Edwards said President Don- one comes we end up losing quit smoking two weeks ago Theriot, a tiny bayou town
"This season has been relent- ald Trump has agreed to sign a week or two." but gave in and bought a pack just feet above sea level.
less," Louisiana Gov. John a federal emergency declara- Lynn Nguyen, who works at of cigarettes Tuesday as Delta And there are nearly eight
Bel Edwards said, dusting off tion in advance for the state. the TLC Seafood Market in strengthened. weeks of hurricane season
his now common refrain of The Democratic governor Abbeville, said each storm While New Orleans has been left, although forecasters at
2020 - "Prepare for the worst. said he doesn't expect wide- threat forces fisherman to mostly spared by the weath- the National Weather Service
Pray for the best." spread mandatory evacua- spend days pulling hundreds er and found itself outside office in New Orleans noted
So far, Louisiana has seen tions. of crab traps from the water Delta's cone Wednesday, con- in a discussion Tuesday of this
both major strikes and near But Edwards said Wednes- or risk losing them. stant vigilance and months week's forecast that outside
misses. The southwest area day that Delta is moving fast, "It's been a rough year. The as a COVID-19 hot spot of Delta, the skies above the
of the state around Lake so hurricane force winds minute you get your traps have strained a vulnerable Gulf of Mexico look calm.
Charles, which forecasts could reach well inland, and out and get fishing, its time to city still scarred by memo- "Not seeing any signs of any
show is on Delta's current expected heavy rains could pull them out again because ries of 2005's Hurricane Ka- additional tropical weather
trajectory, is still recovering cause flooding. something is brewing out trina. Delta's shifting forecast in the extended which is OK
from an Aug. 27 landfall by Plywood, batteries and rope there," Nguyen said. track likely meant no need with us because we are SO
Category 4 Hurricane Laura. already were flying off the Elsewhere in Abbeville, for a major evacuation, but DONE with Hurricane Sea-
Nearly six weeks later, some shelves at the Tiger Island Wednesday brought another the city's emergency officials son 2020," they wrote.