Mrs. Doubtfire would probably like a word with this Texas school district.

A suburban Dallas school district claimed a state law that references “social transitioning” prompted it to cancel a high school production of Little Shop of Horrors after a female student was cast in the role of Seymour, the nerdy flower shop assistant at the center of the tale.

The teen caught in the middle of the now political drama told NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth she was stunned at the decision.

Ana Mota, who attends South Grand Prairie High School, said she’s played male roles before, noting mixed gender casting in theater dates all the way back to Shakespeare.

“Last year we did Into the Woods, and in Into the Woods I played Jack, who is a male role,” Mota told the station’s Allie Spillyards. “In high school theater there’s sometimes a lack of males; you know, you only have so many people joining theater, and most of those people happen to be female.”

“In Shakespearean theater, there was so much cross-gender casting, you know, males playing females,” the student added.

“In history, just the idea of a female playing a man or a man playing a female has never been something that was like outlandish and crazy to anyone. So, for the district to take that and just sort of warp it… I don’t know, it just doesn’t make sense to me.”

The district issued a statement to the network attempting to explain why it cancelled the show:

The Grand Prairie ISD is conscious of the guidance provided by our leadership in Austin. Our goal is always to comply with not only our own local policies, but also state and federal law.

Recently, a casting decision was made to place a female student in the role of a male character in the school musical. In the musical, a romantic relationship develops between the two main characters.

When District leadership learned of this issue and, in consideration of themes in the musical involving an abusive relationship, a decision was made to pull that production and find something more appropriate.

This decision was made in light of the District’s ongoing effort to ensure its programs remain consistent with Senate Bill 12 and all applicable law.

This course of action does not diminish the accomplishments and the talents of these students. Rather, we want to ensure that we do everything in our power to put them in a position to be successful while adhering to state and federal law.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R) championed 2025’s Senate Bill 12, also known as the “Parents’ Bill of Rights.”

The law included “banning DEI hiring and training, requiring sex education to be ‘opt in,’ prohibiting harmful gender ideology in K–12 schools, enforcing biological sex in sports (‘No boys in girls’ sports’), protecting parents’ rights in directing their child’s upbringing and medical decisions, and refocusing curriculum on core subjects and U.S. founding documents,” according to a governor’s new release.

But it’s unclear how the law applies to a kids’ theater production, Mota’s mom, Nancy Jimenez, told Spillyards.

“The law in itself doesn’t even apply to this situation.

“In this climate that we’re experiencing now, there are a lot of things, a lot laws that they’re attempting to really intimidate us and push us towards a corner. And I don’t think that is right,” she said.

Mota called the district’s decision censorship.

“Theater is truth, and people who fear truth they often want to trample over it. And that goes for all art forms, you know? And I think just all this censorship and just trying to trample over that is just, it’s wrong, and there needs to be a stop to all of it,” the teen said.

The district did not immediately respond to Mediaite’s request for comment.

Watch above via NBC 5.

The post ‘Theater Is Truth:’ DEI Law Prompts School to Cancel ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ After Girl Lands Male Lead first appeared on Mediaite.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

There’s nothing super about using the term “super intelligence,” according to the “Godfather of AI” — who shredded President Donald Trump in a new interview as a “corrupt, senile felon.”

Geoffrey Hinton — a University of Toronto computer scientist whose work helped lay the groundwork for artificial intelligence — made the stinging criticism of Trump to The Guardian, while also joining the growing chorus of those sounding the alarm on the dangers of the technology.

Trump recently made headlines after declaring the United States would now identify the technology as “super intelligence,” rather than “artificial intelligence.”

Hinton, 78, concurred with recent warnings from tech guru’s like Anthropic’s Dario Amodei who said the pace of AI’s development must slow down.

“I’m trying to convey that there is a really serious possibility of something happening. If, for example, you’re told there was a 10% possibility of a bus crashing, you wouldn’t get on the bus,” he told The Guardian. “The point of giving numbers is to say this is a serious risk. We don’t know how serious, but it’s serious.”

He called Trump “a corrupt, senile felon,” and slammed him for suggesting the artificial intelligence industry could self-regulate:

“I’m sure the oil and asbestos companies would have liked to [regulate themselves] as well,” he said. “Do we think tobacco companies should have been allowed to design the warnings on the packets? So that they could print them in a six-point font, in dark grey on black?”

Trump’s use of “superintelligence” proves he understands “almost nothing” about AI, Hinton added.

“He’s taken a technical term which has a very clear meaning and then reused it,” Hinton said. “Superintelligence means smarter than people, and has been around for at least 20 years. It’s got a very clear meaning. And now he says we’re going to call AI ‘superintelligence’. You can’t make it smarter than people just by calling it smarter than people.”

Hinton said the advancements of artificial intelligence are almost equal to the creation of “alien beings.”

“Now we’re creating alien beings – meaning we’re not the only intelligent beings around. And the reality is, we only have a couple of years to adapt to that,” he said.

The post ‘Godfather of AI’ Shreds Trump in New Interview as ‘Corrupt, Senile Felon’ first appeared on Mediaite.

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Yesterday the MARQ Gen 3 turned up on Garmin's support pages, and today, the company has made it official. Garmin launched its third-generation luxury smartwatch collection, a lineup of six models priced from $2,500 to $3,100. That sure is a lot of money for a watch. Let's take a look at what exactly you get with the new Garmin MARQ Gen 3.

Garmin MARQ® Adventurer (Gen 3)

$2,700.00 at Garmin

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Shop Now

$2,700.00 at Garmin

What to know about the Garmin MARQ Gen 3

The new collection consists of the MARQ Athlete, Adventurer, Aviator, Commander, Golfer and Diver. Across all six, Garmin has moved to larger AMOLED displays, added LTE and satellite connectivity, expanded its mapping, and brought in its latest health and fitness features that I detail in my review of Garmin's other recent release, the Fenix 9 Pro.

The hardware follows the luxury formula the MARQ line is known for. Each watch has a 47 mm Grade 5 titanium case, a sapphire crystal lens, and a ceramic bezel inlay. Each is 15 mm thick and carries a 1.4-inch AMOLED display, up from 1.2 inches on the previous generation.

At the bottom of the range, the MARQ Athlete is the entry point at $2,500. It comes on a silicone strap with VO2 max markings on the bezel, and includes Garmin's full collection of running and training features. The MARQ Adventurer costs $2,700 and pairs an Italian leather strap with a compass bezel. This one is aimed at hiking, navigation and climbing, and includes preloaded ClimbPro information.

And so on: The remaining four models are each built around a specific pursuit, as MARQ variants have been since the line debuted. The MARQ Aviator is the flight-focused model, the MARQ Commander is the tactical one, the MARQ Golfer is built for the course, and the MARQ Diver is the one for the water. Garmin's pricing and strap details for these four sit between the Athlete's $2,500 and the $3,100 top of the range.

What else is new about the Garmin MARQ Gen 3?

In terms of software updates, the biggest addition is embedded inReach connectivity. All six watches support LTE calling, messaging and location sharing without a phone nearby, along with satellite messaging and emergency SOS through Garmin Response. Note: These services require a separate inReach subscription.

Garmin has also added a speaker, a microphone, and an LED flashlight. Other upgrades include the ECG app in supported regions, newer health and recovery metrics, and worldwide TopoActive maps with address search. Storage has jumped from 32GB to 128GB, and battery life reaches up to 18 days in smartwatch mode, or seven days with the always-on display enabled.

How the MARQ compares to non-luxury Garmins

What's most exciting is how these changes bring the MARQ much closer to Garmin's latest high-end sports watches, as opposed to being more of an aesthetic purchase. Previously, MARQ buyers were paying a considerable premium for hardware that lacked some features already available elsewhere in the range. Honestly, the earlier MARQ was, in effect, a fancy-materials version of a watch you could get for less, with fewer capabilities.

Now, the MARQ Gen 3 is finally a watch that tops the Garmin lineup with all the features of a Fenix. And for the first time, the MARQ has pluses the Fenix doesn't, like increased storage and on-device mapping features. The question of whether such premium price Garmin has set is worth it? That's still up for debate.

Garmin says the collection is available now, with broader availability reportedly scheduled for Nov. 5. You can see the full lineup on Garmin's site here.

MS NOW anchor Peter Alexander grilled Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin on Monday about whether or not the Democratic Socialists of America will be a “liability” to the Democratic Party come November.

As the interview wound down, Alexander noted, “I have a ton of questions. Let’s try to get through a few quick ones before I let you go. One, obviously Americans are fed up with Donald Trump, but they’re not exactly glowing in their reviews of Democrats. The polls show 53% unfavorable in their view of Democrats, with 41% having a favorable view. How do you overcome that brand with Democrats? What do you need them to do immediately if they take back Congress to help your chances of moving?”

Martin replied, “We have to deliver, and the reality is, the real… We have to deliver on the promises that we’re making on the campaign trail. Part of that… No, no, no, listen. Hardly any of our candidates are talking about impeachment.”

“What they’re talking about is affordability, making sure that people can afford their lives and actually achieve economic opportunity and build a better life for their family. We’re talking about health care access, making sure, at a time when we see premiums doubling and tripling across the country and people’s health care access disappearing, that we are fighting for health care. And we’re also talking about fixing this corrupt system that only actually benefits the wealthy and the powerful at the expense of the working class. That’s what Democrats are fighting for. And that’s the agenda we’re going to deliver in 24 days once we’re in control,” Martin insisted.

Alexander pressed, “You’re in Idaho; you have more travel to come. You’ve been traveling nonstop. Montana’s Democratic Senate candidate right now, there are calls for her to drop out of this race. Some say she has the potential to act as a spoiler for the independent candidate. She has said, by the way, she’s not going to drop out. Do you believe that she should drop out to help the Democrats try to earn a seat that’s not in Republican hands?”

Martin responded, “Well, listen, I mean, obviously, I’m the chair of the Democratic Party. We support Democrats running up and down the ballot. We’ll let people in Montana decide what’s best for Montanans.”

Alexander continued the fast pace, “Last question: DSA, Democratic Socialists, are an ally or a liability for the Democrats, as you’ve seen the way they’ve been branded, this party’s being branded by Republican opponents?”

Martin replied, “So let me just say, I’ve always taken a big tent approach on how you build a party. That’s why I was successful for all these years in Minnesota. I believe you win through addition, not subtraction. You win by growing your coalition, not shrinking it.”

Alexander cut in, “And sometimes is there a middle, though, when Americans see that–”

“But no, not at all, because that’s where the vast majority of Americans are at. Maybe right in the middle, or a little center left, or a little center right. But it doesn’t mean we can’t bring new voices into the party, right? Of course, we have to keep growing and we have to keep expanding this tent,” Martin doubled down.

Alexander ended it there, “Ken Martin, always a pleasure. Thank you for coming.”

Watch the clip above via MS NOW.

Jason Cohen contributed to this report.

The post ‘How Do You Overcome That?’ MS NOW Host Presses DNC Chair About Democrats’ Unpopularity, DSA first appeared on Mediaite.

All messaging apps should let you schedule texts by default. Sometimes, you need to send a message to a friend or family member, but you don't want them to get it just yet. Maybe they're in a different time zone, and it's too early or late to politely text them; maybe they're in an important meeting, and you don't want their phone sounding or buzzing as a distraction. Either way, a scheduled message can save you: You won't forget to text them later, and they'll get the message whenever you think they should. Win-win.

Of course, this is not a standard feature in all apps yet. Some apps have it, like Telegram or iMessage, and it's a great addition when you need it. Others, like Messenger or WhatsApp, are sorely missing it. While Meta doesn't appear to have any plans to bring scheduled texts to Messenger, it does seem like WhatsApp users are getting the upgrade on the horizon. In fact, you might be able to try it out today.

Scheduling messaging in WhatsApp

As reported by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is currently testing a new feature for users to schedule texts, photos, and videos to send at a later time. At this time, the feature works even when you're offline, so your scheduled messages will still send even if you don't have a wifi or cellular connection. In addition, the feature is not limited to single chats, as so many new messaging features are. You can schedule texts in both one-on-one and group chats, and all scheduled messages are still end-to-end encrypted.

At this time, it looks like Meta is only testing scheduling messages on WhatsApp for Android. The bright side for iPhone users is that this test is quite limited: Only select users are getting the feature at this time—and, while it's no guarantee, you should enroll in the WhatsApp beta if you want a chance at trying it out early. To start, head to WhatsApp's official beta tester page on the Google Play Store. Here, make sure you're logged into your Google Account, then enroll in the beta. Head back to the official WhatsApp Play Store page, and you should have a new update. This is the beta.

Once you're on the WhatsApp beta, you can check if you have the feature like so: Craft a new message in any chat, then tap and hold on the send button. If you have it, WhatsApp will present a pop-up, letting you cycle through a date and time to schedule your message. (You can choose to send the message in as little as 10 minutes, or as long as two weeks.) When you're ready to schedule, you can tap the green schedule button at the bottom of the menu. You can then tap the contact or group name at the top of this window, then tap "Schedule messages" to manage all scheduled texts in that thread.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Volozymyr Zelensky said Donald Trump’s declaration of an “energy ceasefire” between Ukraine and Russia was “news for me.”

Trump made the announcement Sunday, writing, “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

Zelensky told Axios Sunday that he wasn’t consulted about halting attacks on Russia’s energy facilities, “But if Russians agree to an energy ceasefire, Ukraine will agree.”

“If President Trump negotiated it with Putin, please tell us when the ceasefire begins. We are ready, and we will accept it,” Zelensky said.

Axios’s Barak Ravid wrote that “An ‘energy ceasefire’ would be a dramatic diplomatic breakthrough ahead of the winter. It remains unclear if Russia indeed agreed to stop the strikes.”

News of a possible ceasefire follows Trump’s Friday declaration that Putin agreed to bail out the U.S. diesel market.

“I have just concluded a highly successful discussion with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, wherein it was agreed that Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace, another 500,000 Tons during the month of November, and 1,000,000 Tons immediately thereafter. Additionally, based on the condition of their Diesel Refineries, Russia will then deliver, within a short period of time, 3,000,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel,” Trump wrote.

The deal would have dire consequences for Ukraine if the war continues, because it would funnel billions of dollars into Moscow.

Trump is desperate to bring down fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections, where polls put Republicans at a severe disadvantage to keep control of Congress.

At the end of his announcement, Trump assured Americans, “Between our TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz, and this great announcement on Russian Energy, Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST! Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority. This is a very big and important announcement.”

Since Trump announced the energy ceasefire, Russia has struck a power plant in eastern Ukraine, according to ABC News. Zelensky confirmed the attack on a thermal power plant in the city of Kharkiv.

The post Zelensky Dumps Cold Water on Trump’s Claim of a Russia-Ukraine ‘Energy Ceasefire’: ‘News’ to Me! first appeared on Mediaite.

Students walk across the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

CBS New York confirmed it chose not to publish key parts of the text messages sent by the Jane Doe in the Cornell 7 case from their coverage, including a message she sent to one of her alleged rapists saying they should not feel “shame” because it was “our body our choice,” according to a report from The Federalist. 

The Federalist’s Brianna Lyman wrote on Friday the outlets left out another “crucial” section of the same message: where Doe refers to the sex they had as a “gangbang” (which was misspelled in the text message as “gamgbang”).

Here is the full text message below, which was pubished by TMZ:

aw jonathan i really appreciate this text. my memories super clouded too. i think we were all way to [redacted] drunk and high. i’m getting a little heat (pi phi girls ([redacted] and [redacted]) can’t get my name out of their mouth)) but that’s to be expected. but at the end of the day non[e] of the sexual stuff was illegal and honestly I really liked being w u and Matt. so anything anyone has to say about the gamgbang is out of their jurisdiction. I don’t think we should feel any shame for the part. our body our choice asf…

The CBS NY report from Mahsa Saeidi on Sept. 29 mentioned the accuser said she “liked” being with two of the alleged perpetrators, as well as where she said none “of the sexual stuff was illegal.”

A spokesperson for CBS NY told The Federalist Saeidi “reviewed the full text exchange before publishing,” but opted to keep the “our body our choice” part and the reference to a “gangbang” out. The spokesperson said the outlet included a statement from Doe’s attorney and “gave our audience the context necessary to understand why some of those messages may be disputed.”

Similarly, an Oct. 1 New York Times report — which had four journalists on the byline — left out those same key excerpts. It is unclear, however, whether they had reviewed those excerpts prior to publishing their report. The Times report noted they had obtained “detailed filings collected during the private Title IX proceedings — hundreds of pages of emails, text messages, photographs and interviews with Jane Doe, her friends and those she accused.”

The Times did not respond to The Federalist when asked the same questions about parts of the message not being included. A Times spokesperson also did not immediately respond to Mediaite’s request for comment on Sunday.

All of this comes as the alleged gang rape has become a national news story in the last few weeks. The Jane Doe in the case has claimed she was too inebriated to consent to some of the group sex and drug use she participated in back in 2024.

She made her rape claim weeks after texting one of her alleged perpetrators, “At the end of the day non [sic] of the sexual stuff was illegal and honestly I really liked being with u” — which, among other messages, has led to many saying the rape claims are bogus; the local DA declined to pursue charges against the seven men accused, but New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) appointed Letitia James as special prosecutor last week to probe it further.

The accuser also filed a civil complaint against the seven male students, as well as Cornell and the Chi Phi fraternity, in September.

The post CBS NY Confirms it Chose Not to Publish Key Parts of Cornell 7 Texts — Including Jane Doe Saying ‘Our Body Our Choice’ first appeared on Mediaite.