USA Update

SPORTY Prince William tries his hand at American football — in a casual suit and new white trainers.

Dad-of-three Wills, 42, practised throwing, passing and catching drills in the pristine £95 Russell & Bromley sneakers.

Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

Prince William tries his hand at American football — in a casual suit and new white trainers[/caption]

AFP

Wills practised throwing, passing and catching drills in the pristine £95 Russell & Bromley sneakers[/caption]

Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

He looked a natural at the community event organised by the NFL Foundation[/caption]

The bearded royal looked a natural at the community event organised by the NFL Foundation, a charity helping youngsters in deprived areas.

His skills at NFL Flag — a non-contact version of the sport — impressed spectators and fellow players in Kennington, South London.

Former Welsh rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit, who recently switched to NFL, said: “He can throw the ball better than me.

“He can get a good spiral on the ball as well. I can’t!”

GB women’s flag football team captain Phoebe Schecter added: “His arm strength is incredible.

“I could not believe how far he could throw the ball. He did a great job.”

Wills was given three small balls to take home for Princes George, 11, and Louis, six, and nine-year-old Princess Charlotte — and a full-size one for himself.

He joked: “Never go home empty handed. Great motto!

“I’ll do some practice at home and see how many windows I can smash.”

The Princess of Wales posted a touching message online yesterday to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week.

Kate, 42, sent “love, strength and hope” to those who have faced the “devastation” of losing an infant, along with a picture of a candle.

A NEW book about the Iranian Embassy siege of 1980 makes ­compelling reading.

Six terrorists stormed the building in central London and took 26 staff hostage for almost a week before then-PM ­Margaret Thatcher finally gave orders for the SAS to go in.

Hulton Archive - Getty

The Iranian Embassy siege of 1980, where the SAS were sent in after six terrorists stormed the building and took 26 staff hostage[/caption]

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General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith said the SAS ‘don’t believe the MoD is able to stand up for them’[/caption]

What followed was a scene of chaos amid the thick smoke of fire and CS gas as the elite soldiers had to make split-second judgments between innocents and terrorists.

“British!” shouted the embassy’s ­maintenance man Ron Morris.

“Diplomat,” cried Dr Ali Afrouz, the Iranian charge d’affaires, before pointing out that two others claiming to be ­“students” were in fact gunmen.

Wisely, the SAS hog-tied everyone face down on the grass outside before they set about the task of differentiating embassy staff from the terrorists demanding the independence of Khuzestan, a region in southern Iran.

Her cheek pressed to the ground, embassy secretary Nooshin ­Hash- emenian sobbed: “That was fantastic. I think we have just been rescued by one of the finest anti-terrorist squads in the world.”

Indeed. So how shameful to learn that, 44 years later, our elite troops have lost faith in the ability of those in charge to protect them from legal witch-hunts brought under human rights law.

Murky corners

Today, the SAS is facing multiple legal probes into secret missions carried out in Syria, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan.

In other words, those who don’t put their lives on the line for others arguing the legal toss about what should and should not go on in the adrenalin-fuelled heat of war.

Do mistakes get made? Of course they do. But better that than being a hostage and your potential rescuers feeling too wary of legal repercussions to storm in and save you.

General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, a former boss of the Special Air Services, says of the unit: “They don’t believe the MoD is able to stand up for them, which is a corrosive and toxic mix hardly conducive to morale and military effectiveness.”

He adds that the NCND (neither conform nor deny) policy of Defence chiefs “doesn’t cut it with people risking their lives.

“No one thinks it’s their problem other than the ­soldier standing in extreme danger at the tip of the spear.”

In 1980, the SAS soldiers who shot dead five of the terrorists faced accusations that they had unnecessarily killed two of them, but an investigation cleared them of any wrongdoing.

One terrorist survived, served 27 years of a life sentence for manslaughter, and now lives in the UK.

Two of the soldiers involved say now that, in such high-stakes ­circumstances, it’s “kill or be killed” and, “if you shoot them, you better kill them.

“A wounded animal is always more dangerous than a dead one.”

That’s why it’s so important that Ben Macintyre’s book The Siege has shone a rare light into the terrifyingly murky ­corners of what these elite soldiers face when they enter life-or-death situations at the behest of those in power.

In another excerpt, one soldier recalls evacuating distressed hostages down the embassy stairs before realising that one of them was a possible terrorist.

“He’s got a grenade,” someone yelled, and all hell broke loose. Four of the ­rescuers opened fire and killed him before finding the weapon on the fourth step, the pin thankfully still in it.

That’s the high-octane reality of the split decisions the SAS has to make ­during its secret operations.

So let’s not turn Who Dares Wins into Who Dares Gets Prosecuted.

Bikini boost for Amanda after epic bike ride

Alamy

Amanda Holden raised £370k on a 250-mile charity bike ride from Cornwall to London[/caption]

Lipsy

Amanda will now look even better in a bikini than she does already.[/caption]

CONGRATULATIONS to Amanda Holden for raising £370k on a 250-mile charity bike ride from Cornwall to London.

Having done three, 350-mile slogs in aid of Help for Heroes over the years, I know only too well the pain of ­aching muscles and inner leg chafing.

But the upside is that I was the fittest and most toned I had ever been (note use of past tense).

Meaning Amanda will now look even better in a bikini than she does already.

Tom’s a lesson to BoJo

Alamy

Actor Tom Cruise and his determination to keep the cameras rolling through the pandemic helped plough millions into the British economy[/caption]

ANGLOPHILE Tom Cruise is reportedly returning to the US after five years of filming Mission Impossibles here.

His determination to keep the cameras rolling through the pandemic helped plough millions into the British economy, and who can forget the leaked audio when he saw crew members breach Covid rules?

“We are creating thousands of jobs, you motherfers . . . we are not shutting this fing movie down. Is that understood? If I see it again, you’re f***ing gone,” he raged.

They listened, and both movies made it to fruition.

Compare and contrast this passionate outburst to former PM Boris Johnson’s attitude towards Partygate.

Ok, so he didn’t eat the birthday cake, but he still fails to understand how those kept apart from their dying loved ones during lockdown were angered by reports of social gatherings at Downing Street on his watch.

It’s irrelevant whether he attended any or not.

The fact remains that if he’d shown even a smidgen of Cruise’s control over the workplace he was purportedly in charge of, staff might have listened and behaved themselves.

Killers’ siblings lacking

AP

COLD-BLOODED killer Virginia McCullough ­murdered both her parents and spent the next four years spending their pension money while their bodies lay decomposing at home.

Now jailed for life, her crimes only came to light when the couple’s GP raised concerns over missed appointments.

McCullough’s siblings – granted anonymity by the judge – said they had been left “devastated and bereft” at the deaths.

They added: “We have been cruelly robbed of more loving memories and bonds with our mum and dad for years to come.”

Yes, their sister Virginia is 100 per cent the villain of the piece, but am I alone in finding it curious that, if the bonds were so strong, none of them felt compelled to visit and, if necessary, kick the door down to try to see their parents?

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FOREIGN Secretary David Lammy travelled to Luxembourg to meet 27 of his European counterparts.

In a joint statement with the EU’s ­Foreign Affairs boss Josep Borrell, he said: “Our message and our actions have greater force when we speak with one voice.”

Hmmm. As long as that voice isn’t French or German.

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AN investigation has been launched after a prankster secretly recorded ­Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag’s team talks in the ­dressing room at an Aston Villa match.

Apparently, his in­struc­tion to the players “can clearly be heard”.
One assumes that “get a goal” and “stop a goal” about sums it up.
Have I missed anything?

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ACCORDING to influential British pollster Lord Ashcroft, the challenge for US VP Kamala Harris is not to define herself before the presidential election on November 5, but to avoid doing so.

He says: “This strategic ambiguity means that moderates who thought Biden was too old and don’t want a return to the Trump circus can cling to the hope that she represents experience and continuity; younger voters fed up with what they see as the compromises of the Biden years can project on to her their hope for something more radical.”

In other words, the same pre-election ambiguity adopted by Sir Keir Starmer.

And look how that’s turning out.

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PRINCE WILLIAM met movie director Paul Greengrass last week and pleaded with him to “make another Bourne”.

And unlike his younger brother when he met a Disney exec, he thankfully didn’t ask him to give his wife a job.

JINGER Duggar has shared the emotional moment she announced her pregnancy during a hot tub dip in LA.

Counting On star Jinger, 30, opened up with fans in a YouTube video on Tuesday, revealing how she revealed the news to her mom Michelle and her sisters.

YouTube / Jinger & Jeremy Vuolo

YouTube / Jinger & Jeremy Vuolo

She opened up with fans in a YouTube video on Tuesday[/caption]

She explained in the video how they’d all been in town for Jana‘s bachelorette party ahead of her wedding to Stephen Wissmann – which took place in August.

The reality star said: “When we were in Santa Barbara on one of those evenings, all the girls were getting in the hot tub, and they were like, ‘OK, we are going to find out who is pregnant based on who doesn’t get in the hot tub.’ I just totally ignored that comment.”

Jinger revealed that she had been trying to find the right moment throughout the day but ultimately decided to wait until the evening.

A clip from the video, which began with her gawking at a positive pregnancy test, showed Jinger addressing the group while they were in the hot tub.

She said: “I don’t know if I should get in. I don’t think I’m supposed to get in if I have a baby in my tummy.”

The revelation left her sisters, including Joy-Anna, Jessa, Jennifer and Johanna, as well as her sister-in-law Abbie, gasping in surprise.

Jinger explained that she was “very early” in her pregnancy and hesitated to share the news due to a past experience.

She confessed: “I was debating whether or not to tell you guys because last time I told you, you know, things didn’t go so well,” referring to a pregnancy loss she experienced before welcoming her second child with her husband Jeremy Vuolo.

The couple, who married in 2016, are already parents to daughters Felicity, three, and Evangeline, three.

Michelle then approached her daughter to embrace her, seeking confirmation of what she had heard.

She asked “Did you say, ‘I have a baby in my tummy?’ Is that what you said?” I was crunching on my chip and I couldn’t hear. I was like, ‘What?’”

Jinger went on to reveal that the baby is due around March.

She also noted that Jeremy had been encouraging her to share the news sooner.

She said: “He was like, ‘Tell them! Tell them!’ I’m a little nervous, but I’m so excited.”

Reflecting on the experience, Jinger expressed her gratitude for being able to tell her family in person.

She said: “I feel like having them so far across the country, it’s tough at times. You want to invite them into those special moments, but you don’t always get to do it in person.

“A lot of things are on FaceTime, and so it was just really sweet having them there, being able to tell them the special news.”

Jinger and her family shot to fame, having grown up on TV from 19 Kids’ inception in 2008 until Counting On’s cancelation in 2021.

Counting On was axed after sibling Josh Duggar was arrested and charged with child pornography.

YouTube / Jinger & Jeremy Vuolo

She shared the news with her mom Michelle Duggar and her sisters during a hot tub dip[/caption]

YouTube / Jinger & Jeremy Vuolo

They were all delighted with her baby news[/caption]

YouTube / Jinger & Jeremy Vuolo

The Counting On Star began the video posing with her positive pregnancy test[/caption]

Instagram/ Jeremy Vuolo

She’s seen with her husband Jeremy Vuolo[/caption]

Instagram/jingervuolo

They already share two children[/caption]

THE Pittsburgh Steelers have made a shocking decision regarding their starting quarterback.

After a 4-2 start, the Pittsburgh Steelers are set to bench Justin Fields.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are on track to bench Justin Fields for Russell Wilson[/caption]

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Fields has the Steelers sitting at 4-2 after six games as the starter[/caption]

The Steelers found themselves at a quarterback crossroads this offseason, with no one on the roster at the position.

Two-year starter Kenny Pickett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles and backup Mason Rudolph signed with the Tennessee Titans.

In response, the Steelers traded for Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears and signed Russell Wilson after he was cut from the Denver Broncos.

During training camp, Wilson was on track to be the team’s starter, but a calf injury set him back right before the start of the season.

Fields was given the nod because of the injury, and he started the first six games of the season.

However, Wilson is finally healthy and it appears the Steelers are ready to give him the starting job back.

It seems like an odd decision for a Pittsburgh team that has a lot of momentum and is currently tied for first place in the AFC North.

It is also an odd decision because Fields is playing great football to start the season. He has 1,338 total yards, 10 total touchdowns, and only one interceptions.

That yardage total is more than Patrick Mahomes currently has on the Kansas City Chiefs.

Fields is also over 10 years younger than Wilson, and could be a long-term option for the Steelers if they decide to continue rolling with him.

Pittsburgh has not officially made the change at quarterback yet, but head coach Mike Tomlin said it is being considered.

“We’ll see where that leads us,” he said.

“I’ll acknowledge that Russ proved his health last week, and we’re looking hard at him this week. It is up for consideration.”

While the Steelers are considering a quarterback change, fans of the team are adamantly against benching Fields and made their opinions known on social media.

“Just a terrible move. Fields has that team rolling,” one fan said.

“This is so stupid Fields has been playing just fine,” another fan said.

“This is what we call awful coaching,” a third fan said.

“This is so insanely stupid,” a fourth fan said.

“What an absolute joke. Fields has earned it,” a fifth fan said.

The Steelers face off against the New York Jets next, and the starter will likely be announced later in the week.

AP

Fields has more total yards and touchdowns than Patrick Mahomes[/caption]

OZZY Osbourne’s former guitarist Jake E. Lee has been ‘shot multiple times’ while walking his dog, according to reports.

Jake’s rep has said the 67-year-old musician was hit ‘at random’ while in Las Vegas, US, and is receiving treatment in intensive care.

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Musician Jake E. Lee has been shot in Las Vegas, reports claim[/caption]

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Jake performed with Ozzy Osbourne for five years in the 80s[/caption]

Jake performed as Ozzy’s lead guitarist for five years before moving on to several other bands.

His rep told Dailymail.com: “Lee is fully conscious and doing well in an intensive care unit at a Las Vegas hospital.”

Jake is expected to make a full recovery and the incident is said to be under investigation by local police.

The Sun has contacted Jake’s reps for comment.

More follows.

BROOKS Nader and Gleb Savchenko’s steamy romance isn’t just for the Dancing With the Stars cameras as an insider told The U.S. Sun the pair are the ‘real deal.’

After PDA-packed dates in public and getting matching tattoos on a spontaneous late-night outing, their whirlwind relationship is also getting inspiration from Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker’s highly-publicized marriage. 

TheImageDirect.com

Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko were spotted kissing during a date night in LA[/caption]

TikTok/brooksnader

The TikTok star shared a sexy video of her straddling Gleb during rehearsals[/caption]

Kourtney Kardashian/Instagram

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker also often pose in a similar position[/caption]

“Brooks and Gleb have joked they’re the new Travis and Kourtney with their constant PDA, the couples tattoos, and how much people are interested in their relationship,” an insider told The U.S. Sun. 

Kourtney, 45, and Travis, 48, have become known for their inseparable bond and over-the-top public displays of affection, including licking each other in front of their friends and family.

Although they had known each other for years, the famous duo also got together quickly and dated briefly before getting engaged – cementing their place as one of Hollywood’s most-watched couples. 

It seems Gleb is eager to take on that kind of status, the source said: “He loves that they’re the ‘it couple’ at the moment and wants to make it last as long as he can. 

“It’s taken longer for her to adjust to that, but he is loving the attention, and she’s getting more on board with it now because of how much she likes him.”

Brooks and Gleb are now “inseparable whether they’re rehearsing for the show or not.”

“They spend all their free time together with their hands and lips all over each other, doesn’t matter if they’re in public with strangers around or not. 

“It really is constant with those two, so anyone thinking they’re faking it for the show is wrong. It happened so quickly, but they’re both obsessed with each other.”

Tiktok/@ashleysdiary7

Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko were caught kissing backstage of DWTS[/caption]

Instagram/Carson Cunningham

Kourtney Kardashian packs on the PDA with husband Travis Barker after his performance at Barclays Center in Brooklyn[/caption]

TheImageDirect.com

Brooks and Gleb kiss while boarding a private jet in Los Angeles[/caption]

Instagram

Travis Barker kisses wife Kourtney Kardashian as he wished her a happy 44th birthday[/caption]

Brooks, 27, a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, and Gleb, 40, who has been a DWTS regular for over a decade, reportedly started dating just as the show kicked off in September.

Since making their relationship public, they have not shied away from showing off their sizzling chemistry both on the show and off.

On both Gleb and Brooks’ social media, she can be seen straddling his face during one sexy rehearsal.

In another, his hands are all over her toned figure as their faces remain less than an inch apart.

Outside the ballroom, Brooks and Gleb have been caught by cameras while passionately making out and getting handsy with each other.

Last week, they also decided to get matching tattoos after Tuesday’s episode was done filming.

While she is being secretive about what the ink located on her lower right hip is for now, Brooks told E! she even trusted Gleb enough to hold the needle.

“This is my first ever tattoo and ever. I have no tattoos. We got something that’s special to the both of us, and we’re not sharing what it is.

“When something special happens in your life, you need to commemorate it,” she added.

‘STOP MILKING IT!’

While some fans are eager to see if their passion can carry them to the DWTS finals, others wish the producers would stop focusing on their romance and show more of their dancing and work ethic.

“Gleb’s eye-roll and “whatever” pisses me off. Maybe if you stopped milking your showmance and put some effort into teaching her you’d get better scores babes. 

“Brooks could be really good if she had a better partner,” one person wrote after they got a lower score from judge Derek Hough – which results in an eye roll from Gleb.

“Unpopular opinion: the Gleb/Brooks storyline being forced down our throats is kinda irksome,” another said.

“Another night of having to watch Brooks and Gleb’s stupid showmance,” a third wrote.

While one more thinks their season should be done all together, suggesting: “Alright they had their fun. Lets get Brooks and Gleb next.”

Previously, The U.S. Sun reported that their connection was deeper than many realized, as Brooks had “really started to fall for Gleb.” 

“Her friends haven’t seen her this giddy or nervous around a guy before,” the insider said. 

They continued: “They are trying to play it somewhat cool even though it’s out there that they’re a thing now but behind closed doors, they have so much passion.

“But her friends are worried Gleb is just using her. In the past there’s been rumors of him hooking up with his partner. And he does seem so charming and slick.

“Everyone around her is afraid and warning her that after the season ends, so will his interest in her but she isn’t listening to anyone.”

Tonight’s Dancing with the Stars will show each contestant dedicating tonight’s performance to someone special.

They will perform a Salsa to Mi Gente by J Balvin and Willy William, dedicating the routine to Brooks’ sisters.

To help give them a leg up on the competition, a judge will be helping each couple during the week of rehearsals.

Brooks and Gleb were visited by Carrie Ann Inaba – who has been generous with her scores this season.

Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8pm ET on ABC.

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Gleb and Brooks perform during Oscars Night on DWTS[/caption]

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Brooks and Gleb posing on DWTS before their performance[/caption]

MATTHEW STAFFORD received a message of congrats from Erin Andrews after taking the first steps into a new career.

The Los Angeles Rams quarterback has been using his time off to lay the foundations for a future in broadcasting.

GETTY

Matthew Stafford’s playing career is fast coming to an end[/caption]

FOX

But the 36-year-old could transition to analyst work following his recent appearance on Fox’s NFL shows[/caption]

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NFL Network Erin Andrews was blown away by Stafford’s appearance[/caption]

Stafford, 36, appeared on Fox Sports’ ‘NFL Kickoff’ and ‘NFL Sunday’ shows this past weekend.

And the veteran QB showed that he is just as good on the mic as he is delivering ‘The Duke’ into his team-mates’ hands.

Clips of Stafford’s appearances on the shows travelled like wildfire on social media, with American football fans praising how he carried himself on camera.

And veteran presenter Andrews was just one of several viewers to praise Stafford for his efforts.

The NFL Network’s lead presenter said: “You look great. Good job, bud.”

NFL fans also voiced their opinions on social media, with one writing on X: “Waoo just amazing.”

Another said: “Yep I think Matt will be good on TV! Go Dawgs!!!”

And another said: “Aww we love Staff.”

One remarked: “These sports announcers better secure their contracts before Stafford retires.

“This man is a natural. He’s taking someone’s job.

“Well done, Matthew Stafford.”

Another chimed in: “So he’s retiring. They always do guest stops before retirement.”

One stunned viewer said: “Matthew Stafford is awesome!”

Stafford and his Rams team-mates will be back in action on Sunday, travelling to Sin City to take on the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiance Stadium.

WALMART has committed some serious cash to improve its business strategies this year.

The retail giant recently invested a whopping $1.2 billion in crucial benefits for customers as it moves to perfect its operations.

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Walmart has pledged over $1 billion to business operation improvements[/caption]

GETTY

With e-commerce at the forefront of shopping experiences for American consumers today, many brick-and-mortar brands are adapting to keep up with giants like Amazon.

Some experts say Walmart is leading that race, per eTail.

Walmart has been positioning itself as an omnichannel retailer for some time.

Omnichannel refers to a business strategy that seeks to provide a cohesive and comprehensive consumer experience through in-store, mobile, and online shopping, per Oracle.

Walmart+ members get the most out of that approach for an annual fee of $98 per year.

For example, they can shop in-store with ease using their phones and the Scan & Go feature, which allows them to scan all of their items and generate a single barcode before even getting to the checkout area.

They can also head online and order groceries or other merchandise to be dropped off at their house with free delivery and shipping.

WALMART’S WAY

Walmart CEO Doug McMillion promised customers a seamless shopping experience this year and beyond.

“We will be the first to deliver a seamless shopping experience at scale,” McMillion told eTail.

“No matter how you choose to shop with us, through your mobile device, online, in a store, or a combination, it will be fast and easy.”

“There’s a race to do this right, but only Walmart can bring together a dense network of stores, supported by a supply chain and systems like ours, with an emerging set of digital capabilities to win with customers,” he continued.

MOBILE FIRST

One of those digital capabilities includes geo-fencing technology.

The tech, now implemented at all of the chain’s over 4,600 US stores, helps let Walmart stores know when customers arrive at the parking lot to get an online pickup order.

It can detect their loyalty accounts on their phones and gadgets almost instantly.

No matter how you choose to shop with us, through your mobile device, online, in a store, or a combination, it will be fast and easy.

Doug McMillonWalmart US Chief Executive Officer

Additionally, Walmart introduced a wish list feature for customers.

The wish list lets those who want to save favorite items do so at home through the Walmart mobile app or website, and customers in-store to scan them using their phone to add to the list.

McMillion said the company expects the success of the geo-fencing technology and the wish list to only grow as 2024 comes to a close.

“We expect more than 210 million visits to our app in November and December, up from 18 million in 2021,” he noted.

PICKUP PROFITS

All of Walmart’s moves, according to the CEO, are part of its mission in “deepening our digital relationships with out customers.”

That’s happening through multiple avenues, like grocery pickup services, which is now available at over 140 Walmart stores.

McMillion said it’s become a significantly profitable move for the brand.

“We’ve accelerated our expansion of online grocery pickup and we’ve seen that customers who start using online grocery spent nearly 50% more than similar customers who only shop in stores,” he told eTail.

“This is the customer we’re going after. The shopper in our sweet spot who accesses Walmart in multiple ways.”

Walmart also made waves earlier this spring for testing a drone delivery service in Texas.

It was later pulled and reduced to only one area.

The trailblazing Chinese actress, who is in the running for a best supporting actress Oscar nomination (which would mark the first Oscar nom of her career), reflects on her rollercoaster life and career.

The North American studio will continue to operate as a subsidiary of the Japanese media giant under founder/CEO Eric Beckman and president Dave Jesteadt.