Avant même que Star Wars Episode VII : Le Réveil de la Force soit sorti dans nos salles, la suite cherche déjà son méchant pour une sortie prévue fin 2017. Benicio Del Toro est le premier acteur approché pour le rôle.

Lauréat d’un Oscar du meilleur second rôle dans Traffic de Steven Soderbergh en 2001, prix du meilleur interprète masculin au Festival de Cannes 2008 pour Che (du même Soderbergh), Benicio Del Toro était déjà parti dans l’espace l’année dernière en rejoignant la distribution des Gardiens de la Galaxie pour les studios Marvel, dans le rôle du Collectionneur, aux cheveux blonds-platine.

Alors que le comédien portoricain n’est pas certain de revenir dans la suite des aventures de Peter Quill, Groot, Gamora, Drax et Rocket, le site américain The Wrap annonce ce lundi 20 juillet que les studios Disney et Lucasfilm ont, de source sûre, approché Benicio Del Toro pour lui proposer le rôle du méchant dans le prochain Star Wars, réalisé par Rian Johnson (Looper).

==> Star Wars 8 : Rian Johnson dévoile la première scène !

Bien que les producteurs du film n’aient pas encore commenté cette information, la nouvelle se propage à grande vitesse sur la toile. Force est d’admettre le comédien a prouvé ces quinze dernières années qu’il pouvait incarner une très grande variété de rôles, de l’antihéros (The Way of The Gun, Christopher McQuarrie, 2000) à l’Indien d’Amérique souffrant d’un stress post-traumatique (Jimmy P., Arnaud Desplechin, 2013), en passant par la petite frappe (Sin City, Robert Rodriguez, 2005). Fort d’une telle richesse de compositions, il est le candidat idéal pour interpréter un méchant convainquant.

Nul ne sait encore si le rôle qui lui a été offert est celui d’un Seigneur Sith, ou simplement d’une grande figure de l’Empire Galactique, ni même si l’acteur est intéressé par l’offre. Rappelons qu’il avait déjà refusé, il y a quelques années, le rôle de John Harrison dans Star Trek Into Darkness, finalement confié à  Benedict Cumberbatch. Pour patienter, mieux vaut se concentrer sur la sortie du prochain épisode de Star Wars: Le Réveil de la Force le 18 décembre prochain, ainsi que sur le tournage du spin off Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One, en cours dans les studios de Pinewood à Londres.

Pour patienter avant la sortie de Star Wars 7, regardez le making off dévoilé au Comic-Con 2015

Star Wars – MAKING OF "COMIC CON"

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Prince William announced on New Year’s Eve that he will soon launch a multimillion-dollar environmental prize aimed at creating optimism and advancements around climate change solutions.

Kensington Palace shared a video on Instagram announcing the new “Earthshot Prize,” named after the “moonshot” concept inspired by the 1969 moon landing and scientific advancements. The prize will go to five winners each year for the next 10 years starting in 2021, with the goal of finding 50 solutions to major environmental problems over the next decade. The award will include a monetary prize of an undisclosed amount, though it has been described as being millions of dollars.

“Just as the moonshot that John F. Kennedy proposed in the 1960s catalysed new technology such as the MRI scanner and satellite dishes, we want our Earthshot challenges to create a new wave of ambition and innovation around finding ways to help save the planet,” the Earthshot Prize website reads.

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“We face a stark choice: Either we continue as we are and irreparably damage our planet or we remember our unique power as human beings and our continual ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve,” Prince William said in a statement.

The new award comes as scientists warn that man-made global warming is creating rapid climate change that will have devastating results.

The latest U.N. climate report, released in September, painted a dire picture, warning that some ice melt may be irreversible and cause a threatening rise in sea level.

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“This report highlights the urgency of timely, ambitious, coordinated, and enduring action. What’s at stake is the health of ecosystems, wildlife, and importantly the world we leave our children,” said Ko Barrett, vice chairwoman of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and deputy assistant administrator for research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The combination of sea level rise and warming ocean temperatures is also expected to lead to more severe and frequent storms.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad WolfChad WolfDHS to review state laws granting driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants Rapid turnover shapes Trump’s government House Homeland Security rip DHS’s ‘unacceptable’ failure to comply with subpoena MORE on Tuesday called for a departmentwide study of how recent state laws allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses impact federal enforcement capabilities, according to The Associated Press.

Wolf’s memo, which went to agencies including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration, follows a New York law authorizing licenses for undocumented immigrants and restricting data sharing with federal agencies. Similar laws exist in a dozen other states, including New Jersey, which passed a similar measure in December.

Wolf wrote in his memo that the department needed to be “prepared to deal with and counter these impacts as we protect the homeland.” He also asked each recipient to take account of what Department of Motor Vehicles information is already available and of any security consequences their operations could risk without that data, according to the AP.

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“The Trump administration takes the mission of protecting the Homeland very seriously,” DHS spokeswoman Heather Swift told the AP, adding that these types of laws “make it easier for terrorists and criminals to obtain fraudulent documents.”

Approximately 265,000 immigrants in the Empire State, the majority in New York City, are projected to seek licenses under the new law over the next three years, according to the AP, citing research from the Fiscal Policy Institute.

The law still requires applicants to obtain permits and pass road tests. Authorities in states with such laws argue that they will improve traffic safety by reducing the number of uninsured people on the road.

The minimum wage reached or surpassed $15 an hour in 17 localities across the country on New Year’s Day, according to a report by the National Employment Law Project (NELP.)

The House earlier this year passed the Raise the Wage Act, which would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour; however, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar AlexanderAndrew (Lamar) Lamar AlexanderMinimum wage to reach or exceed in 17 localities Republican group to run ads in target states demanding testimony from White House officials in Trump impeachment trial Susan Collins set to play pivotal role in impeachment drama MORE (R-Tenn.) does not plan to advance the bill in the Senate.

In the absence of congressional action, states and cities are taking the lead.

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Beginning this month, 21 states and 26 cities and counties will phase in minimum wage increases or adjust their wage floors to keep pace with the rising cost of living, according to NELP, which hailed the trend as “unprecedented.”

And later this year there will be another round of raises in four states and 23 cities and counties, with 15 localities seeing their minimum wage rise to at least $15 an hour.

The $15 hourly rate previously only applied to businesses with more than 11 employees, but was expanded to all New York City workers on Jan. 1.

Meanwhile, minimum wage in the District of Columbia will also rise to $15 an hour — a one dollar increase from its current level — starting in July.

“We’re seeing an unprecedented number of states, cities and counties raise the minimum wage,” said Yannet Lathrop, a researcher and policy analyst with NELP, who authored the report on minimum wage increases across the country. 

“It shows the incredible momentum that the ‘Fight for $15’ movement has built up. Local communities all around the country strongly support raising the minimum wage, because people see their friends, neighbors, or themselves working hard but not getting ahead,” she said in a statement. “People who work low-wage jobs need and deserve a raise — and companies can afford it. There’s no excuse.”

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Illinois and St. Paul, Minn., will raise their wage floors twice: once in January and again in July.

In seven states the minimum wage will rise due to Consumer Price Index-related cost-of-living adjustments, according to NELP.

In 17 cities and counties, including Redwood and San Mateo, Calif., the wage floor will rise to keep pace with inflation.

The issue of a higher national minimal wage has gained momentum since 2015 when Democrats in Congress unified around a proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $12 an hour in 2020.

Deadly brushfires in Australia have killed at least 18 people and destroyed 200 homes as of Wednesday, according to the BBC.

The latest fires have caused at least seven deaths in New South Wales and another in Victoria, although conditions have eased enough that officials were able to re-open a road in Victoria for two hours to allow people to evacuate. The deaths in New South Wales included a 28-year-old volunteer firefighter whose fire engine was flipped by high winds.

In another affected town, police dropped off 1.6 metric tons of drinking water by boat, according to the outlet.

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Police have also warned residents of Sunbury, Victoria – northwest of Melbourne – to evacuate amid an emergency fire warning. As of Wednesday, smoke was visible from New Zealand’s South Island, more than 1,200 miles away.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that milder temperatures were expected Wednesday and that workers would use that time to work to restore power; however, she also said temperatures were projected to spike again Saturday, according to the BBC.

“At the very least, weather conditions will be at least as bad as what they were yesterday,” she said.

Drought has exacerbated the damage from the fire season, with Australian officials blaming the devastation on climate change, according to MSNBC.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) independent board of science advisers, many of whom were appointed by President TrumpDonald John TrumpGiuliani says he would be willing to testify in impeachment trial Trump expected to announce limited vaping ban this week Linda Ronstadt: Trump is ‘like Hitler, and the Mexicans are the new Jews’ MORE, condemned the agency Tuesday for ignoring important research and the panel’s own advice as the EPA continues with numerous regulatory rollbacks. 

In a series of last-minute recommendations before the end of the year, the Science Advisory Board (SAB) reviewed a number of Trump administration proposals, including those that would scale back Obama-era rules governing pollution in waterways and tailpipe emissions standards. Another would restrict the EPA from using scientific studies that don’t make their underlying data public.

Taken as a whole, the draft reviews offer a sharp critique of the Trump administration EPA, picking apart scientific lapses in a number of signature proposals from the agency, some which have been heralded by the president directly.  

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“It is highly significant that, despite being stonewalled by EPA Administrator Andrew WheelerAndrew WheelerEPA’s independent science board questions underpinnings of numerous agency rollbacks Overnight Energy: 14 states sue EPA over rollback of Obama water rule | DOE to block another lightbulb efficiency rule | Greens cheer climate questions at Dem debate 14 states sue EPA over rollback of Obama-era water rule MORE, the SAB has initiated its own scientific reviews of EPA proposed rules,” said Chris Frey, a former member of the SAB and a professor at North Carolina State University. 

“SAB review is important to assure that regulations are developed based on the best science and not irrespective or instead of science.” 

On the EPA’s controversial rewrite of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, the SAB found the proposal “decreases protection for our nation’s waters and does not support the objective of restoring and maintaining ‘the chemical, physical and biological integrity’ of these waters,’” adding that EPA “offers no comparable body of peer reviewed evidence to support such a departure” from the Obama-era standards.

Critics of the WOTUS rewrite, including 14 states that have filed a lawsuit, have argued that the Trump administration proposal ignores the interconnectivity of water, allowing pollution in smaller tributaries that will go on to contaminate larger sources.

The SAB review largely agreed, saying the agency “neglects established science” on the connectivity between ground water, wetlands and major water bodies. It also cites the danger of excluding irrigation canals from the rule, saying it will increase exposure to pesticides and E. coli. 

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An official for the EPA said that while science may inform the WOTUS rule, “science cannot dictate where to draw the line between federal and state or tribal waters, as those are legal distinctions.”

In a separate review, the board tackles the agency’s “secret science” proposal, which critics say will stop the EPA from using the best available science, excluding even landmark studies that might not be able to make the personal data of subject participants public. The EPA argues it will help the agency focus on science that can be replicated.

The SAB reiterated “concerns about the scientific and technical challenges and feasibility of implementing some requirements,” while other key considerations were “omitted from the proposal or presented without analysis.”

The SAB, a team of more than 40 of the nation’s top scientists, had been pushing the agency to review the measure since it was first introduced. The clash pushed Wheeler to publicly apologize at a June SAB meeting for not better using its scientific advisers.

That left the SAB scrambling to complete a review by the end of the year, the timeframe needed to produce a product before the agency’s rule could be finalized. Critics however, have said that leaves EPA little time to consider the SAB’s advice.

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The EPA defended its proposal Friday, saying “science transparency does not weaken science, quite the contrary.”

The SAB also reviewed a Trump administration proposal that would weaken tailpipe emissions standards for vehicles, another rule that has already led to lawsuits.

“Although the preliminary regulatory analysis is quite extensive, there are significant weaknesses in the scientific analysis of the proposed rule,” the board wrote. “Together the weaknesses lead to implausible results regarding the overall size of the vehicle fleet” on which much of the rule is based.

The draft reports show an appetite within the SAB to challenge EPA decisions, even as the board has undergone tremendous turnover under the Trump administration. That is due in large part to former EPA Administrator Scott PruittEdward (Scott) Scott PruittEPA’s independent science board questions underpinnings of numerous agency rollbacks Overnight Energy: Rate of new endangered species listings falls | EPA approves use of ‘cyanide bombs’ to protect livestock | Watchdog says EPA didn’t conduct required analyses EPA didn’t conduct required analyses of truck engine rule: internal watchdog MORE, who barred appointees from serving on the board if they received agency grants for their research — something he called a conflict of interest.

However, EPA was recently criticized by the Government Accountability Office, which found EPA’s scientific boards had unusually high proportions of industry-tied members. The review also found the EPA did not follow the process for selecting the “best qualified and most appropriate candidates.”

The SAB also criticized another proposal dealing with mercury pollution, saying recommendations “do not seem to have been taken into consideration in the published analysis.”

The EPA stressed that the four reports released by the SAB on Tuesday are drafts that will be formally considered early next year.

“EPA always appreciates and respects the work and advice of the SAB,” an official said. “The final commentary and reports will be developed soon after the public meeting and then sent to the administrator.” 

A possible ban on flavored e-cigarettes appears to be back on the table, as the White House is currently reviewing a new guidance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) began reviewing the guidance from the FDA on Dec. 26. 

The administration finished reviewing an earlier version of the guidance in November, but it was never published. The guidance was quietly removed from the OMB’s regulatory website, and the administration never gave an explanation.

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President TrumpDonald John TrumpSchumer renews call for witnesses to testify in impeachment trial in wake of ‘game changer’ report Tulsi Gabbard: Impeachment has ‘greatly increased the likelihood’ of Trump reelection and GOP retaking House Susan Collins says she’s ‘open’ to calling witnesses in Senate impeachment trial MORE has wavered for months about whether to follow through on a promise to clear the market of every flavor of e-cigarettes except tobacco. He reportedly scrapped the earlier policy after being warned of potential political consequences. 

During a tense meeting at the White House with vaping industry representatives and anti-tobacco advocates in November, Trump signaled he was walking back the long-delayed proposal amid concerns from campaign advisers and pro-vaping groups over job losses.

Outside groups have also argued that flavors are necessary to help adults stop smoking traditional cigarettes. 

Bipartisan lawmakers have been calling on Trump not to completely back down from his pledge to ban flavors, but legislation from vaping critic Sen. Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyTrump vaping ban could be back on the table Republicans came to the table on climate this year The most expensive congressional races of the last decade MORE (R-Utah) that would have banned e-cigarette flavors and apply taxes to the devices was not included in the year-end funding bill.

It’s not clear what restrictions the new guidance contains. Administration officials have hinted that certain flavors such as mint and menthol could be exempt from any potential ban, as could sales at independent vape shops. 

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

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A federal strategy for defending the U.S. government against cyberattacks is one step closer to completion, with lawmakers saying they have a draft form that could be finalized as early as March.

The report has been in the works since 2018 after the National Defense Authorization Act created a commission, consisting of lawmakers and industry leaders, to draw up recommendations.

Rep. Mike GallagherMichael (Mike) John GallagherLawmakers close to finalizing federal strategy to defend against cyberattacks GOP Congressman: Impeachment reactions and should the U.S. stop doing business with China? House Republican on impeachment vote: ‘I hope cooler heads will prevail in the future’ MORE (R-Wis.), co-chairman of the commission, told The Hill that the commission had recently put together a draft version.

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“Over the holiday we will have a few weeks to dig into the draft text, and there are a few issues we are working through, but we feel good,” Gallagher said on Dec. 19. “We had a meeting this week, an additional meeting, and it was a really robust debate, and so I think we’re getting there.”

The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law by President TrumpDonald John TrumpFive environmental fights to watch in 2020 Lawmakers close to finalizing federal strategy to defend against cyberattacks The 7 big Supreme Court cases to watch in 2020 MORE last month, extended the initial deadline for the commission to produce the report to April 30.

Rep. Jim LangevinJames (Jim) R. LangevinLawmakers close to finalizing federal strategy to defend against cyberattacks Hillicon Valley: Spending deal includes 5M for election security | House passes bill to bar use of funds for Huawei | Top White House telecom advisor steps down Hillicon Valley: Commerce extends Huawei waiver | Senate Dems unveil privacy bill priorities | House funding measure extends surveillance program | Trump to tour Apple factory | GOP bill would restrict US data going to China MORE (D-R.I.), another member of the commission, told The Hill that the commission would likely publish the report before the new deadline.

“We will get our work done certainly before then. It could well be as early as March,” Langevin said on Dec. 19. “We are coming to a place where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

“I like the direction we are heading in right now. It’s going to be a very overarching document on how best to protect the country in cyberspace,” Langevin said, adding that the recommendations will be a “big priority” in 2020.

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Threats to the U.S. in cyberspace have grown significantly over the past decade. In the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment compiled by former Director of National Intelligence Dan CoatsDaniel (Dan) Ray CoatsLawmakers close to finalizing federal strategy to defend against cyberattacks McCarthy recommends Collins, Ratcliffe, Jordan to represent Trump in Senate impeachment trial Former US intel official says Trump would often push back in briefings MORE, “cyber” topped the list of major global threats.

Coats noted that while Russia and China “pose the greatest espionage and cyber attack threats,” other countries “will increasingly build and integrate cyber espionage, attack, and influence capabilities into their efforts to influence U.S. policies and advance their own national security interests.”

Another major cyber threat that has grown in the past year is that of ransomware attacks, where an attacker encrypts the victim’s system and demands a ransom to unlock it.

Numerous school districts and city governments across the U.S. were hit by ransomware attacks in 2019, severely impacting operations in places such as Baltimore and New Orleans.

While the forthcoming cyber report will focus on protecting the federal government, commission co-chairman Sen. Angus KingAngus KingLawmakers close to finalizing federal strategy to defend against cyberattacks Navy proposes construction cutbacks, ship retirements, curtailing fleet goal Saudi sentencing in Khashoggi killing draws criticism — except from White House MORE (I-Maine) said he hopes the report’s recommendations will prove useful for states and municipalities as well.

“The federal government can’t provide support for every institution in America that is subject to ransomware. They’ve got to protect themselves. But we can provide guidance, a template, information, and I think that’s the direction we are moving,” King told reporters last month.

Gallagher and King have said the report will be a road map for the challenges ahead, not a backward-looking analysis.

“The recommendations this commission will issue in the spring of 2020 will be forward looking and prescriptive, rather than a snapshot report that sits on a shelf,” Gallagher and King wrote in an August opinion piece for Lawfare.

“The commission will advocate for the implementation of these recommendations so that the U.S. follows through on changing the strategic environment in cyberspace, which currently threatens the long-term security and prosperity of the United States,” they added.

Other commission members include Sen. Ben SasseBenjamin (Ben) Eric SasseLawmakers close to finalizing federal strategy to defend against cyberattacks Senators zero in on shadowy court at center of IG report Live coverage: DOJ inspector general testifies on Capitol Hill MORE (R-Neb.), former Rep. Patrick MurphyPatrick Erin MurphyBipartisan panel to issue recommendations for defending US against cyberattacks early next year First Iraq vet to serve in Congress endorses Buttigieg Sen King, Rep Gallagher to chair bipartisan commission to defend US in cyberspace MORE (D-Pa.), FBI Director Christopher Wray and acting Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist.

Another commission member, Suzanne Spaulding, former under secretary at what’s now the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at the Department of Homeland Security, said at a conference this past year that she envisioned the report covering everything “short of war.”

Approximately 2,300 Google cafeteria workers who serve meals to employees in the San Francisco Bay area have unionized, claiming they are overworked and underpaid, Vox Recode reported Tuesday.

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Dishwashers and food preparers who serve Google employees all three meals, including at the headquarters, voted to form a union after a two-year push, a source involved with the campaign told Recode. An arbitrator recognized a vote in support of the union on Nov. 20, creating one of the largest at a single major tech company.

These workers’ salaries begin at around $35,000, and they do not receive the same benefits as full-time Google employees, a source told Recode, which could further intensify economic inequality in Silicon Valley. 

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“We’re fed up and want change because at one of the richest companies in the world, we’re being overworked and underpaid,” the source involved told Recode. “The disrespect from management is just adding insult to injury.” 

The local chapter of Unite Here, which represents 300,000 workers in the service industry, helped the workers organize, Recode reported. 

Google contracts the workers through the company Compass Group, which the source said is in contract negotiations with the union.

A spokesperson for Compass Group told Recode that all of the company’s associates have the right to decide whether to be represented by labor organization.

“If they do, Compass Group will meet with the union and engage in good faith bargaining with the goal of achieving a mutually satisfactory agreement as we have done at Google Mountain View,” the spokesperson said. 

A Google spokesperson told The Hill that the company will continue to work with Compass Group.

“We work with lots of partners, many of which have unionized workforces and many of which don’t,” the spokesperson said.

Sen. Cory BookerCory Anthony BookerBiden maintains national lead after December debate: poll Booker eyes improvements to long-term care in new 2020 plan The right whale is facing extinction — we must act now MORE (D-N.J.) unveiled a plan on Monday to expand eligibility for long-term services for low- and middle-income Americans 

“No one should have to impoverish themselves or quit their job in order to get the care they need or secure care for a loved one,” he said on his campaign web site.

The New Jersey senator said in his proposal that he wants to increase asset limits for long-term services and support to $200,000 and income limits to 300 percent of the federal poverty line, “ensuring that all low- and middle-income seniors and people with disabilities have access to services through Medicaid.”

The plan would also ensure home care workers get paid at least $15 per hour and have access to affordable health care, retirement benefits, paid family and medical leave, and other workplace benefits.

Booker also said his plan would increase Medicaid funding for direct care workers in publicly funded programs.

The plan would also compensate family caregivers through an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit.