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Director Bill Condon on why he decided to adapt ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’

admin - Latest News - October 10, 2025
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Bill Condon, director and screenwriter of “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” tells NBC News’ Nicole Acevedo why he took a leap of faith and wrote the film on spec, with no guarantee that it would get made.



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Oct. 10, 2025, 1:45 AM EDTBy Kayla SteinbergThousands of U.S.-bound packages shipped by UPS are trapped at hubs across the country, unable to clear the maze of new customs requirements imposed by the Trump administration.As packages flagged for customs issues pile up in UPS warehouses, the company told NBC News it has begun “disposing of” some shipments.Frustrated UPS customers describe waiting for weeks and trying to make sense of scores of conflicting tracking updates from the world’s largest courier.“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Matthew Wasserbach, brokerage manager of Express Customs Clearance, said of the UPS backlog. “It’s totally unprecedented.”Wasserbach’s New York City-based shipping services firm helps clients move shipments through customs. He said the company has seen a spike in inquiries for help with UPS customs clearance.A Boeing 747 operated by UPS on the tarmac at Louisville International Airport in Kentucky during a winter storm on Feb. 3, 2022.Luke Sharrett / Bloomberg via Getty Images fileMore than two dozen people who are waiting for their UPS packages explained the circumstances of their shipments to NBC News.They described shipments of tea, telescopes, luxury glassware, musical instruments and more — some worth tens of thousands of dollars — all in limbo or perhaps gone. Others have deep sentimental value: notebooks, diplomas and even engagement rings.The frustration has exploded online, with customers sharing horror stories on Reddit of missing skin care products, art and collectibles.They are confused and angry, and they want answers.Packages destroyed? “It’s almost impossible to get through to anybody to figure out what is happening,” said Ashley Freberg, who said she is missing several boxes she shipped via UPS from England in September. “Are my packages actually being destroyed or not?”Freberg’s boxes of journals, records and books were shipped on Sept. 18, according to tracking documents she shared with NBC News. Over the next two weeks, she received two separate notifications from UPS that her personal mementos had not cleared customs and as a result had been “disposed of” by UPS.Then, on Oct. 1, a UPS tracking update appeared for her packages, saying they were on the way. The tracking updates Freberg showed NBC News for that shipment revealed it was the most recent update she had received. UPS transport jets wait to be loaded with packages at UPS Worldport in Louisville, Ky., on April 27, 2021.Timothy D. Easley / AP fileWhile sentimental value is impossible to measure, other customers fear they will not be able to recover financially if their goods were destroyed.Tea importer Lauren Purvis of Portland, Oregon, said five shipments from Japan, mostly containing matcha green tea and collectively worth more than $127,000, were all sent via UPS over the last few weeks and arrived at UPS’ international package processing hub in Louisville, Kentucky. Purvis has yet to receive any of the shipments, only a flurry of conflicting tracking updates from UPS.A series of notifications for one shipment, which she shared with NBC News, said that the shipment had not cleared customs and that UPS had disposed of it. But a subsequent tracking update said the shipment had cleared customs and was on the way.“We know how to properly document and pay for our packages,” Purvis said. “There should be zero reason that a properly documented and paid-for package would be set to be disposed of.”At least a half-dozen people described an emotional seesaw they were put through by weeks of contradictory UPS tracking updates about their shipments. The updates, they said, compounded the stress of not knowing what had really happened to their possessions.A UPS Boeing 767 aircraft taxis at San Diego International Airport, in San Diego, Calif., August 15, 2025.Kevin Carter / Getty Images fileAJ, a Boston man who asked that NBC News use only his initials to protect his privacy, said he shipped a package from Japan via UPS on Sept. 12 including Japanese language books, a pillow and a backpack. After it sat in Louisville for nearly two weeks, AJ got a tracking update on Sept. 26, one of several that he shared with NBC News. “We’re sorry, your package did not clear customs and has been removed from the UPS network. Per customs guidelines, it has been destroyed. Please contact the sender for more information,” it read.UPS tracking updates for a package shipped from Japan to the United States.Obtained by NBC NewsThree days later, on Sept. 29, he received another, and this one read: “On the Way. Import Scan, Louisville, KY, United States.” For a moment, it appeared as though AJ’s shipment might have been found. But less than 24 hours after his hopes were raised, another tracking update arrived: “We’re sorry,” it began. It was the same notice that his package had “been destroyed” that he had received on the 26th. Two minutes later, he got his final update: “Unable to Deliver. Package cannot clear due to customs delay or missing info. Attempt to contact sender made. Package has been disposed of.” A mess for customs International shipping was thrown into chaos after the long-standing “de minimis” tariff exemption for low-value packages ended on Aug. 29. Packages with values of $800 or less, which were previously allowed to enter the United States duty-free, are now subject to a range of tariffs and fees.They include hundreds of country-specific rates, or President Donald Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs, as well as new levies on certain products and materials. President Donald Trump holds a chart as he speaks about reciprocal tariffs at a “Make America Wealthy Again” event at the White House on April 2.Brendan Smialowski / AFP – Getty Images fileThe result is that international shipping to the United States today is far more complex and costly than it was even two months ago. The sweeping changes have caught private individuals and veteran exporters alike in a customs conundrum.It is difficult to know the exact number of the packages that are stuck in UPS customs purgatory. Shipping companies guard their delivery data closely. UPS reported to investors that in 2023, its international service delivered around 3.2 million packages per day.This week, the company told NBC News that it is clearing more than 90% of the packages it handles through customs on the first day. The rest of the packages, or less than 10%, require more time to clear customs and need to be held until they do. That could easily mean that thousands of UPS packages every day are not clearing customs on their first try.No easy fixIn a statement to NBC News, UPS said it is doing its best to get all packages to their destinations while abiding by the new customs requirements.“Because of changes to U.S. import regulations, we are seeing many packages that are unable to clear customs due to missing or incomplete information about the shipment required for customs clearance,” it said. UPS said it makes several attempts to get any missing information and clear delayed shipments, contacting shippers three times.“In cases where we cannot obtain the necessary information to clear the package, there are two options,” it said. “First, the package can be returned to the original shipper at their expense. Second, if the customer does not respond and the package cannot be cleared for delivery, disposing of the shipment is in compliance with U.S. customs regulations. We continue to work to bridge the gap of understanding tied to the new requirements and, as always, remain committed to serving our customers.”A conveyor belt carries envelopes and small packages past UPS workers to their destinations at Worldport on Nov. 20, 2015.Patrick Semansky / AP, fileNBC News asked UPS precisely what it does with packages when it tells customers their shipments have been unable to clear customs and have been “disposed of.” It would not say. On Sept. 27, a shipper in Stockholm received a formal notification from UPS that two packages her glassware company sent to the United States — which failed to clear customs — would be destroyed.“We are sorry, but due to these circumstances and the perishable nature of the contents, we are now required to proceed with destruction of the shipment in accordance with regulatory guidelines,” UPS told Anni Cernea in an email she shared with NBC News.The email continued, “There is no need to contact our call center for further information or to attempt to clear this shipment.”Cernea said, “It’s just outrageous that they can dispose of products like this without approval from either the sender or recipient.”From now on, Cernea said, she plans to ship her products via UPS rival FedEx.Trouble aheadCernea’s decision to switch carriers hints at the worst-case scenario for UPS, which is that people could abandon the company. It is a potential crisis for the roughly $70 billion company. The company’s stock price is already down more than 30% this year, which analysts attribute to a mix of tariffs, competition and shifting shopping habits.As she awaits her missing journals and diplomas from England, Freberg is looking ahead to the biggest shipping months of the year.“I can’t even imagine how bad the holidays are going to be, because that’s a time where loads of people are shipping stuff overseas,” she said.“If it doesn’t get solved soon, I can only see it becoming an even bigger issue.”Kayla SteinbergKayla Steinberg is a producer at NBC News covering business and the economy.
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Sept. 25, 2025, 8:50 AM EDT / Updated Sept. 25, 2025, 9:04 AM EDTBy Andrea Mitchell, Abigail Williams and Chantal Da SilvaPresident Donald Trump has assured Arab leaders that he will not allow Israel to annex the already occupied West Bank, sources told NBC News, amid fears of retaliation from the U.S. ally after a host of countries moved to recognize Palestinian statehood.Trump made the comments Tuesday, according to two sources who were in the room, as he presented his 21-point plan for peace in the Middle East to Arab leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. The comments were first reported by Politico.Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said the meeting with leaders from countries including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey was “productive.” He said a breakthrough could be imminent in efforts to bring an end to the war in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has continued a deadly military campaign to take over Gaza City.Trump calls the recognition of a Palestinian state ‘a reward’ for Hamas02:23“We presented what we call the Trump 21-point plan for peace in the Mideast, in Gaza,” Witkoff said at the Concordia Annual Summit, a conference on the sidelines of the General Assembly. “I think it addresses Israeli concerns, as well as the concerns of all the neighbors in the region. And we’re hopeful, and I might say even confident, that in the coming days, we’ll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough,” he added.Israel has intensified its attacks as troops pushed deeper into Gaza City in recent days.Moiz Salhi / Anadolu via Getty ImagesIt was not immediately clear what advances might have been made, with past promises of progress in talks failing to yield a deal to end Israel’s assault on Gaza and see hostages still held in the enclave released. The spiraling conflict in the Middle East has been a focal point of the General Assembly this week, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expected to address the gathering Thursday, albeit by video after the U.S. last month revoked his visa, along with those of other Palestinian Authority officials. Speaking with Gulf foreign ministers Wednesday during the assembly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “We understand very clearly that the situation in Gaza, the situation with Israel and Gaza, is a key concern for everyone in this room here today.”“We want this conflict to end,” he said. “We want it to end immediately.”Rubio added that “some very important work is ongoing, even as we speak, and hoping to achieve this as soon as possible.”Funeral services for people killed in an Israeli military strike, outside Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah on Wednesday.Abdel Kareem Hana / APTrump’s assurances to Arab leaders that he would not let Israel annex the West Bank came after right-wing members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile government coalition called for the move as a string of countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal formally recognized Palestine as a state. Palestinians envision the West Bank as a core territory for an internationally recognized Palestinian state, alongside Gaza and east Jerusalem. Annexation of the territory, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967, would further imperil that cause. The bodies of people killed by an Israeli army attack on the Firas Market in Gaza City, on Wednesday.Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea / Anadolu via Getty ImagesNetanyahu, who was traveling to New York on Thursday before addressing the General Assembly on Friday and meeting Trump next week, has declared that there will never be a Palestinian state under his watch.Trump told the U.N. this week that the recognition moves risked rewarding Hamas.Israel has already pushed ahead with a widely condemned settlement plan that would effectively split the West Bank in two, further fracturing what Palestinians envision as their future state.Deadly settler violence and Israeli military operations have also increased in the Palestinian territory.UAE leaders have said annexation of the West Bank would be a red line for the influential Gulf state, blocking any future recognition of Israel and preventing the completion of Trump’s landmark Abraham Accords that sought to establish diplomatic normalization between Israel and several Arab states.Andrea MitchellAndrea Mitchell is chief Washington correspondent and chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC News.Abigail WilliamsAbigail Williams is a producer and reporter for NBC News covering the State Department.Chantal Da SilvaChantal Da Silva reports on world news for NBC News Digital and is based in London.
September 25, 2025
Sept. 25, 2025, 11:38 AM EDTBy Rob WileData released Thursday reflects the resilience of the U.S. economy, even as concerns about the job market and inflation persist.U.S. economic growth, or the gross domestic product (GDP), reached 3.8% in the second quarter, according to a fresh revision of the data released Thursday by the Commerce Department. That was higher than the most recent estimate of 3.3% and the strongest reading since the third quarter of 2024. The revision largely reflected stronger growth in consumer spending, which was also revised upward, from 1.6% to 2.5%. Multiple surveys show the mood among consumers remains glum — but Thursday’s spending data, plus other releases from banks, signals they remain willing to maintain their pace of purchasing. Meanwhile, new and ongoing claims for unemployment assistance fell over the past week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The Federal Reserve said last week it expects the unemployment rate to climb from 4.3% to as much as 4.5% by the end of the year, but the latest data may allay some worries about further deterioration in the job market. “The mother lode of data just released suggest the economy is still doing just fine, despite the slowdown in employment growth,” wrote Alexandra Brown, North America economist for the market insight company Capital Economics, in a note to clients. The U.S. economy remains in a relatively precarious position. The latest GDP reading reflects the three months ending June 30, and the growth picture may have changed since then. A slowing labor market combined with President Donald Trump’s combination of aggressive tariffs and immigration enforcement has generated concerns about tepid growth. While consumer spending has remained resilient, there are growing warnings about a two tiered-economy in which lower- and middle-income people are squeezed as upper-income households continue to spend. Concerns about the job market spurred the Federal Reserve to take action this month, cutting interest rates in a bid to boost economic growth. There was some anticipation it would be the first of many.But Thursday’s positive economic data complicates the Fed’s situation.Following the morning’s data releases, investors dialed back the odds of additional cuts by the Federal Reserve this year. The Fed tends to cut when the economy is showing signs of slowing — and the new figures indicate there may be less of a need for lower interest rates to stimulate growth. “Thursday’s upward GDP revision for [the] second quarter confirmed that the economy grew at a healthy clip, even as tariff uncertainty reached fever pitch during the quarter,” Paul Stanley, chief investment officer of the Granite Bay Wealth Management financial group, said in a statement. “The U.S. economy is resilient and the strong GDP is another indication that we are not at risk of any kind of recession, even with slowing labor market growth.”But there are also concerns that growth is extremely uneven. A growing body of evidence suggests tech companies’ spending on artificial intelligence may almost single-handedly be propping up growth, especially as federal spending cuts and uncertainty over tariffs have clouded sentiment elsewhere. Commerce Department data show that in the first half of 2025, investment growth in equipment — a category that includes computers, electronics and power-supply parts — has been near records. “In the absence of tech-related spending, the US would be close to, or in, recession this year,” wrote George Saravelos, a head of research at the Deutsche Bank financial group. That’s not necessarily good news, he said: In order for tech to continue driving GDP growth, investments in AI, like building out data centers, needs to remain “parabolic.”“This is highly unlikely,” Saravelos said, given forecasts that such investment will likely peak this year.“Other sources of growth will have to take over,” he said. Rob WileRob Wile is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist covering breaking business stories for NBCNews.com.
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