Category: BUSINESS

‘G20,’ ‘Warfare,’ stream ‘Black Mirror’

Love movies? Live for TV? USA TODAY’s Watch Party newsletter has all the best recommendations, delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now and be one of the cool kids.

Don’t know her stance on tariffs but as a butt-kicking president, Viola Davis is money.

Following the likes of Harrison Ford and Bill Pullman as action POTUSes onscreen, Davis runs the country and saves the day in the thriller “G20.” If you’re down to put more globetrotting travails on your to-see list, Rami Malek is the most unlikely secret agent ever in “The Amateur.” A new season of the sci-fi anthology series “Black Mirror” is on Netflix to make you give side eye to all your technological devices, while the military flick “Warfare” is quite the immersive experience.

Now on to the good stuff:

Catch the return of the old-school action thriller with ‘G20,’ ‘The Amateur’

No, you haven’t gone back in time: The action-packed star vehicles of the late 1990s/early ’00s are apparently back. In “G20” (streaming now on Prime Video), Viola Davis plays a president who’s rough, tough and buff as she single-handedly takes on a group of terrorists who hijack a political summit. She tells my pal Marco della Cava that she did the movie “to put every young Black girl in this story. I want them to see themselves without the limitations society often puts on them. When you see it, you can believe it.”

Meanwhile, “The Amateur” (in theaters now) is like a spy thriller that forgot to come out in 2003. Rami Malek stars as a CIA analyst whose wife is murdered on an overseas trip in a hostage situation gone wrong, and he wants to get trained up to go after the folks responsible. In an interview with my colleague Brendan Morrow, Malek reveals that he told people he wanted to next be an action hero after winning an Oscar for playing Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody.” “Because I never thought you’d see a guy of my stature, my complexion, someone who wasn’t the obvious choice, in that position,” Malek says.

Stream Season 7 of Netflix’s ‘Black Mirror,’ including a Paul Giamatti episode

“Black Mirror” is back for a seventh season (streaming now on Netflix) with more bleakly dystopian tales and stories of technology run amok and making our lives hell. If you’ve never had the pleasure, binge this amazing modern “Twilight Zone”-esque show from the beginning: The very first episode “The National Anthem” (involving the British prime minister, a kidnapped princess and a pig) is the perfect litmus test for just how proudly outrageous this series can be, and “San Junipero” (from the third “Black” season) is simply one of the best episodes of TV ever.

While many “Black Mirror” stories lean toward the depressing (but still good), Paul Giamatti stars in a new one that’s actually life-affirming: “Eulogy” centers on an aging man who, thanks to a nifty VR device and an AI guide, enters Polaroids from his 20-something days to recall memories of a former flame. I talked with Giamatti for a piece on “Eulogy,” and he says the episode taps into “the intensity of the relationships you have when you’re that age, and all of that was very much coming back” while filming. “What’s nice is he’s allowed to find her again and fall in love with her again, but let go of it, too.”

See young Hollywood actors go through hell in ‘Warfare’

“Warfare” is the latest military drama that’s more of a visceral experience than conventional narrative but hoo boy, you will feel every blood-curdling scream and body-rocking explosion. A bunch of recognizable young actors – including Will Poulter, Charles Melton, Kit Connor and Joseph Quinn – star as Navy SEALs in Iraq whose surveillance mission goes violently wrong. (Peep my ★★★½ review.)

My bud Patrick Ryan interviewed former SEAL Ray Mendoza, who co-directed and co-wrote “Warfare,” about pulling from his own tours of duty – including one particularly hairy real moment in 2006 that he depicts onscreen. “I wanted to show that as bad as this looks, it took a whole lot of effort and training to get us home,” Mendoza says. “Everyone made it back alive on our side. That was a deep hole to climb out of, but we did it together.”

Even more goodness to check out!

Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email [email protected] and follow me on the socials: I’m @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.

April 11, 2025
Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart still married, co-parenting amid ALS

Rebecca Gayheart is clarifying her relationship with Eric Dane.

The “Beverly Hills, 90210” star, who filed for divorce from Dane in 2018 after 14 years of marriage, filed to dismiss the divorce last month, according to E! and People. On Wednesday, she told E! the pair are still the “best of friends.”

“We are really close. We are great co-parents,” she told the outlet at a television screening. “We really figured out the formula to staying a family and I think our kids are benefiting greatly from it, and we are as well.”

When Gayheart, 53, first filed for divorce, the couple shared similar sentiments.

Dane and Gayheart told USA TODAY in a joint statement at the time: “We will continue our friendship and work as a team to co-parent our two beautiful girls as they are the most important thing in the world to us.”

The model, who shares daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, with the “Grey’s Anatomy” actor, told E! that she still looks at her marriage as a “huge success” despite the couple no longer being together.

“I think it’s important to not look at a relationship that ends as a failure. It’s just a season. It wasn’t a failure,” she continued. “We were married for, I mean, we are still married, but together for 15 years, and we had two beautiful kids. So I think that’s a successful relationship, and that’s how we look at it.”

Eric Dane ALS diagnosis revealed

Gayheart’s comments came a day before the “Euphoria” actor revealed he has been diagnosed with ALS, the rare degenerative disease commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Eric Dane reveals ALS diagnosis: What to know about the rare disease

Dane, 52, revealed he’s been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in an exclusive statement to People magazine.

The award-winning actor said he’s “grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.”

“I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to (the) set of ‘Euphoria’ next week,” Dane told People. “I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”

Follow more news from Hollywood: Sign up for USA TODAY’s Entertainment newsletter.

Contributing: Bryan Alexander

April 11, 2025
Lineup, daily schedule, set times, how to watch live

Laser lights, endless dancing, and hit records are taking over the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, this weekend.

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is back, and some of music’s biggest stars and acts are scheduled to grace the stages, including Lady Gaga, Vintage Culture, Travis Scott, Charli XCX, Post Malone and more. The first weekend’s events will run from April 11-13.

Here’s what you need to know about the first weekend of Coachella 2025, including the full lineup and how to watch from home if you can’t make it to the festival in person.

Lady Gaga at Coachella: All the songs we hope make her setlist, no matter how outrageous

How to watch Coachella 2025 on livestream

Coachella performances will be available on YouTube. The streams are scheduled to start on April 11 at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT. Fans will be able to watch multiple stages from their coach simultaneously, while a vertical live stream option featuring DJ sets will also be available.

YouTube will also allow viewers to watch the show with content creators on their respective channels.

“New to the desert this year, Watch With allows creators to react to live events with commentary and real-time reactions, giving you the experience of watching Coachella alongside your favorite creator,” the video platform shared.

Lady Gaga at Coachella: All the songs we hope make her setlist, no matter how outrageous

Coachella 2025 Week 1 headliners, key performances

Friday: Lady Gaga will headline the festival, along with star-studded performances from Missy Elliot, GloRilla, Mustard, Tyla, Benson Boone, the Go-Go’s, Ravyn Lenae, Yeat, and more.

Saturday: Green Day is slated as the headliner. Other performers include Charlie xcx, Tink, T-Pain, Jimmy Eat World, Japanese Breakfast, and Amelie Lens, among others. In an epic set, rapper Travis Scott will “design the desert,” what’s been previously called the “returning to the desert” slot, according to the Palm Springs Desert Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Sunday: Post Malone is the headliner to wrap up the weekend. Other acts to take the stage are Shaboozey, Megan Thee Stallion, Amaarae, Odd Mob, Ty Dolla $ign, Muni Long, Zedd and many more.

Coachella 2025 set times

A complete list of day-by-day set times can be found on Coachella’s website or in an Instagram post below:

Contributing: Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun, USA TODAY Network

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected].

April 11, 2025
Jon Hamm’s ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’ asks: When is enough enough?

Let’s be honest. It’s good to be Jon Hamm.

For starters, the guy vibes like a modern-day Cary Grant: He’s great-looking and able to turn on the acting drama and comedy with equal ease.

On top of his impressive film and TV resume, he’s now commanding eyeballs as a scheming oil baron on Taylor Sheridan’s “Landman,” will return as four-time host of “Saturday Night Live” this weekend, and is kicking off his latest streaming series, Apple TV+’s “Your Friends & Neighbors” (first two episodes now streaming, then weekly on Fridays).

Compliment the guy, sure. But just don’t call him lucky.

“I love what I do, and yes, I’m fortunate to get to pick and chose what I do, but I’ve earned it, and I say that without any shame,” says Hamm, 54, whose performance as ad man Don Draper in AMC’s hit 2007-15 series “Mad Men” shot him to stardom, where he has remained through standout roles in movies such as “Bridesmaids” and “Baby Driver” and TV shows including FX’s “Fargo” and Apple’s “The Morning Show.”

This time he’s back with a vintage Hamm performance that blends his ability to convey both solemnity and humor as Andrew “Coop” Cooper, a recently divorced hedge fund manager and father of two who loses his job and decides the easiest way to support his expensive lifestyle is to rob his tony friends and neighbors. The series also stars a convincing Amanda Peet as Coop’s ex-wife, Mel, and a compelling Olivia Munn as his tormented lover, Samantha.

With remarkable ease, Coop manages to repeatedly slip into the mega-mansions of his suburban New York neighborhood and pilfer wildly expensive bags, wines and watches, items whose absences mostly go unnoticed given the excess on display.

“One of the taglines for the show on a billboard somewhere said simply, ‘You don’t know what you’re missing,’” Hamm says before chuckling. “As a former fictional ad man, I really enjoyed that tagline.”

Hamm hopes ‘Your Friends and Neighbors’ will reprise ‘Mad Men’ magic

Speaking of “Mad Men,” which ended a decade ago, Hamm says he appreciates not just how the show made him a household name but also how it captivated audiences with a modern show set 60 years in the past. He hopes “Your Friends & Neighbors” can also captures today’s zeitgeist.

“‘Mad Men’ was a show that penetrated the culture, and while a lot of that is luck and right place/right time stuff. There are elements in this new show that speak directly to the times we’re living through, specifically this bizarre fascination with more, (and) how ‘more’ has become the watchword, instead of ‘enough.’”

Stealing isn’t exactly an honorable thing to do, but for Coop, the act is less a crime and more a way to showcase just how out of touch the ultra-wealthy can be when, for example, you’re unaware when a $350,000 watch is missing.

“That’s an absurd amount of money to most people, but to a very isolated group of people, it’s not even worth thinking about,” he says, shaking his head.

The actor pauses to weigh his next words before offering his measured social commentary. “We are in a weird moment in our collective culture with late-stage capitalism and rampant materialism and so many billionaires doing, um, interesting things with their money that could seemingly be better spent on making the whole world a better place, rather than just buying a bigger boat or going to space more.”

Almost makes the Gordon Gekko “greed is good” 1980s look quaint?

Hamm laughs. “Yes, (convicted junk bond king) Michael Milken is almost a charitable figure now.”

Hamm says this rich entertainment age is ‘a great time to be an audience member’

There’s one aspect of our current age that leaves Hamm positively rapturous: the sheer variety of entertainment choices for actors and viewers alike.

“It doesn’t matter if the project is from a studio or a streamer if the script has something compelling. Look, Julia Roberts has appeared on TV, Sean Penn and Harrison Ford are on TV, and Nicole Kidman is on, well, everything. The line isn’t even blurred anymore, the line is just gone.”

Hamm adds that as an actor and producer, he’s floored by the depth and breadth of storytelling. “I was just watching the (Netflix) show ‘Adolescence,’ and wow, what a tremendous achievement that is, not just the story, but the filmmaking, too. And look at shows like ‘Baby Reindeer’: There’s just so much coming down the pike from so many sources. It’s not only a great time to be an actor, but also a great time to be an audience member.”

Given that comment, you might think Hamm would agree that today’s fare far outstrips anything made when Hamm was a kid plunked down in front of a TV in St. Louis, Missouri. And then you’d be slapped down, immediately and politely, as is Hamm’s way.

“No, no, I’d say it wasn’t worse, it was just different,” Hamm says, before riffing on his favorite shows from the ’70s and ’80s. “I liked ‘Welcome Back, Kotter’ and I liked ‘Fish’ and ‘Barney Miller.’ I loved ‘Three’s Company’ and ‘The Love Boat.’ There are good things in all our time periods, though some were better than others, sure.”

Is there one old show for which Hamm will brook no criticism? Turns out there is.

“I’ll tell you what, ‘Miami Vice’ still holds up,” he booms with a smile.

Here’s rooting for a Hamm-led “Miami Vice” reboot. Don Draper, meet Sonny Crockett.

April 11, 2025
Is ‘Warfare’ a true story? How Iraq veteran’s life became a movie

Spoiler alert! We’re discussing major plot details about the new movie “Warfare.”

Ray Mendoza knew he needed to make “Warfare.”

The pulse-pounding Iraq War drama (in theaters Friday) is co-directed by the retired Navy SEAL, who dedicated the film to his platoonmate, Elliott Miller. Miller suffered a traumatic brain injury during a mission gone wrong in 2006, and Mendoza aimed to help jog his memory by re-creating their heroic survival story.

Already, “Warfare” has struck a chord with veterans. At a recent screening, Mendoza met the wife of a former Marine, who had struggled to communicate his experiences with PTSD.

“She came up to me crying and thanked me,” the first-time filmmaker recalls. “She finally understood what her husband was trying to tell her.” After watching the movie, “he started sharing his experiences with her, which he hadn’t up to that point. That was a pretty powerful moment for me.”

Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY’s movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox

Navy SEAL veteran recalls ‘the most emotional moment’ making ‘Warfare’

“Warfare” is a harrowing, hyperrealist look at a platoon of Navy SEALs, tracking them for 90 real-time minutes as they try to save their gravely wounded comrades, Elliott (Cosmo Jarvis) and Sam (Joseph Quinn), after an armed ambush and explosion. The film is pieced together from the memories of the real SEAL team, whom Mendoza interviewed as he co-wrote the script with Alex Garland (“Annihilation”).

“It’s a really honest portrayal,” says Mendoza, who sought to capture the split-second mistakes and decisions that soldiers are faced with during combat. “I wanted to show that as bad as this looks, it took a whole lot of effort and training to get us home. Everyone made it back alive on our side. That was a deep hole to climb out of, but we did it together.”

One might imagine that reconstructing a bloody, frenzied firefight could be retraumatizing for Mendoza. But the experience was actually “very liberating,” he says. “It was like this weight coming off.” His chief concern was to portray his friends accurately, and to not get too hung up on D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (“Reservation Dogs”), who plays him in the film.

“It’d be unfair for me to say, ‘I need you to be exactly the way I am and move the way I do,’ ” Mendoza says. “It was all about capturing the essence. I just had to treat him like a character.”

There was one scene, though, that Mendoza found especially difficult, as Ray drags an unconscious, badly maimed Elliott inside after an IED attack.

“I’ve had so many dreams about that (event) where Elliott is walking and talking and laughing after the explosion,” Mendoza says. “But when I wake up, it’s a freaking nightmare because my friend’s not walking anymore. Elliott was with me when we shot that scene – with all the smoke and sounds – and he started to get upset. I was holding it in for a while because the cast was around me, but then I walked off set and cried for a very long time. That was probably the most emotional moment for me on the movie.”

First-time director Ray Mendoza got into filmmaking as a recruiting effort

Mendoza joined the Navy in 1997 and served for 16 years. He always loved Michael Mann movies growing up, but never had filmmaking ambitions of his own. That changed with 2012’s “Act of Valor,” a thriller featuring real Navy SEALs including Mendoza.

At the time, “we had just had two major catastrophes with helo crashes where we lost a bunch of SEALs and nobody was signing up,” Mendoza says. “The Navy felt doing a film was a good recruiting tool. That was where I got the itch.”

He went on to work as a technical and military adviser on combat films such as “Lone Survivor,” “The Outpost” and “Civil War,” where he met Garland.

“It’s been 15 years of learning and acquiring all the tools to do this movie,” Mendoza says. “I asked a lot of the directors I worked with whether I should go to film school. They were like, ‘You already are in film school. You’re not going to learn anything there that you can’t here.’ ”

Mendoza is eager to take on more projects. He started a production company, War Office Productions, with former Army Ranger Jariko Denman, which endeavors to tell more military stories at home and on the battlefield.

If there’s one Hollywood cliché he hopes to get rid of, it’s the weepy veteran drama: “You read the script, and there’s the apartment with the pill bottles open and the empty whiskey bottle,” Mendoza says. “That’s often associated with us and I don’t like it. It’s a misrepresentation.”

He would also like to move into other genres such as sci-fi or comedy.

“I feel like I’m a pretty funny person, although some people might disagree,” Mendoza jokes. “There’s something about experiencing combat, where there’s the worst and best of humanity. I’ve seen the whole spectrum, and I think that makes me relatable with a lot of people who have experienced different types of trauma. I know what it feels like to not want to leave your house; to sit in a dark room or not eat for days.

“I connect with a lot of characters in other types of genre movies, probably more than most directors, to be honest. So I would love to do that someday.”

April 11, 2025
‘The Pitt’ on Max captures doctors’ reality. Can AI help?

In ‘The Pitt,’ we see physicians navigating high-stakes decisions under intense pressure – a reality that mirrors my own. As physicians, we encounter many traumatic moments in a compressed time frame.

Dr. Samuel R. Browd
| Opinion contributor

I usually avoid medical dramas − as a practicing neurosurgeon, watching them feels too much like going to work. But I’m tuning into “The Pitt,” a hit Max series set in a Pittsburgh hospital emergency room, not just because it’s compelling TV, but also because it captures something real: the relentless pace.

“The Pitt” illustrates that a walk-and-talk isn’t just a storytelling mechanism. It’s a way to save seconds. And in caring for a patient, saving seconds can save lives. The creators of “The Pitt” have made time an unspoken series character, just like it is in medicine.

And time is scarce. Systems feel the increasing need to improve efficiency and drive the volume of patients seen, but this must not come at the expense of expertise and our ability to provide top-notch care. Until we invest in getting time back, care will become increasingly transactional. Technology and artificial intelligence can help solve the time riddle.

Here are some thoughts on reshaping the clock so physicians can do more of what they were meant to do − take care of people.

Technology is a copilot, not a replacement for doctors

In medicine, experience is everything. There’s an old saying: “See one, do one, teach one.” The more cases you see, the sharper your instincts become − recognizing patterns, making quick decisions and handling the unexpected.

Over time, our brains create mental “files” from each case, forming an internal database we pull from when making critical decisions. But with today’s strict work-hour limits, young physicians must manage high clerical workloads without necessarily gaining enough clinical exposure to build that mental library.

Now, technology can instantly call up patient details and even suggest potential diagnoses − things that once lived solely in our minds and notes. It doesn’t replace the learning, judgment or critical thinking required in medicine, but it can act as a copilot, alleviating some of the cognitive load.

There’s value in being exposed to the strain of medical training, but there’s also value in reducing unnecessary burdens, so physicians can focus on what matters most: patient care.

Opinion: AI could save your life. But your doctor is likely using it the wrong way.

Doctors take the hard cases home with them

In “The Pitt,” we see physicians navigating high-stakes decisions under intense pressure − a reality that mirrors our own. As physicians, we encounter countless traumatic moments within a compressed time window.

I recently operated on a 7-month-old with a massive brain tumor − a case that always sticks with me after leaving the hospital. Simple headaches get the third degree in our household because it’s hard to separate work and home at times.

My kids can attest to my psychosis.

Opinion: I thought my headache would kill me. What life is like for a hypochondriac.

In the era of my residency, expressing mental health concerns was stigmatized; we were caregivers, not those needing care.

While we haven’t fully arrived, we are seeing how today’s generation is reshaping this narrative. They need resources to help deliver this culture change, one of which is time. Time to think, time to process, time to provide empathetic care and time to care for themselves. Any tool that can give back time to a physician’s day will contribute to mental wellness, which will contribute to better patient care.

Medicine has never been about speed or quotas. Yet physicians are increasingly racing against the clock, leading to burnout, frustration and a growing number leaving the profession.

Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don’t have the app? Download it for free from your app store.

Over the past two decades, there has been a shift in how physicians practice medicine. Once primarily self-employed, many now work within large hospital systems, where financial pressures and administrative demands increasingly shape their daily responsibilities. As financial margins continue to tighten, physicians must see more patients and perform more procedures.

Navigating these challenges successfully means finding new ways to support physicians within the framework of balancing efficiency with meaningful patient connections − ensuring they have the tools and resources needed to keep patient outcomes at the center of care.

Again, it comes back to time.

Amount of clerical work doctors must do is growing

Technology, if used correctly, can help. Artificial intelligence has the potential to ease administrative burdens, allowing physicians to focus more on patient care rather than paperwork.

However, the burden of administrative and clerical work continues to grow, often pulling physicians away from their primary role as caregivers. Many stay long after their shifts end to complete documentation, sometimes recording visits days later due to mounting backlogs − straining memory and potentially harming the accuracy of records.

Opinion: Your doctor might not be listening to you. AI can help change that.

These distractions, highlighted in shows like “The Pitt,” demonstrate how direct engagement with patients is affected, leaving physicians feeling disconnected from their roles as healers and providers − ultimately contributing to burnout.

Technology alone isn’t enough. We need to ensure it’s working for physicians, not just for efficiency’s sake. It must help us access better information, train new doctors faster, reduce burnout and, most important, create space for physicians to think, process and truly care for patients.

For me, medicine has always been personal. I was drawn to it by my grandmother’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease, and that passion has never left me. But I fear that the current system is making it harder for the next generation to feel that same calling. That’s one reason I cofounded Proprio – to build surgical technologies that enhance and revitalize our mission to provide the best care.

“The Pitt” may be a drama, but its message is real. If we don’t change course, we risk losing what medicine is truly about: the human connection between physician and patient. It’s time to reclaim that.

Dr. Samuel R. Browd is the cofounder and chief medical officer at Proprio, a professor of neurological surgery at the University of Washington and a board-certified attending neurosurgeon at Seattle Children’s Hospital, Harborview Medical Center and the University of Washington Medical Center.

April 11, 2025
What is ALS? Eric Dane reveals he’s battling degenerative disease
Eric Dane isn’t letting his health challenges slow him down.
The “Grey’s Anatomy” alum, 52, revealed he’s been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS, in an exclusive statement to People magazine.

The award-winning actor, who currently stars on the HBO teen drama “Euphoria” said he’s “grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.” Dane is married to actress-model Rebecca Gayheart, with whom he shares two children.

“I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to (the) set of ‘Euphoria’ next week,” Dane told People. “I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”

ALS, commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rare degenerative disease that can impact the brain and spinal cord. Other stars who’ve battled ALS include late R&B singer Roberta Flack, world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, “SpongeBob SquarePants” creator Stephen Hillenburg and former U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace.

Here’s what else to know about the condition, including its symptoms and methods of treatment.

What is ALS? The rare disease made it ‘impossible’ for Roberta Flack to sing

What is ALS?

According to the National Institutes of Health, ALS progressively degrades, then kills nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

It’s commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after the famous baseball player who got the illness and had to retire in 1939.

It’s a noncommunicable disease, and cases are not reported to federal health officials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts surveys to study how common it is.

According to one of the most recent surveys published about the disease in 2017, there were between nearly 18,000 and 31,000 cases of ALS in the United States.

What are the early signs of ALS?

ALS is found equally among men and women.

About 5-10% of ALS cases occur within families, according to the CDC. This is called familial ALS, and it means that two or more people in a family have ALS. These cases are caused by several inherited factors.

Signs and symptoms of ALS — and the order they occur — vary from one person to another.

According to the ALS Society of Canada, potential early signs of the disease include tripping, dropping things, slurred or “thick” speech, difficulty swallowing, weight loss, decreased muscle tone, shortness of breath, increased or decreased reflexes and uncontrollable periods of laughing or crying.

What are the symptoms of ALS?

Potential early symptoms include:

Feeling weak

Fatigue

Muscle cramping or twitching

Muscle stiffness or rigidity

Over time, the muscle weakening will continue to spread throughout the body, eventually causing difficulties with breathing, chewing, swallowing and speaking.

The senses of sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell are usually not affected, and for many people, muscles of the eyes and bladder remain functional until very late in the disease, according to the ALS Society of Canada.

It is not known what causes most cases of ALS, but some inherited factors have been found to cause familial ALS.

Other factors that scientists are studying to find links to ALS include environmental exposures, diet and injury, according to the CDC.

Is ALS curable?

So far, a cure has not been found for ALS.

People with ALS live from 3 to 5 years after symptoms develop, according to the CDC. How long a person lives with ALS seems to be related to age; people who are younger when the illness starts live slightly longer.

People with familial ALS typically live only one to two years after symptoms appear, the CDC reports.

Are there treatments for ALS?

While there is no cure for ALS, there are treatments that can slow the progression of the disease.

The drug riluzole, marketed under the brand name Rilutek, was the first treatment approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The drug was approved in 2017. A glutamatergic antagonist, it’s a disease-modifying treatment shown to extend life in patients with ALS, associated with a 35% reduction in mortality.

Edaravone, sold as Radicava, was approved in its pill form by the FDA in May. A third treatment is Amylyx Pharmaceuticals’ Relyvrio, which the company announced was approved by the FDA in September 2022.
April 11, 2025
AC/DC kicks off Power Up tour in US: Concert review

MINNEAPOLIS – The sight of Marshall amps stacked three high and more than a dozen across the back of a stadium stage can mean only one thing: AC/DC is back.

Taking the stage for their first U.S. non-festival performance since 2016 with a guttural roar in the form of “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It),” the quintet accelerated through two hours of sweat-inducing, fist-thrusting rawk in support of 2020’s “Power Up” album.

There wasn’t anything flashy about their stage at Thursday’s US Bank Stadium concert, the first of 13 shows the band will play this spring, because there doesn’t need to be.

A trio of video screens (and panels on the side for those with an obstructed view), a wall of lights and occasional lasers were the only necessities to complement the focal points of the show – the duck-walking Angus Young and wild-eyed king of gesticulation Brian Johnson.

More: AC/DC setlist: All the iconic songs rocking the Power Up tour

Though Johnson’s patented shriek was somehow overpowered by the music for the first couple of songs, the sound leveled out in time for “Demon Fire,” accompanied by video of a cloaked figure conjuring smoke from (not on) the water.

Seeing Johnson, 77, back onstage was particularly poignant considering he was forced to leave AC/DC’s 2016 Rock or Bust World Tour due to severe hearing loss (it’s since been rectified).

And while the vision of Young, a vigorous 70 in his trademark schoolboy shorts, tie, crew socks and black shoes, is always amusing, there was nothing but serious respect for his finger-blistering playing.

The whizzing notes of “Thunderstruck” – a locomotive rumbling into overdrive – and the chunky chords of “Highway to Hell,” which included Young sporting the devil horns that hundreds in the crowd wore in rock ‘n’ roll solidarity, proved his dexterity is undiminished.

Young is the only original member of AC/DC, having co-founded the band with brother Malcolm, who died in 2017 from the effects of dementia.

Stevie Young replaced his uncle Malcolm on rhythm guitar in 2014, but there were a couple of different faces in the backline since AC/DC’s last tour when erstwhile drummer Phil Rudd departed to care for longtime partner Toni Wilson (who was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer in 2023), and bassist Cliff Williams announced his retirement.

The booming AC/DC rhythm section is now anchored by Matt Laug and Chris Chaney, respectively, who muscled through the bottom-heavy “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” and the band’s 2020 No. 1 rock hit, “Shot in the Dark.”

While fans bellowed every time Young took a heel-to-stage bounce down the catwalk, Johnson’s moves were equally electrifying. He looked like Joe Cocker on epinephrine during “Whole Lotta Rosie” – a cartoon image of the titular character outlined in neon writhed on the video screens – and swaggered across the stage like a boisterous barkeep throughout “Have a Drink On Me,” one of the bluesiest songs in the band’s canon.

More: Las Vegas Sphere concerts: All the bands that are playing and how to get tickets

Johnson’s reedy yowl echoed through the venue as he sang “Hells Bells” underneath the signature gold AC/DC bell hanging ominously above the stage, but he also knew when to cede the stage to Young, whose molten playing on “Riff Raff” and “Let There Be Rock” threatened to melt his strings.

AC/DC’s setlist – a replica of the shows they played in Europe last year – peppered album tracks such as “Sin City” and “Shot Down in Flames” with song staples of barroom jukeboxes worldwide. Is there a music fan on the planet who hasn’t been tempted to whip out their best air guitar to the iconic riffs of “You Shook Me All Night Long” or “Back in Black”?

It’s been 50 years since AC/DC released their debut album, “High Voltage,” and while it was uncertain in recent years if the band would ever stampede across stadiums again, there’s no doubt now.

So to a band that still continues to rock, we salute you.

April 11, 2025
Crossword Blog & Answers for April 11, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! Potion Explosion
Constructors: Amie Walker & Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

PIRATES (25A: Disneyland ride that features a dog with keys in its mouth, for short) The PIRATES of the Caribbean (PIRATES, for short) ride at Disneyland originally opened in 1967. It was the last ride Walt Disney personally helped design, and the ride opened three months after he died. The PIRATES ride tells the story of a band of pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries. In one of the ride’s scenes, a dog with keys in its mouth is seen. The PIRATES ride was the inspiration for the PIRATES of the Caribbean movies, and the dog with the keys is a character in those movies. I have been to Disneyland, and I have seen the PIRATES of the Caribbean movies. However, it’s been years since those things happened, so I needed the help of crossing answers here.

ETHIC (51D: Word after “work” or “hacker”) I was familiar with the phrase “work ETHIC,” but the idea of a “hacker ETHIC” was new to me. The hacker ETHIC originated in the 1950s and 1960s at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The informal code aims to make sure hacks are amusing and well-received. According to the hacker ETHIC, a hack must “be safe, not damage anything, not damage anyone, either physically, mentally, or emotionally, and be funny, at least to most of the people who experience it.”

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

RAFT (10A: “Lost” rescue vessel (or was it?)) Lost was an ABC sci-fi TV series that originally aired from 2004-2010. The series followed the aftermath of a plane crash on a mysterious island. Although I have not seen Lost, I have a number of friends who are fans. I was able to infer RAFT as the answer here from the bits and pieces about the show I’ve picked up from listening to my friends talk about it.

ERRED (17A: Made a tpyo) This is a cute clue. It’s also painful for me to look at the intentional typo.

AMES (18A: College town in Iowa) AMES, Iowa is the home of Iowa State University. Living as I do in Iowa City, Iowa – home of the University of Iowa – AMES is “that other college town in Iowa.” (I kid! My husband and son are both Iowa State alums.)

CATS (19A: Black ones are sometimes called “voids”) The nickname of “voids” for black CATS is due to their ability to seemingly disappear against black backgrounds. When I was a kid, a black CAT adopted our family, so I have a soft spot for black CATS. My current CAT, Willow, is not a black CAT, as you probably know by now. My husband and I returned home yesterday after a two-week road trip. Willow has a lot to say about our absence. She is sticking quite close to me and letting me know exactly how she feels about us being gone!

LHASA (44A: Capital of Tibet) Tibet is an autonomous region located in the southwestern part of China. The capital of Tibet is LHASA.

SHE-RA (62A: He-Man’s twin sister) In Mattel’s Masters of the Universe franchise, SHE-RA and He-Man are twins that battle their own foes, and sometimes make appearances together, as in the 1985 animated movie, He-Man and SHE-RA: The Secret of the Sword.

RACHEL (10D: Jennifer’s “Friends” character) The TV sitcom Friends originally aired on NBC from 1994-2004. The character of RACHEL Green was played by Jennifer Aniston. The use of the first name in the clue alerts solvers that the answer will be the character’s first name.

PATTI (25D: Broadway star Lupone) PATTI LuPone’s acting career spans six decades. She is most known for her work in musical theater, and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2006. In the 2020-2022 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company, PATTI Lupone played the role of Joanne. She won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance. My husband and I were fortunate enough to see PATTI Lupone in Company on Broadway in June 2022. She was amazing.

ILHAN (26D: Representative Omar) ILHAN Omar is the U.S. representative for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district. ILHAN Omar was born in Somalia, and immigrated to the United States with her family when Somalia was in the midst of a civil war. Along with Rashida Tlaib, she is one of the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress.

SUMO (28D: Honbasho sport) A honbasho is a professional SUMO tournament.

IF/THEN (46D: Idina Menzel musical about the consequences of our choices) IF/THEN is a musical about Elizabeth (played by Idina Menzel), a 38-year-old woman moving back to New York City to make a new start. Elizabeth adopts a new name for her new life, and the musical tells the story of two possible paths, one taken by Liz, and one by Beth. PATTI Lupone and Idina Menzel in the same puzzle? This must be my lucky day; I’m a fan of both of these women. On our recent vacation, my husband and I were fortunate enough to see the musical Redwood on Broadway, which stars Idina Menzel. I was thrilled to be able to see her perform in person.

STORE (52D: Daiso or Target, e.g.) Daiso is a franchise of Japanese 100-yen shops, similar to dollar STOREs found in the United States. Daiso has over 3,500 STOREs in Japan, and over 2,000 STOREs in other countries. Daiso STOREs in the United States are located in California, Washington, and Texas. Target is an American retail chain. Since the clue gives two examples, solvers only need to be familiar with one of these STOREs to be successful.

OSLO (55D: Norwegian Nobel Institute city) OSLO is the capital of Norway. OSLO has been the home of the Norwegian Nobel Institute – which assists the Nobel Committee in selecting the Nobel Peace Prize recipient – since 1904. (At that time, OSLO was known as Kristianaia.) The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in OSLO in December of each year.

OP-ED (56D: Opinion piece) At first glance, it might seem that the word “opinion” in the clue is a dupe of the OP part of OP-ED. However, OP-ED is short for “opposite the editorial page,” a nod to the location of OP-EDs in printed newspapers.

A few other clues I especially enjoyed:

ENABLER (48A: Person whose “advice” should probably be ignored)

ELEPHANT (4D: The ___ in the room)

IT’S A GIFT (9D: Words that might precede “…and a curse”)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

STOP IN TO SAY HI (20A: Pay someone a quick visit)

THAT’S A MOOT POINT (38A: “No use discussing it now”)

HOT BUTTON TOPIC (54A: Sensitive issue)

POTION EXPLOSION: Each theme answer contains an anagram of the word POTION: STOP IN TO SAY HI, THAT’S A MOOT POINT, and HOT BUTTON TOPIC.

POTION EXPLOSION is the name of a board game. Today, it serves as title and revealer for this puzzle. The word EXPLOSION is serving as an anagram indicator. The word POTION has “exploded,” resulting in a rearrangement of its letters to OPINTO, OTPOIN, and ONTOPI. It took me a few moments to identify the theme today, making for a nice “Aha!” moment. Thank you, Amie and Amanda, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles
April 11, 2025
Shakira photos: 'Hips Don't Lie' hitmaker's careerCelebrities

Shakira photos: ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ hitmaker’s careerCelebrities

April 11, 2025