nomination

Feb. 25 (UPI) — Dr. Casey Means is scheduled to appear before the Senate Wednesday to discuss her confirmation to become surgeon general.

Means, 38, a friend of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., wellness influencer and Make America Healthy Again advocate, was scheduled to appear in October before the Senate Health, Education Labor and Pension Committee virtually because she was pregnant with her first child. But it was postponed because she went into labor.

Her brother, Calley Means, is a lobbyist and senior adviser to the Health and Human Services Department.

She attended Stanford University for undergrad and medical school. She published a 2024 book, Good Energy, in which she described quitting her residency at Oregon Health and Science University. She had completed almost all of the five-year residency but said she was disillusioned with modern medicine. She advocates for healthy eating, limited pharmaceutical use and alternative remedies.

Her medical license lapsed in January 2024.

Because of this, she has faced questions over qualifications for the job, which would give her the authority to issue warnings and advisories for Americans.

HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said that Means’ “credentials, research background, and experience in public life give her the right insights to be the surgeon general who helps make sure America never again becomes the sickest nation on Earth.”

Kennedy recommended Means to President Donald Trump, who nominated her in May. Trump had withdrawn his previous nomination, former Fox News medical contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat.

Means has said she is for “unbiased research” in the childhood vaccine schedule. She has specifically questioned the safety of the hepatitis B vaccine being given soon after birth.

“I bet that one vaccine probably isn’t causing autism, but what about the 20 that they’re getting before 18 months?” CNN reported she said on Joe Rogan’s podcast in 2024.

There is no evidence that vaccines cause autism.

AN iconic American actress looks completely unrecognizable after a string of legendary roles and an Oscar nomination.

The star first shot to fame in 1983 as she appeared in Scarface playing Al Pacino’s character’s sister, Gina Montana.

She starred in many huge movies back in the 80s and 90s – can you guess who?

The actress in question is none other than brunette bombshell Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, who has enjoyed an incredible career as a movie star.

Mary has recently been spotted out and about and she looks completely different to back in the day.

The 67-year-old has obviously moved on from her famous 80s curls and has opted for a more natural look often going to events makeup free.

Read more on 80s movie stars

WALKING WONDER

80s star with string of hit films unrecognizable as she’s spotted in LA

NEW LOOK

80s movie star unrecognizable as he’s spotted in NY 25 years after quitting fame

Mary’s style is incredibly chic, with the actress often donning shirt’s and over sized blazers.

Years ago, glamourous Mary was often seen on red carpets wearing floor length gowns and posing with her A-lister pals.

Many of Mary’s fans may recognise her from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, where she played Maid Marion – a spy.

While Mary is probably best known for her role in Scarface she also appeared in the 1986 movie The Colour of Money, playing Carmen, which landed her the coveted Oscars Best Supporting Actress nomination.

Paul Newman and Tom Cruise appeared alongside the star in the movie, which also saw her nominated for a Golden Globe.

Her other movie roles include James Cameron’s science fiction, The Abyss with Ed Harris, she played the attorney daughter of Gene Hackman‘s character in Class Action, co-starred in the 1992 thriller Consenting Adults and played a fishing boat captain in The Perfect Storm.

The singer was also nominated for a Tony award for Best Actress in a musical back in 2003 for her work in Man of La Mancha.

As well as her impressive career as a movie star, Mary also appeared in many TV shows, the most notable being Without A Trace and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Mary was born in Lombard, Illinois and studied drama at the university. She worked summers at a local theme park to get her through college.

The Broadway star lived in England for over 20 years with her husband Pat O’Connor, who directed The January Man.

Mary and Pat have two sons and they all moved back to the US in the 2010s.

The movie star now works as a professional coach using her years of experience in theatre, film and prime time television.

“Frankenstein” star Jacob Elordi, at 6 feet 5 easy to spot from across the ballroom, leaned down to hug Teyana Taylor, a supporting actress Oscar nominee for “One Battle After Another.” Nearby, her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio caught up with Steven Spielberg, who directed him 24 years ago in “Catch Me If You Can,” while “Sentimental Value” filmmaker Joachim Trier huddled with “One Battle’s” Paul Thomas Anderson, a fellow directing nominee. In the middle of it all, songwriter Diane Warren paused to take a selfie, still evidently enjoying the giddy thrill of being in a room full of fellow hopefuls even after 17 times.

In all, 203 of this year’s 230 Academy Award nominees gathered Tuesday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for the annual nominees luncheon, a brief moment of campaign-free conviviality amid the churn of awards season. As flashbulbs followed the most famous faces, major stars like Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone and Kate Hudson rubbed elbows and shared champagne toasts with lesser-known nominees from categories like animation, sound and live-action short before lining up for the annual class photo.

With the Oscars just weeks away on March 15, the long-running gathering — a ritual dating to 1982 and returning this year after being canceled in 2025 because of the Los Angeles County wildfires — offered the nominees a welcome stretch of easygoing mingling, largely free of competition. The reprieve is short-lived: Voting begins on Feb. 26, when the brutal math of awards season will reassert itself, meaning roughly 80% of them will head home on Oscar night empty-handed.

Kate Hudson, a lead actress nominee for “Song Sung Blue,” at the 2026 Oscar nominees luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

For first-time contenders, the luncheon carried a particular rush. Christalyn Hampton, a co-director of the documentary short “The Devil Is Busy,” which follows a day at an abortion clinic in Atlanta, said she was excited to meet “Sinners” director Ryan Coogler, whose period vampire thriller leads the field with a record 16 nominations.

“We’re two African American directors nominated this year — I think that’s pretty historic,” said Hampton, a former professional dancer whose first directing credit has landed her an Oscar nod. “Flying back and forth from Atlanta has been a bit exhausting, but to be in this moment with all these incredible filmmakers — you can’t complain.”

Jacob Elordi, left, and “Sirāt” film director Oliver Laxe — two extremely tall nominees — at the 2026 Oscar nominees luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

Still, even inside the awards-season bubble, the turmoil surrounding the movie business, the country and the world beyond it was hard to ignore. As attendees tucked into their chicken, more than a few discussions drifted to whether Netflix or Paramount would prevail in their attempts to acquire Warner Bros. and what either scenario might portend for the future of movies.

In her remarks, academy President Lynette Howell Taylor acknowledged the questions many nominees have been asking themselves amid industry contraction, political volatility and global conflict. “The art you create is vital,” Howell Taylor told the crowd. “I know many of us ask ourselves, ‘Should we be doing something else? Should we be doing something differently? Should we be doing more?’ The answer to that is personal. But what I do know is this: What you are doing is not easy and it is so needed.”

Teyana Taylor, nominated for supporting actress for “One Battle After Another,” at the 2026 Oscar nominees luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

She praised the resilience of filmmakers who have endured strikes, dangerous political environments and even war zones. “To not make your films, to not tell your stories, is to give in,” she said. “And there is not one of you in this room who has been willing to do that.”

That tension was felt especially sharply by Sara Khaki, co-director (with Mohammadreza Eyni) of the documentary feature nominee “Cutting Through Rocks,” which follows the first Iranian woman elected as a councilwoman in a rural village. The weeks since the nomination, Khaki said, have been both “terrible and wonderful,” as her home country has been rocked by protests against the Iranian government.

Elle Fanning, nominated for “Sentimental Value,” at the 2026 Oscar nominees luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

“What’s terrible is what we’re experiencing back home — the internet shut down, worrying about our loved ones,” she said. “What’s wonderful is what’s happening here. So it’s a mix of emotions, really.”

Another Iranian nominee was absent altogether. Mehdi Mahmoudian, nominated as a co-writer of director Jafar Panahi’s drama “It Was Just an Accident,” was arrested this month in Iran after signing a statement condemning the government’s deadly crackdown on protesters.

Actor Wagner Moura, nominated for “The Secret Agent,” and former AMPAS President Janet Yang at the 2026 Oscar nominees luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

At each table, nominees were asked to fill out a card with a simple question: “What movie made you want to be part of this world?” After pondering for a moment, “Nomadland” Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, nominated in the directing category for the second time for the wrenching drama “Hamnet,” wrote down Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 1998 film, “After Life,” a quietly humane meditation on memory and meaning that felt closely aligned with her own filmmaking sensibility. The answers, Howell Taylor explained, would be used for “a special moment” during the Oscar telecast.

As in years past, the luncheon also came with a bit of gentle coaching about what to do — and not to do — should one’s name be called on Oscar night, including moving briskly to the stage, keeping remarks to no more than 45 seconds and not leaning into the microphone.

Directors Steven Spielberg, left, and Paul Thomas Anderson at the 2026 Oscar nominees luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

Above all, Howell Taylor urged nominees to resist the temptation to thank everyone they’ve ever worked with. “You’ll forget someone and you’ll feel terrible,” she said.

Better, she suggested, to focus on what the moment actually means. “You are the show,” Howell Taylor reminded them. “It’s your speeches. This is an entertainment show millions of people will be watching, so let’s make the most of it.”

South Korean stocks nosedived by more than 5 percent Monday, due largely to a risk-averse sentiment following the nomination of the new Federal Reserve chair, and a sharp decline in silver and gold prices. The Korean won plunged against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) tumbled 274.69 points, or 5.26 percent, to close at 4,949.67, snapping a four-session winning streak.

The country’s main bourse operator, the Korea Exchange (KRX), issued a sell-side circuit breaker for 5 minutes around noon.

Trade volume was heavy at 568.8 million shares worth 32 trillion won (US$21.9 billion). Losers outnumbered winners 795 to 116.

Foreign and institutional investors offloaded a net 2.5 trillion won and 2.2 trillion won, respectively. Retail investors, on the other hand, went bargain hunting and snapped up a net 4.6 trillion won.

Local stocks came under selling pressure following the nomination of Kevin Warsh, seen widely as a hawkish figure, as Fed chair, and sharp declines in silver and gold prices, according to Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst from Daishin Securities.

“A sharp drop in precious metals triggered the liquidation and margin call of derivatives holding them. This in turn led to the forced liquidation of other assets, as investors went to preserve margins, further amplifying the stock market’s decline,” Lee said.

International gold prices have experienced a sharp decline of over 10 percent in the past few days, while sliver prices plunged over 30 percent.

The local gold market was affected, too, with gold traded on the KRX falling to its lowest permissible limit of 10 percent Monday. It marked the first time KRX gold prices fell to the floor since the market opened in March 2014, according to the bourse operator.

“There is a possibility the benchmark KOSPI could take a breather, considering its sharp gains recently, but a daily decline of 4 to 5 percent seems excessive,” Han Ji-young, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, said.

Shares closed lower across the board.

Market top-cap Samsung Electronics declined 6.29 percent to 150,400 won, while its chipmaking rival SK hynix tumbled 8.69 percent to 830,000 won.

Top car marker Hyundai Motor retreated 4.4 percent to 478,000 won, bio firm Celltrion lost 3.33 percent to 203,000 won, and defense giant Hanwha Aerospace closed down 4.69 percent to 1,239,000 won.

Financial shares were among the few winners.

Hana Financial Group added 3.2 percent to 103,300 won, and Meritz Financial Group inched up 0.69 percent to 117,400 won.

The Korean won was quoted at 1,464.3 won against the U.S. dollar at 3:30 p.m., down 24.8 won from the previous session.

Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed lower. The yield on three-year Treasurys rose 1.4 basis points to 3.152 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds rose 1.2 basis points to 3.448 percent.

Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.