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Joaquin Phoenix stars as Arthur Fleck in "Joker: Folie a Deux."Warner Bros.Warner Bros. took a big swing with "Joker: Folie a Deux." It's turned into a big whiff.After the billion-dollar success of "Joker" in 2019 on a shoestring budget of just $55 million, the studio greenlit a sequel, offering director Todd Phillips a substantially larger budget of $200 million. As of Wednesday, the film has garnered just $53.8 million domestically, according to Comscore. Its global haul stands at $166 million as of Sunday with updates expected over the weekend.Panned by critics and audiences, "Joker: Folie a Deux" is not expected to recoup much of its lofty production budget or the additional $100 million in estimated marketing and distribution costs by the end of its theatrical run.And it's not the onl...

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a "Save America Rally" near the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021.Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA federal judge on Friday ordered the release of more than 1,800 pages of documents filed by special counsel Jack Smith in the criminal election interference case against former President Donald Trump.The records were made public after U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan denied a request by Trump's lawyers to keep them sealed until after the Nov. 5 presidential election.Many of the individual files remain redacted, however.The material, spread over four volumes, appears to largely center on three categories of information: Evidence that has been used in Smith's prior case filings; public information relating to Trump, such as soci...

Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technologies, speaks during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, May 10, 2021 amid the Colonial fuel pipeline ransomware attack.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesWith ransomware attacks surging and 2024 on track to be one of the worst years on record, U.S. officials are seeking ways to counter the threat, in some cases, urging a new approach to ransom payments.Ann Neuberger, U.S. deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, wrote in a recent Financial Times opinion piece, that insurance policies — especially those covering ransomware payment reimbursements — are fueling the very same criminal ecosystems they seek ...

A Feb. 18 rally celebrating the California Labor Commissioner’s order for a McDonald's franchise to rehire and compensate workers who went on strike for coronavirus protections was held on Feb. 18, 2021.Lucy Nicholson | ReutersThis November, voters in at least three states will decide whether or not to raise their state-level minimum wages.If history is any guide, the ballot measures in Alaska, Missouri and California are likely to pass, and lead to bigger paychecks for workers, said Sebastian Martinez Hickey, a state economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute."Since 2014, 12 states have passed minimum wage increases through ballot measures," Martinez Hickey told CNBC.In many states, he added, "a statewide ballot initiative is the only plausible pathway, because conservative legisla...

Carlos Tavares, chief executive officer of Stellantis NV, speaks to the media at the Stellantis auto manufacturing plant in Sochaux, France, on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. Nathan Laine | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesDETROIT — Automaker Stellantis plans to shutter and sell its large vehicle proving grounds in Arizona at the end of this year, CNBC has learned.The decision is the latest cost-cutting measure by the trans-Atlantic automaker under CEO Carlos Tavares, who has been increasingly under pressure from Wall Street, dealers and the United Auto Workers union amid the company's lagging financial performance, layoffs and overall business decisions.The Arizona Proving Grounds covers 4,000 acres between Phoenix and Las Vegas in Yucca, Arizona. It has been used for vehicle testing and development for ...