Today's News: October 02, 2019

World News

‘No force can shake this great nation’: President Xi leads spectacular ceremony to mark 70 years of Communist rule in China and unveils top-secret hypersonic DF-17 missile for the first time
Daily Mail – China showed off its military power and economic prowess during a parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic on Tuesday.
The display was presided over by Xi Jinping, wearing a grey jacket in echoes of Mao Zedong. Standing in an open-topped car, he watched the show from the Gate of Heavenly Peace, from where Mao proclaimed the founding of the modern nation in 1949.
The military parade was China’s first large-scale display of arms since 2015 and was used to showcase the leaps that its army – which has the second-largest budget in the world behind the US – has made since then.
Included in the display was a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting anywhere in America within 30 minutes, a hypersonic nuclear missile that is theoretically capable of evading all known missile defence systems, along with new stealth drones and aircraft.
The military showcase was then followed by a civilian parade celebrating the country’s economic development that has seen it rise become a world superpower.
‘No force can ever shake the status of China, or stop the Chinese people and nation from marching forward,’ Xi said as he inspected rows of vehicles, troops and gleaming missiles.
China’s military display forces Pentagon to confront end of American dominance
Washington Times – The rest of the world was watching the pomp, circumstance and speeches celebrating China’s 70th anniversary Tuesday, but military analysts were glued to another spectacle in the heart of Beijing: the arsenal of cutting-edge weaponry capable of challenging U.S. military might for decades to come.
The lavish event marking seven decades of Communist Party rule gave Beijing a golden opportunity to showcase new hypersonic missiles, top-of-the-line drones, tanks, stealth bombers, unmanned underwater vehicles, helicopters that rival U.S. Black Hawks, and a host of other military technology that highlights the nation’s ever-rising defense budget and its long-term plan to cut into American superiority in Asia and beyond.
Analysts called the display a clear warning to the West and an indication that China’s military progress — already at the point where Beijing is likely capable of going toe-to-toe with the U.S. in the Pacific — is accelerating at a rapid pace. Pentagon officials say their strategy to counter China acknowledges the new paradigm and the uncomfortable truth that unquestioned U.S. power may be a thing of the past.
“We’re no longer in a period of overwhelming American dominance but rather one in which our armed forces are adapting to fight against near-peer competitors who are fielding increasingly sophisticated capabilities,” Randall G. Schriver, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, told an audience at the Brookings Institution in Washington just hours after the parade.
“Instead of expecting to dominate an opponent, our armed forces are learning to expect to be contested throughout a fight while achieving the political objectives set for them,” he said.
EU Approves Groundbreaking New ‘Right to Repair’ Laws Requiring Appliances to Be Easier to Fix
Good News Network – In a continued effort to reduce European’s carbon footprint and make energy bills cheaper for consumers, the European Union has just passed groundbreaking new “right to repair” legislation for products such as refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, and televisions.
Improving the eco-design of products contributes to implementing the “Energy efficiency first” principle of the EU’s Energy Union priority.
For the first time, the measures include requirements for repairability and recyclability, contributing to circular economy objectives by improving the life span, maintenance, re-use, upgrade, recyclability, and waste handling of appliances.
“Right to repair” legislation is becoming increasingly popular as consumers across North America and Europe have vocalized their frustration over household appliances breaking down shortly after their warranties expire. Since repairing broken appliances is usually more costly than replacing it, thousands of products are simply sent to the landfill.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Dark trends in American society call for greater ‘spiritual warfare’
Patheos – AN Oregon exorcist, who claims he has had the ability to conquer satanic forces since he was four, warned last week that modern American society, with its interest in things such as drugs and ouija boards, needs to take demonic possession more seriously.
“Archbishop” James Cloud, above, insisted that, “as the years go by, the cases are getting darker”, and lamented the fact that many churches give a “very sanitised” approach to spiritual life that ignored the Devil and his crew’s malevolent influence on the world.
Throughout the scriptures, we see examples of angels interacting on Earth — devils and Satan himself interacting on Earth.
Cloud, who belongs to a splinter Catholic group, is a former Anglican. He claims he was kicked out of the Anglican Church for his focus on “spiritual warfare”.
Now he’s an Archbishop in the Advent Catholic Church.
Cloud also told KOIN that, as a mental health professional, he first looks for rational explanations for the problems that his patients are experiencing, such as mental health problems.
Trump tweeted ‘billions of dollars’ would be saved on military contracts. Then the Pentagon fired the official doing that
Yahoo – In December 2016, just a few weeks before moving into the White House, President-elect Donald Trump tweeted that once he was in office, “billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases.”
Presidential candidates often campaign for or against defense spending, but Trump was perhaps the first to promise that his business acumen — an image bolstered by his bestselling book “The Art of the Deal” — would enable him to shave billions of dollars off costly weapons, like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, estimated to top $1 trillion.
While Trump’s critics were questioning whether he was actually capable of achieving big savings in the military budget, over at the Pentagon the man whose job it was to negotiate those weapons deals welcomed the president’s attention to the issue.
Assad had already built a reputation as the Department of Defense’s toughest contract negotiator, having spent more than a decade battling defense companies on behalf of taxpayers, trying to get the prices down on skyrocketing weapons costs. Over the course of his career, he has been decorated with a panoply of awards from the Pentagon for his work, and praised for saving the government billions of dollars. A 2016 Politico profile described Assad, known for his dogged campaigns to force defense industry companies to justify their costs, as “the most hated man in the Pentagon.”
Trump’s interest in negotiating better prices for the government made it seem like Assad’s work would get White House attention.
Yet within two years of Trump’s entrance into the White House, Assad would find himself removed from his job, and his efforts to save money and recover hundreds of millions of dollars in potentially fraudulent spending tabled.
His treatment, he contends, was the direct result of his attempts to save the Pentagon money and identify potential contract fraud, which brought him into conflict with the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer. It was a conflict that ended dramatically, he says, when shortly after he emailed senior Pentagon officials about potential fraud, details about his travel records and his demotion were published in the press.
Assad, who is now retired, says the issues he brought up involved potentially billions of dollars in waste and fraud, and still aren’t being addressed. It’s a claim that’s backed up by multiple interviews conducted by Yahoo News with Assad and those who worked with him at the Pentagon, as well as by documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
Bernie Sanders undergoes procedure for artery blockage, cancels events until further notice
CNBC – Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders on Wednesday canceled all appearances and events until further notice after the 78-year-old senator underwent a procedure for an artery blockage.
In a statement Wednesday, the senator’s advisor Jeff Weaver said Sanders “experienced some chest discomfort” during a Tuesday event. Testing found a “blockage in one artery,” and Sanders had two stents inserted, he said.
“Sen. Sanders is conversing and in good spirits. He will be resting up over the next few days,” Weaver said. “We are canceling his events and appearances until further notice, and we will continue to provide appropriate updates.”
Sanders is the oldest presidential candidate seeking to challenge President Donald Trump in 2020. The Vermont independent is three years older than former Vice President Joe Biden, who has led most national and state primary polls despite concerns about his mental sharpness.
Wall Street is starting to believe Warren may win nomination, putting health and bank stocks at risk
CNBC – Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s recent surge has some on Wall Street predicting she will unseat former Vice President Joe Biden as the Democratic front-runner, and they are getting clients ready for the possibility she wins the presidency with investment recommendations.
Based on recent polling data, Warren’s focus on grassroots and favorability among her supporters, Wall Street is underestimating the odds of her success, according to Raymond James strategists Ed Mills and Chris Meekins.
“We believe Warren is within striking distance of winning both the nomination and White House,” Mills and Meekins wrote. “While countless external events can and will happen between now and Election Day, we believe that the market underappreciates Warren’s ability to capture the nomination and win the Presidency.”
While the brokerage noted that their base case is still for President Donald Trump to clinch a narrow victory, his edge in key battleground states appears to have “a ceiling.” A ceiling, Raymond James thinks, Warren may have the best shot of using to her advantage.
Mystery object likened to Death Star filmed hovering over New York City
The strange object supposedly changed colour as it emerged in the night sky
Daily Star – Baffling footage of a circular object in the sky above New York City has been likened to the Death Star from Star Wars by stunned conspiracy theorists.
The video begins with the view of the famous skyline of the city in New York, US.
A bright light then comes into shot above the buildings, as cameraman Mauricio Lopez voices his thoughts.
“I’ve got something in the sky, a blinking red light,” he says.
“I believe in UFOs and I think I’ve got one right now.”
Runner killed by lightning while finishing 50K race in southeast Kansas
Fox – A runner has been killed by lightning as he was about to finish a 50 kilometer (31.07 miles) race in southeast Kansas.
Organizers of the FlatRock race said in a Facebook post that 33-year-old Thomas Stanley, of Andover, was struck Saturday while competing in the race at the Elk City State Park, which is about 150 miles (240 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, Missouri.
KSN-TV reports that Race Director Carolyn Robinson says many runners and officials tried to give Stanley CPR and first-aid but were unsuccessful. Robinson says his wife was presented the medal he would have received. The couple had three children.
Teacher Fired For Calling Trans Student “Her” Sues School District
Educator pushes back against PC language police
Infowars – A West Point, Virginia high school teacher filed a lawsuit Monday suing the school district that recently fired him along with four people involved in the termination.
Peter Vlaming, a French teacher at West Point High School, was fired in 2018 after he called a female student who had recently transitioned to male “her.”
“Don’t let her hit the wall,” Vlaming shouted as the transgender student walked towards a wall while wearing virtual-reality goggles.
Before Vlaming called the student her, he refused to use any pronouns and called the student by her name to avoid misgendering altogether.
The teacher cited religious reasons for not wanting to use male pronouns to address the female student, saying doing so would be considered “lying.”
“Vlaming’s conscience and religious practice prevents him from intentionally lying, and he sincerely believes that referring to a female as a male by using an objectively male pronoun is telling a lie,” Vlaming’s lawsuit states.
Vlaming was allegedly calling the student female pronouns when talking to other students, prompting meetings with the teacher, student, the student’s mother and school administrators.
During a school board meeting, West Point High School Principal Jonathan Hochman said, “I can’t think of a worse way to treat a child than what was happening.”
The incident caused a big controversy among students, parents and school staff with crowds attending the school board meeting that resulted in Vlaming’s termination and 100 students staging a school walkout in support of the teacher.
“I feel like everyone should have the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion as well,” said one student who attended the walkout.
In addition to the school district, Vlaming’s lawsuit names West Point schools Superintendent Laura Abel, West Point High School Principal Jonathan Hochman and assistant principal Suzanne Aunspach.

Economy & Business

Visa, Mastercard reconsider backing Facebook’s Libra: WSJ
Reuters – Visa (V.N), Mastercard Inc (MA.N) and other key financial partners may reconsider their involvement in Facebook Inc’s (FB.O) cryptocurrency, Libra, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The financial backers to Libra did not want to attract regulatory scrutiny and declined Facebook’s requests to publicly support the project, according to the Journal report.
Policy executives from Libra Association, the cryptocurrency’s two dozen backers, have been summoned to a meeting in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, the WSJ reported.
Separately, Bloomberg reported that PayPal Holdings Inc (PYPL.O) and Stripe Inc are also undecided about formally signing onto Libra.
Reuters reported last week that Facebook could push back the launch of Libra to tackle regulatory concerns that have been raised around the world.
Facebook announced plans to launch the digital currency in June 2020, in partnership with other members of the Libra Association set up by the U.S. tech giant to manage the project.
However, the attempt to drag cryptocurrencies into the mainstream has since met with regulatory and political skepticism globally, with France and Germany pledging to block Libra from operating in Europe.

Energy & Environment

Plastic Bag Sales Have Fallen by 90% in England Since They Introduced 5-Pence Charge in 2015
Good News Network – Sales of plastic bags at the seven biggest retail chains in England have fallen by 90% since the nation’s 5-pence charge was introduced in 2015.
Just in the last year, Asda, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, The Co-operative Group, Tesco, and Waitrose sold 490 million fewer single-use plastic bags than over the previous year.
The data also reveals how 5p plastic bag sales have contributed around £169 million ($207 million) toward charities and other good causes since the charge was introduced, with more than £22 million ($27 million) raised in 2018/19 alone.
The average person in England now buys just 10 bags a year from the main supermarket retailers, compared with 140 bags in 2014 before the charge was introduced.
First Fully Rechargeable Carbon Dioxide Battery is Seven Times More Efficient Than Lithium Ion
Good News Network – Lithium-carbon dioxide batteries are attractive energy storage systems because they have a specific energy density that is more than seven times greater than commonly used lithium-ion batteries. Until now, however, scientists have not been able to develop a fully rechargeable prototype, despite their potential to store more energy.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are the first to show that lithium-carbon dioxide batteries can be designed to operate in a fully rechargeable manner, and they have successfully tested a lithium-carbon dioxide battery prototype running up to 500 consecutive cycles of charge/recharge processes.

Science & Technology

UPS Gets FAA Approval to Run America’s First Drone Delivery Airline
Gizmodo – The Federal Aviation Administration has given UPS approval to run a drone fleet, enabling the company to create a UAV delivery airline.
UPS announced on Tuesday that the federal agency granted the company a Part 135 certification—a high level of certification used by charter airlines—to operate its drones. This permits UPS to fly drones that carry loads exceeding 55 pounds, to fly drones at night, and to fly the devices out of sight of operators. As UPS puts it, the “certification has no limits on the size or scope of operations.”
The company states that it is the first firm to obtain such a high-level certification for drones. An FAA spokesperson confirmed to Gizmodo, the “FAA approved the first standard air carrier certification for drone operations to UPS.” Google-parent Alphabet, Uber, and Amazon are racing to implement wide-scale drone delivery, and this development marks an early win for UPS in the race for unmanned commercial delivery.
Artificial blood that is ‘better than the real thing’ made in lab by scientists
National Defense Medical College have revealed the all-purpose blood which they created in a lab
Daily Star – Artificial blood that can be used by anyone regardless of their blood type and will increase the survival rate of patients has been created by scientists .
Japanese researchers from the National Defense Medical College have revealed the blood which they created in a lab.
The team boast it can be transfused into patients regardless of their blood.
Scientists boasted their tests on rabbits have been successful, and it is hoped to be used on humans.
It is also hoped medics will be able to use the artificial blood to help seriously injured people, and it will increase survival rates.
Doctors will now no longer have to worry about limits on the amount of blood available from donors.
‘Breakthrough’ Device Restores Visual Perception to the Blind So They Can See Light and Motion
Good News Network – Seven years ago, Jason Esterhuizen was in a horrific car crash that destroyed his eyes, plunging him into total darkness.
Today, he’s regained visual perception and more independence, thanks to an experimental device implanted in his brain by researchers at UCLA Health.
“Now I can do things that I couldn’t do before,” said 30-year-old Esterhuizen, who moved from his native South Africa to participate in the clinical trial at UCLA. “I can sort the laundry, find my way in lighted hallways without using a cane and cross the street more safely. It’s making my life much easier.”

Health

The 10 Healthiest (And Most Delicious) Ways To Eat Pumpkin
Mind Body Green – It’s officially pumpkin season! While the orange fruit (yes, they’re a fruit!) is ubiquitous this time of year, it can be hard to figure out interesting and healthy ways to incorporate it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. We reached out to some of the country’s top nutrition experts to find out their favorite way to use pumpkin, and they had some genius ideas (who knew it’d work well in cheesy pasta?). Here’s all the pumpkin inspo you need this fall.

Wholesome pumpkin pie

Pie is the best way to eat pumpkin. Hands down. Topped with organic homemade maple whipped cream. To make a wholesome pumpkin pie, use organic eggs, maple syrup, and a whole grain crust. The swaps provide more nutrients, less environmental baggage, and you don’t lose any of the flavor.

In muffins

My favorite way to use pumpkin would definitely be in muffin form. I love the depth of flavor and satiety-promoting fiber that pumpkin brings to a muffin, not to mention the delicious taste of fall. Adding pumpkin to muffins gives a boost of nutrition such as beta-carotene, potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin E, giving them a big nutritional boost compared to regular muffins. Because of the high fiber content in pumpkin, I’m not reaching for another snack 20 minutes later.

In muffins

As a binder in gluten-free baking

I do a lot of gluten-free vegan baking (especially in the fall and winter) and know that I need to make up for the absence of binders found in traditional recipes (eggs, cream, and butter, for example). Canned pumpkin purée (not the pumpkin pie mix) offers an amazing option for adding volume, texture, and moisture to muffins, cookies, breads, and other baked goods. Often this leads to having some left over, which I spoon into an ice cube tray and freeze for smoothies.

Stirred into yogurt

My favorite way to eat pumpkin is stirred into plain whole milk Greek yogurt or skyr with cinnamon and vanilla extract. I love that it’s got so much fiber (3 to 4 grams per half-cup), which helps make it filling. Sometimes I’ll also stir in some chia seeds or ground flax for more fiber and plant-based omega-3s. If I need more staying power, I’ll also add a teaspoon of sunflower seed butter for some healthy fats. A drizzle of really dark maple syrup on top adds a nice touch of sweetness without being overpowering.

In savory sauces

My favorite way to eat pumpkin is by using organic pumpkin purée in sauces. Yep—pumpkin sauce in a green lentil pasta is one of my favorite fall meals. While I don’t have a precise recipe that I consistently follow, I typically caramelize onions and garlic and add them to the purée in a blender or food processor. I also add spices like thyme and rosemary, and a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil before heating it over the stove.

To make pastas extra cheesy

The orange hue is a great hack for making plant-based baked pastas look extra cheesy. As a gluten-free chef, it’s also my favorite trick for adding body to the sauce without having to make a floury béchamel or add any dairy.

A CBD-infused PSL

My favorite way to enjoy pumpkin is in this easy-to-make CBD-Infused Pumpkin Spice Latte. This warm beverage combines the anti-inflammatory health benefits of warming spices like cinnamon and nutmeg with the anti-anxiety benefits of CBD hemp oil for the ultimate comforting fall beverage.

In veggie soup

There are so many ways to eat pumpkin, but honestly one of my favorites is as part of a veggie soup. I like to cook it until the pumpkin is so soft that it crumbles into pieces that combine with the broth.

A sub in baked goods

I LOVE pumpkin season, and especially when canned puréed pumpkin arrives on the shelves, I use in a number of things. I often take one can of pumpkin and combine with a healthy cupcake or muffin mix (like Simple Mills). The pumpkin purée takes the place of the eggs, oil, water, etc., and I bake per instructions on the box. It’s brilliant, tasty, and super delicious!
>> Mercola Recipe: Slow Cooker Pumpkin Barbecue Pulled Pork
Organic Psyllium Husk’s Many Health Benefits
Mercola – Psyllium husk comes from the seeds of the Plantago ovata plant. It’s commonly grown in India, although it can be found in other countries such as Egypt, China and Iran.
Psyllium husk mainly works as a laxative, and may help ease constipation and diarrhea, as well as reduce the risk for colorectal cancer and gallstones.
Before taking psyllium husk, ask your doctor about the ideal dosage you’ll need for your current health status, since there are some side effects that have been linked to it.

Pet News

‘Doctor dogs’ can sniff out cancer, anxiety and superbugs
NY Post – When Danielle Brooks, 23, was diagnosed with narcolepsy at age 15, her peers taunted her with the nickname Bobblehead — how she looked nodding off. But since receiving her service dog, Rollo, in 2014, she can hold her head high.
“He wakes me up to take my medication,” Brooks, who is in her first year of grad school at Georgia State, tells The Post. “He pulls me along when walking to reduce fatigue, he picks things up for me when my muscles feel weak, and he can even open doors. His favorite thing to do is push the handicap touch button on doors with his paws.”
Brooks and Rollo’s bond is one of the medical relationships explored in the new book “Doctor Dogs: How Our Best Friends Are Becoming Our Best Medicine” (Dutton; out Tuesday), by Maria Goodavage, a journalist and the author of numerous books on dogs with jobs, including the bestseller “Secret Service Dogs: The Heroes Who Protect the President of the United States.”
“If it has a smell, a dog can detect it,” Goodavage tells The Post.
Goodavage had been writing about how service dogs use their noses to “catch the bad guys” for years. But after hearing about dogs in Japan and Pennsylvania being trained to sniff out cancer, she spent two years traveling the world looking for the best “doctor dog” stories.
These ultraproductive pups are not your traditional emotional-support, guide or therapy dogs. Some are trained to “mitigate specific medical problems,” while others “work in a research setting,” says Goodavage. “They are trained based on a smell and reward system.”
Some, like Rollo, work with humans in their homes, while others work in medical labs or alongside doctors in hospitals — such as Angus, an English springer spaniel in Vancouver who’s trained to find the superbug Clostridium difficile (known as C. diff, a bacterium that causes diarrhea and colitis).
Pups can even sniff out feelings. “Skin swabs and saliva samples are being collected from people who are experiencing anxiety and fear,” says Goodavage. “They’re training dogs to smell emotions to further mental health research. It’s amazing.”
Scientists are still figuring out what exactly dogs are smelling when they sniff out disease — but it’s clear that they’re getting a whiff of something we can’t. Pups in Japan are working to recognize the scent of stomach cancer in urine samples, while canines in Croatia can sense seizures with their snouts. At Penn Vet Working Dogs Center at the University of Pennsylvania, researchers identified blood plasma chemicals associated with ovarian cancer so dogs could be trained to identify the smell.

Good News

Johnson & Johnson Reaches $20.4 Million Settlement in Bellwether Opioids Case
NYT – Johnson & Johnson announced Tuesday that it had reached a $20.4 million agreement to settle opioid claims brought by two Ohio counties, becoming the fifth drugmaker to avoid the first federal trial that attempts to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable for the drug scourge.
The company — which made a fentanyl patch and two versions of an opioid tablet — did not admit wrongdoing. It said in a statement that it was settling “to avoid the resource demands and uncertainty of a trial as it continues to seek meaningful progress in addressing the nation’s opioid crisis.”
The division of Johnson & Johnson that made the opioid products, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, has said that those products accounted for less than 1 percent of total opioid prescriptions written in the United States.
The settlement was not nearly as sizable as the tentative agreement reached by Purdue Pharma with opioid plaintiffs last month, but that deal was intended to release the company from all federal litigation and many state cases as well.
The Johnson & Johnson agreement merely settles two federal lawsuits, which are scheduled to go to trial jointly against other drug industry defendants on Oct. 21. But the trial is an important one. Referred to as a bellwether, it is intended as a litmus test for some 2,300 cases filed by cities, counties and tribes nationwide, that have been consolidated in federal court under Judge Dan A. Polster in Cleveland.
To settle it, Johnson & Johnson has agreed to give a combined $10 million to the Ohio counties of Cuyahoga and Summit plus $5 million to cover the plaintiffs’ legal fees and expenses and $5.4 million in charitable contributions to opioid-related nonprofit programs in those counties.
Football Fan’s Request for Beer Money Racks Up $90,000 in Donations; So He is Giving It All to Charity
Good News Network – When a 24-year-old’s amusing handwritten sign helped to propel him into the national limelight, he decided to use his 15 minutes of fame to help sick children instead.
Carson King was just one of the many spectators attending ESPN’s “College GameDay” event in Ames, Iowa last week, where football fans vie for air-time with homemade signs.
The former Iowa State University student hoped to scrape together some party money for himself and his friends on Game Day, so he made a sign emblazoned with his Venmo e-banking account name and the words: “Busch Light Supply Needs Replenished.”
Carson held it up during the live broadcast, but had no idea that viewers from all over the country were sending him money until his friend saw notifications popping up—one after another, on Carson’s phone.
After his Venmo balance began to climb over $1,000, however, he knew that he couldn’t keep all the money for himself. He then announced that he would be donating all of the money—save for the amount he would need for a 24-pack of beer—to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
University of Iowa football fans, located in Iowa City, are renowned for their tradition of waving at the children in the neighboring hospital during their games. Now, since Carson began gathering donations for the hospital, his spontaneous fundraiser has racked up over $90,000.

Entertainment

Ava DuVernay Teams With HBO Max For ‘DMZ’ Pilot; DC Comic Depicts New American Civil War
Deadline – Hot off a big Emmy win for When They See Us, Ava DuVernay is set to launch her second project based on a DC Comics property
Already primed to directed a big-screen adaptation of Jack Kirby’s New Gods, as Deadline reported last year, Oscar nominee DuVernay now is getting behind the camera for HBO Max with the DMZ pilot the soon-to-be streamer has ordered.
Adapted from the Brian Wood-written comic published by the Vertigo imprint, the pilot imagines a second American Civil War in the near future. The A Wrinkle in Time helmer will direct the project with showrunner and EP Roberto Patino writing. Prophetically well timed if Monday’s tweetstorm by Donald Trump is any roadmap, the Manhattan-set DMZ will be produced by DuVernay’s Array Filmworks in association with Warner Bros. Television.