Bristol Myers Squibb and Microsoft ‘s new partnership aimed at accelerating early detection of lung cancer marks the latest way health care and artificial intelligence are rapidly intersecting. Bristol Myers said on Tuesday it will work with Microsoft’s AI-powered radiology platform to develop and launch imaging algorithms. These new tools, which can be used to analyze X-rays and CT scans, will help clinicians see hard-to-spot lung nodules and identify patients with earlier stages of the disease. The announcement comes less than a week after the CEOs of another pair of portfolio names, Eli Lilly and Nvidia, sat down at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco to talk about the role AI can play in drug discovery. The companies pledged to jointly invest “up to $1 billion in talent, infrastructure, and compute over five years” to support a collaborative innovation lab. Jim Cramer, who attended last week’s conference, gushed about the meeting of Eli Lilly ‘s David Ricks and Nvidia ‘s Jensen Huang and their new venture in his Sunday column . “There is not enough of the kind of engineering that Jensen brings to the table in pharma,” Jim wrote, adding that Jensen sees his platform as “uniquely created to quicken reasoning and come up with more keys to unlock more locks in the human body.” After talking with more than 15 different CEOs at the conference, Jim said, “Health care is going to resume its rightful place in big-time managers’ portfolios, and that place will be funded by donations from the brutal war over who can claim to have spent the most to lose the least money on artificial intelligence.” In other words, health care stocks will be bought as money comes out of the AI trade. A main driver of the rotation: The environment for health-care deals has become more inviting under President Donald Trump after losing steam during the Biden administration. Jim said the excitement at the JPMorgan conference was palpable. BMY 1Y mountain Bristol Myers 1 year As for Bristol Myers specifically, the Club has impatiently held onto the stock for the potential of Cobenfy. In light of some setbacks for the schizophrenia drug, Jim wrote Sunday he would consider swapping the Club’s small position in Bristol Myers, about a 1.54% weighting in the portfolio, for a larger one in a pharma or biotech name. He cited Amgen , Regeneron , and Novartis as possibilities. Bristol Myers shares gained roughly 19.6% in the fourth quarter last year, earning it a spot in our December highlight of Club holdings positioned for continued momentum this year. The stock’s success, however, hinges on trial readouts for Cobenfy, which has already been green-lighted to treat schizophrenia in adults but fell short in a trial for use as an additional treatment. More phase three trial readouts are expected this year, a likely catalyst for the stock, if the results are favorable. That might be too long to wait and too risky. Jim will run through plans for Bristol Myers and the rest of the Club stocks during our January Monthly Meeting at noon ET on Thursday. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long BMY, LLY, NVDA, MSFT. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
Nurse in pronoun row reinstated in job after disciplinary hearing
A nurse who was suspended over an alleged breach of a transgender patient’s confidentiality has been reinstated.
Jennifer Melle from Croydon, south London, was removed from duty after speaking publicly to the media about receiving a warning for using the wrong pronouns.
The trust said it was concerned confidential details about the patient’s appearance, diagnosis and treatment were shared with the media – but it found no evidence that the patient had been identified.
An internal disciplinary meeting at Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust, where she worked, has now cleared her of further action.
This hearing followed an incident in May 2024 where Melle was racially abused by a transgender patient after she addressed them as “Mr”.
The trust issued her with a written warning, and separately warned the patient that racist and threatening behaviour would not be tolerated.
An Epsom and St Helier Hospitals NHS spokesperson said they were pleased a member of staff who was previously suspended on full pay was being reinstated to clinical duties.
“Racial abuse of our staff will never be tolerated and we are sorry that she had this experience.”
Melle said she felt “deeply relieved and grateful” at the decision, following an “incredibly long and painful journey”.
Melle is taking the trust to an employment tribunal in April claiming harassment, direct discrimination and indirect discrimination linked to her gender‑critical and evangelical Christian beliefs.
Claire Foy shares rare views on typecasting amid new gig
Claire Foy has reflected on typecasting in the industry.
As fans will know, Claire Foy portrayed Tudor Queen Anne Boleyn in the historical drama Wolf Hall, alongside her acclaimed turn as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown.
Speaking to Radio Times magazine, the actress admitted that she has little interest in being typecast as a posh English woman.
“There aren’t that many queens and I did two of them! I think any more would be weird,” Foy said candidly.
She went on to reflect on how casting perceptions can shape an actor’s career, particularly as they grow older and seek more varied roles.
“You get offered what people think you’re capable of. The goal as you get older is for that to be broader, not narrower,” she explained.
Speaking of her latest film, H Is for Hawk, the actress admitted she was initially apprehensive about working so closely with the notoriously difficult birds as she portrays the role of Helen Macdonald.
The flick sees her as a woman who finds solace in caring for a goshawk following the death of her father.
“I was nervous! Goshawks are the most difficult birds to handle. Our bird trainers Rose and Lloyd Buck said, ‘Claire will get footed’, which is basically when the bird claws you, ‘because a goshawk has never not footed a falconer,’” she recalled.
“And our director (Philippa Lowthorpe) had to say, ‘No, she won’t!’, because otherwise we wouldn’t get insured,” Foy concluded.
Common vitamin byproduct may help cancer evade immune system, study finds
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A substance the body makes from vitamin A can make the immune system less effective at fighting cancer, a new study reveals.
Vitamin A itself is an essential nutrient, but one of its byproducts can accidentally “turn off” parts of the immune response against cancer, according to new research published in Nature Immunology.
Blocking that byproduct’s effects can restore immune activity and may improve cancer immunotherapy, the findings suggest.
FAST-GROWING CANCER COULD BE SLOWED BY COMMON BLOOD PRESSURE DRUG, RESEARCH SHOWS
Researchers at the Princeton University Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research made this discovery by growing dendritic cells, key immune cells that activate the body’s defenses, in a lab.
As these cells developed, the scientists noticed they naturally turned on an enzyme that makes retinoic acid, a molecule that comes from vitamin A.
Scientists found that when dendritic cells made a lot of the retinoic acid, they were less able to send strong danger signals to the immune system. (iStock)
Retinoic acid can weaken dendritic cells’ ability to stimulate immune responses. This reduces the effectiveness of dendritic cell vaccines, an immunotherapy that trains the immune system to attack cancer, according to the study.
The researchers also found that when dendritic cells made a lot of the retinoic acid, they were less able to send strong danger signals to the immune system.
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When they removed the retinoic acid, the dendritic cells became stronger and better at activating T cells, which are the immune system’s cancer-killing cells.
Vitamin A is an essential nutrient, but one of its byproducts can accidentally “turn off” parts of the immune response against cancer. (iStock)
A second study, published in iScience by collaborators from the same research group, looked at how to develop drugs to block this process.
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Using computer modeling and large drug screens, the team designed and identified small molecules that blocked the enzymes that produce retinoic acid.
This led to the creation of a promising inhibitor that shuts down retinoic acid production in a controlled way, the same tool used in the first study’s experiments, the researchers noted.
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“Taken together, our findings reveal the broad influence retinoic acid has in attenuating vitally important immune responses to cancer,” lead researcher Yibin Kang said in a press release.
“In exploring this phenomenon, we also solved a long-standing challenge in pharmacology by developing safe and selective inhibitors of retinoic acid signaling and established preclinical proof of concept for their use in cancer immunotherapy.”
Vitamin A remains an essential nutrient for normal immune function, growth and vision, according to the National Institute of Health. (iStock)
Study limitations
As these findings are based on laboratory and animal models, they may not fully reflect how retinoic acid functions in humans.
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Also, the studies examined a specific vitamin A-derived molecule (retinoic acid) acting in immune cells, not dietary vitamin A intake or overall vitamin A status.
Vitamin A remains an essential nutrient for normal immune function, growth and vision, according to the National Institutes of Health, and extensive human studies have found no evidence that vitamin A causes cancer.
College Football Playoff title game takeaways: How Indiana beat Miami to make history
When Miami was putting together its shocking first national title under Howard Schnellenberger in 1983, Indiana was going 3-8. The Hoosiers would go 0-11 the next season.
When Nebraska was wrapping up a second straight national title with an all-time great team in 1995, Indiana was going 2-9 with wins over only Western Michigan and Southern Miss.
When Ohio State was pulling a classic upset of Miami in 2002’s BCS championship game, Indiana was sitting at home, having gone 3-9 in Gerry DiNardo’s first season. The Hoosiers would go 5-18 over the rest of the DiNardo tenure.
When Nick Saban’s Alabama was battling LSU for national rock-fight supremacy in 2011, Indiana was picking up the pieces after a 1-11 campaign.
For virtually all of college football’s history, Indiana has been an also-ran at best. But in a sport long defined by the haves, the ultimate have-not has become its national champion. Indiana was the losingest program in the history of major college football heading into 2025, but the Hoosiers won their first title with guts, a glorious Fernando Mendoza touchdown run and a late interception from Jamari Sharpe. In this new era of college football, literally anything is possible.
Indiana’s 27-21 win over Miami in the College Football Playoff title game on Monday night locked up the least likely national title since either 1996 (the last time a team won its first national title), 1984 (when BYU won an unassuming crown) or ever. The Hoosiers became the sport’s behemoth when no one was looking, beat six top-10-at-the-time teams and took the title in the second year of the 12-team CFP.
College sports has produced an infinite number of wild and unexpected national titles, but considering the influence that football holds, and considering how much the ruling class really likes to rule this sport, this might be the biggest story in the history of college sports. Pretty much any other title-winning historic underdog remained an underdog to the end — the U.S. over the USSR. in the Miracle on Ice in 1980, Bill Snyder’s Kansas State in the late-1990s, Villanova or NC State in men’s college basketball in the mid-1980s — but Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers became a Goliath, survived a title-game upset bid, and made history in the most unique possible way. The only thing that could have possibly topped it might have been if Gordon Hayward’s buzzer-beater for Butler had banked in against Duke in 2010.
The most important plays of the national title game
History can turn out to be awfully poetic, but not in the way we originally envision. In 2002’s national title game, Miami’s Glenn Sharpe was flagged for a very late (but not necessarily incorrect) pass interference penalty against Ohio State in the first of two overtimes. The Buckeyes would win in double-overtime, and Miami has spent the past 23 seasons searching for some combination of justice and absolution.
Jamari Sharpe, Glenn’s nephew — and a product of Miami’s Northwestern Senior High School (didn’t have a Miami offer when he committed to Tom Allen’s IU program late in 2021) — provided that absolution … for Indiana. He intercepted an underthrown pass by Carson Beck as Miami was trying to position itself for a late, game-winning touchdown.
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Carson Beck’s costly INT hands Indiana the national title
Miami QB Carson Beck throws a costly interception with under a minute to go, sealing Indiana’s first college football championship.
Sharpe’s pick clinched the title, but it created the latest in a series of pretty big second-half swings.
In order, here are the five biggest plays of the national title game according to win probability added.
1. Mark Fletcher Jr.’s 57-yard touchdown run (11:06 left in Q3, +15.0% for Miami). Miami trailed 10-0 after a relatively one-sided first half that included three straight Hurricane three-and-outs and a dreadful sequence of decision-making from head coach Mario Cristobal. Miami finally moved the ball late in the half, but facing a fourth-and-2 with over a minute left, Cristobal decided to let the clock run down and attempt a 50-yard field goal instead of actually trying to score real points. Kicker Carter Davis, shaky for the entire CFP, doinked it off the upright.
After forcing a quick Indiana punt with a pair of sacks to start the third quarter, however, the Hurricanes got the ball back and immediately changed the game.
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Mark Fletcher Jr. runs for huge 57-yard TD for Miami
Miami RB Mark Fletcher Jr. breaks free for a 57-yard touchdown to give the Hurricanes some momentum.
Fletcher would finish with 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns on Monday night, giving him 507 rushing yards in four playoff games.
2. Malachi Toney‘s 22-yard catch-and-run (6:37 left in Q4, +13.7% for Miami). Indiana still led by 10 points when Toney, having snagged a 41-yard catch-and-run out of a no-huddle attack two plays earlier, took a jet sweep to the house to keep the Hurricanes within shouting distance.
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Malachi Toney bursts for a 22-yard TD for Miami
Carson Beck flips the ball to Malachi Toney, who breaks a couple tackles on his way to the end zone.
3-4. Fernando Mendoza‘s 12-yard run on fourth down (9:18 left in Q4, +13.2% for Indiana); Charlie Becker‘s 19-yard catch on fourth-and-5 (11:18 left in Q4, +11.9% for Indiana). Indiana was only 8-for-16 for the season on fourth downs heading into the title game, but the Hoosiers converted a pair of fourth downs on this game-defining drive early in the fourth quarter. Becker’s back-shoulder catch kept the drive alive, and after originally leaning toward attempting a field goal, Cignetti called timeout and put the game in Mendoza’s hands. He delivered.
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Fernando Mendoza absorbs contact for spectacular TD
Fernando Mendoza absorbs a hit and dives across the goal line for a touchdown on fourth down to widen Indiana’s lead.
5. Mikail Kamara‘s blocked punt, recovered by Isaiah Jones for a touchdown (5:04 left in Q3, +11.0% for Indiana). Indiana’s offense labored to start the second half, gaining just 11 yards in 13 third-quarter snaps. But Kamara’s perfect block, which settled nicely in the end zone for Jones to recover extended the Hoosiers’ lead back to 10 points.
1:11
Indiana blocks a punt for an electric TD
Indiana’s Mikail Kamara blocks Miami’s punt and Isaiah Jones recovers it for a touchdown.
More than anything else, this touchdown bought the Hoosiers time. They outgained the Hurricanes in the first, second and fourth quarters, but they were flailing in the third (total yards: Miami 150, IU 11), and Kamara’s block assured that the Hurricanes couldn’t take full advantage of the sudden domination. IU’s offense got its footing again in the final 15 minutes.
In terms of win probability added, Sharpe’s interception (+8.3% for IU) was actually only the seventh-most-important play of the game. (The sixth: Another Mendoza-to-Becker connection as the Hoosiers were running the clock late. Becker, Indiana’s best receiving threat late in the season, caught four passes for 65 yards.)
Miami did The U’s legacy proud
It wouldn’t have been the most surprising thing in the world if Miami had laid a bit of an egg in the finale. After three straight road trips, two upsets and an exhausting semifinal win over Ole Miss in Arizona, the Hurricanes had to face the expectations of a home crowd; while the defense was decent enough in the first half, the Hurricanes were outgained by 100 yards and were on pace to lose by 20.
A team that had to get off the mat and rally just to reach the CFP at all, did so again after halftime. The Hurricanes outgained the Hoosiers, the best team in the country, by 125 yards in the second half, and all their stars shined. Fletcher’s 57-yard burst got the party started, while Toney finished with 10 catches for 122 yards, and the pass-rush duo of Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, so vital to this CFP run, finished with three sacks (all after halftime) and 4.5 tackles for loss. In 13 second-half pass attempts from Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner, Miami allowed just four completions and 47 net yards (including sacks).
Cristobal threw away a scoring chance at the end of the first half, and that certainly looms rather large in a six-point defeat, but he also had his team playing its best ball for most of the final 30 minutes. It just wasn’t quite enough. And Beck’s legacy as a one-year starter will end up rather conflicted: He had some fantastic moments — most notably an all-timer of a go-ahead touchdown drive to beat Ole Miss in the semifinals — but in all three of the Canes’ losses this season, their last offensive play was a Beck interception.
Miami will have an awfully different team in 2026. Losing Bain and Mesidor — not to mention punishing linebackers Mohamed Toure and Wesley Bissainthe — will mean that defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman will need to find a new center of gravity around which to build. The Canes will need to find a new quarterback, too, though it’s pretty clear who that will likely be. But Toney and Fletcher will return, and Cristobal’s recruiting success hasn’t abated. The Miami football program has reawakened, and The U is thinking big.
There was only one way this story could end
A season that began with a huge Lee Corso tribute kind of ended with one, too. A former IU coach, Corso has been one of the Hoosiers’ more public admirers in recent years; as it turns out, there were lots of rather dormant admirers, too. With payments to the program and its players now both legal and tax-deductible, the nation’s largest alumni base came to life with the hiring of Cignetti and his initial 2024 success. IU isn’t suddenly the biggest-spending program in the country, but its initial investments immediately reaped the ultimate reward.
I have enjoyed how unique the program was, with Hep’s Rock in one end zone (it’s now outside the stadium) and a full academic support facility under the Memorial Stadium stands. But it was never a program built to do this.
Cignetti has pulled off quite possibly the greatest turnaround in college football’s history — and college football has quite the lengthy history — and it remains shocking how easy he made it look. He didn’t even need to wait for steady growth and improved recruiting; he just did it with the guys he came with (or brought in within a year of his hiring).
IU’s best defensive players in the title game — cornerback D’Angelo Ponds (five solo tackles and three pass breakups) and end Mikail Kamara (four tackles and a blocked punt) — were part of the JMU crew that came with Cignetti from Harrisonburg,Virginia. Mendoza began college life as a low-three-star prospect from Miami who chose Cal over offers from Florida International and Yale (and, now famously, not Miami). Running backs Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby, who ground out 139 ultra-tough rushing yards on Monday night, came from JMU and Maryland, respectively. Charlie Becker, who had two enormous fourth-quarter catches, was a mid-three-star Nashville prospect who committed to Cignetti’s predecessor, Tom Allen.
Cignetti brought reasonably unheralded players to town and, with help from assistants he was very familiar with — starting with offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan (whose Cignetti connection began when he became IUP’s receivers coach in 2016) and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines (who became IUP’s defensive line and strength coach in 2014) — made every player on the roster better and better. I loved the Cignetti hire at IU, but I was envisioning regular bowl appearances for the Hoosiers; nothing in this sport’s history suggested something like this was possible. But here it is.
Watching the Indiana fans I know going along breathlessly for this ride has been a thrill. As is always the case (and I promise I’m saying this with love), they’ll become entitled and insufferable soon enough; the Golden State Warriors and New England Patriots were also once exciting underdogs, after all. But IU’s rise is a signal to almost any major school in college sports: If you can ramp up your investment levels and make smart hires, you can win big. You probably won’t win it all — as far as we know, Cignetti is one of one — but you can think big. And for as choppy as the college football waters may be off the field at the moment, more programs than ever can now dream of success they never thought possible. I can’t think of anything better for the future of the sport than that.
Trump admits ICE is ‘going to make mistakes sometimes’
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College softball 2026: Preseason Top 25 and how to watch
The 2026 college softball season is nearly here. The first poll of the season is out, and there are no surprises at the top. The Women’s College World Series champions, Texas, and runners-up, Texas Tech, are tied for the top spot. And just behind them are Oklahoma and Tennessee, the two teams that lost in the semifinals. But surely the season won’t stay predictable for long. Action begins across the country on Feb. 5.
Here’s the complete ranking.
How to watch
Everything college softball on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, Big 12 Now on ESPN+, ESPN3, ESPN+, SEC Network+ and ACCNX is accessible here, in addition to being available on the ESPN App.
What’s the full schedule
You can check out the complete scoreboard here to stay up to date this spring.
Subscribe to ESPN | Stream college softball on ESPN
Preseason Top 25
Here is the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 preseason ranking, plus each team’s first game for the 2026 season.
All times Eastern.
T1. Texas
2025 record: 56-12
2025 finish: WCWS champion
First game for 2026: Feb. 6 at Nebraska, 7:05 p.m.
T1. Texas Tech
2025 record: 54-14
2025 finish: WCWS runners-up
First game for 2026: Feb. 5 at McNeese State, 7 p.m.
3. Oklahoma
2025 record: 52-9
2025 finish: Lost in WCWS semifinals
First game for 2026: Feb. 5 at Arizona State, 8:15 p.m.
4. Tennessee
2025 record: 47-14
2025 finish: Lost in WCWS semifinals
First game for 2026: Feb. 5 vs. BYU, 7 p.m.
5. Oregon
2025 record: 54-10
2025 finish: Lost in WCWS second round
First game for 2026: Feb. 6 vs. Missouri, 10 a.m.
6. Florida
2025 record: 48-17
2025 finish: Lost in WCWS first round
First game for 2026: Feb. 6 vs. Illinois State, 7 p.m.
7. Florida State
2025 record: 49-12
2025 finish: Lost in super regionals
First game for 2026: Feb. 5 vs. Samford, 6 p.m.
8. Arkansas
2025 record: 44-14
2025 finish: Lost in super regionals
First game for 2026: Feb. 6 vs. Virginia, 9 a.m.
9. Nebraska
2025 record: 43-15
2025 finish: Lost in super regionals
First game for 2026: Feb. 6 vs. Washington, 2:05 p.m.
10. UCLA
2025 record: 43-15
2025 finish: Lost in WCWS second round
First game for 2026: Feb. 6 vs. UC Santa Barbara, 7 p.m.
11. Texas A&M
2025 record: 48-11
2025 finish: Lost in regional finals
First game for 2026: Feb. 5 vs. Abilene Christian, 5:30 p.m.
12. Clemson
2025 record: 48-14
2025 finish: Lost in super regionals
First game for 2026: Feb. 5 vs. SE Louisiana, 7 p.m.
13. LSU
2025 record: 42-16
2025 finish: Lost in regionals
First game for 2026: Feb. 5 vs. NC State, 7 p.m.
14. South Carolina
2025 record: 44-17
2025 finish: Lost in super regionals
First game for 2026: Feb. 5 vs. Virginia Tech, 6 p.m.
15. Georgia
2025 record: 35-23
2025 finish: Lost in super regionals
First game for 2026: Feb. 6 vs. Missouri State, 3:30 p.m.
16. Alabama
2025 record: 40-23
2025 finish: Lost in super regionals
First game for 2026: Feb. 5 vs. Villanova, 3 p.m.
17. Stanford
2025 record: 42-13
2025 finish: Lost in regional finals
First game for 2026: Feb. 5 vs. Oklahoma State, 9 p.m.
18. Arizona
2025 record: 48-13
2025 finish: Lost in regional finals
First game for 2026: Feb. 5 vs. Southern Utah, 4:30 p.m.
19. Duke
2025 record: 41-18
2025 finish: Lost in regional finals
First game for 2026: Feb. 6 vs. Boston University, 2 p.m.
20. Oklahoma State
2025 record: 35-20
2025 finish: Lost in regional finals
First game for 2026: Feb. 5 vs. Stanford, 8 p.m.
21. Virginia Tech
2025 record: 43-13
2025 finish: Lost in regional finals
First game for 2026: Feb. 5 at South Carolina, 6 p.m.
22. Ole Miss
2025 record: 42-21
2025 finish: Lost in WCWS first round
First game for 2026: Feb. 5 at Cal State Fullerton, 10 p.m.
23. Liberty
2025 record: 50-15
2025 finish: Lost in super regionals
First game for 2026: Feb. 6 vs. Tennessee, 4 p.m.
24. Mississippi State
2025 record: 39-19
2025 finish: Lost in regional finals
First game for 2026: Feb. 5 at Baylor, 7:30 p.m.
25. Washington
2025 record: 35-19
2025 finish: Lost in regionals
First game for 2026: Feb. 6 vs. Nebraska, 2:05 p.m.
Blake Lively makes new strong accusations against Justin Baldoni
Blake Lively has made new and serious allegations against Justin Baldoni, claiming she felt pressured into an uncomfortable and humiliating situation while filming a birth scene for It Ends With Us.
Newly revealed details from Lively’s testimony in her ongoing legal dispute with Baldoni describe what she says was an unnecessary pressure on near-nudity during a hospital delivery scene, despite her objections.
According to Lively, the issue arose on the day the birth scene was filmed, when Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath allegedly pushed for her character to appear naked while giving birth.
As per TMZ, she said Baldoni referenced his own wife’s childbirth experience, claiming she tore off her clothes during labour.
Lively stated she pushed back, explaining that she herself had given birth four times and was never been like that, and that she expected her character to wear a hospital gown since the scene was set in a medical setting.
Despite those objections, Lively claims she felt “forced to compromise and ultimately agreed to simulate [the situation] from below the chest down, which we had not previously discussed or agreed to.”
She described spending hours filming the scene while positioned on her back in a hospital bed, with her legs spread in stirrups, as crew members walked through the set.
The only coverage, she said, was a hospital gown and “a small, thin and flat piece of black fabric to cover [little to nothing].”
Lively also alleged that multiple camera angles were filmed, including frontal shots, and that she sometimes had to ask for a blanket between takes for basic privacy.
She said she was disturbed to learn that the actor playing the OB/GYN was a close friend of Baldoni and was “repeatedly positioned between my legs in close proximity.”
“I was extremely uncomfortable with the degree to which I was exposed during the Birth Scene, which felt violative and humiliating,” Lively said, adding that the presence of Baldoni’s friends on set that day only made the experience worse.
She also claimed it was inappropriate for the film’s financier to visit during the filming of such a sensitive scene.
Lively further alleged that the following day, Heath showed her a video of a woman giving birth, which she initially believed was not appropriate, before he told her it was his wife.
There has been no comments from Baldoni representatives on the allegations.
EU-India On Verge Of Historic Trade Pact: Why The Pact Is Called ‘Mother Of All Deals’, How It Will Transform Global Economy
EU-India Trade Deal: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said negotiators had made substantial progress, with only final steps remaining before both sides can seal what she described as a potentially historic agreement.
The European Union (EU) and India are moving closer to finalising a free trade agreement, which could rank among the largest economic pacts ever attempted, hinted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday.
Her statements pointed to a deal, which has been years in the making and now appears to be approaching a decisive phase. “There is still work to do. But we are on the cusp of a historic trade agreement. Some call it the mother of all deals, one that would create a market of 2 billion people, accounting for almost a quarter of global GDP,” she said, as describing the EU’s push to diversify trade ties and reduce strategic vulnerabilities.
Why This Agreement Carries Global Weight
The proposed pact carries a scale that few trade agreements can match. A formal economic bridge between one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies and a bloc that is central to global commerce would change supply chains at a moment when countries are re-evaluating how and where they trade.
For Brussels, India has emerged as a key partner in its effort to reduce dependence on China and broaden engagement with economies seen as reliable and long term. For New Delhi, access to the EU’s 27-member market, its second-largest trading partner, would support export growth and strengthen India’s push to climb higher in global manufacturing and services.
Talks Back In Fast Lane
Discussions on an India-EU free trade agreement began in 2007 and then lost momentum for almost a decade. The discussions were revived in 2022, backed by fresh political commitment on both sides. Since then, negotiations have advanced along with the India-EU Trade and Technology Council, a forum established to align cooperation on critical technologies, digital rules and supply-chain resilience.
This parallel engagement has helped narrow regulatory differences and expanded the scope of talks beyond tariffs, giving negotiators room to address newer economic realities.
Why The Deal Is Moving Fast
Geopolitical developments are adding urgency. The EU is moving to diversify away from concentrated dependencies, and India is positioning itself as a central player in redesigned global supply networks.
Trade numbers highlight the momentum. Goods trade reached 124 billion euro in 2023, and services trade, led largely by digital and IT services, is estimated at 60 billion euro. Officials on both sides believe a comprehensive agreement could unlock far greater potential, especially in clean energy, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing and digital services.
Issues Still On The Table
Optimism from Davos has not erased the remaining challenges. European negotiators continue to seek tariff reductions on automobiles, wines and spirits, sectors India has traditionally protected to shield domestic industries.
India is pressing for improved conditions for the movement of skilled professionals, an issue that is sensitive within the EU because visa and mobility policies differ across member states.
Sustainability standards, access to public procurement and regulatory alignment are also under discussion. These issues are politically sensitive; and therefore, von der Leyen stressed that “there is still work to do”.
Her visit to India early next week is expected to be crucial. Diplomats view the trip as a chance to settle the most difficult questions at the political level and provide clear direction to negotiators. The timing is important, coming ahead of a planned India-EU leaders’ meeting later this month, where both sides aim to show tangible progress and possibly point to a breakthrough.
Why The Deal Matters
A final agreement would stand among the EU’s most consequential trade achievements in recent years and strengthen India’s integration into global supply chains.
It would strengthen flows of goods, services and investment, offer more predictable market access, expand cooperation on technology and standards and send a strong signal of strategic alignment at a time when global trade is being changed.
A combined market representing nearly a quarter of global GDP would immediately place the EU-India pact among the most influential trade agreements in the world, with ripple effects far beyond Europe and South Asia.
Britney Spears raves about Madonna in new social media post
Britney Spears and Madonna share a strong bond as the pop icons look back at moments they shared on social media.
Taking to Instagram, she writes a lengthy post, while attaching an iconic photo of the Hung Up hitmaker’s 2003 Steven Klein photo shoot.
“The beast within … I prefer to call it the spiritual animal awakening,” she pens about inner strength as well as identity. “It’s been a long time for me … I know the wild ones more than anyone !!!
“Yet, we’re honestly all the same under our mask we secretly wear every day !!! Vulnerability, fragility, insanity, real innocence … but also confusion, depression, extreme hurt, anger … stuck in our heads.”
Regarding the photo, Britney admires Madonna’s aura and confidence, “This picture is clearly an understanding ‘DO NOT P*** HER OFF’. I admire and look up to Madonna more than anyone … wise, incredibly strong and has remained gentle and genius. Again … DO NOT P*SS HER OFF !!!”
The post comes after the Grammy winner wrote on social media that she would never perform in the U.S.
“Sending this piano to my son this year!!!” the mom-of-two penned, referring to son Jayden James Federline, then she added, “I will never perform in the U.S. again because of extremely sensitive reasons.”