In Other News: New star for ‘Batman’ movie announced; AOC slings drinks to raise awareness for minimum wage increase

Published 11:39 am Saturday, June 1, 2019

Editor’s note: “In Other News” is a list of state, national and global headlines compiled by the Daily Citizen-News staff. Click on the headlines below to read the full stories.

Manufacturers warn on ‘devastating consequences’ of Mexico tariffs

U.S. manufacturers warned on Friday that President Donald Trump’s threat to impose new tariffs on Mexico could have a “devastating” impact on the economy and may jeopardize the administration’s efforts to win passage of a new North American trade accord. Late Thursday, Trump shocked markets by threatening to slap 5% surcharges on Mexican imports beginning June 10, as part of a demand that the country do more to contain a surge of migrants streaming across the border. — Yahoo!

Robert Pattinson officially set to star in ‘The Batman,’ according to reports

Robert Pattinson is officially set to star in the upcoming film “The Batman,” according to multiple reports. Per Variety, Warner Bros. confirmed that the former “Twilight” actor signed a deal on Friday to play the “Caped Crusader.” The Matt Reeves-directed superhero movie will reportedly hit theaters in June 2021 with pre-production expected to start this summer. No start date has been set for filming. Reeves — the filmmaker behind the last two “Planet of the Apes” installments — will be joined by his “Planet of the Apes” collaborator Dylan Clark, who’s been tapped to produce the flick, according to Deadline. — Fox News

The man who inspired ‘American Gangster’ dies at age 88

Frank Lucas, the notorious Harlem drug lord whose life inspired the 2007 film “American Gangster,” has died. Born in North Carolina in 1930, he moved to New York where he became a prolific heroin trafficker throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In 1976 he was sentenced to decades in prison, but later provided evidence to police and was freed after five years. A family member told U.S. media he died from natural causes, aged 88, on Thursday in New Jersey. Lucas, who imported heroin directly from Southeast Asia, was known for his lavish lifestyle. — BBC

Ocasio-Cortez waits tables to raise awareness for increasing minimum wage

When most bartenders shake up margaritas, the bars don’t usually erupt in cheers — but most bartenders aren’t U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The New York Democrat — and former bartender — waited tables Friday afternoon to raise awareness for Democrats’ fight to increase the national minimum wage to $15 an hour. “I’ve always got my backup job,” she joked to patrons while ringing up pizza orders and mixing cocktails at the restaurant in New York’s borough of Queens. “I’ve still got it!” Ocasio-Cortez is a co-sponsor of the Raise the Wage Act, which would bump the federal minimum hourly wage to $15 for all workers — up from the current $7.25 hourly rate, which hasn’t been raised since 2009. — CNN