In other news: California governor to deploy 500 surveillance cameras to fight crime; ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” roars to $80 million opening

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, April 2, 2024

By The Associated Press

California governor to deploy 500 surveillance cameras to Oakland to fight crime

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says hundreds of high-tech surveillance cameras are coming to the city of Oakland and surrounding freeways to battle crime. The Democrat said in a statement released Friday that 480 cameras will be deployed on city streets and surrounding state freeways to identify and track suspect vehicles in real time. Opponents say the technology infringes on privacy and will lead to further police abuse of already marginalized communities. Public safety remains a concern statewide, especially retail theft, forcing even liberal leaders of Democratic cities to embrace increased policing. In-N-Out Burger has closed its only restaurant in Oakland due to car break-ins and robberies.

‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” roars to an $80 million box office opening

The Godzilla-King Kong combo stomped on expectations as “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” roared to an $80 million opening at the weekend box office. Studio estimates Sunday showed that the monster mash-up from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures brought the second-highest opening in what has been a robust year. It fell just short of the the $81.5 million debut of “Dune: Part 2.” Projections for “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” put its opening weekend at closer to $50 million. Last week’s No. 1, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” was second with $15.7 million for a two-week total of $73.4 million.

Harvard says it’s removed human skin from binding of 19th century book

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Harvard University says it has removed human skin from the binding of a 19th century book about the afterlife that has been in its collections since the 1930s. It comes after a review found ethical concerns with the book’s origin and history. The book, “Des Destinées de L’âme,” meaning “Destinies of the Soul,” was written in the early 1880s. Harvard says the printed text was given to a physician, Ludovic Bouland, who ”bound the book with skin he took without consent from the body of a deceased female patient in a hospital where he worked.” The skin is in “secured storage” at the library, which is researching Bouland and the patient. It’s also working with French authorities to determine a “final respectful disposition.”