In other news: Trump directs US Treasury to stop minting new pennies; ‘Dog Man’ bests at box office

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Trump says he has directed US Treasury to stop minting new pennies, citing rising cost

President Donald Trump says he has directed the Treasury Department to stop minting new pennies, citing the rising cost of producing the one-cent coin. Trump wrote in a post Sunday night on his Truth Social site: “For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents. This is so wasteful!” He added: “I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies.” The move by Trump is the latest in what has been a rapid-fire effort by his new administration to enact sweeping change through executive order and proclamation.

‘Dog Man’ bests ‘Heart Eyes,’ ‘Love Hurts’ at box office

On a quiet winter weekend at the box office, DreamWorks Animation’s “Dog Man” chased its own tail, repeating as the top movie in theaters. The animated Universal Pictures release, adapted from Dav Pilkey’s popular graphic novel series, collected $13.7 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. Both new releases — the Ke Huy Quan action movie “Love Hurts” and the Valentine’s Day-themed slasher “Heart Eyes” — were left nipping at the heels of “Dog Man.” Hollywood often largely punts Super Bowl weekend to the small screen. Instead, the movie industry spends more energy pitching its blockbusters in trailers for the huge football audience on TV.

Super Bowl halftime performer detained after unfurling Sudanese-Palestinian flag

A performer in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show was detained on the field and could face charges after unfurling a combination Sudanese-Palestinian flag with “Sudan” and “Gaza” written on it. The NFL confirmed the person was part of the 400-member field cast. The New Orleans Police Department said in a statement that “law enforcement is working to determine applicable charges in this incident.” The performer stood on a car used as a prop for Lamar’s performance and held up the flag.