EU negotiators agreed in the early hours of Saturday morning to boost the bloc’s budget by €2.2 billion for 2018.

After a 17-hour negotiating session ending at 4 a.m., representatives of the European Parliament and the Council agreed the EU would commit to spending €160.1 billion next year, compared to €157.9 billion agreed for 2017. Among the representatives of EU countries, Britain abstained, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.

“The 2018 budget focuses strongly on priorities such as boosting economic growth and job creation, strengthening security and addressing the challenges posed by migration,” said Märt Kivine, the Estonian deputy finance minister and chief Council negotiator for the annual budget.

The result is a compromise between the three main EU institutions. In May, the Commission proposed a budget of €160.6 billion. MEPs wanted to add €2 billion to that figure to increase infrastructure and research spending. The Council, however, suggested a figure €1.7 billion lower than the Commission’s proposal.

Both the Parliament and Council now have two weeks to approve the deal.

According to officials, the Council’s request for a lower budget was driven by a desire to set cash aside to renew a €3 billion deal between the EU and Turkey, intended to fund refugee camps in Turkey and thereby curb migration into the EU.

The EU has already given almost €3 billion to Turkey to tackle the migration crisis but that funding came from both the EU budget and individual member countries. But, in a letter seen by POLITICO, Germany, France, Austria and the Nordic countries made clear they wanted to shift the full cost of the program to the EU budget alone.

This issue was not raised during the negotiations, however, because Germany does not yet have a new government following September’s general election and the topic is highly politically sensitive.

Ahead of the meeting, the Parliament’s lead negotiator for the 2018 budget, Siegfried Mureșan, told POLITICO the assembly could not “in any way” agree for the EU to pay for every euro of the Turkey deal without national capitals contributing more to the EU’s coffers.

The 2018 budget will be the last one with the U.K. as a full member of the European Union for the whole year. The British contribution to the EU budget represents around 12.5 per cent of the total.

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The Fraternal Order of Police in Chicago is protesting outside the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office on Monday, demanding the resignation of top prosecutor Kim Foxx after her office dropped all charges against Empire actor Jussie Smollett.

Protesters held signs reading “KIM DO THE FOXX TROT RESIGN” and “HEY YO FOXX MUST GO” as they demonstrated outside Foxx’s office at 69 W. Washington St. at 11 a.m. local time. The FOP warned earlier that officers would be in “full force” protesting the decision to drop all 16 charges against Smollett for filing a false police report about an allegedly staged hate crime against him.

The union said the protest is open to any Chicagoans outraged by the decision to drop the charges. “Police officers are dedicated to the job they do, and what does that say about their work when the person they arrest walks away?” Chicago FOP President Kevin Graham said in a statement.

Last week, Foxx’s office backpedaled on claims that the top prosecutor formally rescued herself from the case after Tina Tchen, the former chief of staff of former first lady Michelle Obama, asked her to have the FBI take over the Smollett investigation from the Chicago Police. Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo said Foxx could serve up to 20 years in jail if convicted of corruption for her handling of the case.

Several local reporters shared photos and video of the protest to social media.

Meanwhile, Rev. Jesse Jackson and other clergy held a rally in support of Foxx down the street.

Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH Coalition said the civil rights leader will join fellow clergy, elected officials, attorneys and community activists for a Monday morning rally at the Chicago Temple supporting the embattled prosecutor.

Jackson called the criticism of Foxx is “unreasonable, unjustified and politically motivated.”

She has faced blowback since prosecutors dismissed all 16 felony counts against Smollett, who police accuse of paying two brothers to stage the January 29th attack in downtown Chicago in an attempt to boost his career. Smollett, who is gay and Black, told officers his attacks wore masks as they hurled insults and placed a thin rope around his neck. The actor also said the attackers yelled “This is MAGA country,” a reference to President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan, before running away.

Authorities say that in return for the charges being dropped, Smollett agreed to forfeit the $10,000 he put up to get out of jail and completed community service. Several news outlets reported that the community service included volunteering at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

On Thursday, city officials wrote Smollett that he could be prosecuted for making false statements if he fails to repay the roughly $130,000 cost of the police’s probe into his alleged hate hoax in the next seven days.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

On the agenda: Brexit leak, College of Commissioners

On the podium: Commission chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas.

Brexit leak, the sequel: “Normally I don’t comment on leaks, but today I will,” Schinas said after reporters asked for a reaction to a story in German newspaper FAZ on Sunday claiming Theresa May had “begged” Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker for help during last week’s dinner in Brussels. May’s former chief of staff Nick Timothy accused Martin Selmayr, Juncker’s chief of staff, of being the source of the leak. But Schinas denied that the Commission was behind the leak and said accusing Selmayr was a way “to undermine our [the EU’s] negotiating position.” Schinas said the Commission did not have “time for gossip.”

College of Commissioners Tuesday: European commissioners meet Tuesday in Strasbourg to approve their 2018 work program, to discuss renewal of the controversial herbicide glyphosate, and to approve a communication on the EU’s outermost regions.

Police are investigating a double murder of a man and an au pair in and around the New Jersey home of a New York City comedy club owner, authorities said.

Authorities arrested Joseph Porter, 27, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, and charged him with two counts of murder and two counts of weapons possession in connection with the deaths of au pair Karen Bermudez-Rodriguez and David Kimowitz, who owned the comedy club, the New York Daily News reported.

Police said Sunday that Porter was the au pair’s boyfriend.

Authorities responded to a report of a woman being assaulted in Maplewood at 6 a.m., Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly said in a statement.

One neighbor became aware of the incident when she heard screams of “oh my God” repeatedly at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning.

Once officers arrived, they found the woman lying in the street with stab wounds to her head and on her body. First responders transported her to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead at 7:17 a.m., the North Jersey Record reported.

The Maplewood Police Department was surveying the area when they found the dead man inside the comedy club owner’s home.

Sources told NBC 4 New York that the au pair and her male employer were victims of a double murder.

Electronic property records show that the home belonged to David and Laura Kimowitz. David Kimowitz is the owner of an upscale comedy club in the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan called The Stand, the New York Post reported.

The club is described as one of the best venues for stand-up comedy, and has hosted big names such as Tracy Morgan, Dave Chappelle, and Damon Wayans.

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Italian members of the European Parliament have one final card to play in a bid to stop the European Medicines Agency from moving to Amsterdam, rather than Milan.

After Britain’s decision to quit the EU, 19 countries fought for the lucrative prize of becoming the next venue of the London-based drug regulator. In the final round of voting in the Council in November, Italy’s candidate city, Milan, ultimately lost out to Amsterdam in a drawing of lots from a bowl.

Italy is still smarting from that twist of fate and has protested about the Dutch victory because Amsterdam won’t have its new building ready to host the agency from March 2019.

Italian lawmakers in the European Parliament now have an opportunity to fight back, although their chance of success is remote. A draft law on the relocation must pass through the Parliament, and it gives the Italians an opportunity to intervene.

After the Council decided to relocate the EMA to Amsterdam, the European Commission sent a draft regulation to the Parliament to rubber stamp the decision. But that cannot be taken for granted.

“It’s an ordinary legislative proposal, [so] the European Parliament has the power to change any part of it, including the part which says the new location is Amsterdam,” said Italian S&D MEP Paolo De Castro, who has been involved in the discussions.

Two other Italian lawmakers, Patrizia Toia and Elisabetta Gardini, also have asked the Council whether the relocation procedure should be reopened.

But there would be huge political backlash at any attempt to change the new site of the EMA.

“Theoretically, it is possible [to change the location], but I don’t think that will happen,” said Carlo Corazza, spokesman for the Italian President of the Parliament Antonio Tajani.

Under the procedure for new EU laws, the Commission’s proposal has passed to the Parliament and the Council, which will adopt their own reports and conduct three-way negotiations to agree a final version. Both institutions have the right to make changes before it becomes law.

Tajani in the summer stressed Parliament would ensure transparency in the EMA relocation, even if MEPs had no formal role in picking the new city.

The EMA is an EU agency under the supervision of the Commission. The decision on where to locate any EU agency is typically taken by the Council alone.

No guarantees

The Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee is expected to discuss its report on the file on January 24, according to Czech GUE MEP Kateřina Konečná, a shadow rapporteur. The whole Parliament then must vote on the final position.

De Castro said a change to the Commission’s proposal could be justified by the fact that Dutch facilities won’t be ready by the Brexit date. The Dutch government has confirmed the new building for the agency won’t be finished by March 29, 2019, which it acknowledged in its original bid.

“The Netherlands focuses on ensuring a swift and effective move of this important agency and will not comment on every action entertained by others in that respect,” said Ole Heil, a spokesperson for the Dutch health ministry.

Italian EPP MEP Giovanni La Via is steering the Parliament’s report through the environment committee and said that lawmakers would consider the location. Following his appointment Wednesday as a rapporteur for the draft law, La Via said the procedure was just beginning and that it was too early to say what would happen.

De Castro acknowledged that being able to propose a new host city was no guarantee a change would happen, given the Council and Parliament have equal say in the co-decision procedure. “If the Council said no [to a location change] and the Parliament said yes, I don’t know what will happen. We can lose a lot of time,” he said.

Before it gets there, La Via may face opposition to propose a location change from inside the Parliament itself.

“As far as I am concerned, this is not a political but a technical report,” said Croatian S&D MEP Biljana Borzan, another shadow rapporteur who will work on the draft law with La Via. “The Parliament does not have the power to change the Council’s decision.”

Borzan said the Parliament must expedite the report “so that the relocation process can be conducted as efficiently as possible. That is in the interest of public health protection in the EU.”

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The first female Captain Marvel was a black woman and an online petition calling for Brie Larson to be replaced is gaining steam.

The petition’s goal is 9,000 signatures and already (as of this writing) over 8,000 supporters have signed on.

“We need Brie Larson to step down from her role to prove she is an ally of social justice and ensure a gay woman of color plays the role,” the petition reads [emphasis original]. “Let Monica, the original female & BLACK Captain Marvel instead of white-washing characters for the benefit of the straight, white men running Disney.

To back up their argument that Larson is “all talk,” the petitioners also criticize the Oscar-winner for her charitable giving … or lack of…

“She hasn’t donated money to any charity other than The Motion Picture and Television Fund Foundation (https://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/brie-larson) and it’s time for her to show she is not all-talk.”

The “Monica” referred to in the petition is the character Monica Rambeau, created by Marvel comics all the way back in 1982. Rambeau is a black woman (based on The Mighty Pam Grier) but there is no reference to her being homosexual.

Monica Rambeau does appear in the movie Captain Marvel, but as the daughter of Carol Danvers’ (Larson) best friend.

Here’s the thing — and this is important — the petitioners have a point, because Monica Rambeau was indeed the first female Captain Marvel, not Larson’s Carol Danvers.

Monica Rambeau became Captain Marvel in 1982. She even led the Avengers for a time!

Carol Danvers was Ms. Marvel in 1977, but did not become Captain Marvel until … 2012, a full 30 years after Rambeau.

In other words, this petition is not a troll; the petitioners have a real point. Marvel did step over a black woman to cast Brie Larson, who might be the whitest woman in the world, as a female Captain Marvel.

“To me it’s like, we gotta move faster,” Larson said of representation in movies. “But I’m always wanting to move faster with this stuff.”

But now we know it is indeed all talk from Larson. She had the opportunity to move things faster by refusing to allow Captain Marvel to be whitewashed. She could have turned down the role, she could have passed the test and made a stink about how Marvel Studios (which Disney owns) was casting a white woman in a role originated by a black woman.

Brie Larson was offered the opportunity to make a difference and chose instead to selfishly grab the fame and paycheck away from a black actress.

And what the hell’s the matter with Marvel-Disney? Larson is the single most unlikable star in any of the Marvel Studios movies (or any movie, actually), and for decades Hollywood has been an embarrassment of riches when it comes to charismatic and talented black actresses who are under-utilized.

Marvel not only stepped right over the opportunity to honor its own legacy-canon-source material by casting a black woman as Captain Marvel, in order to do so Marvel fans have been punished with Larson’s insufferable presence; her Captain Wonder Bread, who is as unappealing as she is generic.

Left-wing Hollywood remains one of the most racist institutions in this country. Casting a black woman as Captain Marvel was a no-brainer decision for Disney-Marvel, was the right decision, and they should all be ashamed of themselves — as should shameless hypocrite Brie Larson.

Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.

Eurozone finance ministers “need to invent something new” to ensure Greece sticks to its reform commitments once it exits an €86 billion European rescue program in August, said European Commissioner Pierre Moscovici.

“This is not business as usual. It would be false to pretend that the Greek case is exactly the same as Ireland, Portugal and Cyprus [which were also bailed out in the eurozone’s debt crisis],” Moscovici, who oversees the Commission’s economic and financial affairs portfolio, said in an interview with POLITICO Brussels Playbook.

“We must not go in the opposite direction and create a fourth program in disguise. I don’t want the troika, or the institutions, now to go to Athens in just different suits,” the commissioner said. “But obviously we need to follow up on decisive strategic items with quite detailed commitments. That has a name — enhanced surveillance.”

Details of how that follow-up monitoring will work are among the key issues on Greece still to be resolved at Thursday’s Eurogroup meeting of finance ministers, as they look to sign off on a yearslong, costly rollercoaster ride that took the eurozone close to collapse.

Moscovici was keen not to underplay the significance of the meeting.

“Everybody is acting as if it was normal,” he said. “It’s not normal. It’s fantastic. Just imagine that we were not able to find a solution Thursday. What would be the message sent for the [European Council on June] 28th?”

“Things are not yet done. It’s not precooked, but we are on the right track,” Moscovici added. “I’m very confident that we have the building blocks for a conclusion. No, I’m actually sure.”

Other issues that ministers still need to hammer out include the size of a final payment for Greece — seen at between €10 billion and €15 billion — and buying back more expensive loans, such as from the International Monetary Fund, to keep financing costs down.

“€15 billion is more convincing than 10, and it’s easier to buy back with more money than with less,” Moscovici said. “But that’s probably one of the figures that will need to be adjusted at the last moment.”

On how long debt maturities should be extended — to keep markets sweet — Moscovici said there is a need for “substantial, but not ridiculous” measures. “Some say 15 years, some say seven, some say 10. Double digits are better than single digits.”

Macron, Merkel reform push

Moscovici welcomed the “Meseberg declaration” on eurozone reform put forward by the leaders of France and Germany Tuesday.

“It was crucial that they showed that they keep the momentum.”

“That final push by the leaders was very positive because the wording seems to be even clearer than what the finance ministers prepared,” the commissioner said, acknowledging there are still unanswered questions on just how big a budget the eurozone could have, whether it’s part of the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework, and what the money would pay for.

“There is a need for a lot of work to define exactly what it is — but it is a political breakthrough. It is the first time ever that we consider having a budget dedicated to stabilization investment. That also means convergence and that is a political signal which is absolutely decisive,” he said.

Impossible d’avoir échappé, l’an dernier, au phénomène Stromae. L’interprète de Formidable et Papaoutai est en tournée en France ce mois-ci, et s’est laissé interviewer par le magazine Les Inrocks à cette occasion. Il s’est notamment exprimé sur son succès, ses peurs, et a raconté qu’il ne s’attendait pas à pouvoir danser.

« Je me suis rendu compte que mon corps bizarre pouvait exprimer des choses. » Stromae est probablement le dernier à s’en rendre compte : le grand vainqueur des dernières Victoires de la musique n’avait pas réalisé que son talent se cachait aussi dans ses mouvements. « Pour moi, danser, c’était d’office de mauvais goût. J’ai rencontré une chorégraphe française, Marion Motin. Elle m’a expliqué que ce qui m’énervait dans la danse, c’était le côté performance à tout prix. Et que le but, ce n’est pas ça mais l’expression. » Des explications qui ont porté leurs fruits : « Je me sentais un peu con mais finalement, j’ai vite distingué les moments où j’étais dans une posture de ceux où j’étais plus sincère. »

C’est notamment grâce à ses performances que Stromae est devenu l’un des artistes les plus en vue de 2013 (et la personnalité préférée des enfants). Un succès qui n’est pas toujours facile à vivre : « Je suis ravi de cet engouement, mais j’ai remarqué il y a quelque temps que j’avais les sourcils plus froncés que d’habitude. À chaque fois que je me regardais dans le miroir, je voyais un garçon préoccupé ou sur la défensive. » Un souci lié aux trop nombreuses sollicitations dont le Belge fait l’objet, et qui l’ont obligé à apprendre à dire non : « Si j’avais répondu oui à tout, on m’aurait trop vu et je sais que j’aurais fini par soûler tout le monde. J’ai cette peur de lasser les gens, de les dégoûter. » Et pour être sûr que cela n’arriverait pas, Stromae a décidé de se diversifier : il est récemment devenu styliste.

Tom Cruise ne serait plus célibataire depuis son divorce avec Katie Holmes en 2012. Il serait en couple avec Laura Prepon, actrice et comme lui, membre de l’Église de la Scientologie.

En novembre dernier, Tom Cruise et Laura Prepon niaient par communiqués de presse être en couple, après avoir été vus dans un restaurant de Los Angeles. L’édition britannique de Grazia écrivait alors que l’interprète de l’agent Ethan Hunt (Mission Impossible) et l’actrice “avaient passé trois heures entières à rire et à jouer”. Selon le magazine, il est clair que “Tom Cruise est complètement épris d’elle et se trouvait au septième ciel après ce rendez-vous”. À l’affiche de Orange Is The New Black, la nouvelle série américaine à succès de Netflix, elle l’a également accompagné à un diner organisé chez John Travolta. Une source proche du couple a confié au site de Page Six que les deux stars continuent de se voir régulièrement: “ils font très attention à garder leur relation secrète mais sur le tournage de la série de Laura, tout le monde en parle”.

Être tous les deux adeptes du culte scientologue permettra t-il à leur histoire de durer ? Après l’échec de ses mariages avec Mimi Rogers et Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise avait épousé Katie Holmes en 2006, de cette union est née la petite Suri. L’actrice de Dawson avait provoqué la stupéfaction générale en demandant le divorce six ans plus tard. Elle ne supportait plus l’implication de Tom Cruise dans la scientologie et voulait “protéger sa fille de l’église”.

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Laura Prepon a quant à elle fréquenté Chris Masterson – au casting de la série Malcom et tout aussi scientologue – durant 12 ans. On peut dire que cette dernière et Tom Cruise se sont bien trouvés!

Surprise de taille à destination des fans de Led Zeppelin, le groupe mythique va rééditer trois de ses neuf albums. L’occasion de découvrir des morceaux jamais entendus auparavant.

Les fans n’y croyaient plus, mais c’est désormais officiel, Led Zeppelin signe son retour. Pas sur scène malheureusement, mais au travers de la réédition de trois de ses albums. Et pour lancer le mouvement, John Paul Jones (le bassiste), Jimmy Page (le guitariste) et Robert Plant (le chanteur) ont dévoilé mercredi deux morceaux inédits. Ce sont des premières versions des tubes Whole Lotta Love et Key to the Highway. Elles ne ressemblent pas aux versions finales entendues à travers le monde par les fans du groupe.

Des douzaines de chansons ont ainsi été rééditées grâce au travail minutieux de Jimmy Page. Durant deux ans et demi, ce passionné de musique a personnellement sélectionné les titres en question parmi les centaines de chansons conservées dans les archives du groupe. Versions alternatives, travaux non terminés, performances live, tous les morceaux ont été enregistrés à l’époque de leurs albums originaux.

Cependant, Led Zeppelin ne se reformera pas pour autant. C’est en tout cas ce qu’affirme Robert Plant, le chanteur du groupe. Jimmy Page s’est d’ailleurs confié à la BBC à ce sujet «je sais que les gens seraient heureux de nous entendre. Je ne suis pas celui à qui il faut poser la question. Je ne suis pas celui qui chante. ». Ça tombe mal pour les fans, puisque Robert semble catégorique. Les membres du groupe rentré dans la légende avaient mis fin à Led Zep en 1980, suite au décès de leur batteur John Bonham.

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La dernière réunion des rockeurs a eu lieu à Londres le 10 décembre 2007 lors d’un concert magistral à l’O2 Arena. A la place de leur batteur disparu 27 ans plus tôt, les trois amis ont choisi Jason Bonham, le fils de John. Plus de 20 millions de fans ont tenté d’obtenir des places pour ce show considéré par la presse britannique comme «le plus grand événement rock de l’histoire». Malgré le succès retentissant de cette soirée de décembre, le groupe a pris la décision de ne pas se reformer. La réédition de leurs albums sort le 3 juin prochain et va donc permettre, une dernière fois, de découvrir de nouveaux sons de Led Zeppelin.