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David Ellison, son of software centi-billionaire Larry Ellison, nurtured a relationship with Paramount over the past 15 years as a movie producer. His father’s fortune and political status also scored points. The Federal Communications Commission greenlit the $8 billion merger between Paramount and Skydance Media on Thursday, 383 days after the deal was first announced. The merger, which is set to close on August 7, will transform Larry Ellison, 80, and his son David Ellison, 42, into one of the most powerful duos in Hollywood, wielding influence over TV shows, movies, news and more. As Paramount’s chairman, CEO and owner…

Tracee Ellis Ross, the actor best-known for her roles in shows like “black-ish” and “Girlfriends,” happens to be single and without children, but she doesn’t let either hold her back from experiencing a fulfilling, joyful life, especially when it comes to vacations. When friends and family can’t join her, or if she just wants to decompress, Ross will jet-set by herself and have a fabulous time doing it. She says she takes at least one solo trip a year by herself, and if vacationing with others, might stay a little longer to include alone time.In a new three-part docuseries streaming…

LONDON (AP) — Indian author Kiran Desai, who won the Booker Prize and then didn’t publish a novel for almost two decades, is up for the award again with her long-awaited follow-up.“The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny,” the 677-page tale of two young Indians making their way in the United States, is one of 13 books announced Tuesday as semifinalists for the prestigious 50,000-pound ($67,000) prize. The contenders include authors from nine countries on four continents.It’s Desai’s first novel since “The Inheritance of Loss,” which won the Booker in 2006.Two previous finalists are up for the prize again: U.K. writer…

When I was a kid, my friends and I spent long summer days outdoors, picking daisies, observing roly-poly (also known as pill) bugs, holding caterpillars and trying to catch fireflies (lightning bugs). It’s still not hard to entice the under-5 set to make mudpies, smell flowers and eat string beans off the vine, but as children get older and turn to screens, nature exploration often falls to the bottom of their boredom-buster lists.With a little creativity, however, parents can nurture an interest in the great outdoors and inspire a lifelong love for gardening. The key is starting kids young —…

NEW YORK (AP) — As a child, Heidi Barley watched her family pay for groceries with food stamps. As a college student, she dropped out because she couldn’t afford tuition. In her twenties, already scraping by, she was forced to take a pay cut that shrunk her salary to just $34,000 a year.But this summer, the 41-year-old hit a milestone that long felt out of reach: She became a millionaire.A surging number of everyday Americans now boast a seven-figure net worth once the domain of celebrities and CEOs. But as the ranks of millionaires grow fatter, the significance of the…

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Facing complex bureaucracy at home in Poland, Magdalena Kujawińska and her Colombian fiancé Heinner Valenzuela traveled to Copenhagen to become husband and wife.“We realized that it’s not that easy to get married in Poland,” the 30-year-old Kujawińska said as the couple waited for their 10-minute ceremony at the Danish capital’s 19th-century City Hall.“You need a certificate that you are not married,” she said. “We tried to get it from Colombia, but it’s only valid for three months, and it couldn’t get to Poland from Colombia in three months. It was just impossible for us.”The couple, who…

SMIMOU, Morocco (AP) — Argan oil runs through your fingers like liquid gold — hydrating, luscious, and restorative. Prized worldwide as a miracle cosmetic, it’s more than that in Morocco. It’s a lifeline for rural women and a byproduct of a forest slowly buckling under the weight of growing demand.To make it, women crouch over stone mills and grind down kernels. One kilogram — roughly two days of work — earns them around $3, enough for a modest foothold in an economy where opportunities are scarce. It also links them to generations past.“We were born and raised here. These traditions…

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s official: Older Americans worried about cognitive decline can stay sharper for longer by exercising both their bodies and their brains and eating healthier.That’s according to initial results released Monday from a rigorous U.S. study of lifestyle changes in seniors at risk of developing dementia. People following a combination of healthier habits slowed typical age-related cognitive decline — achieving scores on brain tests as if they were a year or two younger, researchers reported in JAMA and at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.It’s not too late to get started — study participants were in their 60s and…

A big bowl of steamed clams and juicy-crisp corn is summer eating at its finest. The combination is fresh, sweet and briny, almost like a chowder made for eating with your fingers.In this recipe from our cookbook “ Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” we finish the clams and corn with a small measure of crème fraîche (or whole-milk yogurt); the briny-sweet liquid released by the clams becomes a subtly creamy broth that’s as delicious as the clams themselves. Fennel perfumes the broth with anise-like notes.Scrub the clams well before cooking and be sure…

NEW YORK (AP) — When Amrita Bhasin, 24, learned that products from South Korea might be subject to a new tax when they entered the United States, she decided to stock up on the sheet masks from Korean brands like U-Need and MediHeal she uses a few times a week.“I did a recent haul to stockpile,” she said. “I bought 50 in bulk, which should last me a few months.”South Korea is one of the countries that hopes to secure a trade deal before the Aug. 1 date President Donald Trump set for enforcing nation-specific tariffs. A not-insignificant slice of…